My New Addiction: Barefoot Running ~ Photography by Holly Hanks

A few years ago my husband turned me on to interval running. It was a task to get into it, but I enjoyed the way it made me feel. After a few months I started having issues with my feet. It had to do with my instep being high and me walking on the outsides of my feet (I can never remember if that is overpronation or underpronation), or at least that is what I think the cause was now. At the time I didn't know what was going on, but I knew that running and prolonged walking made my feet hurt a lot and they would fall asleep. I could never get my shoes to feel right either. They were either too tight or too loose.

I went to the doctor, who sent me to a physical therapist, who charged me a TON of money to get zero answers. After three months, a bunch of money, and lots of frustration, I had given up on running. I bought fitflops...not for the alleged toning and such, but for flip flops with a more supportive sole. I was in love. Then this past spring I decided to take up running again. I think I have always wanted to be a runner and my husband loves it. Once I started I found myself having the exact same problems. Even with my good quality shoes that had been fitted to me in running stores.

I had known about barefoot running. I started doing research and read about tons of people with feet and knee issues that had gone away after barefoot running. I had been doing workout videos with my mother-in-law and had discovered that I couldn't do them in shoes, I had to be barefoot. I thought maybe it was the same for running. We bought a treadmill and I started slowly running and walking on it in those house socks that have grips on the bottoms.

The first day I only walked for a total of 10 minutes...the next day my calves were on fire! I slowly added speed and distance, and my legs and feet got use to it. Before this I couldn't walk around my house barefoot without my legs and feet killing me at the end of the day, now I can't stand to have shoes on!

A couple of months into my new adventure my husband "forced" me to go out and get the Vibram FiveFinger barefoot running shoes that I had been drooling over. Yes, I am not hardcore like the people who go completely barefoot, but I do my best! Now I am in love with these shoes and honestly hate wearing anything else. The other day I wore tennis shoes and I felt like I had big weights on my feet and felt restricted when walking. It was awful.

Another benefit has to do with the fact that a little over a year ago I was told that I have RLS (restless leg syndrome). It is that leg problem that I use to always see on commercials and think, "is that even real?" Even when I had it it didn't seem real. I knew there had to be a cause of this sudden onset of painful tension in my legs that would keep me up at night almost in tears because it felt like my legs were about to cramp...and that is NOT a fun experience. I didn't want to go on meds and I didn't want to have to pay every month for the ones my doctor prescribed. I ended up finding a supplement that worked, and used icy-hot on my legs if the RLS started acting up. I had it pretty under control, but I wanted to get rid of it, I didn't understand why I had it. When I first started barefoot running and my legs and feet were getting use to the ordeal - a.k.a. building up all those muscles that hadn't had to work for years - my RLS would often get worse on days that I ran, especially if I ran in the evening. As I got better at it, I started noticing that they felt better. Eventually I just stopped taking my meds. Now I have been off my meds for a few months and haven't had one RLS flare up - knock on wood! It is amazing. It is saving me pain and money! Wahoo!

So I am a happy barefoot runner, and if you see me walking around in shoes with individual toes, it is just my thing. Feel fee to ask me about it, but be warned, I will gush about them as much as I can!

I currently have a pair of these for everday wear: