Just wanted to tell you all about one of the coolest things I've ever heard of. Maybe you already know about it but I just found out. There's a young woman from Iowa spending her Summer running across the U.S. to raise money for Soles4Soles, a charity that donates shoes to poverty stricken and disaster victims around the world. Her name is Rae, and she is officially awesome.
She started her journey in April, and I saw a Facebook post today that she was only a day away from Iowa. This is an amazing undertaking, but even more amazing is that she is running it BAREFOOT!
She has a website that will give you all the info. There is a Facebook page as well with pictures of her journey and updates.
How can you help Rae? Donate! You can help her out directly (a girl's got to eat and ramen noodles aren't going to cut it), you can donate to Soles4Soles, or you could let her stay at your house for a night. Her website has all the info you need, and here's a link to her nightly stops. If you are on the route, consider helping her out. She might need a shower and a little foot rub at the end of the day.
Rae will be hitting my hometown of Denison, Iowa on the 9th of July. I wish I could be down there to run with her but I can't make it happen, so I'm donating to her cause. I hope you will help out if you can!
Great work, Rae! You are an inspiration to be sure.
Showing posts with label barefoot running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label barefoot running. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
2012 Med City Half Marathon Review
About a year ago my wife and I were walking around a city park pushing son
#1 in the stroller. She was pregnant with son #2 and I had been running
about two months. The 2011 Minnesota Warrior Dash was about a month away
and we were chatting about it. I was surprised about how much I had
improved already and I mentioned that maybe a half-marathon would be possible
in the future. It was a thought that
would have been impossible not long before.
Fast forward to May 27th, 2012 and I'm in the pack for the Med City run, along with a few other barefooters (Christian, Katie, Jane, Nicole, and Bob)! This would be my longest run ever, on a hot day, when I was already dealing with a little pain in my foot. Here we go!
The Med City starts in Byron, MN and follows a hilly county highway to Rochester where you hop on some blacktop trails of varying age. Some as smooth as butter, some not so smooth. At mile twelve the half marathon and marathon routes diverge. As hot as it was that morning, I was glad to take the right turn to the finish, rather than the left turn for another 14 miles. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though.
Standing at the start was a little chilly, but the skies were clear so the sun would be on us soon. Christian entertained us with his Schwartzenegger impression and we discussed the finer points of peeing in the woods. We also stood and chatted with some other runners about barefooting and one lady was pretty interested. She told us that she had a pair of Vibrams but her feet were very sore after her first run. After we found out that she went two miles her first time out in them, we gave her some tips and ideas to get her started right. I hope she tries them out.
We got started and were sticking around a 10:20 pace for the first miles. By one mile in, the heat was already on us. We kept at an easy pace and headed out into the open countryside. I was feeling good, with just a little pain in the top of my right foot. The weird thing about it was that it didn't hurt all the time. I had it taped with Kineso Tape, trying to ward off extra pain and swelling. Even though that tape is usually magic, it didn't provide much relief in this case. The other thing I was wondering about was my food intake before the race. At my last race (a 5K in February) I had eaten some oatmeal pre-race and it sat in my stomach like a rock, eventually leading to stitches in my side that forced me to walk. Pretty lame for a 5K. For this run, I tried a banana, Snicker's Marathon bar, and a Red Bull. It was a lot of sugar, but seemed to be OK. No problems with side pain and no stomach upset from the sugar.
We had a little break at about three miles while Katie and Jane hit the porta-potties and we were off again. The first seven miles are pretty straight but a little hilly. After mile seven, the course is nearly flat to the finish. I was feeling fine at the first water stop so I skipped that one. Not sure if that was good or bad. I had two or three cups at each stop after that, but I still ended up five pounds lighter at the end of the race.
Responses to a pack of four with no shoes on were varied, but mostly supportive. In fact I only heard one negative comment the whole time. Usually people would shout their support and approval, and then follow it up with "I could never do that!" Funny, I used to say the same thing. No one even mentioned Bob's kilt. I guess kilts are mainstream.
By about mile six we fell in with the 2:30 pacer group and alternated passing them and getting passed. At about mile nine, my feet started to get a little tender on the bottom. I wasn't hitting many rocks or other debris, but the pavement was warm and starting to get rougher and I was getting a little tired. I got a bump of energy at about mile 10.5 when we passed my wife, my boys, and a few in-laws who were waiting to cheer me on. It was this point in the race that I knew I would finish with no trouble, but I was ready to be done!
We hit the mile 12 aid station and stopped for a picture before Bob and Nicole headed for the second half of the marathon. Katie, Christian and I walked about 100 yards and took off for the finish. My feet were pretty tender by this point, but I didn’t have much trouble as long as I kept moving.
The half marathon course follows around Silver Lake in Rochester before heading South to the Civic Center for the finish. As you pass Silver Lake you cross over 7th Street. It was at this point that someone on a bike wearing a vest rode past me on the course. The vest said “Lead Biker”. I thought to myself, “Huh. I guess maybe there is more than one lead biker, and this guy’s shift is over.” That’s when I was overtaken by a flash of red as the Marathon winner ran by me. Embarrassing? No. Humbling? Absolutely. I guess I need some more practice. He finished the marathon three minutes ahead of me.
My family made it from the park to the finish line to wave me in and I finished in an official time of 2:31:12. My longest run ever by one mile and my first half marathon. I grabbed a handful of orange slices and a bottle of water and stood around chatting with my barefoot compatriots. There is really nothing like orange slices after a run in the heat. Christian was pounding muscle milk and discussing his work capacity across time and modal domains. You should ask him about it sometime.
I found my family and made a mistake. I sat down for a couple minutes. My feet were ungodly sore when I stood up to walk to my car. No cuts or bruises, just really tender. I hobbled to the Jeep and made it home for a nice Memorial Day weekend with the family that included a little Gatorade, a lot of water, a large amount of green salad, pork loin on the smoker, drinking beer, brewing beer, and generally lazing around.
No post would be complete without telling you what I learned so here it is.
Run on, Runners!
*Edit: I forgot to say thanks to all the volunteers staffing the aid stations! You folks are awesome!
Fast forward to May 27th, 2012 and I'm in the pack for the Med City run, along with a few other barefooters (Christian, Katie, Jane, Nicole, and Bob)! This would be my longest run ever, on a hot day, when I was already dealing with a little pain in my foot. Here we go!
The Med City starts in Byron, MN and follows a hilly county highway to Rochester where you hop on some blacktop trails of varying age. Some as smooth as butter, some not so smooth. At mile twelve the half marathon and marathon routes diverge. As hot as it was that morning, I was glad to take the right turn to the finish, rather than the left turn for another 14 miles. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though.
Standing at the start was a little chilly, but the skies were clear so the sun would be on us soon. Christian entertained us with his Schwartzenegger impression and we discussed the finer points of peeing in the woods. We also stood and chatted with some other runners about barefooting and one lady was pretty interested. She told us that she had a pair of Vibrams but her feet were very sore after her first run. After we found out that she went two miles her first time out in them, we gave her some tips and ideas to get her started right. I hope she tries them out.
We got started and were sticking around a 10:20 pace for the first miles. By one mile in, the heat was already on us. We kept at an easy pace and headed out into the open countryside. I was feeling good, with just a little pain in the top of my right foot. The weird thing about it was that it didn't hurt all the time. I had it taped with Kineso Tape, trying to ward off extra pain and swelling. Even though that tape is usually magic, it didn't provide much relief in this case. The other thing I was wondering about was my food intake before the race. At my last race (a 5K in February) I had eaten some oatmeal pre-race and it sat in my stomach like a rock, eventually leading to stitches in my side that forced me to walk. Pretty lame for a 5K. For this run, I tried a banana, Snicker's Marathon bar, and a Red Bull. It was a lot of sugar, but seemed to be OK. No problems with side pain and no stomach upset from the sugar.
We had a little break at about three miles while Katie and Jane hit the porta-potties and we were off again. The first seven miles are pretty straight but a little hilly. After mile seven, the course is nearly flat to the finish. I was feeling fine at the first water stop so I skipped that one. Not sure if that was good or bad. I had two or three cups at each stop after that, but I still ended up five pounds lighter at the end of the race.
 |
| Nicole ran ahead down the last hill around mile 7 and took a picture of four running hobos with no shoes. (L to R: Me, Bob, Christian, Katie) |
Responses to a pack of four with no shoes on were varied, but mostly supportive. In fact I only heard one negative comment the whole time. Usually people would shout their support and approval, and then follow it up with "I could never do that!" Funny, I used to say the same thing. No one even mentioned Bob's kilt. I guess kilts are mainstream.
By about mile six we fell in with the 2:30 pacer group and alternated passing them and getting passed. At about mile nine, my feet started to get a little tender on the bottom. I wasn't hitting many rocks or other debris, but the pavement was warm and starting to get rougher and I was getting a little tired. I got a bump of energy at about mile 10.5 when we passed my wife, my boys, and a few in-laws who were waiting to cheer me on. It was this point in the race that I knew I would finish with no trouble, but I was ready to be done!
 |
| About mile 10.5 |
We hit the mile 12 aid station and stopped for a picture before Bob and Nicole headed for the second half of the marathon. Katie, Christian and I walked about 100 yards and took off for the finish. My feet were pretty tender by this point, but I didn’t have much trouble as long as I kept moving.
 |
| Mile 12 Aid Station. |
The half marathon course follows around Silver Lake in Rochester before heading South to the Civic Center for the finish. As you pass Silver Lake you cross over 7th Street. It was at this point that someone on a bike wearing a vest rode past me on the course. The vest said “Lead Biker”. I thought to myself, “Huh. I guess maybe there is more than one lead biker, and this guy’s shift is over.” That’s when I was overtaken by a flash of red as the Marathon winner ran by me. Embarrassing? No. Humbling? Absolutely. I guess I need some more practice. He finished the marathon three minutes ahead of me.
 |
| Coming in to the finish. |
My family made it from the park to the finish line to wave me in and I finished in an official time of 2:31:12. My longest run ever by one mile and my first half marathon. I grabbed a handful of orange slices and a bottle of water and stood around chatting with my barefoot compatriots. There is really nothing like orange slices after a run in the heat. Christian was pounding muscle milk and discussing his work capacity across time and modal domains. You should ask him about it sometime.
