Free Thy Feet

Half Marathon Training: One Month To Go

2013-05-05T17:15:00.003-06:00

Arisugawa Park, Moto Azabu Tokyo

Erin, I am going to be running a half marathon on June 2 and would love if you could give me some training advice here for the last month of training ( how many speed workouts I should be doing, how many long runs, how long of runs etc.)

Also, any recs on good shoes to buy?!

The last month of half marathon training I would break it down like this:

Speed Workouts

-1-2 speed workouts a week is great

-If you do two speed workouts, do one long interval workout and one short interval workout

-Long interval workout example: Warm up 10 minutes, run 3x10 minutes at 75-85% effort with 1-2 minutes jog recovery between sets

-Short interval workout example: Warm up 10 minutes, run 5x5 minutes (3 minutes 75-85% effort and 2 minutes jog recovery)

Long runs

-1 long run a week is sufficient or 1 long run and 1 medium long run

-For half marathon prep long runs can vary from 7 miles to 13 miles (to complete a half marathon 7 mile long runs are enough, but to be more competitive or if you're used to running higher mileage than going up to 13 mile long runs is great)

-Whatever your longest run is now try not to jump up more than 10% per week (adding 1-2 miles/week to a long run is plenty)

-Try to make the day after a long run either a rest day or an easy recovery run

4 weeks to go

-One long run 7-13 miles (don't just run long and slow, try to push the pace a bit)

-One medium long run 5-10 miles (optional) (also push the pace)

-1-2 speed workouts (one long, one short)

-If you're running more than 3-4 days/week than the other days can just be mileage days

3 weeks to go

-One long run 7-13 miles

-One medium long run 5-10 miles

-1-2 speed workouts

2 weeks to go

-Now begin easing down the miles and intensity of runs

-The long run can be 3-4 miles shorter than the previous weeks

-1-2 speed workouts (depending on how sore the speed workouts make you, you may need to tone down the effort to 65-75% effort)

1 week to go

-Taper time: time to ease off the mileage and effort and rest for the race

-The week before the race your long run can be 3-5 miles shorter than usual and at a nice, comfortable pace

-Either no speed workouts or one easy to moderate 65-75% effort workout

-The days before the race it's good to do 3-4 mile easy runs just to shake the legs out so they don't get tight from not running right before the race

Shoes

-I don't recommend buying new shoes and longer than one month before the race. Make sure you've got time to break them in and not have issues with the shoes on race day.

-Currently, I'm a fan of the more minimal style shoes (but take time to slowly progressing down to shoes with less support if you're wearing more traditional high support running shoes)

-Minimal shoes I like are: TheBrooks Pure Series (the Pure Cadence has the most support), Nike Frees also offers different amounts of support and are helpful for easing into minimal style running shoes, I've also tried the Saucony Kinvara 4 and like them because they offer some arch support but are still very lightweight.

Running Strength: Bodyweight Workout

2012-10-08T21:23:00.002-06:00

One of the best ways to prevent running injuries is strength training and even if you don't join a gym there are plenty of bodyweight exercises you can do. Each week I'll be posting new bodyweight workouts. Just a quick 30 minutes of strength work can be hugely beneficial to your running.

Wall Sits

With your back and head against the wall bring your knees to a 90 degree angle and hold for as long as you can. Wall sits are an isometric strength exercise and a great way to strengthen the quads and gluts. Hopefully your floor isn't as slippery as these tatami mats. My feet kept slipping forward; it added a whole new challenge to my wall sits.

Suspended Side Plank

Make sure your body is in a straight line before lifting onto your hand and the side of your feet. Squeeze your abs and gluts while holding this isometric pose. The side plank will strengthen your shoulders, obliques and gluts.

Straight leg single leg deadlift

Standing on one leg with a slight bend in the knee, hinge forward at the hips and bring your torso as far forward as you can. This is a great exercise for increasing hamstring, glut and ankle strength.

What are your favorite bodyweight exercises?

Running Stretches: The Hip Crossover

2012-10-01T03:15:00.000-06:00

When doing hip crossovers, keep your shoulders on the floor and bring your knees as close to the ground as you can (ideally touching the ground). The Hip Crossover stretch is excellent for loosening tight lower back and hips. This is one of my favorite morning stretches. It's a very gentle way to wake up the muscles.

