Feeling the road

So I had a great run this weekend! The only reason it was great is that I finished and came away with some new lessons learned. I really learn more about myself as I run, some things I would prefer to not know. But then I guess I couldn't do anything about things I don't like if I don't first admit to needing a change?

I had been training in my vibram five fingers, then on race day I gave them up for my husband to wear, and I went out in my old water shoes. This was not a smart thing to do. I didn't realize how differently you feel the road in the VFF's, as it is much closer to barefoot than a water shoe. I think this surprised me as the water shoe has what seems to be a thinner softer sole, where as the VFF's have a harder sole but one that fits much closer to the form of your foot. Moving from a water shoe to the VFF's is an easier transition than back tracking from the VFF's to the water shoe. Once one gets used to feeling the road under your feet, going back I seemed to loose my stride, the placement of my foot on the road. It matters.

It matters what road we choose to tread on. It matters that we can connect with our bodies that have been so wonderfully made. It matters that we can connect with the world around us, and the road under us.

Well if you have read a bit of this blog you may be seeing where I'm gonna go with this now.... I'm really believing that God made us wonderful, and He made our feet to do a job that they are well equipped to do. We were not made broken. In the awesome book "Born to run, a hidden tribe, super athletes, and the greatest race the world will never see" the author Christopher McDougall writes about our consumerism (or a company's greed) as part of the driving force for the creation of bigger and better shoes. He also writes about how many people felt that our evolution has gone well with the exception of our feet, which need help, according to some specialists. He then goes on to provide support and studies which prove these people wrong. To me this supports the case that God has created us perfectly. (not that we are perfect in our choices, but that is another story altogether!) God did not leave out our cushioning, He is our soft cozy place to go when we need comfort. This leads me to another thought... maybe we were meant to FEEL the road, EXPERIENCE our journey, LIVE our lives.

This is a lesson I think I will experience all week as I remember the differences of running barefoot with fitted protective covering, one that let's me feel the road and still protects me from serious injury; and one that fits loosely over me to dull the feel of the road altogether, and does not really protect me.

Above is a picture of the park where we ran. This is the trees by the zoo as we were walking back to our car after the race, what really caught my eye was the incredible colors in the trees.

Have a fantastic week!

Nicole