I found my family and made a mistake. I sat down for a couple minutes. My feet were ungodly sore when I stood up to walk to my car. No cuts or bruises, just really tender. I hobbled to the Jeep and made it home for a nice Memorial Day weekend with the family that included a little Gatorade, a lot of water, a large amount of green salad, pork loin on the smoker, drinking beer, brewing beer, and generally lazing around.
 |
| Still smiling at the finish. |
 |
| Me and my boys. |
No post would be complete without telling you what I learned so here it is.
1.
Hydration. Even
though there were aid stations every two miles I really could have used an
extra drink or two in-between, especially towards the end. Next time I might bring some extra with me if
it is going to be so hot. Also, don’t
skip an aid station. Just grab a drink
and go. I also learned the “fold the cup”
technique so the liquid goes in your mouth instead of down your chest. Very handy.
2.
Pre-race food. I
think my banana, Marathon bar, Red Bull combo worked nicely. Plenty to get me through the distance, but
not so much that it was sitting in my gut.
I usually drink coffee in the morning, but that didn’t sound good
pre-race. Plus, I hear that Red Bull
gives you wings.
3.
Run with a friend.
It’s more fun and the miles go quicker.
Run on, Runners!
*Edit: I forgot to say thanks to all the volunteers staffing the aid stations! You folks are awesome!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Bare Feet and the Brain
Here's an interesting point of view by The Gait Guys. I'm into brain research/training in the course of my clinical practice, so this was nice to see. They give some of the rationale I use for no longer advising orthotics as we (and Podiatrists) are taught in school. I don't just tell everyone with back pain to wear a back brace all day, so why give people with foot pain as a first line of defense? We start now with foot strengthening and mobilization. Some people will need orthotics in the end, but better to avoid them if possible.
They also briefly mention children and footwear. Finding protective footwear that is functional is starting to be a little difficult for our toddler.
Neurodevelopment of the Barefoot Brain
To sum it up: if you don't use it, you lose it. (You can, however, work to get it back!)
They also briefly mention children and footwear. Finding protective footwear that is functional is starting to be a little difficult for our toddler.
Neurodevelopment of the Barefoot Brain
To sum it up: if you don't use it, you lose it. (You can, however, work to get it back!)
 |
| This is a picture of the sensory homunculus that is mentioned in the article. The homunculus is how body parts are represented in the brain. If they are large in the homunculus, they are well represented in the brain. The picture is from joecicinelli.com. Not sure if it is his or he linked to it too, but at least know you know I didn't just steal it! |
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Jason Robillard's ABC's of Barefoot Running - With Video!
So, I've been on a hiatus for two months now. What have I been doing? The list is actually pretty short:
In true lazy form this post is just pirated info and a link! A few months ago I did a post on the ABC's of barefoot running as presented by Jason Robillard. Now there's a video!
Check out the video for a visual "how-to" and get started today!
- Adjusting to having two kiddos at home instead of one. (Change is hard for me, even when I love my kids.)
- Trying to learn how to not be flustered by change.
- Working.
- Running.
- Playing Xbox (Batman: Arkham City - thanks to my wife for the b-day present!)
- Annoying my wife by playing Xbox and a sometimes surly attitude.
- Apologizing to my wife for the annoyance.
In true lazy form this post is just pirated info and a link! A few months ago I did a post on the ABC's of barefoot running as presented by Jason Robillard. Now there's a video!
Check out the video for a visual "how-to" and get started today!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Educational Barefoot Running Videos
Well, maybe not so educational. The two videos below have just been kicking around the barefoot running community the last week or so and I wanted to share them. I hope you enjoy them!
This one's a little older, but still funny.
Do we all think like this? Probably. Now, I'm going to go keep being awesome. You all have a good day.
Run on , Runners!
This one's a little older, but still funny.
Do we all think like this? Probably. Now, I'm going to go keep being awesome. You all have a good day.
Run on , Runners!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Minnesota Barefooters Unite to Form An Unstopable Group of Running Superheros
Ok, maybe it wasn't all the Minnesota barefooters, and we did stop a few times, but Superhero is certainly an apt description.
Sunday was my first official group run with the Minnesota Chapter of the Barefoot Runners Society. What a great time! Seven of us struck out from the Maplewood Community Center and headed down the Gateway trail. It's a pretty flat route and was a nice run. The trail was asphalt/chipseal and helped us "build character".
Here's an official recap from our fearless leader the Maple Grove Barefoot Guy.
At a distance of about 6 miles this was technically my second-longest barefoot run since my longest was the ill-fated 7 mile "get lost on a trail" run back in August. The results of this one were much better! I didn't end up in pain after this run and I probably could have squeezed out another mile if I had wanted. The thing is, I'm trying to prevent those overuse injuries from ever happening again so I wouldn't have pushed it another mile.
All in all, it was a great time and I look forward to more group runs in the future. I got some news from the MGBG that the Med-City Marathon in exotic Rochester, MN next May could turn into a real barefoot fest! Looking forward to that in a big way! I won't drop the names he did since I don't want to put anyone on the spot (not like they read this anyway, but still). I'll just be doing the half-marathon, but that means I get to hit the after-party first!
If you are interested at all in barefoot running, I really encourage you to find a Barefoot Runners Society group near you. Homebrewers and barefoot runners are the people I like to hang out with and both groups consist of the same laid-back people. These group runs are a great place to get a little instruction, camaraderie, and confidence in your barefoot running endeavor.
Are you running the Med-City next May? Are you going to run it barefoot? Is anybody still reading? Leave a comment below or on Facebook and tell me all your hopes and dreams!
Just so you don't think I've forgotten, the Invisible Shoe review is coming. I'm hoping the snow holds off and I can go out and get some off-road running done in them on Sunday. If not, I'll post the review with only road miles, and do a trail running review separately. Here's a little spoiler for you:
Run on, Runners!
Sunday was my first official group run with the Minnesota Chapter of the Barefoot Runners Society. What a great time! Seven of us struck out from the Maplewood Community Center and headed down the Gateway trail. It's a pretty flat route and was a nice run. The trail was asphalt/chipseal and helped us "build character".
Here's an official recap from our fearless leader the Maple Grove Barefoot Guy.
At a distance of about 6 miles this was technically my second-longest barefoot run since my longest was the ill-fated 7 mile "get lost on a trail" run back in August. The results of this one were much better! I didn't end up in pain after this run and I probably could have squeezed out another mile if I had wanted. The thing is, I'm trying to prevent those overuse injuries from ever happening again so I wouldn't have pushed it another mile.
All in all, it was a great time and I look forward to more group runs in the future. I got some news from the MGBG that the Med-City Marathon in exotic Rochester, MN next May could turn into a real barefoot fest! Looking forward to that in a big way! I won't drop the names he did since I don't want to put anyone on the spot (not like they read this anyway, but still). I'll just be doing the half-marathon, but that means I get to hit the after-party first!
If you are interested at all in barefoot running, I really encourage you to find a Barefoot Runners Society group near you. Homebrewers and barefoot runners are the people I like to hang out with and both groups consist of the same laid-back people. These group runs are a great place to get a little instruction, camaraderie, and confidence in your barefoot running endeavor.
Are you running the Med-City next May? Are you going to run it barefoot? Is anybody still reading? Leave a comment below or on Facebook and tell me all your hopes and dreams!
Just so you don't think I've forgotten, the Invisible Shoe review is coming. I'm hoping the snow holds off and I can go out and get some off-road running done in them on Sunday. If not, I'll post the review with only road miles, and do a trail running review separately. Here's a little spoiler for you:
 |
| Me, after my first run in my Invisible Shoes. Before you ask, yes I am rocking a 1995 DHS Monarch Track and Field vintage long sleeve t-shirt. That shirt is magical and I will never give it up. In case you were wondering, I also have the 1994 edition at my disposal. That's just how I roll. |
Run on, Runners!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Eddie Izzard's Barefoot Running Adventure
Eddie Izzard is one of my favorite comedians. Possibly even my most favorite. Since most of the video I've seen of Eddie usually features some sort of stiletto heeled boot I was surprised to hear that he was a runner. But not just a runner. More like a freakin machine. In 2009, he ran 43 marathons in 51 days. After five weeks of training. Five weeks of training. Five.
Now, he is planning a barefoot run across Africa. That's right an 1,100 mile barefoot run across Africa. It is a charity fund-raiser for the British charity Sport Relief. Eddie's first running stunt was also a fund-raiser for Sport Relief. Sport Relief itself is a fund-raiser for Comedy Relief. That is a lot of relief! Anyway, they raise funds to help people who need help, which is a great reason to run!
Here's a quick story on Eddie's upcoming adventure. There isn't a lot of details yet, but follow Eddie on Twitter and I'm sure he will be keeping us up to date on the run early next year.
Here's a little taste of Eddie's stand-up for your enjoyment. My favorite clip of him on YouTube. I will bet you can figure out why. Enjoy!
Here's one more, just because you deserve it. Also because it's about Star Wars.
Now, he is planning a barefoot run across Africa. That's right an 1,100 mile barefoot run across Africa. It is a charity fund-raiser for the British charity Sport Relief. Eddie's first running stunt was also a fund-raiser for Sport Relief. Sport Relief itself is a fund-raiser for Comedy Relief. That is a lot of relief! Anyway, they raise funds to help people who need help, which is a great reason to run!
