Learning to Run

My Nike Free 3.0

I have never been a runner, nor the athletic type. I had played tennis in high school and college, but that was pretty much the extent of my short lived athletic years. So when I decided that I wanted to start running, hubby was a little surprised. As always, he was 100% supportive of my goals and also wanted to look up some information to help me get started.

I injured my knee playing tennis years back and every now and then I'd get pains to my knee when I exert myself. So, I wanted to know the best way I can start running without the risk of re-injuring my knee. Hubby did a lot of research and had recently discovered the newest revolution in running-- barefoot running. I'm sure like lots of people, I had always thought the best shoes for running were the ones that had the most cushioning and heel support. Barefoot running shoes have thin soles. The thin soles are just enough protection against the elements (concrete, rocks, broken glass, scorpions, etc).

This type of running helps to get your feet into proper stride, with the impact on your forefoot and not on the heel. Striking the heel with each step actually causes injury to your knees while striking on the forefoot corrects your posture and helps prevent injury. This article is one of many that hubby found that got me interested in this type of running. This link also has a guide on how to start barefoot running as well as more links to articles on the subject.

After learning about this type of running, I was ecstatic to get started. My little brother had Nike Free shoes that he swore by, found out later on that they were the Free 4.0. Did some more research online to figure out the differences between each Nike Free shoes. I can't believe how many versions of one shoe they had! So I went to our local mall and tried them all out-- the Free 5.0, 4.0, and 3.0 plus the Nike TR. Out of all the ones I've tried on, I really liked the Nike Free 3.0. It had the least support, but I figured I'm going to start slow anyway and I can always progress into these.