The Last Man to Run

In my last post I told you all about how I am having a hard time with pains and aches derived from bare foot style running. The ball of my foot, in both feet, feel bruised and tender when they cool down after not using them for a while. They are especially tender in the morning, but as soon as I start walking they get better, that being said, I don't think it's good that they hurt this way in the first place. I am looking for ways to make things better. I am pretty sure my feet are hurt. I want to help them heal, however, I don't want to do it with ibuprofen, I don't want to become dependent on those pills to log my mileage. That'd be miserable and needless to say a bad thing for my insides - can you say ulcers? Essential oils have had a long standing reputation for their all natural healing properties. Oils such as Wintergreen, Peppermint and Balsam Fir have great healing properties when it comes to relieving pain, reducing inflammation and increasing blood fl...

I didn't know what to call this post, but I wanted to share something with you. Running is still painful , I am not going to lie to you and tell you that it's fun and I am having the time of my life because I am not. My feet hurt in the morning, when I do go out and run, it is painful right off the get-go. I find myself stopping more often because I don't want to hurt myself. It is definitely time to go and get some non-minimalist shoes. I love my FILA Skeletoes but I think I am just not ready for them. Any suggestions?  I have been icing and that seems to help. I am also now taking a ligaments and muscles supplement - I'll let you know how that works. All this being said, and after I have helped you decide to chuck this silly running idea right out the window and be done, may I get you to read just a little bit longer? I'm not going to go back on my word and flip flop like a desperate and inexperienced politician. I still stick to my word that running is...

So, as it turns out I'm not indestructible - it's been a rough couple of weeks. I really felt that I could just put on some barefoot style running shoes and be ok. My reasoning? Since I had never ran, actually ran, in my life, I had no bad habits to put me in physical danger. Well, aside of doing something stupid which did lead me to a foot injury that lasted 2 weeks, no major injuries have come to me. However, there is something that's not adding up. I hurt. Every! Day! Every morning. Is this normal? And if it is, do people actually get any pleasure out that? That is commonly known as masochism.  Usually you are told to transition from regular running shoes into barefoot running. "Why in the world would you bother with barefoot style?" You might ask. Well, it turns out that according to many sources and running experts, barefoot running is the most healthy form of running. Ergonomically, it's how we're meant to run. A lot of people don't agree with...

Recently I became aware of Drew Manning, a crazy but brave personal trainer here in Utah who gained 70 pounds - SEVENTY - to empathize with the overweight and to show that you really can have incredible transformation in your life if you decide to make the necessary changes. You can check out his website http://www.fit2fat2fit.com and you can find him on facebook https://www.facebook.com/fit2fat2fit/info . Doing something like that takes incredible mental toughness. Especially when you go that far to the other spectrum. It's not like gaining 15lbs or 20lbs, where you can always come back from that. When you go as far as he did, not only is there a lot of work to do, but it's also more difficult to come back because your body is just not the same. Props to Drew for achieving such a feat and inspiring tens of thousands to do the same. Visit his facebook page and see how many people are turning and making serious physical changes and improvements. You can also see ho...

I don't know what it is about running, but as much as I dislike it, I thought it'd be easy to get to do it. Mainly because that's how life is, the things we dislike seem to show up at every corner while the things we like are filled with obstacles. As it turns out, I have had a ton of obstacles in running. Everything from injury to sequential illnesses to work to more injuries. Ugh!! I think it's because of how good it is for me. Truth is, running is good for you period. Even with the petty running (it really is petty because it's barely next to nothing) that I am doing, my body is seeing change, I am slimming down even if slowly, month by month I am seeing noticeable change. To me that's good enough. If you're trying to get started in running, try this: Day 1: Go 1 to 2 miles, maybe 3 or 4, whatever pushes you. If you have to stop and walk a few times as long as you finish the course. Now feel the empowerment that comes from doing something you didn...

I think the main reason why I'm enjoying this is because I'm pushing myself but I'm not frustrating myself. Do you know why a lot of those people with gym memberships who don't see success, may never see success? Because they all do the same mistake over and over, they decide they're going to work hard to make sure they succeed. In doing this, they push themselves hard, they make sure they hit "burn-out" because that means they gave it all they had. Next day, they wake up and they can't even move, let alone go back to the gym for another hardcore session of fat busting exercises. So they don't go which then turns into never going back, period. I really believe that the same principle applies when starting to run. The best gym in the world is absolutely and completely ineffective when you're not there. "You gotta push yourself" and "This is how you get results" is a lie because you won't push yourself and you won...

What the heck? Let me tell you how things have gone the last 3-4 weeks. After my awesome discovery of running and its physical benefits, not to mention the fact that I think I can be good enough at it, the universe has decided to conspire against me. Here's a recap: 3 weeks (monday june 11) ago I injured my feet by being stupid - this entails running in shoes that are too tight and too small. Oh yes, also not running shoes, basketball shoes. I know, I was a freaking moron! Really? Really Brigham? Really? Apparently either of those 3 alone can bust you up. Oh yes, and going barefoot style running also - guilty again. After 3 weeks I am ready to start running again. Feeling great! I did a couple half miles a week apart during my injury, despite the fact that your not supposed to run for a couple of weeks with this kind of injury . However, every time I did it I felt better. So I went for 1 mile. Great! I finished it without stopping. Feet? They feel good. Rest of body? About t...