The Anti-Running Runner

My hubby and I had an amazing weekend getaway at Anna Maria Island. I think we’ve decided it’s one of our favorite spots in the world. The beach is so gorgeous. It’s a quaint and pretty quiet area, at least where we stayed. Our three-day weekend was way too short, though. The water came up pretty high right in front of our condo, so not a lot of sand. I brought my Vibrams, but they are still too new to get dirty/wet/sandy yet. But what a perfect opportunity to try a completely barefoot run!  Beautiful beach I got to run on  I stuck with the half mile distance on Saturday. It was nice. After raining all week, especially thunderstorms Friday night, it was cooler and windy. It seemed way too easy. I wasn’t sore at all, and I decided, why not a mile tomorrow? All we did was relax the entire weekend, so Sunday I went for it. The shells can be a bit sharp, so I had to watch my step. I did have one break off on my toe but it didn’t draw any blood. Overall, not much sorenes...

I'm EXTREMELY thankful for the advice to take it slower and slower and not do a mile too soon with the Vibram FiveFinger shoes. Saturday, first jog was 1/2 a mile (vlogged it on last post). Felt okay. My lower back and my feet muscles more than anything were sore. I think the shoes force better running posture. Sunday, jogged 1/2 a mile again, and luckily had a friend (Thanks, Big!) warn that I might be going too far too soon. Brain computes this: half a mile, too far? But I could already tell feet and leg muscles including calves were getting more sore. So I knew Big was right. But I did stop at 0.2 miles because I saw this little guy in the middle of the road in my neighborhood. Luckily, no cars were coming. I said hello and asked if he wanted to go back into the canal. He didn't move, so I had to "chase" him. When I started shuffling my feet behind him he did a u-turn. He moved pretty quickly then. He jumped the curb and got into the grass. ...

I finally bought a pair of Vibram FiveFingers. It took me some time because they don't carry them in many stores nearby. I didn't want to buy them online without trying them on because they are in European sizes and I wanted to get a feel for them. In downtown St. Pete, I found them at a place called In Search of Balance . It's a great little shop owned by two runners. It's on 3rd Ave North really close to Beach Drive, right behind Parkshore Grill. I love supporting local shop owners, and they were extremely knowledgeable about the shoes. They recommended Bikila for me. I chose the Bikila LS because I liked the drawstring better than the Velcro strap. After trying on a few pairs, I found the ones that were just right for me. They do feel a little weird at first. And they are difficult to get on because they are so snug and my toes don't know where to go without help. Ringo and Lance are checking them out to make sure they are okay. I thin...