My Old Kentucky Home in DC: Training Tuesday: (Nike) Free as a Bird

As I mentioned in this post, my sisters, Justin, and I are training for the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler. I am almost done with the couch to 5k program that I started earlier this month. From there I’ll move on to the New Balance training program the Cherry Blossom folks recommend. Now, I know nothing about training, but I figure every Tuesday I could fill you in on my progress in my training for a long distance race from a newbie perspective. So, if I don’t fall too far behind in my blog posts, “Training Tuesday” will be in effect! J

Before starting this running regimen, I had been using super cushiony Sauconys, with super supportive insoles for all of my gym activities—weight training, aerobics classes, exercise machines, etc. However, I think they might have been too supportive and cushiony because as soon as I attempted to run/jog in them, my knees started to hurt.

After doing a little research on the Internet, I discovered the barefoot running phenomenon. It’s basically when someone runs barefoot or with as little cushion as possible. The lack or lessening of cushion/padding is supposed to strengthen your feet, ankles, and calves, thereby decreasing the impact on your knees. (Sorry if none of this makes any sense, it’s all pretty new to me as well, but I’ll leave some expert links at the end of my post so you can learn more about it.)

Since running barefoot (especially in the dead of winter) is out of the question, and I would probably be made fun of relentlessly if I wore these, I asked Justin to get me a pair of Nike Frees for Christmas. They got pretty good reviews and I’ve been using them ever since. They take a little getting used to at first (some minor shin splints, wobbly ankles at first), but so far I like them! I hope they are able to carry me throughout my training, and as of course you can be sure I’ll be keeping you posted on my progress!