Here's a quick story on Eddie's upcoming adventure. There isn't a lot of details yet, but follow Eddie on Twitter and I'm sure he will be keeping us up to date on the run early next year.
Here's a little taste of Eddie's stand-up for your enjoyment. My favorite clip of him on YouTube. I will bet you can figure out why. Enjoy!
Here's one more, just because you deserve it. Also because it's about Star Wars.
Friday, October 21, 2011
First "Cold" Barefoot Run
Last Saturday I set out about 7:30 am for a run. I want to be barefoot as long as possible into the Fall and Winter so the chilly Saturday morning was my first test of my superhero abilities. The temp was 41 degrees when I set out.
The pavement was cold but not crazy cold. I could really only feel the cold for the first 1/2 block or so. I set off on my normal path, expecting to only do a mile but I was ready to go further if I could. It was nice to be barefoot again. I have been using the Merrell Trail Gloves on my weekday runs because I'm always running at 8:30 or 9:00 PM and I was having trouble in the dark. I wasn't relaxing my feet and I ended up with some top of foot pain that stopped me for about two weeks. I let the foot pain resolve with some massage and time and the Trail Gloves have helped to prevent it returning. I want to try some night-time barefooting again, but the trail I always run on has two areas with broken glass and I can't see it at night to avoid it.
Anyway, it was nice to be barefoot again. It's like a foot massage the whole time you are running. My feet even start to itch a little when I'm running barefoot and the scratching of the concrete and asphalt feels nice.
Around the corner from our house is a mulberry tree that hangs over the sidewalk. I could see purple dots all over the sidewalk as I was getting closer and I remember thinking "oh, the berries are falling off". Wishful thinking. What eats berries? Birds. What do birds do? Crap everywhere. I realized that about halfway through the mess. Nasty. At least I was still running and wearing it off.
After about .7 miles my feet started to sting a little and I was worried about blisters. I checked them out and no signs so I decided the chilly pavement was just starting to get to me. The stinging wasn't that bad and by the time I hit one mile I couldn't feel it anymore, so I just kept going.
I ended up doing a full 5K and even avoided the bird crap on the way home. It certainly wasn't a fast run, about 40 seconds/mile slower than I had been running, but it was a good run. I'm hopeful that I can keep going to below freezing temps. Keep the snow away! My goal is to be able to run the Gilman Memorial Turkey Trot barefoot on November 19.
The pavement was cold but not crazy cold. I could really only feel the cold for the first 1/2 block or so. I set off on my normal path, expecting to only do a mile but I was ready to go further if I could. It was nice to be barefoot again. I have been using the Merrell Trail Gloves on my weekday runs because I'm always running at 8:30 or 9:00 PM and I was having trouble in the dark. I wasn't relaxing my feet and I ended up with some top of foot pain that stopped me for about two weeks. I let the foot pain resolve with some massage and time and the Trail Gloves have helped to prevent it returning. I want to try some night-time barefooting again, but the trail I always run on has two areas with broken glass and I can't see it at night to avoid it.
Anyway, it was nice to be barefoot again. It's like a foot massage the whole time you are running. My feet even start to itch a little when I'm running barefoot and the scratching of the concrete and asphalt feels nice.
Around the corner from our house is a mulberry tree that hangs over the sidewalk. I could see purple dots all over the sidewalk as I was getting closer and I remember thinking "oh, the berries are falling off". Wishful thinking. What eats berries? Birds. What do birds do? Crap everywhere. I realized that about halfway through the mess. Nasty. At least I was still running and wearing it off.
After about .7 miles my feet started to sting a little and I was worried about blisters. I checked them out and no signs so I decided the chilly pavement was just starting to get to me. The stinging wasn't that bad and by the time I hit one mile I couldn't feel it anymore, so I just kept going.
I ended up doing a full 5K and even avoided the bird crap on the way home. It certainly wasn't a fast run, about 40 seconds/mile slower than I had been running, but it was a good run. I'm hopeful that I can keep going to below freezing temps. Keep the snow away! My goal is to be able to run the Gilman Memorial Turkey Trot barefoot on November 19.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Barefoot Running Coach Certification - Is it necessary?
Everyone likes to be a certified something. Lord knows that a lot of my time has been spent acquiring more letters to put behind my name. Is it always a good thing? Is it necessary? Do the letters guarantee results or can you put stock in them at all? I think that the letters behind my name actually create more responsibility in my everyday life. I see them as a mandate for keeping up with current understanding of the human machine and the best ways to help any given patient that walks in the door.
That being said, does a certification imply responsibility or can it be just a way to push your way into a place of authority? Jason Robillard created some controversy when he published a blog post asserting that certifying Barefoot Running Coaches was a bad idea. Christian Peterson jumped in the conversation with a well thought out post on the other side of the argument. Christian's post alerted me to Angie Bee's thoughts on her own certification, and Katie Kift's "uneasyness" on certification.
I realize you are just dying to know where I stand on the issue. It's a question that keeps you up at night and makes you jittery all day. Well get ready for it, because here it comes!
I'm fine with certification, especially since the certification comes from Lee Saxby and VIVOBAREFOOT. I've read Lee's awesome "Proprioception" publication and watched some video of him on YouTube and he really knows his stuff. I was having a lot of trouble with form when I first started and Lee's video help was a great asset to my learning. It was something I just couldn't understand from reading. It was like I needed a coach or something...
I think the real trouble will start when anyone and everyone starts their own "certification" program. What happens when Sketchers starts a "Natural Running" certification and starts teaching people how beneficial it is to run in Shape-ups because they "replicate a natural barefoot experience". Think I'm kidding? That is a direct quote from the GOrun section of their website. I'm not going to link to it, but go check it out. Look at some of the pictures of people happily overstriding, but landing "midfoot". They have to land midfoot because there is a giant lump of foam in the way of landing on their heel. It's really bad stuff.
I guess that's why I'm just fine with Saxby's program. Get someone who knows about running out there first. Good luck competing with Sketchers' marketing dollars though. The point of this post is not to hate on Sketchers so I'll just say go check out their site and be amazed at what you see, then do the opposite of everything they say.
I think the important thing is to help each other out in the pursuit of better running form, barefoot or not. Bad form kept me from a running career for years and that's almost distressing to me now that I have come to really enjoy it. Absent a local coach, it is up to each of us to share our experiences and give our own tips and tricks to anyone who will listen, all the while encouraging people to research multiple perspectives until they find the way that works for them. Share your thoughts on a forum or blog. Here's a post I did on the topic. Ask lots of questions and spark discussions on other people's blogs.
I envision a certified coach teaching larger groups on how to get started, but I'm not sure of the utility of teaching one on one. Maybe it will be beneficial, but I know I probably wouldn't have paid someone to teach me. I'm sure there are people out there who will, though. I don't suppose it is that much different than taking golf or tennis lessons, but then again I've never paid for those either. Maybe that's why I'm such a crappy tennis player. More power to ya, Coaches!
I'm no pezzonovante in the barefoot running world, but I do have opinions. What's your opinion? Do you think running coaches, specifically barefoot coaches should be certified? Leave a comment below or on Facebook!
That being said, does a certification imply responsibility or can it be just a way to push your way into a place of authority? Jason Robillard created some controversy when he published a blog post asserting that certifying Barefoot Running Coaches was a bad idea. Christian Peterson jumped in the conversation with a well thought out post on the other side of the argument. Christian's post alerted me to Angie Bee's thoughts on her own certification, and Katie Kift's "uneasyness" on certification.
I realize you are just dying to know where I stand on the issue. It's a question that keeps you up at night and makes you jittery all day. Well get ready for it, because here it comes!
I'm fine with certification, especially since the certification comes from Lee Saxby and VIVOBAREFOOT. I've read Lee's awesome "Proprioception" publication and watched some video of him on YouTube and he really knows his stuff. I was having a lot of trouble with form when I first started and Lee's video help was a great asset to my learning. It was something I just couldn't understand from reading. It was like I needed a coach or something...
I think the real trouble will start when anyone and everyone starts their own "certification" program. What happens when Sketchers starts a "Natural Running" certification and starts teaching people how beneficial it is to run in Shape-ups because they "replicate a natural barefoot experience". Think I'm kidding? That is a direct quote from the GOrun section of their website. I'm not going to link to it, but go check it out. Look at some of the pictures of people happily overstriding, but landing "midfoot". They have to land midfoot because there is a giant lump of foam in the way of landing on their heel. It's really bad stuff.
I guess that's why I'm just fine with Saxby's program. Get someone who knows about running out there first. Good luck competing with Sketchers' marketing dollars though. The point of this post is not to hate on Sketchers so I'll just say go check out their site and be amazed at what you see, then do the opposite of everything they say.
I think the important thing is to help each other out in the pursuit of better running form, barefoot or not. Bad form kept me from a running career for years and that's almost distressing to me now that I have come to really enjoy it. Absent a local coach, it is up to each of us to share our experiences and give our own tips and tricks to anyone who will listen, all the while encouraging people to research multiple perspectives until they find the way that works for them. Share your thoughts on a forum or blog. Here's a post I did on the topic. Ask lots of questions and spark discussions on other people's blogs.
I envision a certified coach teaching larger groups on how to get started, but I'm not sure of the utility of teaching one on one. Maybe it will be beneficial, but I know I probably wouldn't have paid someone to teach me. I'm sure there are people out there who will, though. I don't suppose it is that much different than taking golf or tennis lessons, but then again I've never paid for those either. Maybe that's why I'm such a crappy tennis player. More power to ya, Coaches!
I'm no pezzonovante in the barefoot running world, but I do have opinions. What's your opinion? Do you think running coaches, specifically barefoot coaches should be certified? Leave a comment below or on Facebook!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Running and Wheezing - Lungs, Asthma, and Smoking
Let me first say I wasn't smoking on my run tonight. I'm sure that was obvious but I just wanted to clear the air, so to speak.
