This is sort of a hybrid workout log and post about how much I dislike treadmills and marshmallow shoes!
My workout today was a simple barefoot 5K on the treadmill downstairs. Last night we received about 3 inches of snow here in Chicago and I didn’t want to put on my “marshmallow” shoes and head outside. I’ve become an avid minimalist runner. I do all of my outdoor runs in my Vibram Five Fingers and I’ll be picking up a pair of Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot EVO’s as soon as they are in production. I’ve really grown to hate cushioned/padded shoes.
Right now I don’t have a good minimalist shoe option for the snow days. The last last few times we’ve had fresh snow down, I simply put on my New Balance marshmallow shoes and hit the pavement. Unfortunately, my most recent experience with that solution was horrible. I could just feel my body working way harder to move, my form was a wreck and I even had a toe-nail get messed up on a simple little 5k run. So I wasn’t going to do it this time!
Before I go into my run this morning, I’d like to talk for a moment about my wife. She has recently gotten started running and does all of her runs barefoot on the treadmill. Over the last few days, she has developed a pain in her right arch after only a few minutes of running. We’ve been working on stretching her feet, strengthening her arches and calves while also helping that muscle to relax in order to combat the problem. Unfortunately, none of that seems to be working and the pain is really causing some frustration for her.
Anyhow, back to my run – rather than head outdoors, I figured that I would just hit the treadmill. I bought that thing for days like this and paid a small fortune for it, so I headed downstairs. After only about 15 minutes – my feet and ankles started to hurt! 15 minutes? Are you freaking kidding me? The first 5 minutes were a warm-up walk so I had barely even crossed the 1 mile mark and my feet and ankles are starting to ache! I really focused in on form, stride tempo and things got a little better, but it was still a difficult run that left me feeling achy in my feet, ankles and lower legs. I ran 7 and a half miles just a week ago without any problem, this was just ridiculous.
After my run I came up and immediately shared my experience with my wife. We talked about it for a while and I’ve come to the conclusion that treadmills are really not my deal. I think a lot of the problem has to do with the belt coming at you vs. the natural propulsion of gravity when running outdoors. Hopefully the snows clears shortly and I’m not stuck in treadmill hell again. I think I’d actually rather put on my marshmallow shoes then deal with that torture device again!
Thankfully, there is always Ropes Gone Wild for a great cardio workout instead!