Weekly Workouts

2012-09-22T06:20:00.000-06:00

The Workout

Warm Up: 10 minute jog

Workout: 6x1000m with 600m jog recovery

The plan: This is an excellent 10k workout, especially if you'll be racing the 10k on the track. The best way to prep for 25 laps around the track is to practice running 25 laps around the track. During this workout you'll get two and a quarter miles of rest, but you'll get a good feel for what twenty five times around the track feels like.

If you're training for a 10k road race give this workout a try on the road race course or similar terrain.

Cool down: as needed

Total Mileage: 7 miles

Pace: 10k race pace (As you get closer to race day work on speeding up your 600m jog recovery)

Gear Review: Saucony Kinvara 3

2012-09-18T19:34:00.000-06:00

The Saucony Kinvara 3 are minimalist running shoes with a 4mm heel-to-toe drop. I've been running in the Kinvaras since early July and they're light, flexible and comfortable. I've had no aches and pains since switching into the Kinvaras from the Brooks PureCadence, which also have a 4mm heel drop. I'm attempting to make the slow transition from "old school running shoes" with a 12mm drop to minimalist shoes. My current plan is to stay in 4mm heel-to-toe drop shoes for about 6 months and then begin adding in short 3 mile runs in 0mm heel-to-toe drop shoes. My main uncertainty with the 4mm drop shoes so far is how quickly they break down. My feet and my calves are definitely working more in these shoes than in the 12mm drop, which should help strengthen them and reduce injuries. Since running in the 4mm drop shoes I'm tighter in my plantar fascia (connective tissue on the bottom of my feet), my achilles tendon and my calves. As long as I stretch them regularly they don't cause issues.

Shoe Stats

Heel-to-toe drop: 4mm
Colors: black + pink, hot pink + citron + blue, bright pink + yellow, soft pink, teal + red, sky blue, pink + lime, grey + purple
Weight: 7.7oz
Flexfilm: helps keep the shoe light and very flexible

Pros

Light + Flexible
Comfortable
Average price: $100
Bright Colors

Cons

Tight calves + Feet
For the fist month my toes were calloused (now they're callous free)
May wear down quickly (I'll let you know)

Running Stretches: The Figure Four Twist

2012-09-13T19:50:00.000-06:00

The Figure Four Twist stretches the gluteal muscles and the tensor fasciae latae. The tensor fasciae latae is a hip abductor and the muscle the IT Band tendon connects to. This stretch can be helpful if you're having low back pain, hip pain or lateral knee pain due to IT Band tightness.

Old School Running Shoes vs. Minimal Running Shoes

2012-09-10T22:16:00.000-06:00

After interviewing two physical therapists and one barefoot running expert I've taken their advice and started the slow transition into barefoot running. I'm not sure I'm interested in ever running completely barefoot, but I do believe easing myself out of "old school" high stability running shoes will help strengthen my feet, ankles and lower legs and result in fewer injuries.

After years of running in Brooks Adrenaline I started adding in short runs with a pair of 0mm heel-to-toe drop Vivo Barefoot shoes. While I enjoy strength training and walking in my Vivo Barefoot shoes, I wasn't quite ready for 3-5 mile runs in them. After the first couple of runs my calves were so sore I could barely walk. I think the transition from 12mm heel-to-toe drop to 0mm was a little quick. Next I bought a pair of Brooks Cadence, which offer some support with a 4mm heel drop compared to the Brooks Adrenaline 12mm heel drop. I had some soreness initially in the Cadence, but they quickly became comfortable running shoes. I'm now running in the Saucony Kinvara 3, a 4mm heel-to-toe drop, with no calf pain. At this point I can probably begin running shorter distances in a pair of 0mm drop shoes.

The unanimous warning from Charlie the PT, Mike the PT and Dave of The NakedRunners was do not transition too quickly. Runners are notorious for overtraining and overuse injuries. If you're running barefoot, in 0mm drop shoes, or 4 mm drop shoes make sure to pay attention to aches and pains. If you're so sore it's tough to walk, it's a good plan to scale back. Small aches and pains are normal, but pay close attention to your body's signals. Running should not be a painful endeavor.

In July my husband began running in the Brooks Pure Connect, which have a 4mm heel drop. Almost immediately he had right ankle pronation followed by right ankle pain. He switched to the Aasics Kayano 18 with a 12mm heel drop and his ankles felt great. Once he gets more miles under his belt he will ease back into the Brooks. Most likely by starting with one short run a week in the Brooks while continuing to run the longer runs in the Aasics.