When I was in elementary and middle school I had some breathing troubles. Asthma is a reactive disorder that causes constriction of the lung passages and therefore makes it difficult to breathe. I was on different medications and a couple inhalers for a while, but pretty much grew out of it. I had some trouble in high school, but nothing major. I was never the kid that was hauled off to the ER at 2:00 am turning blue. I feel bad for those little buggers. I can't imagine how they must feel. I still deal with seasonal allergies and have trouble with mold in the air, but I don't need medication anymore. I do have a rescue inhaler just in case, but I'm not really sure why.
The main point to this post is that I had a lot of trouble breathing on my run tonight. I did two miles, and had to walk twice. I was actually feeling pretty rough and I was having reactive airway problems. My allergies have been really flared up for the last few weeks and now harvest has begun in Minnesota so there is a lot of dust floating around. I almost gave up on my run early, but the short walks did help. The first walk was at about 1.5 miles. My lungs were really wheezing and I ran past a bench across the street from St. Mary's Hospital. This bench is where Hospital employees take their smoke breaks since they aren't allowed to smoke on the hospital property. When I ran by, there were three of them sitting on the bench and as soon as I got a little second-hand my lungs shut off. Cigarette smoke usually doesn't bother me but just half a whiff kicked my ass tonight.
I walked for half a block or so, then was able to get going again. A stitch in my side stopped me again a couple blocks later, but that resolved quickly just by putting my arm up for a second. I ran the rest of the 4 blocks home. As I was nearing our house I pulled my phone out of the case to check my distance covered and was glad to see it was almost two miles. I ran past our house to finish those last 5/100ths of a mile. Probably not necessary, but I like round numbers. As I hit the 2 mile mark I looked at the pace. 9:13/mile! 15-20 seconds faster than normal, and all while my lungs were shutting down. Pretty nice for my slow legs and it's no wonder my lungs were burning a bit. I'm glad my conditioning is improving well.
The moral of the story is that I'm glad I finished the run. I know it's never best to push it when you aren't feeling well, but in this instance I'm glad I did. I wonder what my pace would have been if I hadn't walked that little bit.
When I was in elementary and middle school I had some breathing troubles. Asthma is a reactive disorder that causes constriction of the lung passages and therefore makes it difficult to breathe. I was on different medications and a couple inhalers for a while, but pretty much grew out of it. I had some trouble in high school, but nothing major. I was never the kid that was hauled off to the ER at 2:00 am turning blue. I feel bad for those little buggers. I can't imagine how they must feel. I still deal with seasonal allergies and have trouble with mold in the air, but I don't need medication anymore. I do have a rescue inhaler just in case, but I'm not really sure why.
The main point to this post is that I had a lot of trouble breathing on my run tonight. I did two miles, and had to walk twice. I was actually feeling pretty rough and I was having reactive airway problems. My allergies have been really flared up for the last few weeks and now harvest has begun in Minnesota so there is a lot of dust floating around. I almost gave up on my run early, but the short walks did help. The first walk was at about 1.5 miles. My lungs were really wheezing and I ran past a bench across the street from St. Mary's Hospital. This bench is where Hospital employees take their smoke breaks since they aren't allowed to smoke on the hospital property. When I ran by, there were three of them sitting on the bench and as soon as I got a little second-hand my lungs shut off. Cigarette smoke usually doesn't bother me but just half a whiff kicked my ass tonight.
I walked for half a block or so, then was able to get going again. A stitch in my side stopped me again a couple blocks later, but that resolved quickly just by putting my arm up for a second. I ran the rest of the 4 blocks home. As I was nearing our house I pulled my phone out of the case to check my distance covered and was glad to see it was almost two miles. I ran past our house to finish those last 5/100ths of a mile. Probably not necessary, but I like round numbers. As I hit the 2 mile mark I looked at the pace. 9:13/mile! 15-20 seconds faster than normal, and all while my lungs were shutting down. Pretty nice for my slow legs and it's no wonder my lungs were burning a bit. I'm glad my conditioning is improving well.
The moral of the story is that I'm glad I finished the run. I know it's never best to push it when you aren't feeling well, but in this instance I'm glad I did. I wonder what my pace would have been if I hadn't walked that little bit.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Visualization of Barefoot Running Form
So, last post I gave some tips on getting started with barefoot running. I hope that you have tried a little barefoot walking outside and downloaded Jason Robillard's book (or at least read his ABC's post). This time I want to dive in to the mechanics of the gait a little bit and give you the visualization clues I used to help me.
Foot Landing (Foot Strike)
The foot strike should be gentle, as light as possible. Watch a cat walk or run, or study a ninja that lives in your neighborhood. They hit the ground quietly, and sneak up on you. In barefoot running, the natural way we run, we land on the ball of our foot first then the heel and toes come down as the calf stretches. Sometimes it looks like your foot is landing completely flat.
I use this visual for the foot landing: Picture how your feet and ankles move as you go up a flight of stairs. You typically touch first at the ball of your foot, but as you load the leg, your heel comes down as the calf stretches. There is a reflex that happens as your calf stretches to help turn on the quad and glute muscles to keep the knee and hip from collapsing. When running, this same process happens but it happens a lot faster and is a little less exaggerated.
A few other visuals that might help:
To have the right knee bend, you should bend your knee. How's that for you? Not enough? Fine.
The knee should never be completely straight in barefoot running. As you land with your foot right below the hip, the knee is already bent to reduce force and it stays bent through the foot lift. The knee bend is a major element of the shock absorbing system.
What helped me:
This is a simple idea, but is difficult in practice. If you use your foot to push off and try to propel yourself forward you will get blisters and have a bad time. This one took me a while to understand. You have to lift your foot nearly as soon as it touches down on the ground. Notice I didn't say you have to rock forward onto your toes and push off of the ground. You have to literally pick your foot up off the ground in a fluid motion before you try to use those toes to push off. Don't worry about what is moving you forward. We will get to that.
My visual:
This is how you move forward when you can't push off. Jason Robillard teaches a drill where your stand slightly away from a wall, keep your body straight, and lean forward at the ankles until your head touches the wall. That teaches you a little about the forward lean. This is another concept that I had a little trouble with until I realized that if everything else is correct, this one happens on its own.
What to do:
Have you tried barefoot running or do you have tips of your own? Leave a comment below or put them on Facebook!
Foot Landing (Foot Strike)
The foot strike should be gentle, as light as possible. Watch a cat walk or run, or study a ninja that lives in your neighborhood. They hit the ground quietly, and sneak up on you. In barefoot running, the natural way we run, we land on the ball of our foot first then the heel and toes come down as the calf stretches. Sometimes it looks like your foot is landing completely flat.
I use this visual for the foot landing: Picture how your feet and ankles move as you go up a flight of stairs. You typically touch first at the ball of your foot, but as you load the leg, your heel comes down as the calf stretches. There is a reflex that happens as your calf stretches to help turn on the quad and glute muscles to keep the knee and hip from collapsing. When running, this same process happens but it happens a lot faster and is a little less exaggerated.
A few other visuals that might help:
- Pretend that you are running on hot coals, it will help decrease the force of your landing. Same thing goes for liquid-hot magma.
- Concentrate on the foot that is moving up, and the force on the landing foot will decrease (not my favorite way, but its an option).
- Pretend that your running surface is loaded with springs and they push your foot up as soon as you set it down.
To have the right knee bend, you should bend your knee. How's that for you? Not enough? Fine.
The knee should never be completely straight in barefoot running. As you land with your foot right below the hip, the knee is already bent to reduce force and it stays bent through the foot lift. The knee bend is a major element of the shock absorbing system.
What helped me:
- Pretend that as you are running your butt is getting lower to the ground like you are going to sit on an imaginary chair.
- Increasing your foot strike cadence will help with this too. It decreases the amount of available time to straighten your leg out. You can't straighten the knee if doing so will make you fall over.
This is a simple idea, but is difficult in practice. If you use your foot to push off and try to propel yourself forward you will get blisters and have a bad time. This one took me a while to understand. You have to lift your foot nearly as soon as it touches down on the ground. Notice I didn't say you have to rock forward onto your toes and push off of the ground. You have to literally pick your foot up off the ground in a fluid motion before you try to use those toes to push off. Don't worry about what is moving you forward. We will get to that.
My visual:
- I don't have one. Just pick your foot up.
- The "running on liquid hot magma" visual may help you. You don't want to keep your foot on liquid hot magma for very long.
- Think about (or find a video on You Tube) of someone walking on hot coals. If you step lightly and pick your foot up quickly you don't get burned. If you dig in and try to propel yourself forward quickly, you get burned. If you try to push off with your foot when running, you get blisters. Same concept.
This is how you move forward when you can't push off. Jason Robillard teaches a drill where your stand slightly away from a wall, keep your body straight, and lean forward at the ankles until your head touches the wall. That teaches you a little about the forward lean. This is another concept that I had a little trouble with until I realized that if everything else is correct, this one happens on its own.
What to do:
- Make sure you have a high cadence, your feet are landing below your hips, and you are stepping softly, and the forward lean will take care of itself. If it doesn't, you will quickly realize you aren't moving forward. You will either fix the problem or run in place. Either way, have fun!
Have you tried barefoot running or do you have tips of your own? Leave a comment below or put them on Facebook!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Barefoot Running Form - From "A" to "C"
I've wanted to do a semi-educational post for a while rather than just relaying my modest accomplishments, so here it is! Hold on interwebs, we are rocketing to Planet Knowledge!
As is the case with all good knowledge, most of what I'll relay to you is stolen from others. Mostly from Jason Robillard. I hope he wont mind. He seems pretty laid back, so we should be just fine. You know what they say about the quiet ones though...
