Sunday, the best day of the week. The Eagles just manhandled the Chiefs, so I’m a happy camper.  Half-time of the second games seems like the perfect time to test-drive my Vibrams.  Taking the advice of experts, I set out for a one-mile run through my neighborhood.  Sliding them on and strapping them up is not the easiest of tasks.  My toes don’t want to cooperate, and my disfigured big toe on my left foot sticks out rather than fitting into the rubber tip; poor little guy is the victim of a full-speed collision with an outfield wall.

On the unforgiving concrete of Philadelphia, it takes about eight seconds to confirm my suspicion that some changes need to be made to normal running style.  Most runners (me included) land heel first, but in these shoes, heel strikes send pain signals through the legs up to the spine.  Thankfully, I’m prepared for this.  I’ve done my homework on something called “chi running,” and by homework, I mean I watched a one-minute clip online.  Yup, I’m gonna find my center; connect with my inner self one stride at a time.  I bend my knees a bit, maneuver my pelvis forward engaging my abs, get my shoulders, hips, and ankles in line, and lean forward from my ankles not my waist.  This is a lot to keep track of; I have absolutely no idea whether I am chi running or contorting myself into an injury waiting to happen.

There is not a lot of chi to me.  I took a yoga class once and fell sound asleep; the offended instructor called me “the snoring guy.”  Contrary to what you may be thinking, considering I’m engaged in the latest running fad with the latest athletic footwear fad, I’m also not much for fads.  My wife brought me an iPod, and I’ve never plugged it in. (I want to. Really, honey, I do, it just hasn’t happened.) So rather than listening to my favorite tunes, I talk to myself, occasionally even get in arguments with myself, while running.

I pitter-patter past some neighborhood kids and get a “whoa” from a little boy that thinks my flashy footwear is pretty cool.  One block later my shoes elicit a “wowie-zowie” from a homeless guy in a Viking helmet, complete with horns.  (If these things don’t work out for me, I think I know who is going to be the proud owner of a slightly used pair of Vibrams.)  One-half mile into my inaugural run and I have learned two things: these shoes are attention-getters, and I am slow enough that bystanders can drink in every detail.  (Really, I’m not fast. I got passed in the London Marathon by an old lady dressed as the Queen of England.  No kidding, she had high heals, a tiara, and a dress on, and she blew right by me.  I didn’t take it lying down though; I gave chase but soon ran into Batman and Robin at mile 12 and stopped for a picture.  Then there was a bar where young ladies would tear off after male runners, pat them on the bum, and share their beer.  Naturally, I slowed down and pounded half a beer.  Never saw Her Majesty again.)

Run #1 in the books, I settle into the recliner for more football.  After about an hour, I get up for a refill, and my calves feel as though I just finished a four-hour hike.  They’re not sore, but they feel spent and weak.  The next morning, they are definitely sore.  But I hit the treadmill as planned at lunch for a three-mile run, 1.5 miles with my Muzuno running shoes and 1.5 miles with the Vibrams.  I practice my chi running as I get closer to the change over and feel more in control than I did yesterday.  A quick change into the Vibrams, and almost instantly I am longing for the soft comfort of my Muzunos.  After a couple minutes, however, I get the hang of it and feel great.  I’m landing softly, leaning forward, and I increase the speed of the treadmill.  Essentially, chi running means that you are moving your legs to prevent yourself from falling on your face more than you are striding forward, and I speed the treadmill up and go.  I’m liking this!  It was only three miles, but it felt good with the exception of some lower back stiffness, probably from being a bit zealous in my pelvic tilt trying to maintain perfect form.

My third run comes the morning after the Fell’s Point Festival in Baltimore.  It’s a wonder that I got this run in considering I served as a volunteer beer pourer all day. (The payment for my services: all the beer I can drink, and I got more than my time and money’s worth.)  I set out for my longest run entirely in my Vibrams and dodge bikers, runners, walkers, roller bladders, and dogs on Philadelphia’s Kelly Drive as I get my chi on for four miles.  It’s hot, and I think I’m literally sweating beer.  (Later, my father-in-law, who was also at the Festival, would ask me if I sweated or foamed while running.)  My feet feel unexpectedly good.  They land with a bit of slap as more of my foot’s surface hits than just my heel.  Trying to keep my body in the ideal chi position still demands a lot of my attention and can get frustrating. For the brief stints that I get it right, it feels great, but overall, I’d rate my first full run in Vibrams as just good. I wonder if I am going to come out of this experiment learning that I am all about chi running but unwilling to surrender the soft confines of my Muzunos.

Next week, I’ll up the mileage in both kind of shoes and see how I feel.  Until then, cheers.