naturally!

I've decided to return to childhood days, when shoes were optional and mostly not wanted.... I want to learn to run more naturally. 



Seems much has changed in the brief 18 months I was away from running.  Or, at least, the minimalist movement has grown stronger. 

That could be it.

Either way, I've been doing my homework, reading this....



Author, Danny Abshire, co-founder of Newton Running.

and this ....

and continuing to look (again and again and again...) at these ....

Saucony Kinvara 2

New Balance Minimus10

and talking to these guys, who've become quite The Family Running since this pic was taken in 2010....




Debut 5k for my sister and my nephew... Her Hubs, a track athlete in HS, returned to running around this time... Now, they run races every weekend, and win MANY.  Nice!

While reading reviews, watching video clips - from the companies and consumers - and talking with my sister and brother-in-law, I realized I'm not quite ready for the Minimus 10s.... maybe next year? The NB Minimus 20 might be a  good transition shoe I think, but I'm a tried-and-true Saucony runner, loving how their ample box and snug, narrow heel fits my foot just right. 

Heck, to be able to talk about this is pretty cool to me. Until about three weeks ago, I didn't even know what "drop" meant when referring to running shoes! Now I can talk about zero drop (not quite for me), a 4 mm drop (trying out for me!), and Saucony's new 8mm drop in their Progrid Guide 5 (RW's Editor's Choice in 2012). 

Danny Abshire's book, Natural Running, does a great job explaining both the HOW TO and WHY of running with less shoe.  After only the first few pages, I found myself paying close attention to how I ran, noticing things I had never even thought of.  After several chapters, I was looking in the mirror, looking at my posture, and thinking about how all my shoes wear. 

One point he makes in the book is that when you take your shoes to your favorite local running store, they look at the exterior of your shoe to see how it's wearing.  What they don't (usually) look at, however, says Danny, is the inside.  Interestingly, I had noticed in recent months (before I began reading the book), that I wear the inside of my work shoes (teacher loafers) out in a very specific place. Turns out, this pattern is consistent with a gait issue he describes, and how the foot rolls.  Fascinating stuff.  Or, maybe I'm just a nerd.  :) 

I can't wait for my new running shoes to arrive! 

In the meantime, I'm getting back to less under my feet, wearing these beauties to work today...

Yes, I scrunch my toes... another bad habit, even in my running shoes!

much to the delight of my high school students.  Heard across the courtyard this afternoon, "Mrs. Kyle, oh my gosh! You're wearing flips!"

Yep!  Blingy flips at that!  (Thank you, Target Stores.)



What are you wearing when you hit the roads/trails these days?  Do you love them or ready to leave them?

'Til next time....

Happy Running!