A couple weeks ago I got to meet Jason when he was in Rochester to present a barefoot running clinic. I even got some proof:
Jason presented the new, simplified barefoot instruction program he and the folks at Merrell developed. They call it BareForm Running and teach it via "The ABC's". You can (and should) read the post on his blog about it here, but I'll summarize quickly:
A= Align Posture. Stand tall with a slight forward lean at the ankles, knees slightly bent.
B= Balanced Foot Strike. Feet land under the hips, almost flat.
C= Cadence. 180 steps per minute. A fast cadence helps ensure the balanced foot strike.
That is honestly enough to get you started. You can check out his book to get some more details on form and such but the ABC's will get you going. He is still giving his book away, or you can find it on Amazon if you want the hard copy. I have the hard copy. I like circling and highlighting things.
So, here are some tips and things I've learned the easy way (from others) and mastered the hard way (practice).
As is the case with all good knowledge, most of what I'll relay to you is stolen from others. Mostly from Jason Robillard. I hope he wont mind. He seems pretty laid back, so we should be just fine. You know what they say about the quiet ones though...
A couple weeks ago I got to meet Jason when he was in Rochester to present a barefoot running clinic. I even got some proof:
 |
| Jason and I at Tradehome Shoes. |
Jason presented the new, simplified barefoot instruction program he and the folks at Merrell developed. They call it BareForm Running and teach it via "The ABC's". You can (and should) read the post on his blog about it here, but I'll summarize quickly:
A= Align Posture. Stand tall with a slight forward lean at the ankles, knees slightly bent.
B= Balanced Foot Strike. Feet land under the hips, almost flat.
C= Cadence. 180 steps per minute. A fast cadence helps ensure the balanced foot strike.
That is honestly enough to get you started. You can check out his book to get some more details on form and such but the ABC's will get you going. He is still giving his book away, or you can find it on Amazon if you want the hard copy. I have the hard copy. I like circling and highlighting things.
So, here are some tips and things I've learned the easy way (from others) and mastered the hard way (practice).
- It is true that barefoot running leads to a forefoot or midfoot landing, rather than landing on the heel. That does not mean that the heel doesn't touch the ground. In fact, the heel and toes touch the ground a split second after the ball of your foot does. Your foot lands almost flat. This was a concept that I struggled with in the beginning and it caused me some problems, namely Achilles Tendonitis. I was staying on the ball of my foot the whole time rather than letting my heel come down. Which leads me to my next point...
- If you are thinking about trying barefoot running, go barefoot. Don't try to change your form while wearing the same running shoes you have been wearing, which is exactly where I went wrong. I developed my Achilles problems after doing a 5K wearing my New Balance shoes, but running "on my toes" the whole time. At the time, that was how I understood barefoot form. Had I taken my shoes off, and continued to run "on my toes", I would have soon gotten blisters or some severe foot pain and had to stop running. My feet would have told me pretty quickly that I was doing something wrong. I had shoes on though, so I missed the message. You should save the minimalist shoes for non-barefoot friendly terrain too. Go barefoot and learn faster. Once you have good form, those minimalist shoes like the Merrell Trail Glove or Vibram Five Fingers are great for hostile environments.
- Do a lot of barefoot walking outside. No amount of walking around the house barefoot can prepare you for the sidewalk down the street that is littered with acorn or walnut shells. Squirrels by nature are evil creatures and they hate people, especially barefoot people. Their primary means of attack is covering sidewalks with sharp pieces of debris. Walking barefoot outside will help desensitize your feet to the small debris that will likely be in your way. It may also give you a clue on routes to avoid when you are out running barefoot. Your feet become accustomed to little rocks and debris, but not if you stay on carpet.
- Speaking of soft surfaces, don't try to start on grass. Find some pavement or a smooth gravel or dirt trail. Grass is a reward for good form. Running on a hard surface will give you more feedback and allow your form to improve faster. I have found that when I'm running on grass I tend to start heel-striking right away. When I got lost on a run a few weeks ago, I veered on to the grass for a bit when my feet started to get sore and I immediately started to land on my heels.
- Start small and work up from there. If you are already a runner, don't go out and just do your normal mileage barefoot. That will likely hurt. There are a few superheros out there that can transition really quickly with no ill-effects, but most of us need to build distance and speed with a healthy dose of time.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Call me Magellan
When you are learning barefoot running form you should never increase your mileage by more then 10-15% per week. Or, you can do what I did Wednesday night and just go ahead and double your longest ever barefoot run all at once. Whatever.
Wednesday night involved a group barefoot run by an intrepid bunch of superheros from the greater Rochester area (Katie, Terra, Shalina, Jamey, Amos, and me) and two intrepid traveling superheros from parts unknown who wander the Earth and get into adventures (Jason and Shelly Robillard). Jason and Shelly were in town for a little barefoot evangelism before heading to Minneapolis for the Naked Foot 5K this weekend. We gathered at Tradehome Shoes at 7:00 PM and took off from the mall and towards Silver Lake. I estimated that I would be home by 8:00 PM after a 30 minute run. (That's called foreshadowing, people.)
It was a great night for a run. I could tell that the miles were going to fly by. I got to talk with Jason a lot and got some questions answered about barefooting. I also got to talk to Amos a little for the first time that night. Always good to make new friends! We quickly got to our first scheduled stop for people who wanted to do a 5 mile loop and Amos, Shalina, and Terra peeled off and headed back to the mall. Amos has been barefooting for a few months but this was Shalina and Terra's first barefoot run so I'm pretty impressed with their performance. My first barefoot run was .3 miles. They went five. That's hardcore. I hope they are feeling OK today. I'm not worried about Amos. He has a mohawk. He will be fine.
I was planning to turn back to the mall at this point as well, but I was feeling pretty damn good. The decision was made for me when Jamey said he was going to keep going. I couldn't turn back if he was going to keep running! So off we went! We kept on the asphalt and concrete trails that lead from Soldier's Field to Silver Lake. Some time during the run to Silver Lake I mentioned to Jason that my furthest barefoot run to date was 3.4 miles. He was quiet for a second and said "well, I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you to build miles slowly" or something like that. Kudos to him for trying, but I was having too much fun to stop!
We finally made it to Silver Lake and it was at this point that I started to feel a little tenderness in my feet. I decided the prudent thing to do would be to turn back. The rest of the group was going to round Silver Lake before heading back to the mall for a total of just over nine miles, way further than I wanted to go.
I let everyone know that I was turning back and I'd see them at the mall. I mapped this first leg later and found out I turned around at 3.8 miles. Already .4 miles further than I had ever gone barefoot!
I turned around and started back the way we had come. There is a bridge that crosses Silver Lake at the narrowest point and just after the bridge I heard someone trotting up behind me. He fell into pace next to me and said "Barefoot running, huh?" This was the start to a pretty good conversation where I found out that he used to coach cross country for one of the Rochester Schools and promoted barefoot running to his athletes. We kept talking and running and pretty soon things were no longer looking familiar to me. Then I saw a trail marker that said Quarry Hill Trail 1 Mile. I was no longer heading in the right direction. I found out later this was at mile 5. I went off course at mile 4.4! Luckily I had my phone with me so I brought up a map and figured out where I was. I made it back to 11th street, and then to 4th street Southeast. A few blocks down 4th St. and I was back to the point where we exited the trail briefly earlier to cross the river at street level. I made it back on to the trail and headed South towards the mall. Little did I know...
There are two separate trails that converge at that spot. One heads towards Soldier's Field and the mall, one heads towards Southeast Rochester and Cub Foods. Guess which one I was on.
At this point it was dark and I was able to convince myself that I was on the right trail, even though I knew I probably wasn't. Anyway, I was headed South and that was the way I needed to go. My feet were starting to get pretty sore so I got off the trail and started running in the grass to save them a little. Eventually I started to see the big halogen lights of a parking lot and some red sinage that I couldn't really make out. I was pretty jazzed up about this because I thought it was the red sign of Hy-Vee Grocery store that is just east of the mall. I soon realized that it was not Hy-Vee and I was pretty far from where I should be. I exited the trail onto 12th St SE/Hwy 14 and started heading West toward the mall. I called Jamey to leave a message that I was not going to be back by the time he was and to please not take my car keys that were clipped to his backpack in the store. I also called Sara to let her know why I was so late and that I was OK. I don't think she was very impressed with my location or the fact that I was walking through SE Rochester in the dark with no shoes. I told her I was fine and I would get a hold of Jamey for a ride.
The truth is that I was fine. My feet were sore but not bloody or anything. The biggest trouble now was that all of the sidewalk on this street is torn up for road construction which meant I was traversing asphalt that had recently been milled and was littered with tiny and not so tiny chunks of debris. In the dark. With no shoes. Oh, and no wallet. Oh, and a phone that had one bar of battery left. Huh.
I did get in touch with Jamey and I stopped at Kwik Trip to wait for him. He thought it was pretty funny, and really it was. Upon later mapping the route I took, I ran 7.03 miles last night, and walked .66 miles through road construction barefoot. I can't believe I wasn't picked up by a cop or seriously injured. It was an adventure though, so no regrets!
The damage to my feet was minimal. I had one small blister on my left big toe that popped, and a blister on the ball of my left foot that is too deep to pop. I've had those before and they heal well and quickly because they are so deep. I had a little pain on the top of my right foot and both feet were pretty tender today, though they are pretty good now. Seven miles. Success!
Wednesday night involved a group barefoot run by an intrepid bunch of superheros from the greater Rochester area (Katie, Terra, Shalina, Jamey, Amos, and me) and two intrepid traveling superheros from parts unknown who wander the Earth and get into adventures (Jason and Shelly Robillard). Jason and Shelly were in town for a little barefoot evangelism before heading to Minneapolis for the Naked Foot 5K this weekend. We gathered at Tradehome Shoes at 7:00 PM and took off from the mall and towards Silver Lake. I estimated that I would be home by 8:00 PM after a 30 minute run. (That's called foreshadowing, people.)
