The 2012 West Side Christian Run 4 Reading

Back on June 21st, I set a goal for myself that I would be 'running' within 6 months.  These were my exact words, in fact...

This is my goal: Six months from today, June 21st 2012, I, Michael David Terrell, will be running again.

As I have noted before, I did not accurately define 'running'.  This was intentional.  The entire process of re-learning to run was never 'accurately defined' so I didn't want to set unreachable goals.  Since that time, my thought process has been that if I were able to get to the point were I could do 30 minute runs 2-3 times per week and do an occasional 5k, than I would consider my goal met.

It is now 3 months since I set my goal and I ran my first 5k race in something like four years.

Just as background, the Run 4 Reading 5k is a fundraiser for Hannah's school, West Side Christian.  Specifically, it raises funds for the library.

During the intervening 3 months, I have been trying to re-learn to run using a natural/barefoot/minimalist style of running.  Sorry for all the different terms but I don't think anyone has come up with an all-encompassing title.  For now, I will stick with "natural".

If you have seen people trotting around in those goofy-looking 5 fingers shoes, you will have some idea of what I am talking about.  The gist of natural running is that the human body is well suited to running (in fact, designed for running) without external support.

There are four aspects of natural running which appear again and again on the various websites and in publications that advocate this style.

1. The initial contact of the foot is on the ball of foot or just behind (not onto the heel).
2. The initial foot contact should take place under your trunk instead of ahead of your trunk.
3. You should maintain an upright, eyes-forward posture.
4. Your cadence (steps/minute) should be quite high (about 180 steps/minute).

Four years ago, when I stopped running, I used the more common heelstrike pattern.  This was causing pain at the inside of my right knee and it did not seem that I could do anything about it.  The promise/premise of natural running is that more of the impact force is taken by muscles & tendons versus by the joints.  From a physical therapist's perspective, this makes perfect sense and is highly desirable.  Your muscles and tendons have a much greater capacity for shock absorbtion compared to joint structures.

I am not yet declaring my goal met and I cannot yet fully advocate for the natural style of running...but I'm really close.  Yesterday, I was able to do the Run 4 Reading in just more than 26 minutes.  This is very comparable to what I was doing between 2001-2008.  However, I have only had 3 months of training.  When I started 3 months ago, my first run was 1/4 mile (seriously...I'm not even kidding).  I didn't get to 2 miles until about one month ago.  Only 2 of my training runs were even at a 5K distance.

How is my knee?  Very mildly sore.  This soreness typically goes away within 24 hours.  Today it is probably more noticeable than after previous runs because I did run rather hard yesterday.

How are my feet?  Perfectly fine, actually.  Other than the expected muscle soreness you get from training, everythng has felt fine.  Most of my training has been on asphalt and concrete.  I do wear shoes, but the shoes are essentally running slippers.  All they do is protect the soles of my feet.  They provide no support or cushioning.  In fact, I didn't get them until I was 2 months into the experiment.  Prior to that, I was running fully barefoot.

Here is what sets apart yesterday from four years ago...I had fun yesterday.  I was able to run and run hard without feeling like I was causing damage to my body.  I feel like I am doing something that is good for myself in the long-term rather than pushing my body to the point where I know I am going to pay the price later.

In my line of work, you see the results of a person's bad decisions.  You see the consequences of not taking care of yourself or of pushing yourself too far.  I like to believe I have learned from other people's mistakes.  I like to believe that what I am doing is good for me now and in the future.

Time will tell whether I am right or not.  A trend I have noticed is that my right knee will be sore the first time I up the distance.  The next run it will be less sore afterwards.  The third time at the same distance, the knee will be very minimally sore.  If this trend continues, I should be able to run a 5K distance comfortably once my body has fully adapted to the stress.

What are my plans for the future?  Keep running, obviously.  I will likely stick to 30-40 minute runs.  All increases in distance or pace will be very gradual.  Am I in a rush?  No.  Do I want to hurt myself?  Absolutely not.  Should the experiment continue well, I can see myself trying a 10K in the future.  It is truly hard to imagine doing more than that.  When would I have time for biking?  Heaven forbid!