Vibrams – Injury?

I thought I was home free, being able to run three miles in the Vibrams four times in three weeks surely meant that 4.5 miles was doable. Oh how wrong I was!! Yesterday, four days after my 4.5 mile run (which was easy), I did some interval training. My Achilles tendons and ankles were sore from the start. They loosened up some, but not completely. Every stride had pain, but I toughed it out and completed my first morning of interval training (which was great fun!).

The soreness in my ankle area went to the next level and I hurt even just sitting. Today, I am pain free while sitting, but I can’t even imagine running. Going down stairs hurts. I thought I would skip this due to all the preparation I did leading up to this. I walked in the Vibrams for six weeks, then I went to three mile runs successfully for three weeks. Apparently the muscles that I hadn’t used much for most of my life weren’t ready for over four miles.

I did some internet searching, and I am not the only one reporting these problems. I will take the next week off of running – maybe the next two, and then start slowly. Slow is so hard to do when my legs, lungs and heart can do so much more. But, like most things, it is a journey, not a sprint, so I need to reset my expectations.

Still love my Vibrams!