Toe Shoes.

So today I went running.  I have a 10k on Saturday that I'm at the moment torn between working hard towards, or hardly working towards.  Part of me says, "Feh.  I can do this.  I should rest so I'm ready to go."  The other part says, "ARRRRGHHHH  I must train harder!!!!!  I must make sure my feet are up to the challenge."

  Most of you may think making sure my feet are good isn't that big of a deal, but I have gone away from wearing traditional running shoes to run.  I now wear the below.

Yes.  These are my feet in the snow, wearing Vibram Five Fingers.  They are shoes that make you feel like you're going barefoot, without destroying your feet on particles of glass or roots or sharp stones or... anything you might otherwise wince at stepping on.  And they do a good job.  I've been running in them for... a few months now, on and off.  And the most important thing I learned was to start slow.  I'm pretty sure I can run 10k in them at this point.  Being cold isn't a problem, as long as you're not standing in snow for more than a few minutes. (This picture was actually post-run, I was doing a brief cleaning off of my 5's before heading into my mom's house)

Today I ran on asphalt roads, which is a bit hard on my feet, my feet got a bit tired, but then i moved onto dirt roads and, wow,  it is AWESOME to squish through mud in these things.  And the shoes don't throw mud up onto the back of your clothes like regular sneakers did when you were a kid.  (or still a kid at heart).

So I ran 4 miles on back roads today, some paved, some not, and though my feet are a bit achy, I'm pretty sure I'll be set to go on Saturday.  Depending on how much it rains.