SHOES...evolution of my running?

Alright shoes and running go hand and hand right? Maybe foot in shoe? Hand and foot?  I don't know.  Anyways I have also been a big guy even when I ran cross country in Middle school or attempted anyways I just wanted to run well, I wanted to run fast too but I know I will never been Olympic fast.  In middle school I got to get running shoes they were middle of the ground, not to expensive but got me running. I remember my feet hurting.  Fast forward to about 2005ish when I started running on my own going out and running a mile or so and walking. I paid a little more money for what I thought was good running shoes (still not the best but what I could afford.)  I would get a pair every year or so since I was just running a few 5 k races.  My feet still hurt after running.  I kept up running and my pace didn't improve tremendously but I was still running and my feet were still hurting after running or working out.  Mostly I couldn't wait to get the damn shoes off my feet.  I moved down to NYC and got running again.  This time I did some research on running and figured maybe I will get a foot analysis at this running store, they can capture my running and all that jazz and recommend some shoes that work for my feet.  Now you can read all about my running adventures in my other blog.  This link will take you to the first time I posted a blog on running, in 2008,  read through if you would like, and you will see how my feet hurt after running in different shoes.
Back to the shoes.
I went to Jack Rabbit Sports in NYC and got my analysis and the guy told me I needed so pretty heavy duty shoes because I had fairly flat feet and I overpronated a lot. Which means: heavy shoes, heavy price tag.  So I shelled some money out and got the shoes.  Running in heavy shoes sucks told dick, seriously.  They are heavy, they hurt and they force your feet into weird box. So I stopped running a little and went back about 8 months later for new shoes.  This time same thing, flat foot, overpronating.  The shoes were not helping me.  I bought another pair of shoes, these were lighter weight and a tad more flexible...still $160 for shoes.  Alright so I ran in these for a while but then my feet were still hurting. I felt like the best time for my feet were in flip flops or just barefeet.  I knew there was something there.  A friend of mine had talked to me about these slipper like shoes called 5 fingers she would wear after her running and would go out and walk in them and she started just walking in them all the time.  I remembered that conversation and looked into them.  SO I got some and started running in them and I never really looked back.  I got some basic black ones and instantly fell in love.  There was a period of falling out of love when I got blisters but I eventually got over it.  I trained in those things and ran and hiked and everything in those things. I bought two pair and eventually a third pair, but really couldn't justify the 100 (or so) price tag every other year.  So I shed the shoes and learned to run without them.  So for nearly 3 years now I have been doing most of my athletic activity with minimal footwear on.  Between New Balance Minimus, Vibram FiveFingers, and nothing at all, the last three years have improved my arches, my stride and most pain below my hips!
Today I took another journey, and I did this because of worrisome stares and comments from loved ones.  I ran in water shoes.  The same ones you buy at Target or Wal-Greens for 10 bucks and under.  I had read about it on listserves of people who didn't want to buy the 5 fingers and let me tell you.  They did what I needed them to: protect my feet.  I don't need padding, I don't need support, just protection with out the price tag.  5 miles felt like I was in 5 fingers.  SO for 10 bucks they work!

running with a goal?

I track my running with an app on my iPhone called RunKeeper. It is great it tells me pace and is GPS enabled and all that great stuff.  I use to run with the Nike+ when I ran in shoes.  I used Nike+ shoes and put the little pebble thing in my right shoe and it would sync with my iPod nano and then I could sync it with my computer and well yah you get the idea.  I liked tracking my running when I first started because before all this you would track with a car and go out and drive your running route.  I then would track it on the computer.  Back when I started GPS watches were HUGE and came with a big ole price tag.  Now I run with a phone in my hand, I should really think about getting one of those arm bands...I digress.  The whole point was I could see my running with stats I could track progress and what not.  I could set a goal for myself and Nike+ would give me a goal to run for say a 10K and I would run that goal and then stop running for a while.
So now I run with RunKeeper.  It started as a pretty basic free app, tracks speed, distance, elevation, all that jazz.  It sync with all the social media sights and has it's own sight.  I can even "run with friends" and see how they are doing.  Overall for a free app it does what I need.  One day I was digging deeper into the app to see what else it could do and a message came up and asked if I wanted to "set a goal."  I figured what the hey and set 50 miles for the summer.  Not a hard task for me running about 10-12 miles a week anyway.  Well I got unmotivated and we got a heat wave and I got hit with the Blerch (read it if you like running) and just stopped running but I kept getting mocked by RunKeeper notifications..."remember last week when you thought working out was a good idea?  Lets do it AGAIN!"  So I ran on vacation in Maine, then last week got motivated to run with my sister in Texas...so hot...so gross...terrible air.  I ran today. It felt good.  I need to run more.  I need it to not be 85+ degrees with lots of humidity everyday.  I am half way to my goal with about two weeks left.  25 miles to go, I can do it, really just 5 more 5 mile runs!