New Blisters and Minimalist Running

Yesterday I went diving with my husband, a coworker of his, and that coworker's significant other. Despite various traumatic events while diving (bull kelp ate one of my Apollo Bio-Fins!) I returned from the trip with a renewed gusto to try running my long run in my Vibram Five Fingers Sprints. Thanks to my husband's coworker, I learned a new (to me) term: minimalist running. He actually was wearing another crazy model of minimalist shoes - though I can't remember which ones they were for the life of me! It seems that there are people who barefoot run - really barefoot, and those who just run in the FiveFingers - and then others that run in other minimalist footwear.

It's a whole, crazy world of running out there, let me tell you.

So that brings me to today's run. I was achey, with my lungs still tired from all the hard work I did struggling against the bull kelp (IT'S ALIVE!), and I put off my run until the afternoon when I believed there to be a chance of sun. I further enticed myself by saying I would go without my regular cushy, supportive shoes, and go for my FiveFingers for my LONGEST RUN EVER without cushioning. My 40 minute run got me a lot of sweat and it looks like at least a couple of blisters. My legs felt all wobbly at the end of my run, my knees felt warm, and my big toes felt the worst of all of it. My trusty Garmin Forerunner 405CX gives me the following stats (among others):

• Time: 40:15
• Distance: 3.50 mi
• Avg Pace: 11:30 min/mi
• Avg HR: 141 bpm

Not bad, if I do say so myself. I started feeling the friction on my big toe about 20 minutes in, so the fact that I did that well is impressive (to me.)

I also have to state, for the record, that I have yet to really train on a flat surface. I end up doing small, but notable hills on every run. I can only hope this will make me a stronger runner come the LIVESTRONG Challenge.