Have you been easing into barefoot running? How's your experience been?

Treadmill Running Workouts

2012-08-29T22:51:00.001-06:00

I'm not a big fan of treadmills and when treadmill running I tend to spend the entire run staring at the minutes ticking by. My max treadmill attention span is about 30-40 minutes and beyond that I get stir crazy. But there are times when having a treadmill nearby means getting in a run that would otherwise be impossible or painful.

Right now in Nagoya it's about 90-95 degrees with 70-85% humidity. Coming from Colorado the humidity is quite a shock. If I wake up early enough it's bearable, but if I decide to sleep in I prefer to hit the treadmill. It's also nice to get a full run in without having to wait at any stoplights. And there's a mondo flat screen TV for me to watch CNN the World.

Here are my favorite treadmill workouts:

Workout 1
Warm up 10 minutes
10x (2 min hard effort 1 min medium effort)
Cool down as needed

Workout 2
Warm up 10 minutes
10x (1 min hard effort 1 min medium effort)
10 minutes medium effort

Workout 3
Warm up 10 minutes
6x (3 min hard effort 2 min easy effort)
Cool down as needed

If you use a heart rate monitor to train:
Hard effort is 75-85% MaxHR
Medium effort is 65-75% MaxHR
Easy effort is below 65% MaxHR

These workouts make the time pass by quickly and they're a great way to check your fitness. The better your running fitness the quicker your heart rate will drop during the medium and easy effort running.

There's a little picture of what food I'm burning off as I run. The picture above is a bowl of ramen. It also shows picture of ice cream, cheeseburgers, sushi...

Do you like treadmill running?

Tiptoeing into Barefoot Running

2012-08-21T20:25:00.004-06:00

After Born to Run came out in 2009 the barefoot running fad exploded. I was initially skeptical and in no rush to toss out my Brooks Adrenalines, which had given me hundreds of injury free miles. I've always been a proponent of barefoot strength training. In runners and non-runners weak feet and ankles are incredibly common and often lead to injury. When we have sore or injured muscles or joints we work to strengthen and rehabilitate them, but when we have sore or injured feet we encase them with orthotics and increasingly stable shoes. The problem is that the more we protect our feet the less they move and eventually they become completely immobile. To have healthy, pain free feet we need to move, strengthen and stretch them. This is why I am an advocate of barefoot strength work. Whenever possible do your strength work barefoot, it will not only strengthen the feet but also challenge your core stability.

Move

Walk barefoot: try barefoot shoes for cruising around town and go barefoot at home.

Run barefoot: If you're just beginning, run on grass or short distances on sidewalks.

Strengthen

Tree Pose

Doing Yoga on the Tatami mats in our apartment

Single Leg Split Squats

Single Leg Balance

Stretch

Downward Dog

Tuck Arch-Achilles Stretch

In the photo above I'm stretching my left arch and achilles, I have my right knee on the ground and I rock forward and back on my left foot.

Run Japan: The Nagoya Castle Loop

2012-08-18T09:14:00.001-06:00

Since arriving, approximately one month ago, to Nagoya, Japan we've been exploring the city on foot. We've braved the humidity and dodged the bikers to log our miles. The sidewalks often surprise us with there undulating tiles, but they're still more secure than in Buenos Aires. We rarely finish a run without encountering a stray cat or two but no cat fights yet. We've run by temples, shrines, rice fields, the Shinkansen, ancient Mayan artifacts donated by Mexico City and the Hollywood stars donated by Los Angeles. We've crossed bridges and rivers and homeless shanty towns and we're loving learning the city through running.

We've run around Nagoya Castle and plotted our outer and inner Castle loops. Running along the moats emphasizes how massive the fortress once was. The castle was protected by two moats and four guard towers and we can still run by them today. The castle was originally built in 1612, bombed in World War II during an air raid and reconstructed in 1957. We're pretty pleased to say that running around a castle with the original moats and castle walls still intact is a regular occurrence.
The Outer Castle Loop
Terrain: It's a sea level fairly flat run on concrete sidewalks with views of Nagoya Castle and the inner and outer castle moats. There's plenty of tree cover to protect from the heat. Midway through the run there's a park with a 1300m gravel running track, which will be the spot for future track workouts.

Distance: 6 miles

Route: From Nagoya Station to the outer moat of Nagoya Castle around the moat and back.

