Barefoot Runner

Wooohooo!!! I'm Running Again

2010-08-21T14:24:45+01:00

Woohooo!!!! I'm running again folks and boy does it feel good to be back out there running.

It's been just over 6 weeks since I hurt my foot and I decided yesterday was the day to finally head out and test how my foot has recovered. I can say it was a great success. I took a gentle 1 mile out-and-back run and all felt good. I could feel a slight niggle on the top of my left foot during the early stages but this soon disappeared as my muscles relaxed and I adjusted my form. As I was feeling so good, I threw in 4 sets of 10 burpees with each set immediately followed by a fast 50m run. Wow these felt good. It was tough towards the end but quite exciting to feel what it feels like to run on legs that feel like jelly again.

Surprisingly, my legs and feet all feel tip-top this morning, so 6 weeks off hasn't de-conditioned me much. That said, my feet are a bit more sensitive now.

The time not running wasn't all lost time. During this time I have discovered quite a bit about my stride, feet and legs.

Top of the Foot Pain Relief

This is quite an obscure one, but I found that using a pair of lovely pink toe separators - yes the type ladies use for painting their toe nails - actually relieved some of the pain I was feeling on the top of my foot. I have no idea why, but it works and whilst it got uncomfortable after prolonged use, it was a brilliant way of relieving the pain at it's peak. I'm going to continue to use the toe separators each night whilst watching telly to see if it has any effect on spreading my toes and thus giving a wider more stable platform to run on.

It Twists

The niggle on the top of my foot showed me that my left foot twists ever-so-slightly when pushing off when walking. I could feel it with each stride. My heel twists inwards as I roll over the ball of my foot. As I couldn't run when I discovered this, I can't say if I have this same "feature" when running, but it wouldn't surprise me if I do, especially as concentrating on NOT twisting and NOT pushing off whilst running seemed to ease the twinge I felt at the early stages of yesterday's run.

Knee Bone Connected to Toe Bone

I also got my hands on a 15cm x 90cm foam roller and was very surprised to find I had quite a few tight spots in my hamstrings and calves. My legs generally feel good and well relaxed so I was quite surprised to find these deep hidden knots. What is interesting is relaxing some of the knots in my calves, particularly my left calf, also relieved some of the pain in my foot; I could actually feel the tension easing away from the tendons on the top of my foot whilst pressing on one of the knots.

So whilst having an injury isn't the best thing in the world, it's turned out to be quite beneficial for me. I now know that my left foot probably has a tendency to twist as I run and hence the possible cause of the injury. I now know that toe separators aren't just for girls and I'm also aware that I have unknowingly tight muscles, or more specifically tight areas of muscle fascia which will benefit from regular and consistent deep tissue massage or "foam rollering".

Terra Plana are Hosting Barefoot Experience Workshops

2010-08-12T17:29:53+01:00

I know this is a bit short notice, but I've been a tad on the excessively busy side of things are work and really haven't wanted to touch a computer when I got home.

If you're interested in taking the plunge into barefoot running, but want to be sure you're doing it right or with a bit of guidance, why not take advantage of the Barefoot Experience Workshops Terra Plana are hosting next week...

