A little set back, but hopefully not for long...

Well I'm currently on my 2 week break from work (it's so nice working for a school district) and I'm all ready to run!  I'm hoping to get in at least 3 good, longer, runs a week.   Currently I do about 2.5 to 4 miles 2 to 3 times a week, but with all this extra time I want to up my mileage a little.  I even found a new running partner to run with over the break (she is currently a shoed runner  but is considering switching over after next 1/2 marathon, thanks to yours truly)! 

But I have noticed some set backs (and improvements) during my last couple runs.  First thing is that, I am really learning what my body needs to run, and that is water!  I mean I drink a lot of water anyways, but I can tell when I haven't drank enough when I run.  If I am not hydrated enough, my left foot always reminds me by cramping up after about 2.5 miles.  It sucks because I can be going really well, at an awesome pace, and then all of a sudden my foot will cramp up in the arch.  When that happens I pretty much have to walk for sometime to work the cramp out.  Sometimes I can continue to run again but most of the times, its game over, which is really disappointing.  So listen to your body and take notes!  Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

The other thing that my body will tell me is if my gate gets a little to long.  To be a minimalist or barefoot runner, the first thing I had to say goodbye to was a long gate.  That was a hard thing to do, because with having a shorter gate, comes a slower pace until you adjust (and then, no pun intended, you will pick up the pace).  I have noticed that if my gate is too long, the outside of my right knee will begin to hurt (just like it used to when I was a shoed runner).  Before, when I was a shoed runner, that pain meant game over for my run.   Now I have realized that if I just shorten up my gate, the pain goes away and I can continue on.  Your body is an amazing thing and again, if you just listen to what it is trying to tell you (through aches and pains) you can adjust and then go further then you had ever thought possible.

Now on to something good!  I have been running in minimalist shoes since May 2011.  When I first started off, one of the first things I noticed, was that my pace was affected severally.  I have never been a record breaking time runner, but as a shoed runner, I had, what I considered a good pace of right around 10min miles.  When I started in my Pace Gloves my pace went into 12min mile area.  That was super disappointing.  But the more I researched  minimalist running, the more I learned that my pace would, in time, improve.  And low and behold, it has!  During my last couple runs, I have reached my 10min mile mark and even surpassed it a couple time by going into the 9min zone!  I couldn't have been more excited!  It was a great thing to get back to 10mins, but to get into the 9min zone was a PR!

I was runnnnning in the rain.....just runnnning in the rain!

Ok, so I have both of my holiday runs under my belt now.  I did the 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.  First time I ever ran that far in my VFF's.  It was an awesome run.  Over 20,000 people attended.  The amount of people made it hard for me to get my pace where I wanted it to be, but I still ran the whole thing and was very happy that I burned all those calories before I sat down to eat like there was no tomorrow that afternoon!  Finished in 1 hour, 5.2 miles, at a 11:40 overall pace.

(Thunder Cloud Subs T-Shirt Logo for 2011 Turkey Trot)

Now this morning I ran a 5k called the Jingle Bell 5k for MADD.  It was at The Domain, which is like a higher end, outdoor, shopping center.  I had done this race before, back in 2008 and really liked the course, so that's why I decided to make it my Christmas run again this year.  Unlike in 2008, I ran this year's run in my VFF's with jingle bells included!

This was a rain or shine race and boy oh boy did it rain!!  It has been raining here in Austin, TX for 2 days now and today the temps had dropped into the 40's with a breeze coming in from the north as well!  So it was an interesting race for me because I had never run in the rain before.  Let me say that I felt like running in the rain somehow brought me closer to a "Zen-like" feeling.  It felt great to have the rain on my face and even though my VFF's were totally soaked, they actually kept my feet warm, almost like wearing a wetsuit for my toes!  I absolutely loved this race.  There were maybe 500 people (I haven't checked the website yet for the actual sats, but that was a good guess), which made getting to my pace very easy.  Once over the starting line, it was easy to get out of the crowd and find an open space to run.  I only saw maybe 3 other people in VFF's and a handful in other minimalist shoes.  I was thankful that I didn't have to take every step in a soggy, squishy, "normal" running shoe.  Even though I could feel every puddle, I had great traction and I wasn't "retaining" any water.  My ending time was 34mins, for 3.2miles, at a 10:45 overall pace, and I jingled all the way!

Stem Survival Origins (Women) Personal Review

Ok, so I have to take a little break from my personal story and write a little review on my newest pair of minimalist shoes.  I recently bought a pair of  Stem Footwear, Survival Origins in a women's size 39, (US size 8-8.5).

(Color is Earth Brown)

I decided to by these shoes for daily wear.  I wanted a pair of minimalist shoes that looked more like a regular shoe (sometimes VFF's don't go with every outfit).  I wear these to go to the store and just to walk around town in.  So far they are very comfortable and have a great minimalist feel.  I still think my Vibram Five Fingers offer the best "virtual barefoot" feel, but these come in close second.  I would definitely rate them above my Merrell's; they are much more flexible and the toe box is just a slight bit roomier. 

I was a little concerned about what size to order.  Seeing that Stem is not available nationwide in retail stores (yet), I was worried that I wouldn't get the right size the first time without being able to try them on.  I followed their sizing guide on www.Stemfootwear.com and it was very accurate for me.  In a non-running shoe I wear from a 7.5 to an 8 and in a running shoe a 8 to 8.5.  I decided on the 39's which is the US size 8 to 8.5.  It fit just right.  Not too big, plenty of room in the toe box, and my heel stayed right in place, no slipping out.  The web site states that the shoes run small and to order them a 1/2 size bigger.  My mother was also planning on ordering a pair and wasn't too sure what size to order, so she called Stem and they were more then happy to help her decide on a size.  She wears a size 6 in her everyday shoes, and she was planning on wearing them with Smartwool socks, so the gentleman at Stem advised her to order a size 38, which is a US size 7 to 7.5.

I have worn them with and without socks.  Without socks, they felt ok.  The inside was a tad bit scratchy in a few places where the seams came together but other then that it felt fine.  When I do wear them with sock, I wear them with Injinji toe socks.  They feel wonderful with the toe socks.  My Injinji's are a very thin sock, so they don't take up a lot of room, but if you plan on wearing something like a Smartwool sock or a thicker sock, I would advise sizing up 1/2 on the shoe itself.  I think if I were to wear my Smartwool running socks with them, they would fit more snuggly, which then is defeating the barefoot, light, free, feel.

I really like them for their style.  They look great with jeans and I'm sure I will wear them with shorts as well.  The rich Earth Brown was my favorite color but they also come in a Frost Grey which is called the Primal Origins (the only difference between the two names is their color).  I also like that they came with a standard style shoe lace and not the tether pull style lace that was shown on their prototype pair.

All and all I really like my Stem Survival Origins shoes and would recommend them as a good minimalist shoe.  They are a great shoe for everyday use.  I have not run in them, and honestly don't plan on using them to run in.  I have read reviews from people who have run and hiked in them and loved it.  The website doesn't really state that they are for running and when my mother called them, customer service told her as well, that they are not really designed for running.  I guess it will be up to the individual to decide that.