It was a great night for a run. I could tell that the miles were going to fly by. I got to talk with Jason a lot and got some questions answered about barefooting. I also got to talk to Amos a little for the first time that night. Always good to make new friends! We quickly got to our first scheduled stop for people who wanted to do a 5 mile loop and Amos, Shalina, and Terra peeled off and headed back to the mall. Amos has been barefooting for a few months but this was Shalina and Terra's first barefoot run so I'm pretty impressed with their performance. My first barefoot run was .3 miles. They went five. That's hardcore. I hope they are feeling OK today. I'm not worried about Amos. He has a mohawk. He will be fine.
I was planning to turn back to the mall at this point as well, but I was feeling pretty damn good. The decision was made for me when Jamey said he was going to keep going. I couldn't turn back if he was going to keep running! So off we went! We kept on the asphalt and concrete trails that lead from Soldier's Field to Silver Lake. Some time during the run to Silver Lake I mentioned to Jason that my furthest barefoot run to date was 3.4 miles. He was quiet for a second and said "well, I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you to build miles slowly" or something like that. Kudos to him for trying, but I was having too much fun to stop!
We finally made it to Silver Lake and it was at this point that I started to feel a little tenderness in my feet. I decided the prudent thing to do would be to turn back. The rest of the group was going to round Silver Lake before heading back to the mall for a total of just over nine miles, way further than I wanted to go.
I let everyone know that I was turning back and I'd see them at the mall. I mapped this first leg later and found out I turned around at 3.8 miles. Already .4 miles further than I had ever gone barefoot!
I turned around and started back the way we had come. There is a bridge that crosses Silver Lake at the narrowest point and just after the bridge I heard someone trotting up behind me. He fell into pace next to me and said "Barefoot running, huh?" This was the start to a pretty good conversation where I found out that he used to coach cross country for one of the Rochester Schools and promoted barefoot running to his athletes. We kept talking and running and pretty soon things were no longer looking familiar to me. Then I saw a trail marker that said Quarry Hill Trail 1 Mile. I was no longer heading in the right direction. I found out later this was at mile 5. I went off course at mile 4.4! Luckily I had my phone with me so I brought up a map and figured out where I was. I made it back to 11th street, and then to 4th street Southeast. A few blocks down 4th St. and I was back to the point where we exited the trail briefly earlier to cross the river at street level. I made it back on to the trail and headed South towards the mall. Little did I know...
There are two separate trails that converge at that spot. One heads towards Soldier's Field and the mall, one heads towards Southeast Rochester and Cub Foods. Guess which one I was on.
At this point it was dark and I was able to convince myself that I was on the right trail, even though I knew I probably wasn't. Anyway, I was headed South and that was the way I needed to go. My feet were starting to get pretty sore so I got off the trail and started running in the grass to save them a little. Eventually I started to see the big halogen lights of a parking lot and some red sinage that I couldn't really make out. I was pretty jazzed up about this because I thought it was the red sign of Hy-Vee Grocery store that is just east of the mall. I soon realized that it was not Hy-Vee and I was pretty far from where I should be. I exited the trail onto 12th St SE/Hwy 14 and started heading West toward the mall. I called Jamey to leave a message that I was not going to be back by the time he was and to please not take my car keys that were clipped to his backpack in the store. I also called Sara to let her know why I was so late and that I was OK. I don't think she was very impressed with my location or the fact that I was walking through SE Rochester in the dark with no shoes. I told her I was fine and I would get a hold of Jamey for a ride.
The truth is that I was fine. My feet were sore but not bloody or anything. The biggest trouble now was that all of the sidewalk on this street is torn up for road construction which meant I was traversing asphalt that had recently been milled and was littered with tiny and not so tiny chunks of debris. In the dark. With no shoes. Oh, and no wallet. Oh, and a phone that had one bar of battery left. Huh.
I did get in touch with Jamey and I stopped at Kwik Trip to wait for him. He thought it was pretty funny, and really it was. Upon later mapping the route I took, I ran 7.03 miles last night, and walked .66 miles through road construction barefoot. I can't believe I wasn't picked up by a cop or seriously injured. It was an adventure though, so no regrets!
The damage to my feet was minimal. I had one small blister on my left big toe that popped, and a blister on the ball of my left foot that is too deep to pop. I've had those before and they heal well and quickly because they are so deep. I had a little pain on the top of my right foot and both feet were pretty tender today, though they are pretty good now. Seven miles. Success!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Day Off
I've been running every other day for the last three weeks now. That's a much better schedule than I was able to do between my injury in June and the Warrior Dash. The Warrior Dash on July 23rd was the last time I've worn shoes to run and I've been steadily increasing my distance even since. In fact, my first barefoot run was only one mile just to see if I could do it. I went out last Saturday evening and did 3.4 miles! That was my third 5K distance last week. I guess you could say that its been going pretty well. I've been careful to not do too much and to just listen to my feet while I am out and the miles have come pretty naturally. i'm pretty psyched up about my results so far. I might even be wicked psyched.
I haven't had any new blisters for quite a while, but I'm still having trouble picking my left foot up and preventing a hard push-off. I've literally been scraping the skin of my left big toe away on each run. So I figured a day off is warranted. I pretty much always have some soreness in my feet the morning after a run too. I'm just assuming that is normal after doing 3+ miles barefoot on asphalt and concrete when you are still new at it. I'll find out for sure on Wednesday when I get to ask Jason Robillard in person! Tradehome Shoes and Merrell are sponsoring Jason to come and give a barefoot clinic in Rochester before is appearance at the Naked Foot 5K in Minneapolis on August 20th. The Robillard's are rolling into Rochester on Wednesday and there is a group run scheduled for that night. Here are the event detail links for the "Barefoot Week" in Minnesota. (I just dubbed it "Barefoot Week". I'm probably the only one, but whatever.)
Group Run
Naked Foot 5K
On interesting thing that has happened over the past few weeks is the change in how I view rocks on the trail. When I first kicked off the shoes in July, a rock was any size of pebble on the trail that might be bigger than a grain of sand. On my Thursday run, I missed spotting one that was your average sized river rock for landscaping and I hit it with the arch of my foot. I must have been really spaced out at that point to miss a rock that size, but I'm still amazed at my reaction. The instant I hit it, my whole body reacted and my foot came right off of it. I hadn't even hit it hard enough to cause a sensation of pain, just a sensation of something that wasn't supposed to be there. Our bodies can be pretty amazing when we let them!
I haven't had any new blisters for quite a while, but I'm still having trouble picking my left foot up and preventing a hard push-off. I've literally been scraping the skin of my left big toe away on each run. So I figured a day off is warranted. I pretty much always have some soreness in my feet the morning after a run too. I'm just assuming that is normal after doing 3+ miles barefoot on asphalt and concrete when you are still new at it. I'll find out for sure on Wednesday when I get to ask Jason Robillard in person! Tradehome Shoes and Merrell are sponsoring Jason to come and give a barefoot clinic in Rochester before is appearance at the Naked Foot 5K in Minneapolis on August 20th. The Robillard's are rolling into Rochester on Wednesday and there is a group run scheduled for that night. Here are the event detail links for the "Barefoot Week" in Minnesota. (I just dubbed it "Barefoot Week". I'm probably the only one, but whatever.)
Group Run
Naked Foot 5K
On interesting thing that has happened over the past few weeks is the change in how I view rocks on the trail. When I first kicked off the shoes in July, a rock was any size of pebble on the trail that might be bigger than a grain of sand. On my Thursday run, I missed spotting one that was your average sized river rock for landscaping and I hit it with the arch of my foot. I must have been really spaced out at that point to miss a rock that size, but I'm still amazed at my reaction. The instant I hit it, my whole body reacted and my foot came right off of it. I hadn't even hit it hard enough to cause a sensation of pain, just a sensation of something that wasn't supposed to be there. Our bodies can be pretty amazing when we let them!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
A Nail on the Trail
Last night was supposed to be a run night but I was not into it at all. I was really busy at work Monday and Tuesday and I was kind of tired so I almost skipped it. It turns out that I'm glad I didn't.
I knew I wouldn't regret getting out to run so I just put on some running clothes as soon as I got home. We had some dinner and got the offspring to bed and I headed out right away. I was not feeling it so I decided to take a different route than normal. I figured if I took one of the usual routes I would know exactly what distance I had ran and I could have talked myself into quitting early. I took off down the trail that runs through the park near our house and headed towards Silver Lake thinking I would go until I wanted to turn around and head home. I really expected to "bonk" after about a mile but I decided that was fine if it happened. It was a good plan.
For the record, I learned the term "bonk" from Super Mario. Check his blog out here. He is a multi-sport athlete, training for the Wisconsin Ironman. He is also the reining champion of the Gilman Memorial Turkey Trot - probably the most important race of his career thus far. As I understand it, "bonking" would be to pretty much run out of gas. It is not the same as "boink", which is of course the sound of scientific progress. (Calvin and Hobbes? Anyone?)
After about half a mile I had hit a good stride and my breathing was perfect with my cadence. That's a pretty normal progression for me, but I'm always glad when I hit it. When my breathing and cadence are in rhythm I feel like I can run forever (even though I can't). I pulled a Forrest Gump and just kept running. I even overtook and passed someone! After a while, I decided that I had run far enough down the trail so I made note of my location and turned around for home.
A cool thing happened on my way home. A kid on a bike rode by me in the opposite direction and as soon as he went by I heard him hit the brakes on his BMX bike, doing that cool sideways skidding stop that was so awesome to do when I was his age. Especially when you were on gravel and could pull off a complete 180 or more. Fresh concrete was good too since you could leave a nice black skid mark. He caught up to me and rode along side watching me run for a few seconds, and then blurted out "Doesn't that hurt?" Because I'm an egomaniac I of course answered "Not really. It just takes some practice" and I smiled at him. He kept riding along so I asked him if if looked like it hurt. "Yep!" was all he said and he turned off the trail onto a side street.