Learn the skill of barefoot walking and running at 'The Barefoot Experience' Terra Plana, 36 Kings Road, London SW3.
Spearheaded by new research and the international bestseller 'Born to Run' the barefoot movement is gathering pace. London’s first 'Barefoot Experience' is dedicated to helping people rediscover natural movement, and better health, from the feet up.
In January 2010 Professor Dan Lieberman of Harvard University released his seminal research on the benefits of barefoot and the dangers of normal padded running shoes (Nature Magazine, 'Tread Softly') adding to a number of other scientific studies showing how underfoot shoe technologies are doing more harm than good.
Terra Plana are creators of Vivobarefoot, the original barefoot shoe, with a patented ultra thin puncture resistant sole that gives all the benefits of being barefoot with protection.
Now Terra Plana are proud to announce their first public workshops, to learn the key to injury free barefoot running & walking. These sessions are available on a first come, first served basis and are free of charge.
Classes last for 1.5 hours, 6 places are available at each session; participants will be filmed on the instore treadmill (allowing each person to see improvements in technique).
Walking classes are available on Monday August 16th & Wednesday August 18th. Running classes are available on Wednesday August 25th & Saturday August 28th.
Classes will run at the following times on each day:
10 – 11.30am, 11.30 – 1.00pm, 2 – 3.30pm, 3.30 – 5.00pm, 5.00 – 6.30pm.
Classes will be conducted by Tony Riddle. Tony is a highly respected international running coach and numbers premier league footballers amongst his clients. Tony was trained by and works closely with, leading barefoot running expert, Lee Saxby; he is a qualified POSE level 2 instructor.
Come and enjoy the 'Barefoot Experience', kick off your shoes, release your feet, stimulate your soles and rediscover the joy of natural movement…
Where: 36 Kings Road, London SW3 / nearest tube: Sloane Square
For bookings please call: 0207 581 5764. Limited places available.

I hope you didn't miss the word FREE in there. So if you're in or around London next week, want some guidance on barefoot running or walking, then give Terra Plana bell and get yourself booked in a slot.

Sadly, I'm still nurturing my foot back to full recovery after hurting it (we're nearly there - more news coming soon) so I won't be taking advantage of this offering :-( .

I'm not in the least bit happy with having to turn this, and another session with Lee Saxby down, but I'd rather be 100% fully recovered before hitting the tarmac than rush things just to get a session with one of the top barefoot experts in the UK. Maybe next time, if there is one.

Book Review: The Barefoot Running Book by Jason Robillard

2010-08-06T14:19:01+01:00

A couple of months ago Jason Robillard approached me asking if I'd be interested in reviewing his book The Barefoot Running Book: A Practical Guide to the Art and Science of Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Running. Being one eager to see how others can learn about barefoot running, I graciously accepted Jason's offer and a couple of weeks later a copy of his booked dropped through the letterbox. Thanks Jason.

The first thing that struck me was the size of the book, or more precisely the lack there of. The book is A5 in dimensions and has only 52 pages of reading material, excluding the exercises and appendix at the back, however the lack of size is easily made up by the wealth of information contained within. The book is broken up into 5 progressive sections: Why Barefoot Running, Pre-running, Starting to Run Barefoot, Intermediate Barefoot Running and finally Other Topics which covers things like hecklers, training and cross training.

Each section is broken into individual points explaining a concept, activity or issue, and provides a clear description of each as it guides you from the very beginning up to the point of being a relatively seasoned barefoot runner. As the whole book is written as a series of progressive points, it does make it feel a bit "jumpy" when reading it cover-to-cover. I got the feeling that it may have come from a collection of blog posts compiled into a single book. However this structure does make it an easy reference to turn to if you need to check up on something quickly so it's perfectly suited to the beginner who would otherwise spend the time trawling the web for answers.

With the structure and layout of the book out of the way, I can say Jason does a good job of introducing the complete beginner to the world of barefoot running. He starts off by correctly pointing out that barefoot and minimalist running may not be for everyone, whether that be due to medical or preferential reasons, but does mention that it's definitely worth considering, even if just as a supplement to your normal shod running. He also references several studies on the effects of modern running shoes, but doesn't go to the point of bashing the manufacturers.

Jason then takes the reader through a deliberately slow and relaxed approach to getting ready for barefoot running, relaxing (this is very important and Jason puts a lot of emphasis on this), strengthening the feet and skin, and then finally heading out for a run.

Just before the reader actually heads out for their first run, the topics of cadence, form and posture are covered and then once out running things are progressed nicely to cover efficiency, different terrains, weather and increasing speed and distance. The book then finishes off covering developing your training further and incorporating cross training for development of the rest of your body.