View Larger Map

Waiting for lights and dodging bikes

Here's our new track

The Inner Castle Loop

Terrain: It's the same terrain as the outer loop plus there's a 1/4 mile strip of vine covered pergolas, which are quite beautiful to run beneath.

Distance: 4 miles

Route: Nagoya Station to the inner moat of Nagoya Castle around and back.

View Larger Map

The inner moat is still filled with water

Follow our adventures in Japan: www.blaineanderin.com

Dynamic Stretches for Runners

2012-08-08T04:10:00.000-06:00

I prefer to spend as little time stretching before and after my runs as possible. Like most runners, I want to use every extra minute to increase my miles and fuel up after the run. Stretching can often be the difference between an injury-ridden runner and an injury-free runner. Dynamic stretching decreases a runners chance of injury by improving joint range of motion and increasing blow flow to the muscles prior to exercise.

If you're noticeably inflexible while doing the stretches below than spend extra time on your tight spots. The tight spots will often get worse through the repetitive running motion and these stretches are an important time to get your body back into proper biomechanics. One way to guide the body into efficient movement is by getting all the joints and muscles to their full range of motion. For example, work towards actually touching your toes during toe touches and arcing your legs to hip height for hip swings and straight leg kicks.

Hip Swings

Straight Leg Kicks

Butt Kicks

Toe Touches

Walk the dog calf stretch

Where Did Mark Cavendish Lose Gold on Saturday?

2012-07-30T05:41:00.001-06:00

Saturday morning the streets of London and the Surrey countryside were supposed to see the coronation of superstar cyclist Mark Cavendish as cycling’s Olympic Road Race champion. Despite a stunning effort from the entire British team, they were unable to manufacture the sprint finish that would have left Cavendish in pole position to take what would have been his first Olympics medal, and the first for Team GB of their home games.

There have been many reasons and conspiracy theories thrown around as to why the British Cycling “Dream Team” could not bring it home. We looked at each and whether or not they really played that much of a part in Cavendish’s failure.

Tired from the Tour de France?

Some commentators observed that the members of the team who had rode in the recent Tour de France were simply too tired to get it done. While this is true to an extent, we must consider that the British cyclists were at the front of the Peloton for almost the entire race, with no-one else seemingly willing to put in the work, particularly during the gruelling nine ascents of Box Hill.

They Got It Wrong Tactically

Although Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins both publicly stated after the race that they had “ridden the race they planned to,” there is no doubt that they got their tactics wrong. Perhaps what happened on Saturday, when there were no team radios in use, is a sign of what is to come in the wider cycling world then they become prohibited from all events as well as the Olympics.

The big issue was that Team GB worked heroically to pull in the initial 12 man breakaway group, which was once six minutes ahead, down to a gap of around one minute. That proved close enough for the second group to break away during the final Box Hill circuit, and stay away, with 30 world class riders working together to stay in front.

Had they got the gap to say, three minutes, Team GB would have probably still caught the lead group of 12, however would have had much more help doing it.

Cavendish Was Too Loyal

It is not often that loyalty gets considered a weakness, but was Cavendish himself culpable of believing in his team too much? Fellow team member David Millar said after the race that Cavendish had the strength to go with the breakaway, but did not in the belief that his team would pull it back.

Had Cavendish gone alone, would the whole face of the race changed?
Conclusions

The reality is that it is a combination of these factors which led to Cavendish finishing in a distant 29th position on Saturday. Unquestionably he is the best sprinter in the world, which is why so many riders looked to take him out of the equation by getting so far ahead on the road.

This guest post is courtesy of Videojug. Videojug is the one-stop place for quality how-to videos that provide factual content from various categories, from sports to diy.

Gear Review: Garmin Forerunner 210

2012-07-25T05:32:00.000-06:00

My new toy....

This is my first fancy watch, the Garmin Forerunner 210. I've been in the habit of running "naked", or sans watch, for the past several years and I've always said I don't need a smart watch. Turns out I love my smart watch. When I'm running on my own this watch forces me to run faster because I'm usually shocked at how slow I'm running and how fast it feels. It's fun and useful to know exactly how far and how fast I'm running everyday. Also, when I was running in Colorado it was exciting to see the elevation gains. My highest elevation gain while running with my Garmin in Colorado was 981 ft and my max elevation was 6524 ft (I didn't run any 14ners with my Garmin).