Since I had just bragged to a 10 year old, I decided that I couldn't give up and had to run the rest of the way home. I was still feeling good anyway so that was fine. It was at about this time that I discovered a nail lying on the trail. Luckily, I spotted it with my eyes and didn't find it with my bare foot. Good times.
The rest of the run was uneventful. I made it home, brought some food to the cat that lives in my yard, and grabbed my laptop to join my lovely wife on the patio and map my run to find the distance. I use a website to map my runs. Get this, it's called mapmyrun.com. Catchy, huh? There is a lot of mumbo-jumbo on there, but I just map my runs on it to find the distance.
My dear wife asked me how the run went (as she always does) and I replied "Really good!" (As I sometimes do.) I told her that I hoped it was three miles, but it was likely only two. I really felt too good to have gone any further than that. I sat down and drew out my route, ignoring the mile counter the whole time so that the end would be a surprise. Total miles: 3.1! A complete 5K run! And it felt good!
So that is the story of my first barefoot 5K. Unbelievable in my mind. That half marathon next May isn't looking so daunting now. Only 10 miles further!
I knew I wouldn't regret getting out to run so I just put on some running clothes as soon as I got home. We had some dinner and got the offspring to bed and I headed out right away. I was not feeling it so I decided to take a different route than normal. I figured if I took one of the usual routes I would know exactly what distance I had ran and I could have talked myself into quitting early. I took off down the trail that runs through the park near our house and headed towards Silver Lake thinking I would go until I wanted to turn around and head home. I really expected to "bonk" after about a mile but I decided that was fine if it happened. It was a good plan.
For the record, I learned the term "bonk" from Super Mario. Check his blog out here. He is a multi-sport athlete, training for the Wisconsin Ironman. He is also the reining champion of the Gilman Memorial Turkey Trot - probably the most important race of his career thus far. As I understand it, "bonking" would be to pretty much run out of gas. It is not the same as "boink", which is of course the sound of scientific progress. (Calvin and Hobbes? Anyone?)
After about half a mile I had hit a good stride and my breathing was perfect with my cadence. That's a pretty normal progression for me, but I'm always glad when I hit it. When my breathing and cadence are in rhythm I feel like I can run forever (even though I can't). I pulled a Forrest Gump and just kept running. I even overtook and passed someone! After a while, I decided that I had run far enough down the trail so I made note of my location and turned around for home.
A cool thing happened on my way home. A kid on a bike rode by me in the opposite direction and as soon as he went by I heard him hit the brakes on his BMX bike, doing that cool sideways skidding stop that was so awesome to do when I was his age. Especially when you were on gravel and could pull off a complete 180 or more. Fresh concrete was good too since you could leave a nice black skid mark. He caught up to me and rode along side watching me run for a few seconds, and then blurted out "Doesn't that hurt?" Because I'm an egomaniac I of course answered "Not really. It just takes some practice" and I smiled at him. He kept riding along so I asked him if if looked like it hurt. "Yep!" was all he said and he turned off the trail onto a side street.
Since I had just bragged to a 10 year old, I decided that I couldn't give up and had to run the rest of the way home. I was still feeling good anyway so that was fine. It was at about this time that I discovered a nail lying on the trail. Luckily, I spotted it with my eyes and didn't find it with my bare foot. Good times.
The rest of the run was uneventful. I made it home, brought some food to the cat that lives in my yard, and grabbed my laptop to join my lovely wife on the patio and map my run to find the distance. I use a website to map my runs. Get this, it's called mapmyrun.com. Catchy, huh? There is a lot of mumbo-jumbo on there, but I just map my runs on it to find the distance.
My dear wife asked me how the run went (as she always does) and I replied "Really good!" (As I sometimes do.) I told her that I hoped it was three miles, but it was likely only two. I really felt too good to have gone any further than that. I sat down and drew out my route, ignoring the mile counter the whole time so that the end would be a surprise. Total miles: 3.1! A complete 5K run! And it felt good!
So that is the story of my first barefoot 5K. Unbelievable in my mind. That half marathon next May isn't looking so daunting now. Only 10 miles further!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
17 Weeks
Seventeen weeks ago today, April 12th, I began my latest running career. The goal was to train for and run the Warrior Dash on July 23rd with Sara, my wife. We had registered for it in December of last year and were really looking forward to it. We found out the week before we were supposed to start training that Sara was pregnant with our second child. She was hit with morning sickness (lasting all day) about two days later and dealt with that for weeks. I decided that I was going to train and run the dash anyway, and my office manager Terri ran in Sara's place. I was disappointed that Sara wouldn't be able to run since it was something we were going to get to experience together but I wasn't just going to give up, and Sara encouraged me to get training. (Here is a re-cap of the Dash if you missed it.)
I downloaded a program from Jeff Galloway and got moving. The first run was supposed to be 10-15 minutes. Jeff is big on run/walk intervals so I decided that I would do three intervals of four minutes, broken up by one minute of walking in-between. I made it, but it wasn't pretty. I had started though, which is sometimes the hardest thing to do. My shin splints returned immediately and I started icing my shins after each run. I won't re-hash that whole story so go here if you need a refresher.
The main point of this post is this: at some point I have begun to enjoy running, and I'm getting pretty good at it. I'm not good at it like some people, but I'm having a lot of fun and I think that is what makes a good run. I still have goals, but the goal on top of it all is to have fun and enjoy it. All of the other goals come secondary to that. The run for fun idea is again attributed to Jason Robillard, the mentor I've never met. After reading a post on his blog, I stopped doing intervals, and timing everything, and mapping everything, and posting each run to Facebook. I'm just enjoying the process now. It is the process of becoming a better runner with more strength and endurance, transitioning to all barefoot running, and hopefully inspiring someone else to believe they can do it too. I will confess that I do still map my runs after I get home, but mostly because I get a charge out of seeing the distance increase.
Tonight I went out about 9:00, wearing my Merrell minimal shoes due to the impending darkness and completed 2.5 miles. Never stopping, no shin pain, no stitches in my side, no foot pain, just a lot of fun and a little time to myself. I've come a long way in the last 17 weeks. I finished a 5K in June. I did the Warrior Dash in July. I've lost 16 pounds. My lungs and legs are stronger. I've discovered barefoot running. I sleep better. I eat less. I feel better. The idea of going out to run excites me now, rather than annoying me. It's just fun.
Fun or not, I still need a goal. The spirit to complete things still lives inside me. I love to check stuff off of lists, but I'm also a procrastinator of the worst kind. The next goal is this: I registered for the Med City Half Marathon next May! I registered this early for two reasons. I figure I need to start training now, plus by registering on the first day it was open I saved ten bucks. I'm cheap. Thanks to Vanessa at Vanessa Runs for the heads up on the deal! You can check her out here. I'm also reviewing a couple of books for her as a guest reviewer so keep your eyes glued to her site for those. (I promise I'm not procrastinating on those reviews, Vanessa! I'm 1/3 of the way through the first book.)
My plan is to do the half-marathon barefoot. There is already a group of barefooters signed up, though I think most are doing the full marathon so I'll be on my own after 10 miles when the courses split. I just figure that means I get to hit the after-party first! Doing it barefoot will be a challenge. I worry that I won't have my feet ready in time after the Winter months. I'll just have to ask for advice from the pros and semi-pros and do what I can! One cool thing has already come from registering for the half marathon. I was talking with my friend Dave just before I registered about how I was planning on signing up. I saw him a week later and found out he had registered too! He told me I had inspired him to do it. I'm quite influential, you know. Now if only I could get him to ditch his shoes...
I downloaded a program from Jeff Galloway and got moving. The first run was supposed to be 10-15 minutes. Jeff is big on run/walk intervals so I decided that I would do three intervals of four minutes, broken up by one minute of walking in-between. I made it, but it wasn't pretty. I had started though, which is sometimes the hardest thing to do. My shin splints returned immediately and I started icing my shins after each run. I won't re-hash that whole story so go here if you need a refresher.
The main point of this post is this: at some point I have begun to enjoy running, and I'm getting pretty good at it. I'm not good at it like some people, but I'm having a lot of fun and I think that is what makes a good run. I still have goals, but the goal on top of it all is to have fun and enjoy it. All of the other goals come secondary to that. The run for fun idea is again attributed to Jason Robillard, the mentor I've never met. After reading a post on his blog, I stopped doing intervals, and timing everything, and mapping everything, and posting each run to Facebook. I'm just enjoying the process now. It is the process of becoming a better runner with more strength and endurance, transitioning to all barefoot running, and hopefully inspiring someone else to believe they can do it too. I will confess that I do still map my runs after I get home, but mostly because I get a charge out of seeing the distance increase.
Tonight I went out about 9:00, wearing my Merrell minimal shoes due to the impending darkness and completed 2.5 miles. Never stopping, no shin pain, no stitches in my side, no foot pain, just a lot of fun and a little time to myself. I've come a long way in the last 17 weeks. I finished a 5K in June. I did the Warrior Dash in July. I've lost 16 pounds. My lungs and legs are stronger. I've discovered barefoot running. I sleep better. I eat less. I feel better. The idea of going out to run excites me now, rather than annoying me. It's just fun.
Fun or not, I still need a goal. The spirit to complete things still lives inside me. I love to check stuff off of lists, but I'm also a procrastinator of the worst kind. The next goal is this: I registered for the Med City Half Marathon next May! I registered this early for two reasons. I figure I need to start training now, plus by registering on the first day it was open I saved ten bucks. I'm cheap. Thanks to Vanessa at Vanessa Runs for the heads up on the deal! You can check her out here. I'm also reviewing a couple of books for her as a guest reviewer so keep your eyes glued to her site for those. (I promise I'm not procrastinating on those reviews, Vanessa! I'm 1/3 of the way through the first book.)