I do have a few criticisms with the book. First is its price: I didn't have to pay for my copy, but others may be a bit disappointed by the size of the book compared to it's price, however the book is self published so the costs will be higher.

Next is Jason's suggestion that people find the form that feels right for them. My own experience is showing that this is not the best approach. Form is important and whilst the comfortable form it easy to fall into and get used to, it may not be the best and without correction injury may ensue.

Lastly, and this isn't really a criticism, but a niggle: the cover it terrible. I wouldn't pick this book up when passing it on a shelf in the book shop. Thankfully for Jason, he's been told this already, or worked it out for himself as the next edition is coming with a much more attractive cover (see right).

In summary, The Barefoot Running Book is a good, easily referenced, introduction to barefoot running for anybody interested in taking up barefoot running, or just incorporating a bit of barefoot running into their training schedule.

And for those on the bleeding edge of technology, it's available for the Kindle in both the US AND even the UK.

How to Start Running In Minimalist Shoes

2010-07-27T16:42:56+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, I received the following query in a comment...

Hi,
I'm a Physio based in Guildford. I've been looking into barefoot running for the last 6 months having had repetitive shin splints from running in expensive shoes-and finally found some fivefingers on sale. So I've taken the plunge and ordered some kso's to test the whole barefoot running out of both personal and professional interest. Can I ask, how did you start out? What sort of training plan would you advise?
Thanks,
Joe

I started to write a response to the comment in the comments section of that post and realised it was becoming a rather long response and should probably warrant it's own post so others can find it too. So here it is and sorry about the delay in writing it Joe, it's been a crazy few weeks.

It's been just over a year since I declared I wouldn't run in normal running shoes ever again. Since then I've transitioned to running completely barefoot and built up a fair bit of knowledge and experience and with hindsight on my side, I wouldn't recommend the route I took.

I came into barefoot running by going the minimalist route first, specifically in Vibram Five Fingers, and whilst I took things slowly (only after taking things too fast and feeling a bit tender at times), I still think I didn't spend enough time on working on my form in the early days when running in the Vibrams. As a result I've built up a good base for barefoot running, but I think I've still got some sort of form issues and hence the injury I'm currently sitting with. If I were to do things all over again, I would start completely barefoot, perfect my form and then transition to the Vibrams or other minimalist shoes and I recommend anyone else considering making the transition do the same thing. (Actually, I wouldn't go to the VFF now :-D)

The idea of transitioning to minimalist shoes by going completely barefoot may sound counter-intuitive, but it's not really. Starting out barefoot, rather than in Vibrams or other minimalist shoes, will ensure you have the perfect "coach" by your side, or more precisely under you. Your bare feet will start off very weak, very soft and very sensitive. This weakness and sensitivity will act as the perfect guide to ensuring you don't over do things and they'll allow you to very quickly and easily assess if you're going too far or too fast and if you have any form issues that need ironing out. By starting in the minimalist shoes, you'll have a thin layer of rubber between your soft sensitive feet and the ground. Whilst not significant, it's enough to dull some of the sensations your feet could be experiencing and thus reduce the feedback you get. This in turn will encourage you to go too far, too fast, too soon without ensuring good form and you will get hurt.

Now with that out of the way, I highly recommend you read through and action ALL of Ken Bob Saxton's "How to Run" and build yourself a good barefoot base before slipping on the Vibrams. Ken Bob is probably the most experienced barefoot runner in the western world and he's done a tremendous job of documenting the process of learning to run barefoot correctly. Any attempts I make would pale in comparison and I'm not confident I have enough experience just yet.

Only when you're easily and comfortably running 3 - 5 km completely barefoot do I think you should consider transitioning to the Vibrams or other minimalist shoes, if of course you still want to go this route :-) . This should give you a good base and should ensure your feet and lower legs are trained well for the task with your form as close to perfect as possible.

This may not play well into any racing plans or other short-term dreams you may have, but putting them on hold and starting from rock bottom and building up is absolutely the best thing to do to ensure a long and rewarding, and hopefully injury free, minimalist or barefoot running career.

