Barefoot Running Style 101

It will be 1 year in March since I started running as a hobby, sport, and form of exercise. Previous to last March I could barely run a mile to save my life. Since then I have made leaps and bounds in my abilities and knowledge about running. The first month I began in the pair of sneakers I'd had since age 13. In that month I managed to irritate my right knee, causing even my pathetically short-runs (at that point in time) to give me pain. I knew something was wrong, but wasn't really sure what. I figured that since my shoes weren't falling apart yet, they were fine. After seeing some ads in the paper for running shoe sales, however, I headed to the store. Walking in, I fully intended to buy a normal pair of running sneakers. Walking out, I held in my hand my first pair of Vibram 5 fingers.

I posted last year a fair amount on my experiences and love of 5 fingers, so I won't reiterate too much of that now. Those shoes were the beginning of a learning curve for me about my whole form of running. Since then I acquired a pair of Merrell barefoot shoes, which I currently run in.

Barefoot, or minimalist shoes, as they are often called, opened up new possibilities for me in running. The idea was to get me landing on my forefoot, instead of my heal, as with traditional cushioned shoes. As I transitioned to this new form of running, my knee pain lessened and eventually disappeared. I was thrilled. At Christmas time I bought a book called "Barefoot Running," by Michael Sandler. This book covers all the bases of real, actual, "unshod" barefoot running. Before reading it, I was sure I would never even try running without shoes, but after a few chapters, I was convinced I would try it come spring.

The point that the book makes over and over is that we are misled about the concept behind shoes. We often think or hear, "Our feet are weak, which is why we need to protect them with shoes and cushions." Fact: shoes actually make our feet weaker by confining them and not allowing us to use their natural muscles.

Our feet are one of the most amazing parts of our body. They are a giant mass of muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and nerves, all designed to carry us, whether walking, running, or doing any other activity.

What I have discovered from this book, and by practicing the techniques therein, is that I have incredibly weak feet. I realized that I wasn't truly running by landing on my forefoot at all, just merely landing less on my heal (still not that great an accomplishment).

My run last week broke my person distance record with 8 miles. The downside, however, is that my muscles were tired, I was lazy in form, and my right ankle began to give me grief. I knew I needed to go back to the basics again, working on strengthening my feet and running light.

Today was my first day back out since last Sunday. I didn't go far, but focused on engaging my forefoot and toes, letting my foot act as the spring that it is, absorbing the shock, and preserving my other joints. The distance was far enough, but my feet felt so much stronger. It is liberating to be able to have stronger muscles in my feet. I know it will be a longer process working up distance this way, but I know the results will be worth it. By running the right way shod, I hope to be better prepared for going "shoe-less" this spring.

How weak are your feet? Can you pick up things with your toes? Can you hold a gold ball with your toes for more than 30 seconds? All good things to try to test whether you suffer from the effects of a shod nation.

Resolutions and a Pig Story

The beginning weeks of this year find me in a much healthier state than I was not long ago. December brought the culmination of my growing sweetness addiction, contributed largely by the overwhelming amount of baked goods coming out of our kitchen at work, and the regular amount of holiday sweets. Sweets have always been my weakness. When I was young, I was known to eat half my dinner, not because I was full, so that I could save room for dessert (clearly the best part of the meal).

Up until November, I had been running consistently since March when I first fell in love with it. As the holiday came on, my time became more full, and my afternoons just didn't allow me to take a break to run. Not only was my sweet appetite increasing, but my activity was decreasing. Bad combo. I felt icky. Disgusted with myself. I knew I was eating an unhealthy amount of sugar, but I just couldn't say no. They beckoned to me, at work, home, parties, church. The list went on.

As many people know, no one can break addictive behaviors without at least wanting to. It wasn't enough to think that the extra sugar and lack of exercise was bad for me. I had to actually want to change things. Do you know what it took? Coming down with the typical after Christmas, sweet-attack cold. I had been fighting one since Thanksgiving, but my immune system finally gave in. Sick as I was, I knew it had to stop.

I knew myself well. Trying on my own to say no wasn't going to cut it. All it would take was the sight of a sweet and my watering mouth and the resolution would be out the window. So I decided to make it a matter of prayer. God is certainly capable of being strong for me, so I left it in His hands. No, that didn't mean the cravings disappeared and that it was a simple matter. But depending on Him to overcome instead of me, the pressure was off. I knew I could do it because the battle was already won, and I didn't have to do the fighting.

At the beginning stages of this change, I found myself relieved from all of the holiday stresses. I had time to run again. And run I did, against my initial aversion to the cooler weather. Second day out I tried out a route I hadn't run since I hurt by foot back in the summer. It was a glorious run, even in the light rain. My love of running was back.

