My Huaraches from Invisible Shoe - Thank You, Steven!

I'm in Wisconsin now, where we are looking at a rainy weekend and temperatures in the 40's...

It's just a long weekend here, then back home to Florida where it's nice and hot and humid!

A blog I follow, Barefoot Chronicles, recently reviewed running huaraches offered by Steven Sashen and Invisible Shoe (see review here:  http://barefootjason.blogspot.com/2010/04/huaraches.html).  I have wanted to try huaraches for a while now, so I went to Steven's Invisible Shoes website and ended up ordering a do-it-yourself kit to make my own huaraches.  You can also send Steven an outline pattern of your foot and he will make them for you, but I opted to try making them myself, and...

I did it!

My huaraches - thanks, Steven!


They are soooo cool!!  It really is like running barefoot, but with a little protective mat under your feet.  Your foot is completely free, unlike the Vibram FiveFingers where you have your toes confined in fabric.  I love the simplicity of the design and the fact that the huarache style has been around since pre-history, yet Steven uses modern materials (the rubber sole and nylon laces) that work so well.

The trails in the park are mulched and I was worried that mulch would constantly get in between my foot and the sole, but that doesn't happen.  The sole kinda conforms to the bottom of your foot; I had no problems with anything getting in between.  I am eager to try them in sand, maybe on the trails at Jonathan Dickinson.  When we hike on those sandy trails, sand gets in our shoes and ends up at the toe--really annoying.  I have worn Teva sandals also, and sand does get in and stays in.  So, I will try the huaraches next time we go up there.

Jonathan Dickinson Park

One of my husband John and my favorite things to do is go up to Jonathan Dickinson Park just north of Jupiter and hike the trails.  We were up there this past Saturday; the sky clouded over for most of the day, without raining, and the temperature was a very nice 78 degrees.

This is just a wonderful natural Florida park.  There is a main loop of 9.8 miles with some tangent trails that lead to campsites.  We haven't yet, but one day we want to camp out there.

John on the trail at Jonathan Dickinson Park...  with our lunch
on his back!



Most of the trail is soft white sand...


Deer Moss



Flowers on a Prickly Pear Cactus


We have biked and kayaked in Jonathan Dickinson as well.  The park is very popular--lots of bicycling, canoeing, and kayaking; but we very seldom see others on the trails further than maybe a half mile in.

One of these days, I am going to run on the trails.  The soft sand makes the going kinda hard, so I want to have my hip/leg in a little better shape than it is now.  Soon...

Goals

I am running again!

I started while still going to physical therapy, with just a few minutes of trotting interspersed with my walks on the trails in the park.  I have been gradually doing more running than walking, and yesterday I ran six (slow) miles on the road without taking a walking break.

PT ended, but I continue with the hip-strengthening exercises.  And the yoga.  Though it is much better, I can still feel the weakness in my left hip when I do the exercises and yoga.  My lower back is still giving me trouble.  I saw my ortho doctor; he and the PT gave me the okay to start running again.  We will continue to monitor everything, and if things start to worsen instead of getting better, we'll do an MRI.  But I really think I'm on the road to some normalization now, finally.  I just have to keep doing what I'm doing.

So....  it is time to make some goals.  I have to have goals; otherwise I start to STOP doing what I am supposed to do--the yoga every day, my hip-strengthening exercises...   I say, "I'll do it tomorrow."  Then tomorrow comes, and I'm busy with things, and again say, "Well, I'll do it tomorrow."  Then I get out of the habit, and...

That never happens with running.  For some reason, I can always get myself out there.  Even if I don't necessarily want to, I do.

Goals...    I'm thinking of targeting a 5k.  Just run it.  But not unless I am better.  So, I'll think about that and make a decision about it later today.