Phys Ed: Do Certain Types of Sneakers Prevent Injuries?

2010-07-22T08:01:12+01:00

In a word: Nope. The US Military has just finished a large study only to conclude: wearing the “right” shoes for their particular foot shape had increased trainees’ chances of being hurt. From the article, it looks like quite a few studies on the effects of shoes on injury prevention and cause are starting to come to light.

Listen to Your Body

2010-07-19T07:43:29+01:00

Still annoyed by the fact I managed to sideline myself for several weeks, I've been reviewing my training logs and thinking long and hard about what I did to hurt my foot. Have I done this right? Did I do that wrong? Could I have done something different? And that's when it struck me: yes I could have done something different. I could have put my ego/desires in my pocket and listened to my body, but I didn't.

It was whilst reviewing the training log entry I made for my run on 22 June that the penny dropped...

Hill piggies barefoot
I wanted a hill session, but was in the mood for making it a bit of a stinker so I did doggies (pyramids of 200m, 400m, 600m, 800m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m fast with equal recovery between each to other people) but as each fast rep it uphill, I called them piggies. Unfortunately I developed a bit of a twinge on the top of left foot on the 2nd fast 800m so stopped after that rep and didn't do the whole stack.
Felt good and felt as though I could have come back down the other side of the stack, but better safe than sorry. I don't want to injure myself.

What I didn't document was the beginning of this training session. As I set off out of the office, I felt a little discomfort in my left foot. At the time it felt like a joint in my foot hadn't "popped" yet - that feeling you get when you think you need to crack a knuckle or something to release a bit of tension or pressure. I've encountered these in my toes and ankles for years (as a kid, all my joints used to "pop" after a period of inactivity which was a bit embarrassing in a huge dead quiet school hall at a prize giving ceremony) and thought this was another one of those occasions.

It took nearly 7km of running for my body to tell me in no uncertain terms that this wasn't one of those occasions. All through this run, I kept trying to pop the joints in my foot to relieve the feeling of needing to pop them, but the pops weren't coming and neither was the sensation dissipating. The final twinge on the last 800m that I did was my body telling me in no uncertain terms: STOP!!!

My foot was then tender for just over week. Had I listened to my body when I first set out, I probably wouldn't have had the discomfort during the run, the discomfort during the next week and a bit and the pain that struck at just after the 8km mark in the race.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing from which I need to learn. Like a naughty schoolboy, I've been told off by my body for not doing as I was told and now I'm paying the price.

So if this post has to have a take away message it's: listen to your body. This is continually preached in the barefoot running circles, and I've preached it myself, but now I need to actually take heed and start to really listen. I need to, and will, err on the side of caution from here on in.

How Do You Ride Your Bike Then?

2010-07-17T12:36:58+01:00

I worked from home yesterday and decided I'd go for a gentle walk up to the local park and back to get a bit of exercise and to keep my feet used to being barefoot. On the way back I was approached by a little boy on his bicycle. He greeted me, which was quite refreshing, and then asked "Why aren't you wearing any shoes?". I replied: "Because I don't want to hurt my feet". A puzzled look appeared on his face, a little pause and then he asked: "How do you ride your bike then? It hurts if I don't wear shoes". He wasn't too interested in my response as he rode off, but his response made me smile.

My ToFP is Probably a Stress Fracture

2010-07-14T18:26:08+01:00

It's been a week now since I ran the second Yateley 10k in which I cracked 45 minutes, but also developed a pain on the top of my foot and I think the top-of-foot-pain (ToFP) may be a stress fracture of the 3rd metatarsal.

The morning after the race I woke up with one big fat and relatively sore left foot. As long as I didn't wiggle my toes too vigorously or put any weight on my foot whilst it was flat on the ground, it was fine and pain free...

