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Though our run was short, it apparently left an effect on me. At 1 AM I hobbled down the steps from my room and felt calf pain. Today, my feet are a little (muscular) sore. Doug is limping around like he put in some serious mileage.
These shoes look silly. Really silly. I’ll spare us all the embarrassment of photos.
The Vibram Five Finger shoes consist of a shock resistant rubber sole contoured in the shape of a standard footbed with 5 distinct toes. There are a number of different shoe models varying mainly in the amount of lycra in the top and direction of the fasteners. Both of us bought the KSOs because at least on my feet, the buckles or elastic of the other shoe models chaffed.
These shoes look like monster feet. I don’t recommend trying them if you live outside the Bay Area or perhaps other style black-holes like Portland or Austin. Definitely restrict your use to open-minded cities.
They make me feel like a giant gecko.
We took the goofy shoes for a really short jog this morning. Short because the Vibram makers suggest you slowly ease into running in them and short because it only took 2 miles before Doug’s calves cramped. Miss Injury, me, was just fine. The balls of my feet are making themselves known, and my back feels a bit more massaged than normal, but nothing muscular to report.
These aren’t like running barefoot. Although I think these shoes allow me to approximate the sensation of running barefoot and alter my running style slightly to approximate unassisted running, these shoes are definitely not like running barefoot. (I’ve sprinted after enough littles in the neighborhood to be an expert on the topic of barefoot running.) I credit the shock resistant rubber for dulling the impact enough that our jog didn’t cause spinal damage. The most notable change to my running was the lack of assisted rolling that my standard shoes afford me. In the monster shoes, I engage the ball of my foot more in the roll and push off of each stride.
Anyway, for me, so far so good. I’ve just got to get fast enough that no one will notice my monster feet.
We are planning to take the kids to the Gold Country to pan for gold in mid October. My internet research has been much like panning for gold. Many cities in California share the 49’r history, and most of them are proud to mention that in their chamber of commerce page, but very few still have much more than a monument or perhaps an Olde Tyme street for the kids to check out.
I’ve dredged up a few things to see and do in case you are headed to the area with gold in mind.
There have been a few articles recently extolling the miracle of barefoot running, claiming that our padded high-tech shoes have been doing us a disservice, that all the engineering is making us more injury prone. This may be true. This may also be horse pucky. I’m thinking it is the latter. We’re going to find out.
I’ve been training in some form or another virtually all of my life. I’ve logged thousands of miles in the pool without high-tech gear, ridden thousands of miles on cutting edge cycling gear and have run thousands more in just a pair of standard trainers – all to the same effect – injuries. I’m no stranger to a cortisone shot or a sports trainer, and I proudly wear the trophy of overuse on my right shoulder from a swimming injury. All of this is part of the learning process. Each injury, I learned a little bit more about cross training, rotating my gear, and proper fueling. But, despite the fact that after years of fine tuning my system to the point that I know when I need to ramp up the yoga or replace my shoes or cut back on the miles, I’m going to try something new. Just out of curiosity.
I bought a pair of them newfangled five fingers shoes.
I don’t buy that my sports injuries are a result of relying on high-tech gear. Sports injuries are usually the result of too much repetition, not enough variety. So probably because I’m mixing it up a bit, I suspect my body will be pleased with the change. Who knows. I wore them around a bit today and will be breaking them into my running routine probably next week. Can’t wait to report back.
My non-injury prone husband also bought a pair. We’ll see who gets hurt first. 🙂
I’m certainly enjoying what different people my littles are. Where Will is sweet and thoughtful – the child that, knowing I wasn’t well this week, fought the urge to run ahead to the playground on our hike up to his school instead staying back to hold my hand; Sylvie is adventurous and independent – the one that runs away from us in crowds of people. Will throws a run of the mill tantrum when he wants his way, and Sylvie just bats her eyelashes and in her soft Marilyn Monroe bedroom voice tells you what you’re going to do for her. Her latest manipulation is most brilliant, by far – when she wants to be held, she comes to you, arms outstretched, and says, “[Mommy or Daddy], I want you.” Who can turn that down? Not, “I want you to hold me, get me water, carry me, …” Just “I want you.” Urgent. Flattering. Effective.
We took advantage of the especially long weekend over Labor Day weekend to get a few things completed around the house. Our garage now matches the house (mostly).
And finally we replaced the skeleton of the fake woodgrained 60s light fixture in our kitchen with a more modern and highly tactilely pleasing blow-fish looking pedant from Ikea.
I’m amazed how small changes make my life so much better. Having our garage finally match our house – in colors we like – makes the house seem cleaner, the trim whiter, the grass greener, the garden less weedy…
Amusing video of a re-enactment of the famous marshmallow test originally performed at Stanford. In the study, children were given one marshmallow and promised a second if they could wait, without eating the first marshmallow.
See how the kids did:
Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.
Overheard Sylvie get reprimanded at school for jumping off the loft stairs into the arms of a teacher. When he told her that he wasn’t going to catch her again, she stubbornly responded, “Well, I’ll fall.”
We delivered our first into the hands of the public school system Tuesday. The event has been long in preparation in our neighborhood and our household beginning with the drama around registering for our over-filled school – it was like getting precious concert tickets! Next came the assessment, Will’s first job interview, where he met one of the teachers, had to show off his kindergarten skills. Then came the preschool graduation and graduation parties. And finally, 8 months later, the big day.
It really takes a village to raise children, and I’ve been so happy about how our village has been taking care of our children.
For one, Will’s school posts the class rosters on the main playground wall on the afternoon before classes convene. I think this is brilliant, as when we arrived early evening, there were kids and parents re-uniting on the playground. New parents bonding with old parents at the roster wall. Old parents guiding new parents around the campus… Will’s (older) girlfriend and family were plopped down just beside the Kindergarten rosters when we arrived. We were all thrilled to see them – Will happy to see old friends, us happy to see familiar faces to guide us through which parent groups to join, what meetings to attend… After they gave us the low-down on Will’s new teacher and we scouted out the bathroom, his classroom and the kindergarten playground, we took the kids to get new clothes.
Tuesday morning went smoothly. Sylvie, hearing us play up Kindergarten, insisted on carrying all of her school stuff in a backpack, and then barely waved us out of her classroom. His most recent crush, the director at his preschool, gave him the low-down on afternoon walkdown – where to meet the teacher, who would be walking him down – then sent him off with a high-five. At the elementary school, we ran into familiar faces on the playground outside Will’s class which put him at ease.
I’ve heard through the grapevine that Sylvie has been clinging to the neighborhood mommies when they drop their kids at preschool, and the past two nights one of the kids has fallen asleep before dinner. Exciting times!
When I asked Will if he’d brought us anything home, he explained, “All the other kids got homework. I don’t know why the teacher didn’t give me any.” Then the next morning claimed he had debilitating leg pain and couldn’t go to school. Generally we’re off to a good start. I’m enjoying watching the smiley faced assignments roll in, and after I explained that this isn’t the army, he’d have to do better than a leg cramp if he wanted to take the day off, we had little resistance getting Will into the classroom.
And Sylvie? She’s grown a few months in the past week or so. Her sentences are longer, her observations sharper, and she’s trying on her brother’s whining. (I think it is all that reading Grandma Texas did while she was in town.)
Wired collected and posted a list of 30 outdoor games we all used to play before we had kids. For those who have forgotten the rules, they’ve even provided instructions. Who says you have to have kids to enjoy these games?