As I continued to run most days and cut back on excessive sugars, I began to feel better. I even started eating better. I know, I know. Having a degree in Nutrition should mean that I was doing this already. What can I say. I'm human. Not perfect. And a human with a sweet tooth at that. But I have to say that God has blessed me with a newfound love for running, and I am grateful for that. I have always enjoyed exercise in all of its various forms, but previously, not running. This past year finally broke my dislike of running, and I am thrilled to have a new sport.


Now that I've rambled on about all that, did I mention I had a pig story to tell?

Last Friday I set out on a beautiful, cool day to run around the block (somewheres around 4 1/2 miles). One of my heals had rubbed a blister the day before, so I started off with a bandaid and a happy heart. A mille in, the bandaid had been adjusted once, and was beginning to fall off. Setting aside caution, I pushed forward, stepping gingerly to avoid excess pain. I chose to go the direction that allow me to go down the big hill instead of up, as I was not feeling incredibly energetic that day. Three quarters of the way around the loop, I spied a large creature standing in the middle of the road. I wasn't quite sure what it was at first, but as I approached, its shape identified it as a pig. A LARGE pig.

 It wandered back and forth across the road. A car passed me, driving slowly. The pig walked right up to the moving car, sniffing it, and almost brought it to a stop. Having heard a few negative pig stories, I was cautious as I moved forward. When I was still about 20 feet away, the beast finally spotted me, snorted, kicked up its hind legs, and ran off in the opposite direction, proving that though fat, the pig was fast. Even though it ran only a few feet, I was quite sure I didn't want to meet it up close. As I had no reason to believe it would get out of my way, I unhappily retreated the way I had come. By the time I finally got home, I was exhausted and had a large blister. But I had a great story! And I burned 722 calories to boot! Almost 6 miles under my belt. Not bad for an otherwise uneventful afternoon.

No Pain, No Gain?

Many people say, "No pain, no gain," when it comes to exercise. In a lot of senses this is true. But is it always true? The answer is a big No! About a month ago, I was running up a hill, while one of my feet landed on a large rock. I wasn't expecting it, so when I leaped off the rock to go forward, I felt pain shooting through my foot. I was annoyed at myself. I should have been paying more attention. But I didn't worry too much about it, and figured it would go away before morning.

I didn't go away by morning. In fact, a dull to aching pain continued with me for the next couple weeks. The pain mostly resided in the upper half of that foot. Interestingly, though, it usually started out sore, and eased away as I ran. (The pain magically reappeared after I was home). I've fallen in love with running these past several months, and I wasn't about to let a little pain keep me from tearing up the dirt with my fivefingers. Sunday's run, however, was different.

I had taken a couple days off, due to increasing pain in that foot. I figured the break had done it good, and set out Sunday afternoon for a long run. The pain seemed to be greater than usual when I began, but I set my worries aside, assuming it would subside as usual. I chose to do a loop involving a big hill, 1 mile of up. The motion of going up must have done that foot in, because by the time I had made it a mile past the hill my foot was aching in pain. I contemplated if I could make it home with the pain the way it was, and concluded that it was ridiculous and impossible. I slowed to a walk. A little ways of walking later, I tried to run again to see if it was better. I almost yelled out in pain. Clearly, I was walking home.

Now I was angry at myself for not bringing my phone. It was a hot day, and the last leg of my loop involved a mile down route 7. Running that part doesn't take very long, but walking was another story. Despite my hopes of one of relatives happening by to pick me up, I winced the whole way home, feeling like an idiot. My naiveté again got the best of my as I hoped the pain would go away after a good nights sleep. I didn't, and so I succumbed to the notion that its going to be a while before its safe for me to run again. After a few days of taking it easy with no exercise, I got back out there today, this time wheels.

I have a practically brand new mountain bike, that I've had for several years now. I really haven't used it that much. After going on it a couple of days last year, I had pretty much decided that I didn't enjoy biking, as it killed my legs. Running all year so far, though, has redefined the strength in my legs. I decided I'd give it a try, since it wouldn't put nearly as much strain on my foot. I discovered it didn't bother my foot, wasn't nearly as hot as running in the afternoon, and was actually pretty fun. I love to cover distance on my runs, which is a lot more doable on a bike. I only did a 5 mile loop to start, but I think I'll quickly be adding to that total. My legs handled the hills pretty well, so I'm looking forward to getting better at a sport I have previously only done for leisure.

The moral of this story: Listen to your body. Pain that goes away after a day or two is probably nothing to worry about. But consistent pain means there is something more going on. There is more to gain sometimes from avoiding excess pain.

The Transition from Traditional to Original Running

To the left is a picture of the normal heal landing associated with traditional sneakers.

Below is a picture of the midfoot landing common to barefoot running, and shoes that copy barefeet.