Me: Doctor, it hurts when I do this.
Dr: Well, don't do that

Given it's rather large and tender state I hit the internet to do a bit of self-diagnosis. After a bit of searching three, possibilities came up:

Given the size and tenderness of the top of my foot (too big and tender to easily diagnose the above), I decided not to go to the doctor. I didn't want to try driving and wasn't too confident they'd be able to diagnose much from my fat foot without an X-ray, and even then there's a good chance they wouldn't be able to see a problem. If it was one of the first two, there's also very little that could be done anyway. I'm also a firm believer in if it's something you can heal yourself without any problems or too much discomfort, then don't waste the NHS's time and money - there are much sicker and more broken people than me.

Instead I spent the next few days resting and icing my foot at regular intervals. This did a good job of reducing the pain and swelling to the point where I could try a bit more self-diagnosis. Based on the information at the above links and other places on the internet, I ruled out Morton's neuroma very quickly - the pain is too high up on the top of my foot. With a bit more poking and prodding and toe wiggling, I think I've narrowed it down to a stress fracture of the 3rd metatarsal: I can easily pin-point the exact spot on the top of my foot where it hurts and it's consistent with the symptoms of a stress fracture.

Now to try and work out how I got the stress fracture in the first place. I have a few theories, and these are really just that: theories and a few accompanying thoughts about each:

Sloppy form on my left side:
Over the past few months I have noticed that my left ankle has felt a bit stiff and tender after the longer runs. I didn't feel this on my right ankle, so one possible theory is I'm not relaxing my left ankle enough just before impact and thus not allowing the impact to be absorbed properly.

There could also be a twisting action or incorrect landing as I found during the race the twisting my foot inwards slightly seems to reduce the pain on the top of my foot. That said, that could have just been a coping mechanism and not really indicative of an odd landing, especially as I haven't had a blister on my left foot in a long long time.
Bad form whilst racing in Vibrams earlier in the month:
In the middle of June I ran the Forest Five and as it was off road on terrain too rough to go barefoot, I ran in my Vibrams. It's certainly quite possible that under race conditions, with less sensory feedback, that I could have slammed my feet down a bit harder than usual and set things in motion.

I'm doubtful this is the primary cause as I didn't actually experience any discomfort during or after this race, but I suppose just enough damage could have been done.
General over use and my left foot just happened to be the weakest link:
In the months and weeks building up to the second race I'd increased my mileage quite a bit and also threw in quite a few races.

I'm doubtful the mileage is the cause as I've been quite good at increasing this slowly, however the racing could be partly responsible as it's harder to keep good form at pace, especially the 5k's on grass in which I've caught myself several times running with a slightly different form.

So with these thoughts out on paper, so to speak, I'm inclined to believe the cause of the stress fracture is probably the first theory with a little bit of the third, so I'll be paying special attention to my form on my return to running.

As a self-certified doctor - Dr Seymour PhD has a nice ring to it :-) - I've put myself on a 4 to 6 week break from running to give my foot a chance to heal. Sadly this means I'll probably miss the 3rd of the Yateley 10k races, but that's a small price to pay for longevity in barefoot running.

I'll be keeping my fitness levels up with a lot of cycling, rowing and a few weights sessions so hopefully I won't lose too much fitness. I'll also be doing as much walking around barefoot as possible to try and ensure my feet don't soften up too much either.

Who knows, I may come back stronger and fitter than I went out. Actually, it would be good if I come back a bit lighter too.

Race Report: Yateley 10k Series 2010 - Race 2

2010-07-09T11:09:26+01:00

Wednesday evening saw the running of the second of the three Yateley 10k races in the series, and like the first one, I ran it barefoot.

I'd had a bit of a sedentary two weeks building up to the race following the onset of the early signs of the dreaded top of foot pain (ToFP) that cropped up during my piggies hill training session on 22 June. With only a single tabata rowing session done between then and the race I went in the race very relaxed and rested with my foot feeling good too.