My plan is to do the half-marathon barefoot. There is already a group of barefooters signed up, though I think most are doing the full marathon so I'll be on my own after 10 miles when the courses split. I just figure that means I get to hit the after-party first! Doing it barefoot will be a challenge. I worry that I won't have my feet ready in time after the Winter months. I'll just have to ask for advice from the pros and semi-pros and do what I can! One cool thing has already come from registering for the half marathon. I was talking with my friend Dave just before I registered about how I was planning on signing up. I saw him a week later and found out he had registered too! He told me I had inspired him to do it. I'm quite influential, you know. Now if only I could get him to ditch his shoes...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Good Run!
Just a quick post because I'm feeling good about my run last night. It was hot, hot, hot, but I went out for a run last night. Even though I felt like a hot dog on the roller grill I had probably the best and most comfortable run of my life. I did 2.1 miles without walking once, no heel pain, and no blister pain. I can't explain how happy that makes me! I'm running the Warrior Dash this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it!
You can find Barefoot Chiropractor on Facebook. Give me a like and keep up to date on my progress while laughing at my blisters!
You can find Barefoot Chiropractor on Facebook. Give me a like and keep up to date on my progress while laughing at my blisters!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Science of Running
There is a growing amount of research on barefoot running. Daniel Lieberman and his crew at Harvard have been doing a lot of work comparing barefoot running to shod running and really trying to define the mechanics of barefoot running. Their work shows vastly decreased impact when running barefoot and using a forefoot strike over a heel strike. They are careful to explain that their research does not specifically indicate less injury potential in barefoot running, but it stands to reason that with less impact there would likely be less injury potential.
Click the link to head to their site. There are videos and training tips as well as a great discussion on the bio-mechanics of running if you want to nerd out.
From Lieberman's Website:
Click the link to head to their site. There are videos and training tips as well as a great discussion on the bio-mechanics of running if you want to nerd out.
From Lieberman's Website:
Our research asked how and why humans can and did run comfortably without modern running shoes. We tested and confirmed what many people knew already: that most experienced, habitually barefoot runners tend to avoid landing on the heel and instead land with a forefoot or midfoot strike. The bulk of our published research explores the collisional mechanics of different kinds of foot strikes. We show that most forefoot and some midfoot strikes (shod or barefoot) do not generate the sudden, large impact transients that occur when you heel strike (shod or barefoot). Consequently, runners who forefoot or midfoot strike do not need shoes with elevated cushioned heels to cope with these sudden, high transient forces that occur when you land on the ground. Therefore, barefoot and minimally shod people can run easily on the hardest surfaces in the world without discomfort from landing. If impact transient forces contribute to some forms of injury, then this style of running (shod or barefoot) might have some benefits, but that hypothesis remains to be tested.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Ooops, I stepped on a rock. Nope, that's a blister. - Part Two
I felt pretty good through the weekend and took a day off while we visited my family in Iowa. We got back Sunday evening and I was itching to get a run in. I headed out at about 7:15, no shoes again this time, still wanting to work on technique and get that down. I slowed my pace but was careful to actually increase the cadence of my running. Basically that means you shorten your stride, and aim for about 180 steps per minute, well over the average of 140 most runners take. I tried to keep my pace slower though and concentrate on not pushing off. That blister on my left foot was still there and I didn't want to make it worse.
I finished a full mile loop back to our house with no increased pain in the blister, but on inspection I could see it was starting to look a little puffy again. Great. It was sore by the time I went to bed and was still bugging me the next morning. I let it calm down until today and went for another run tonight. The blister is still there obviously, so I've made the executive decision to wear my Merrell Trail Gloves until that problem is resolved a little further. Lifting my foot is still the hardest part of the barefoot gait for me to nail down. This video with Lee Saxby helped me quite a bit. Watch for the runner's increased cadence when they do a side by side shot of him running with shoes and without.
I had my dear wife video me running a little bit before I took off tonight which helped some too. I'll spare you from that little piece of entertainment, but it was nice to see what I was doing. Tonight's run was 1.4 miles and didn't increase any blister pain at all so I'll take that to mean my form is improving. We are going to try and video me running on the treadmill which should make it a little easier to see my gait pattern.
The foot lift is described differently by different people. Some say run like you are on hot coals, some say run like a ninja. Jason Robillard suggests that instead of trying to softly place your feet as you step, concentrate on the foot that is rising and the foot that is stepping will naturally land more softly. The important part is to keep your knees bent through the entire stride. At no point in the stride is the knee completely extended. With the higher cadence as well as keeping the knee bent I tended to envision that I was riding a bike as I was running.
(Get ready for the touchy-feely part of this story.)
Regardless of how long it takes, I'm sticking on this path. I am enjoying this new hobby and I don't see that ending any time soon. Not long ago I couldn't run for 4-5 minutes straight without nearly passing out. Tonight, I did my entire run without stopping, and I wasn't even tired when I got done. I could have done more, but in an effort to limit the Too Much Too Soon syndrome I stopped. People have different reasons for running and mine is this: I have a one year old boy, and another little boy due in December. I have a wife that for some reason enjoys my company. Every day I see people who are literally in a health crisis and they continue to make excuses about why they can't change. I'm not going to be that person, and it's my job to be an example.
(You can stop weeping with inspiration now, though it is appreciated.)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Ooops, I stepped on a rock. Nope, that's a blister. - Part One
Barefoot running requires a big change in form when compared to the way that most people run in shoes. There are certainly exceptions, but most people will strike first at their heel, then roll forward on their foot and finally push off with their toes to propel forward. I have always been one of those people, so I know this gait well. It blessed me with a short, choppy running career full of shin splints and turf toe. The heel strike with an extended knee puts a lot of force through the entire body. Barefoot running doesn't allow for this unnatural form so...time to learn a new gait!
A mid to forefoot landing has been pretty easy for me to practice and develop. I started working on it while I was still running in my New Balance shoes. I think that starting to change my gait then has been beneficial, but it didn't let me practice the other important piece of the puzzle. The foot lift. Not having a good foot lift was the likely cause of the major bout of Achilles tendonitis I developed after pushing hard through a 5K in early June.
The foot lift is an important concept in barefoot running because it prevents a strong push-off with the toes. A strong push off can lead to blisters and Achilles tendonitis (a-ha!). The foot lift concept has been escaping me however and it lead to some problems. Last week on Monday I went out for a quick run, and for the first time set out with no shoes at all. I did .7 of a mile and had no pain in my heel which had been the major problem. Perfect! I took a day off, and went out on Wednesday. At some point during that run, I felt some pain at the ball of my foot on the left, right behind the big toe. Thinking I had stepped on something, I stopped for a look. No cuts, no blood, a little bit of rough looking skin from the pavement. No big deal. Keep going. Run a little further; more pain. Stop and repeat the process. Since I couldn't see anything I figured it was just the outer layers of skin getting sore and I pushed a little further. I should have listened to my feet and stopped. I made it another 200 meters or so and the burning in my foot had become nearly unbearable by that point. I stopped running and limped the last 1.5 blocks home. I cleaned the grime off of my feet and found the blister. Ouch. It was deep, down below the thick skin on my sole. I smacked myself in the head for ignoring my body once again and hoped for the best.
By Friday, the pain was gone from the blister and I could walk normally again. I wanted to get out and run but it was getting later than normal and the light was starting to fade. I am not a Ninja, so not wanting to step on something because I couldn't see it I put my Merrell Trail Gloves on. I spent that entire run focusing on form and trying to understand the foot lift concept better and making sure my blister didn't get worse. Mission pretty much accomplished. I felt like I started to develop a good foot lift on that run, and I went about 1.1 miles with no return of heel pain so I think that problem is in the past. I even did some plyometric work in the backyard after the run and went in the house pretty full of myself.
A mid to forefoot landing has been pretty easy for me to practice and develop. I started working on it while I was still running in my New Balance shoes. I think that starting to change my gait then has been beneficial, but it didn't let me practice the other important piece of the puzzle. The foot lift. Not having a good foot lift was the likely cause of the major bout of Achilles tendonitis I developed after pushing hard through a 5K in early June.
The foot lift is an important concept in barefoot running because it prevents a strong push-off with the toes. A strong push off can lead to blisters and Achilles tendonitis (a-ha!). The foot lift concept has been escaping me however and it lead to some problems. Last week on Monday I went out for a quick run, and for the first time set out with no shoes at all. I did .7 of a mile and had no pain in my heel which had been the major problem. Perfect! I took a day off, and went out on Wednesday. At some point during that run, I felt some pain at the ball of my foot on the left, right behind the big toe. Thinking I had stepped on something, I stopped for a look. No cuts, no blood, a little bit of rough looking skin from the pavement. No big deal. Keep going. Run a little further; more pain. Stop and repeat the process. Since I couldn't see anything I figured it was just the outer layers of skin getting sore and I pushed a little further. I should have listened to my feet and stopped. I made it another 200 meters or so and the burning in my foot had become nearly unbearable by that point. I stopped running and limped the last 1.5 blocks home. I cleaned the grime off of my feet and found the blister. Ouch. It was deep, down below the thick skin on my sole. I smacked myself in the head for ignoring my body once again and hoped for the best.
By Friday, the pain was gone from the blister and I could walk normally again. I wanted to get out and run but it was getting later than normal and the light was starting to fade. I am not a Ninja, so not wanting to step on something because I couldn't see it I put my Merrell Trail Gloves on. I spent that entire run focusing on form and trying to understand the foot lift concept better and making sure my blister didn't get worse. Mission pretty much accomplished. I felt like I started to develop a good foot lift on that run, and I went about 1.1 miles with no return of heel pain so I think that problem is in the past. I even did some plyometric work in the backyard after the run and went in the house pretty full of myself.
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