What does it show

Time, Distance, Pace, Heart Rate (when you wear the heart rate monitor that comes with the watch)

What you download from the watch

A map of your run with an elevation and pace chart

Summary (Central Park Run)

Distance:	6.06 mi
Time:	46:16
Avg Pace:	7:38 min/mi
Elevation Gain:	591 ft
Calories:	581 C

Detail (Central Park Run)

Time:	46:16
Moving Time:	45:56
Elapsed Time:	47:45

Avg Pace:	7:38 min/mi
Avg Moving Pace:	7:34 min/mi
Best Pace:	5:32 min/mi

Elevation Gain:	591 ft
Elevation Loss:	587 ft
Min Elevation:	21 ft
Max Elevation:	409 ft

Pros

Easy to use
Compact: compared to other models of smart watches the Forerunner is quite small
Great motivator: seeing pace and distance
Great running log: save all your runs to your computer with any notes and all the run details

Cons

You have to charge it
You must wear a heart rate monitor around your torso for heart rate readings
Sometimes has trouble reading satellite signals, especially in cities
It shows most everything about your run except for the weather. I would love it to tell me the weather.

Thank you Luke, Sarah, Reid and Kevin for my fancy watch!

Running NYC

2012-07-18T16:44:00.001-06:00

View of Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan from Dumbo

Central Park on our first evening in NYC

The past few weeks have been busy with travel and transitions. My husband and I are transitioning into a new country, language and job. On Friday, July 6 we left Denver for New York City, where we spent five days exploring and enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. On Wednesday, July 11 we left NYC for LA and from LA on to Shanghai, where we had a 15 hour layover and saw The Bund. Finally, on Friday, July 13 we arrived in our new home Nagoya, Japan. It's all been very overwhelming and exciting. I'll have more to come on running life in Japan. In the mean time, here's my review of running in New York City.

Central Park, Manhattan
Blaine and I were spoiled during our trip to NYC and we were lucky enough to stay at a friend's apartment in Carnegie Hill one block from Central Park. My first run in Central Park was very enjoyable. It was surprisingly hilly and not surprisingly humid. Even though this run is a loop there are plenty of people to watch and sights to keep you pleasantly distracted while running. There are water fountains and restrooms scattered along the outer loop of the park. The outer road of Central Park is closed to traffic on weekends and after 7pm on weekdays.

The Loop
I ran the outer road in Central Park, which is a 6 mile loop. You can easily run long by doing continuous loops or running the inner loop around the reservoir, which is 1.6 miles. There are also plenty of offshoot trails to explore. The park is 843 acres, 2.5 miles long and 0.5 miles wide.

Terrain

Central Park is a slightly hilly sea level run on road.

Distance
Outer loop: 6 miles

Inner reservoir loop: 1.6 miles

Location
The streets bordering the park:
North side: West 110th Street
South side: West 59th Street
West side: Eighth Avenue
East side: Fifth Avenue

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn: Dumbo + Brooklyn Heights
This run had my favorite New York City views: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan.

The Run
We started the run in Dumbo, a neighborhood named for it's location "Down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass." We ran from Dumbo to a path along the East River heading past Brooklyn Heights and toward Red Hook. Then we headed back toward Dumbo and ran out and back over the Brooklyn Bridge. Depending on the time of day the bridge may be crowded with commuters and tourists. After the bridge, we headed back to where we began in the center of Dumbo. For a longer run you could easily cross the Brooklyn Bridge and add on along the outside of Manhattan.

Terrain
Fairly flat sea level road and path

Distance
5 mile out and back run
1.1 miles one way across the bridge

Location
Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights along the East River in Brooklyn.

Dumbo Art

View of Manhattan Bridge from Dumbo

Trail Review: Mount Falcon

2012-06-27T19:29:00.002-06:00

Mount Falcon Trail, Morrison, CO
There are two entrances to Mount Falcon, the West and East Trail heads. The West Trail head is a farther drive from Denver and overall the trails on the west side are less uphill than on the east side. After 9am on the weekends the East trail head will be packed with mountain bikers as well. The photos on this post are all from the West Trail head. Both entrances to the park have spectacular views of Denver and Red Rocks Park.

The Loop
It would be difficult to follow a set route while running Mount Falcon. As you can see from the multiple trail signs photographed above, our Mount Falcon run consisted of lots of smaller loops added together. From the East entrance there is one main uphill trail to the top of the mountain. At the top of Mount Falcon and easily accessible from each entrance are the Walker home ruins. John Brisben Walker's home was built in 1909 at the top of Mount Falcon. Walker was planning on constructing a summer home for the Presidents of the United States on Mount Falcon as well until his attempts to raise funds failed.

