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Training for a Vibram Marathon

by Daniel Dessinger » on Mar 19, 2010 3

My name is T and I’m a marathoner.

So to be fair, I’ve only run one marathon. But as one of my best friends says, once a marathoner, always a marathoner. Last year, I ran 26.2 miles in stability running shoes. I wore a knee sleeve, an anti-inflammatory patch on my Achilles, and by the end, my back was so sore that I literally had to have my friend pound my shoulders every mile to keep me from crying out in pain while running. In the hours after the marathon, I couldn’t bend my knees without pain. My house is two stories and getting from the living room to the bedroom was excruciating.

In short, while I had the biggest emotional runners high EVER (hello… MARATHON FINISHER HERE!), I was absolutely miserable physically. I vowed the next day that I would do another marathon and I would not be miserable.

Then I made the switch

So a couple of months later, I switched to running in Vibram Fivefingers. My transition was a long and slow one. I have a bum knee, weak hips, and my life is insane (2 jobs, a house, pets, a partner, and a long commute). Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing my journey towards my first VFF marathon, at the end of June. Along the way there have been injuries, challenges, and many successes.

While I’m a huge fan of VFFs, if you’re expecting to wear them to run a marathon, be prepared for lots of hard work. I’m not a doctor, I don’t play one on TV, and I haven’t stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in years, so while I’ll share my experiences and recommendations with you, before undertaking any exercise program, check with your doctor. What works for me may or may not work for you. I am not qualified to dispense medical advice, yada, yada, yada.

I blog my story every day on my blog, but I’ll be sharing insights, workouts, and experiences with you here on a regular basis.

Submitted Comments

  1. Jessica says:

    Hey! I'm beginning some barefoot running myself, excited to “hear” about your journey! Thanks for sharing!

  2. I'm impressed that you completed a marathon! Seriously, motivation for exercise is challenge #1 for me. That's why I loved basketball so much. It was great exercise and it was FUN. But then injuries kept me from playing and I pretty much have been dormant until I found yoga.

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