I have a 3/4 mile loop around my neighborhood. On my first attempt to run around the loop I needed to stop and stretch at least four times. After completing several runs over the last few weeks, I was able to complete most of the 3/4 miles without a walk-break. But…my legs still hurt. Is it my shoes? They are not expensive running shoes.

Have you heard about barefoot running? It is becoming more popular. A friend of mine highly recommends it. You don’t necessarily have to go completely barefoot. There are shoes that replicate the bare foot, such as Vibram Five-Fingers, and others. Barefoot Ted has an interesting website where you can look at some barefoot shoe alternatives. Here’s another one… barefootrunningshoes.org.

www.therunningbarefoot.com claims to be the original running barefoot website since 1997. They include some interesting info, although they do not recommend barefoot shoe alternatives. They believe completely barefoot is the only way to go.

My friend claims that her knees and hips feel much better running barefoot. I just finished a great book entitled Born to Run which goes into detail about why normal running shoes cause injuries. Really fascinating. I will post a review on this book soon.

I am definitely intrigued about the idea of barefoot running. I’ve decided to start doing my 1 mile runs barefoot around my backyard as I am not ready to run barefoot on the street yet.

I would love to hear about your experiences with barefoot running and barefoot shoe alternatives. Here’s a picture of the Vibram, I hear they are very comfy.

You can track your own activity (including biking and swimming) at www.LogYourRun.com.

Run for a Cause

The Perfect Supplements family will be running their first marathon at the Disney Marathon in Orlando in January of 2011. We have decided to raise money for The American Cancer Society.

We chose the American Cancer Society because we believe that cancer is not just a health issue, but also an environment issue. Would you like to run for a cause? Join the Perfect Supplements for Perfect Health Team. You can join us at the Disney Marathon in January 2011, or walk/run/bike/swim at a local event near you. Joining the team allows you to raise money for the American Cancer Society, too.

Or simply donate at our team page! Perfect Supplements will match every dollar up to $500. Raise $50 and subscribe to our Perfect Supplements for Perfect Health Newsletter and receive a free team t-shirt.