A few nights ago I dreamt that I was running freely down the trail in perfect form. There was no pain, no limping, no concerns whatsoever. Instead, I was having the time of my life. As I recalled the dream the next morning I was once again filled with the joy I had during my dream run. It was incredible just how much fun I felt while I ran.
Surprisingly, this is the first dream I’ve had about running in the four-and-a-half months I have been sidelined (with a herniated disc). While I’ve done plenty of day dreaming about running (as the name of this blog would suggest!), I haven’t done any ‘night-dreaming.’
What was more surprising, though, is how well I ran. I didn’t just run, I ran barefoot. My stride was excellent: my head was high, back straight, legs slightly bent at the knee, feet landing on the forefoot, heals touching the ground then quickly kicking back up high. I was running so well. But alas, it was just a dream.
Well, last night, I ran for real. My Vibram Five Fingers allowed me to run ‘barefoot’, just like I did in my dream. It was the first time I have run for any significant distance in four-and-a-half months, let alone barefoot. It was just as thrilling and exciting as I remember it being in my dreams.
After dinner last night I headed up to the nearby Mills Canyon trail in Burlingame, CA. I didn’t go intending to run, but once I began to decline into the canyon, my legs just took off. The first half of the mile-long trail runs down a hill beside a creek, with some flat portions and some steeper sections with protruding tree roots. I danced down the steeper parts and on the straights I let it rip. I felt like I was really running. And it felt so damn good.
I felt like a cheetah, softly and silently skimming along the dirt trail, effortlessly covering the ground, closing the gap on my prey (ok, maybe I took that metaphor a little too far, but you get the idea). By the time I got to the end of the down-hill portion of the trail, I had averaged a 17-minute pace and ran a 12-minute pace at one point. That’s a huge improvement for me, as just a few weeks ago I was averaging a 45-minute pace. If only I could continue that sort of improvement every few weeks – I’d be an Olympian!
Truth be told, my back doctor, surgeon, and even physical therapist would probably spit out their coffee if they knew I ran just 5 weeks after back surgery. I’m running not because I have heeled, though. I still wake up in pain every morning and can’t go for more than 3 hours sans-Vicodin without experiencing muscle spasms.
The reason I let myself run last night is that barefoot running keeps the back protected from the shock of landing. Indeed, if I ran how I used to, striking my heal down hard with a straight leg, wearing my big clunky Asics Gel Kayano’s, I would probably have needed a stretcher to carry me out of the bottom of the canyon!
In contrast, running in Vibram Five Fingers allowed my feet and legs to absorb pretty much all of the shock of landing on the ground. If it weren’t for learning the proper way to run – allowing the feet and legs to do what they are designed to do – I wouldn’t be running for quite some time yet. If ever.
As I began the climb out of the canyon, I could feel the soreness in my legs. Yet it felt so good! I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing the self-inflicted pain that comes from working my muscles for way too long, and I had missed it. It only took a few stairs on the trail before realized I had lost all of the use of my left calf muscle, signaling that I still have some neurological damage I need to work through. Overall, though, I was in pretty good shape. I felt complete elation. I was running again!
Keeping my sights on this moment had gotten me through some extremely rough periods this summer. In fact, my quest to run again is probably what kept me going. I have a very long road ahead of me still, but at least I’m on that road now!
Tonight, I can dream about my actual run, not an imaginary one.
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