No Shoes? No Problem.

I am sure I am not the first person to get an intense amount of inspiration and motivation from reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. I am on a new adventure... to increase my strength, my running ability, my form, and most importantly (to me), my distance. And best of all, I will do it barefoot, or nearly barefoot.

Yesterday, I ran about 2 miles (yup, that's all). I did it to the best of my ability using a forefoot strike, rather than a heel strike. And since I did it in running flats, I felt that I was still not able to get the form right, although my burning calves this morning may have suggested otherwise. Really, with even just a little bit of heel cushioning it is very difficult to mimic a minimalist or barefoot running form. (Of course, compared to my thick soled Sauconys, they were a vast improvement.)

So, I have realized, that in order to accomplish those above goals, I will need a little help with some different footwear, since it's too cold for bare feet right now. I think the high temperature in Salt Lake City today is 19 degrees and it feels even colder with the wind. With this in mind, I went to The Salt Lake Running Company today and tried on The Vibram FiveFingers, aka the VFF. It seems that almost everyone I have talked to is very excited about these. I am also considering a pair of Zems, which seem great, but of course at $30, seem a lot more appealing then the VFFs, around $80-100. Although really, they are decently priced when compared to other running shoes.

So, I will soon make a decision about footwear, and see where I end up.