5 On The Treadmill Again

My legs have been so sore since my 5 mile barefoot run on Sunday that I waited until today to run again.  On Monday I was incredibly sore and yesterday was having some leg cramps too.  But today I just had that pleasantly stiff feeling. So I decided to try another 5 mile run.  I found out that the reason my new running shoes were slipping all over the treadmill was not because there was a problem with the shoes.  The new housekeeping gal here at the Prudhoe Bay Hotel had decided to clean the treadmill belts!  Whoops, it turns out that everyone using the treadmills found they had the same problem as I was having.  It gave me a really good laugh because I was so concerned that I bought some new running shoes and have been waiting for them to show up!  They are due to arrive tomorrow now.

I ran the first mile with my shoes on, but found I kind of missed the feel of running without them.  So I ran the other 4 miles in my socks.  It felt great!  I think the little error by the housekeeping gal has changed my running style forever.  I want to become a minimalist runner now.  From my heavily padded Hokas to bare feet in a single 5 mile run!  I'm not ready to run barefoot outside in the snow or even outside on gravel roads right now, but I plan to work on it.  When I get home I will try my Vibram 5 Fingers shoes and run barefoot on my treadmill and in my socks at the sports center.  The pain I had in my calves was just the result of changing running styles to one that strengthens my weakened leg muscles.  I'm looking forward to seeing how my running changes as I transition into at least a more minimalist running style.  I'm not sure I see a barefoot marathon in my near future, but perhaps one day that will happen.

The Future!