At 7:30pm we were sent on our way and I paid special attention to my pace. I went into this race wanting to crack 45 minutes and intended on doing so by keeping a constant pace that sat in the 4:20 min/km to 4:28 min/km range. This plan worked beautifully. I managed to remain disciplined and didn't get caught up in the excitement of the start of the race too much and managed to keep my pace more or less within this range right up until the 8th km. This included the particularly stoney tarred section along Reading road between about 5.5km and 7.2km which this time I chose not to try and avoid.

I suspect I could have kept this pace up beyond the 8km mark had it not been for what happened next... just after the 8km mark the pain on the top of my left foot returned, and with a vengeance. It was pretty damn painful, but as I'd got most of the way round, there was no way I was going to stop now - I'll probably regret this later. I quickly found it wasn't as painful if I turned my foot inwards slightly and almost rolled over my big toe (could the cause of the pain be due to a slightly outward pointing left foot?) so with my slightly adjusted gait and slower pace I headed for the finish.

Turning into the field entrance I glanced at my watch and noticed I was still on course for a sub-45 10k, so I floored it as best I could, passed a couple of people and crossed the finish line with a new PB: 44:43.

Pleased as punch I handed in my timing chip, grabbed a water and a choccy bar and headed back to the car. The pain in my left foot starting to really sink in now too. Impressively I had my official results SMS by the time I got back to my car too...

So all in all, I had a great run, except for the onset of ToFP at 8km, but that's incidental really as I'd managed to set a new PB and still had a great time. Still no sign of any photos from this or the previous race though - I'm starting wonder if they had an official photographer this year.

Now I'll have to see what happens with my left foot over the next few weeks. Hopefully it'll recover completely in time for the 3rd and final race in the series on 4 August.

Race Report: The Forest Five 2010

2010-06-23T10:30:51+01:00

Better late than never. Last Wednesday saw me take on my first imperial distance race (we only do metric distances in South Africa): The Forest Five (mile) at The Look Out in Bracknell and what a fantastic evening and offroad race it was.

Following the test run I did on the Monday, I had intended on running in my huaraches, but then common sense prevailed and I opted to run in my Vibrams instead. I decided not to run in the huaraches as I've not done much running in them yet and the last thing I wanted were blisters from the different style of footwear, especially likely as I'm not too sure I've got them properly adjusted yet.

My wife very generously offered to drive me to the race and we arrived with about half an hour to spare. As I pre-registered online I already had my number so had plenty time to locate the race start - it's a little walk into the forest - and warm up. It was a very pleasant evening, so getting warm wasn't a problem.

At just after 19:30 we were sent on our way by the most feeble sounding airhorn I've ever heard, or didn't. The air part was there, just the horn part made no sound at all: should have used a vuvuzela :-) . As usual, I set off a little quick, but I managed to ensure it wasn't too quick and soon settled into a pace of about 4:20/km. The route was slightly different from the one I found online and ran on the Monday, but only in the last half of the race in which they brought us back in a large arc which included a lot more little ups and downs than the original route. This added a nice challenge and I suspect caught a few of those who've run the old route a little by surprise. They did however warn us at the beginning that it was a slightly different route, though I couldn't hear why. My watch also reported the route to be slightly shorter than 5 miles, but I think we can attribute this to the tree coverage over large parts of the route - the race organisers assured us the route is accurately measured.

As can be expected, my Vibrams lived up to expectations and protected my feet enough for me to maintain a nice fast pace without blocking too much feedback. They also draw a lot of funny looks and even a couple of comments with one chap commenting on having read Born to Run, but not being brave enough to try barefoot or Vibrams. I encouraged him to give barefoot a go and he then bid farewell and left me in hist dust :-) .

All in all, this was a very pleasant race. It was a relatively small field, on a fabulous evening in a beautiful settings. This is definitely a race I'll be doing again. This part of Bracknell forest will also be getting a lot more visits from me too: it's a fantastic area to run.

Oh yes, and my official results:

Time: 34:34
Overall Position: 56 / 327
Age Category Position: 28