It’s been awhile since I went on a really, really great run. I’ve been feeling a bit sick and tired the past couple weeks, so I’ve taken it easy as far as fitness goes and tried to simply catch up on sleep and eat better. But I was alsoooo reading McDougall’s Born to Run, which basically tortured me while sick in bed all weekend. (I almost tried to go run 26.2 miles on my own even though I could barely breathe…)

The book got to me for a few reasons. It talked a lot about running injuries, which I also happened to research and write about on Greatist. Long story short: Runners get injured a lot, and McDougall argues that barefoot running is the answer to preventing injury and boosting performance (!).

And while I’ve never tried barefoot running, I do wonder what my deal is. For someone who has run for over 10 years, I don’t know what a shin splint feels like. I suffered from plantar fasciitis, but I’m pretty sure that was due to getting a littttle too competitive during gym class floor hockey. I have mild knee pain but I think that’s from yoga. And (don’t kill me): I’ve been running in the same sneakers since last summer, and deffffinitely have put more miles in than what’s recommended.

Maybe I’m just really fucking lucky, which is probably the case. And maybe I still should buy new sneaks, which I will. Or maybe I’ll trust McDougall and get some vibrams instead. We’ll see. Moral of the story though: I’ve been itching to get back on the roads and feel healthy during a run, and today was the day.

I wanted to sneak in an afternoon recovery run to give myself time to brainstorm ideas for work. So I put on a rather mellow Pandora station, turned off the “average pace” audio cue on RunKeeper, and took it slow. The weather was cool and a bit windy as I ran up the West Side Highway to Riverside Park, then back down. I ran around nine or so miles, and felt like I could’ve kept going for nine more. However, the crazy part was when I checked my pace: an average of 8:10minutes per mile. Craziness. Maybe McDougall is right….we are born to run…. not to do Zumba (or any kind of dancing, really, for me at least. If there’s a book on this as well, let me know).

In lieu of this running high, I finally registered for the Runner’s World Half Marathon in Bethlehem, PA. It’s their first half & festival in their own backyard, and I was generously given an entry! If you wanna run with me (please), here is a discount code for $5 off either the half-marathon, or all three races happening that weekend! (5K, 10K, and Half): RWHALF12. It expires June 15th, so get on it soon!

Happy running!