As promised in my last post, I'll share the process I went through to transition from the traditional style of running to barefoot running. When I bought my fivefingers, the lady gave me specific instructions that I not go out and run 5 miles or anything crazy like that. I have to admit that doing that had crossed my mind, so I quickly tossed it out. She suggested I take it slow, walking around in them first, and then slowly building up my running capacity. I walked around the house briefly after buying them, but did not have much time to walk in them until our usual Tuesday night at Adam's parents. Gail and I have a regular tradition in the spring to take an evening walk on Tuesday's, which is usually around 3 or 4 miles. So that was my first experience with the komodo sport. I was amazed by the way my feet could actually feel what was under me. This might sound silly, but most people don't notice the stones under their feet on a dirt road with regular sneakers on. By the time I got back, I was excited and anxious at the same time to try them out running. Despite the advice to take about a week of walking first, I started running the next day. I only went a little ways, trying to figure out if I was supposed to change my form to midfoot landing, or if the shoe did that for me on its own. The first couple of days I wasn't sure. It was a combination, I think.

The one thing I was sure of after those first couple days was that my calves were killing me! Looking back, that just tells me that the process was in swing. Try standing on your tiptoes. Can you feel your calf muscles? Try running like that. Yeah. I'm not going to lie, it was strange at first. I went from a long stride to a shorter one, and to a completely different foot landing. It took several weeks before I felt really comfortable with the way I was running and how it felt. Part of it was training my brain as much as my feet. I will say that if you're running on a dirt road, you are going to feel the rocks. In general, its not bad. Right after they grade the road, not so much fun. The good part about this whole aspect, though, is that it teaches runners to be more aware of their environment and surroundings. If there's a big stone in the road, I either mentally prepare to land on it, or go around it. Either way, I'm not going to land on it unknowingly and sprain my ankle.

Its been a process. Its been a challenge. The verdict: I am extremely happy with my new running form, increased awareness, and tightened muscles! Yes, you do use different muscles when running this way. The effects are awesome :D

The Beginning of Freedom

Ending school and starting back up my blogging hobby required a change of scenery, and background. Some would accuse me, especially after considering my background choice, as being a shopping addict. That would be a relatively correct accusation. Paying my way through school the last 3 years has put quite a damper on that particular hobby. This is not to say that we weren't financially cared for. Adam's job does a good job of that. It just meant that those extra $$s that I used to have freedom to spend were sent in a different direction. So on and off, ok more on than off, I've been making a mental list of things that I'd really like to get once I finished school and had a little extra cash. As you can imagine, the list got longer and longer. It included new hiking shoes, possibly a new pair of Keens, or other shoes of choice, a new coach bag, and few other things. For those out there who make a hobby of looking for faults in others, you might call this a possession obsession, or love of money. I'm not gonna lie, I like to shop, and I like to buy things, but this particular buildup I justify as a reward for all of those months, days, hours, and minutes spent frying my brain on the computer. 

My recent freedom, or soon to be complete freedom from Kaplan's finance department has led to a rather giddy couple of shopping trips. The first was to invest in a new pair of running shoes. Those who followed my blog before the last interlude remember that I took up running a few months ago. The shoes I was using I've literally had since I was 14. They still have paint stains on them from my academy Guatemala trip, senior year. Needless to say, they are a little old and in need of replacement. Add to this the fact that my knee has been bothering me since I started running, I was quite ready to look for a new pair of shoes. 

My search started at one of the local stores in town. After trying on several pairs, and observing their limited selection, I went across the street to a different shoe store. There I found a wider selection. An add in a sports magazine opened my eyes to the concept of "barefoot" running. This concept seeks to go back to the way we were intended to run: without shoes. I'm usually game to try something new, so I asked to try a pair of Merrell Barefoot shoes on. I found that they were really comfortable. The lady then showed me another line of barefoot footwear, called fivefingers, by vibram. They are those funny shoes with cutouts for all of the toes. I was a little skeptical, but I tried a pair on. I was surprised by how comfortable they felt. I tried on a different pair and fell in love. This is what they look like. 

Yes, I know. They're funny looking. I get that. But I don't want to hear it until you try a pair on. It wasn't just the comfort I was sold on, though. The concept of barefoot running was also intriguing. These shoes get runners to land on their midfoot instead of the heal. This process strengthens the the foot muscles to be able to absorb the shock, so the heal and knee joints don't have to. This post has already become rather lengthy, so I'll save my experience with these shoes for later. :) 

As for my other shopping trips, I recently acquired the Merrell Barefoots that I originally tried on, more for walking than running, and a small coach purse, which was very reasonably on sale. :) With the shopping dragon fueled, I'm ready to enjoy our upcoming vacation. :)