Terrain
Moderately rocky and moderately hilly (very hilly when starting from the east side). Gravel trail with a good amount of tree cover. The elevation at the peak of Mount Falcon is 7841 feet, so if visiting Colorado from sea level keep the high altitude in mind.

Distance
7.6 miles

Driving directions
West Trailhead 21004 Mount Falcon Road, Indian Hills CO 80454 To access the park, take the Indian Hills turn-off from U.S. Highway 285, follow Parmalee Gulch Road for 5 miles to Picutis Road, then follow the signs to the west parking area.

East Trailhead 3852 Vine Street, Morrison CO 80465 is available from Colorado Highway 8 south of Morrison. Turn west on Forest Avenue and north on Vine Avenue.

Dave from The Naked Runners joined us for our Mount Falcon run after coming from sea level only two days before!

Shatter Shin Splints

2012-06-24T20:20:00.001-06:00

Tibialis Anterior

Single leg calf raises

My Favorite Exercises for combating and preventing shin splints:

Calf Raises
Both double leg and single leg calf raises are great. Stand on flat ground or with your heels hanging off a step and do 10-20 repetitions with your toes turned out, toes forward, and toes turned in. You can always do this exercise while your brushing your teeth.

Downward Dog and Walk the Dog
Hold your body in the down dog position, hands shoulder width apart and feet hip width apart press your hips back and drop your heels as close to the ground as possible, then walk your heels up and down for a fantastic calf stretch.

Hold Downward Dog and Walk the Dog

Tree Pose
Tree pose is a variation of single leg balance. Stand on one leg and focus on keeping your weight even through the entire foot then bring your opposite foot up to knee height and hold for as long as possible. Try to balance for one minute each side.

Vrikshasana Tree Pose वृक्षासन

All About Barefoot Running

2012-06-16T20:32:00.000-06:00

Me and Dave at his Barefoot Running Clinic

An Interview with The Naked Runner

Dave 'Robbo' Robertson of The Naked Runners hosted a Barefoot Running Clinic at The Denver Athletic Club and I had the privilege of delving into his thoughts on running shoeless. Dave lives and works as a physical therapist in Newcastle, Australia and is an expert in barefoot running and one half of the duo who make up The Naked Runners.

How did you become interested in barefoot running?

Like many people, I read Born to Run which triggered the interest. Unlike many people, I didn't have an injury. As a physiotherapist (Australian term for physical therapist) I was interested to learn more about it. Also, Herb Elliot, one of the world's greatest mid-distance runners and an Australian, did a lot of barefoot running and I was following in his footsteps.

How has barefoot running affected your running?

In a hugely positive way. It's made me stronger, faster and probably most important it's made running more enjoyable. Due to an issue with my big toe, helix rigitus, I was advised not to run and told I would need surgery. I've found that movement and running make it better and it has been no problem with the barefoot running.

How did you make the transition to barefoot running?

Initially, like many people, I did too much too fast and got sore in my lower calves and under my arches. Over time I adapted and after 3 months I started to make positive changes. It's taken me two years to get to a point where I can run a half marathon barefoot. I'm trying on Sunday to run my first full marathon barefoot (Dave succeeded in completing The Colorado Colfax Marathon entirely barefoot and still under 4 hours).

I started barefoot running with a mixture of pure barefoot and the Vibram Five Fingers. Before getting into The Vibrams, I transitioned into wearing the lighter and flatter Aasics 2130 series then went into the Aasics DS trainer and then DS racer and finally started tinkering with the Five Fingers. Now all my running is either in minimal shoes or completely barefoot. Each week I try to do 2-3 barefoot runs from 3-6 miles and I have no soreness from these runs. The only thing I feel is the skin on the bottom of my foot. I try to have a day in between barefoot runs to recover. My biggest concern is how the skin will hold up. The skin will occasionally blister on the big toe, it may be the friction point since my toe with the helix rigitus doesn't move.

Here I am with Dave at the finish line of his first barefoot marathon. Congrats Dave!

What advice do you have for runners looking to transition into barefoot running?

Start off walking barefoot around the house, the yard and taking the dog for a walk. Spend more time getting your feet used to the sensation of the ground and then gradually build up and introduce some barefoot running. Initially just one to two minutes at the end of your run and increasing from there.

