Barefoot Running? Really?

I'm currently reading this book, Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.  It was a gift from my good friend, Holly.  And I've reached the point in the book where it talks about all our modern-day running injuries being caused by modern-day running shoes.  Seriously, everything that has been hurting in my left leg, the fallen arches and all of it, caused because I spend $200 on running shoes and custom insoles?  Consider me skeptical, but intrigued. I read on.

Apparently there is a scientific explanation for this.  As we add more support and shield our feet from their natural position, it weakens the foot.  By going barefoot or in cheap shoes without support and cushion, you actually strengthen the foot and reduce the risk of a whole bunch of problems, many of which I'm having right now. In fact, according to a study led by a Swiss doctor, "runners wearing top of the line shoes are 123% more likely to get injured than runners in cheap shoes."  Hmm...I can fix my injuries AND save money on running shoes.  This is worth trying for sure.

And there are now styles of running that are being taught that have emerged from the barefoot phenomenon.  One, Chi Running, is one that I went to a short workshop on, and in just 20 minutes, I felt more comfortable running that way than I ever have.  I loved it, and I shared my 20 minute education with all my running friends, but a few months after the short workshop, I went back to my plodding style, slow and apparenly, injury-prone.  Now, I'm not sure why I gave up on it.

I still have about 20% of the book left, but I'm ready to at least introduce barefoot running into my routine once a week.  Maybe my weekly short run on a local track to see if it makes a difference.  I'm also ready to give Chi Running another try.  The place that offered the short workshop I attended offers a day-long training, and I think I'm going to sign up for the next one.  Hey, it can't hurt, right?

Oh, and read the book.  It's a great story with very colorful characters, a few of which I'd kill if I met in person (talking to you, Jenn).  But it's fascinating and hard to put down.  You will enjoy it even if you are not a runner.

Landing on the Disabled List...sort of

Last time, I shared that I had my first injury.  Of course, as one who hasn't been injured much in life, I hoped, like the common cold, I could play through the pain and it would go away.  Didn't happen.

So it was off to the doctor for me.  Of course, the joys of health insurance mean that I have to go to my primary doctor, who will probably not be able to diagnose anything and then will send me off to someone who can actually help me.  Well, I was half right.

My primary doctor was actually quite helpful.  After asking about my symptoms, she had me stand up.  "Well, there's part of your problem," she said.  "You have no arch anymore in your left foot."  In other words, the Fred Flintstone diagnosis...flat feet.  She said that's what's been causing stress, probably in my hip and IT band.  From there, she watched my walk and gait, checked out the pain areas and gave me the following diagnosis: bursitis in the hip, IT band inflammation and fallen arches.  The good news?  There's no reason I have to stop my training as long as I do the following: 

• New running shoes stat
• Copious stretching BEFORE and AFTER running
• Heat followed by ice to the inflamed area after running
• Physical therapy
• Referral to a podiatrist

Phew!  This is a lot of work to torture myself for 26.2 miles at the age of 43.  Funny thing is, my mood soared when she said the words, "There's no reason you have to stop running."  In my whole life, I never thought those words would give me such joy, but they did because that meant I was still on track.  I still might have a chance to complete this BHAG.  I could still do what I set out to do. 

So the lesson learned?  It's not as easy on my body doing a marathon at 43 (44 on race day).  There are more creaks and aches and pains to manage.  There are flat feet to deal with and middle aged hips.  But when I conquer all that and finish this marathon (and then take on my next challenge), I'll know that I welcomed and conquered the challenges - all of them - to do it.

The First Injury

When a 43 year old woman trains for her first marathon, I guess injuries were inevitable.  And in week 5, it's happened.

Throughout the years of my training for various things, I've had creaks and aches and pains, and those have definitely increased as I age.  But this ache is a little different and is a little confounding because I can't quite diagnose it myself.

The symptoms: upper left leg stiffens up and gets painful on the outsite (IT band area) when I'm sitting for long periods of time, and then is painful to walk or run on.  But it doesn't feel like a muscle strain, pull or tear.  It almost feels like a circulatory issue, but whatever it is, it has hampered my last two training efforts, and it is frustrating the hell out of me.

I'm very lucky as to be very unfamiliar with the injury bug.  So I'm not quite sure what to do with this turn of events.  I want to keep training; after all, I have a schedule to stick to.  On the other hand, I don't want to aggravate an injury that keeps me from my longer term goal.  And I HATE going to the doctor, so that will probably be a last resort.  I'm going to take the next 5 days off and rest my body, and hopefully that will solve the issue.  I guess this is where I'm hoping this blog becomes a dialogue.  Anyone know what's going on with my leg?  Any and all comments and advice are appreciated.

Before I sidelined myself, I started 2011 off right and did the Resolution Run on 1/1/11.  This is me with my friend Mea waiting to start the race.  I did not, however, do the Polar Dip portion.  It was 25 degrees outside already.  Submerging myself in an ice cold lake didn't really appeal to me at that point.   But you'll see in this picture hundreds of people who did.

Next blog: Recovering from injury and adding miles.