Bloodwork was done yesterday morning to figure out what is going on in my body- results to come later today! Hopefully the doctor has some good news for me….
Meanwhile, yesterday I went to my local Fleet Feet Running store (where I did my half marathon training last year) for a Natural Running Clinic, put on by Newton Running Company. Last year I read Born to Run (my review is here), which made me want to start thinking about running in minimalist shoes. At the time though, I was training for my half marathon and wasn’t about to jump into a whole new running style.
But recently I got to thinking that maybe the only way I am going to get rid of my plantar fasciitis is by changing my running style, getting minimalist shoes, and continuing to stretch/wear my night braces. I also hope to get rid of the knee brace that I have to wear every time I lace up my sneakers for a run. So when I saw this clinic pop up I knew that I wanted to attend.
The Newton rep was friendly and very helpful. We all laced up demo shoes and headed out for a few drills. A lot of the drills I had seen my college track teammates do during practice and before meets so they were not foreign to me. We then took about a ½ mile jog out and back from the store to test out the shoes. I was focusing on my cadence (get tips on natural running here) because with natural running your foot should strike the road more often (ideally three times a second). However in focusing on my cadence, I started running on my toes instead of hitting flatfoot….which made my calves cramp. Thankfully I figured out that I was doing it wrong and corrected it on the way back.
Turning into a natural runner is going to be hard. The rep said that it would take at least a month to get to the point where you don’t have to think about it anymore after going out for a run. That’s probably if you run more often than I do…. But the clinic got me excited about pain-free running so I found the “beginner” Newton’s on sale and ordered them today. I can’t wait to take them out for a spin (hopefully this weekend but most likely they won’t arrive until next week)!
Have you tried barefoot/natural running? Have any tips for me?
In other exercise/fitness news, I found a great quote on Pinterest recently: “No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch.” LOVE THIS. I swear I should put it up in every room of my house for motivation.
This post is not sponsored by Newton.
6 comments:
Fingers crossed for your blood work to come back with some answers. The waiting stinks even if it is a day or two. I am not a runner but I am interested in learning more about the barefoot runnig.
I'm not a runner so this may sound silly...but, what is "natural" running? Is that where you wear those shoes that separate your toes? (not sure what they are called)
Ong KT I absolutely love that quote! I'm starting to train for my first half next week and am self-conscience about my speed (or lack of). I started learning Chi Running to help with my knee issue, but I once saw an elderly gentleman naturally running in NYC. He ran from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge as we rode our bikes...and he seemed to do it with ease. Like he could run forever. I wish you much luck in this new venture!
That's interesting! I can't wait to hear more about the running.
When I was at Fleet Feet a few weeks ago they put me in really bulky (supportive) shoes to help correct my overpronation. It seems to be working, at least for my ankle pain, but it feels so awkward and heavy. I'm really intrigued by the natural running - I have read a little bit but not much. It seems to totally contradict what I'm doing now with my super supportive shoes. Also, I was really excited to learn that Fleet Feet had a group train for the Disney marathon last year, so I'm hoping they do it again this year since I don't know anyone else that's running it.
Hope the bloodwork gives you some answers! I'll keep my fingers crossed.
I'm super curious about natural running. I grew up on a far and spent a lot of time running around barefoot and I'm thinking running naturally would come pretty easily for me.
And that quote - YES! I love it!
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