There are lots of methods being taught now and so it can get a bit overwhelming, I think it's important to explore for yourself and find the methods that work best for you. Read some books about it, websites, hang out with other barefoot runners ask lots of questions about how they transitioned and go to barefoot running clinics. Keep it simple, it's not meant to be complicated and make sure you're doing it to have fun. Before all that stuff, ask yourself why your transitioning as well. Is it due to injury, because you want to get faster and stronger, want to be cool...

Go barefoot in airports. I try to test society to see where I can go barefoot. London in the rain was where I got the strangest looks. People think that I'm homeless but then I have the iphone. I've also been barefoot in Edinborough, Scotland and South Africa. The best barefoot running location so far is here in Lakewood, CO on the Bear Creek Trail. It's the smoothest, flattest path with not much debris and it goes for 10-12 miles with beautiful scenery.

What are your thoughts on orthotics?

As a health professional I do think there is a place for orthotics. I think they should be viewed similar as a cast or sling when someone breaks a bone. They should be used for protection and once the structure has healed then they should be rid of them. For normally functioning feet I don't think they're needed and I think they're overprescribed and overused. Examples of potential orthotic use are an achilles rupture and achilles tendonitis. The cushion offered by the orthotics is a good for protection while the structure is healing and it's important to move away from protection as soon as you can to build up the tissues because if you protect for too long the structures become weak.

What are common mistakes of beginning barefoot runners?

Running on your toes
Running through pain and soreness
Not listening to your body
Doing too much too soon
Becoming excited by the romantic notion of the Born to Run effect throwing away your shoes and not allowing your body time to adapt.

Is there "good" soreness associated with barefoot running?

It's important to get some waking up of the structures and without soreness you're not getting the waking up of the structures. When transitioning into barefoot running allow one to two days rest between each barefoot run. Some soreness is good, about a 3-6 out of 10 on a pain scale. Think about a graph where you have time and load and you want to make sure when you're running and moving you are working with enough load that you're above the green zone (too little) and below the red line (too much). In other words, enough load to make change and stimulate the tissue but not too much load to cause injury. Check out Blaze Dubuois of The Running Clinic, a guru on running injury prevention, and his Mechanical Quantification of Stress.

What's your advice for runners who are constantly fighting injury?

Change something, do something different. If it's not working you need to ask yourself how you can change it. For a lot of people starting to do some barefoot running and starting to think about their form is a great way to reduce a lot of the injuries. It's like hitting the reset button on your body. Part of it can evolve with what tools you're using, but above all listening to your body and relearning optimal running form and not going above the red line. We're a culture of overexercising; we do too much and we don't put enough value on rest. But the best athletes in the world, Kenyans, they rest really well. Just in terms on sleep and naps throughout the day. For every minute spent training twice as much is needed in rest.

Functional Runners: An interview with Mike Kohm

2012-06-06T23:10:00.002-06:00


Overhead Deep Squats: An important movement for runners to be able to execute and a great test of core strength and flexibility

While working at Alta Physical Therapy in Boulder, I met an array of fabulous physical therapists including Mike Kohm. I recently had the privilege of interviewing Mike Kohm, physical therapist and owner of Neuromuscular Strategies LLC, about functional training and running. Mike is certified in functional movement screens and has taken level 1 & 2 in the Selective Functional Movement Assessment series. He has taken over 30 physical therapy courses in his career and has 17 years of clinical physical therapy experience. Mike presently teaches for Kinetacore one of the premier continuing education companies in the field of trigger point dry needling.

Along with his wife Satya Larrea, Mike obtained his certified yoga instructor certificate through the Shambhava school of yoga and is one of the lead instructors of Yoga for Healing at Shoshoni Yoga Retreat in Rollinsville, Colorado.

Mike enjoys riding his cross bike, skate skiing, hiking with his dog Louie and sledding with his family, especially at Snow Mountain Ranch.

Functional Runners: An Interview with Mike Kohm

What does training functional movement mean?

I would define functional movement as something that carries over into your sporting endeavors and your life. Functional movement is specific training for the sports and activities of daily life that you want to do. An example is a runners warm up. Some runners do static stretches before running when instead it would be better to warm up dynamically with squatting, single leg deadlifts, tandem half kneels, etc...The body does not work in isolation. Functional movement is working the body as a whole instead of isolating individual muscle groups as machine strength training does. Isolation is good training when coming off an injury during rehabilitation, but not as an overall training plan.

When talking about functional movement it's important to define the core. A great definition of the core is the muscles that are located on the spine or the joint itself.

