Well, it’s really going to be a walk/run depending on how well I adapt to my new minimal running shoes.  Which I will be working on slowly getting used to starting today.  Shin splints and plantar fasciitis have plagued me for almost a year now and it feels like I’ve tried every exercise, insert and shoe on the planet.  So I stopped and spent some time thinking about when my feet felt best and most pain free and it was when I was wearing my ancient Merrell walking sandals or plodding around the house and yard shoeless.  Having dismissed (without really investigating) the whole running toe sock fad, I decided to take another look and discovered my friends at Merrell have minimalist trail and road shoes.  I gotta admit the second I put my feet in one of the “gloves” I was in love.

My first race in the new gear will be the NC Music Factory Rock ‘n’ Run/Walk in Charlotte on August 10th, giving me one month to get used to the shoes and get them broken in.  Hopefully a week walking around Las Vegas (vacation) and some gradual mileage increases using the Merrell barefoot training program and tips before that will do the trick.  This is a good 5K for it as there are a lot of walkers and the race is a ton of fun with music, bands, vendors and breakfast.  Plus it’s nice to do an event multiple years and the course is much more even than a lot around here which will probably be a good thing for testing out footwear.  We shall see – updates to come as I ramp up.