Why Functional training over machine strength training?

It comes down to the body and/or muscles do not work in isolation, especially in respect to running, swimming and cycling.

What are the most important functional movements for runners?

I think runners have a tendency to focus on only the linear components of stability. They do lots of planks and isolation training exercises such as clams when multi-directional stability exercises would be better. Great functional movements for runners are: tandem half kneel with wood-chops, split stance with wood chop and single leg deadlifts.

Mike demonstrating a single leg deadlift

The best definition of running I've heard is a series of controlled falls. Eccentric loading exercises are key in training the body to control these "falls". Eccentric exercises involve training the lengthening phase of the muscle contraction. An example of an eccentric exercise is the step down off a Reebok step. Most of us our good at controlling motion during the shortening phase but not lengthening and most of the machines in a gym work the concentric (shortening phase) but not eccentric (lengthening phase). Running is a lot of eccentric control and the athletes that train the eccentric muscle control will have better injury prevention.

The squatting pattern is also important because it is the ability to stack your spine. It's a use it or lose it movement.


Overhead Deep Squats

Are there common movement impairments you see among runners?

Yes, the inability to deep squat, difficultly with the tandem half kneel, difficulty loading a single leg deadlift, lack of rotation control (a good test for this is the bird dog position) and general upper body weakness. So many runners just run, but cross training is important for injury prevention. Barefoot strength and barefoot single leg strength are also essential for improving intrinsic muscles of the foot.

Tandem Half Kneel (give it a try, it's not as easy as it looks!)

Once you're stable in the tandem half kneel then add the diagnol chop

Why is cross training important for runners?

"Too much of one activity or too little of another cause mobility problems" (Gray Cook). Cross training is a must to stay injury free which is why functional movement is so important. It takes 5,000-10,000 repetitions of a good movement pattern before your brain integrates the movement into your motor programming. Cross training can help retrain the body with correct movement patterns.

Are there ways for runners to evaluate their own movements?

Single leg work is very telling of a runners ability to control hips and lower body. Split stance (similar to warrior II pose) and the ability to deep squat are also important movement patterns. Look at anything that challenges your motor control, it could change on a daily basis, if you know your weak links try to find a movement pattern that will bring them to the surface and work on that. It can change often so it's important to keep evaluating.

When runners are injured they should remember to look proximal to the injury. When you have an ankle injury look at knee and hip stability and with a knee injury look at both the hip and core stability. Look from foot mechanics to the knee and hip.

How important is proper running form in staying injury free?

It's probably the key, vastly important, because people get into trouble by training up too fast and their tissues can't accept the load. They also train too long when fatigued and instead of cutting back they run with bad form and then they get hurt. If you bring fatigue into the equation your running form is going to degrade very fast. It's not that you have to make a fundamental change in your running stride. It would be helpful to video your running after 1, 5, and 10 miles and have someone with a trained eye watch and see if you are able to maintain form over time, What I see is that small positive or negative changes over time in a movement pattern make all the difference. Incremental changes in form on a positive side will lead to a more healthy more injury free runner. With running being such a repetitive motion activity small negative changes over time can easily lead to injury. Basically an injury is tissue failure, the body's inability to accept the load.

What are your thoughts on barefoot running?

From a modern standpoint we've been running shod for quite a while now. I do think barefoot is the natural way to run, however people have a tendency to make the transition far too quickly. I recommend going from a traditional running shoe to a minimal shoe in 2-4 months and then incrementally introducing barefoot running one mile at a time. I think the answer is in the middle which is a minimalist shoe. I think we wear shoes from such a young age that we adapt to that platform and the proprioception in shoes versus barefoot. I do think barefoot running is ultimately the natural form of running but what I see is people transitioning way too fast. I think for a lot of people the answer will be in the middle of traditional shoes and barefoot running, which equals a minimalist shoe.

Brid Dog: A great exercise to test and challenge your rotational stability

Moving to Japan

2012-05-30T16:54:00.000-06:00

Nagoya is 1 hour southwest of Tokyo and 1/2 hr east of Kyoto

My husband Blaine and I are moving to Japan on July 11th! We will be there for two years teaching English and traveling throughout Asia. We'll be living in Nagoya, which is a port city between Tokyo and Kyoto and the fourth largest city in Japan. There are beaches about 30-40 minutes outside the city so I'll be going from mountain trails to running in the sand.

I plan on racing in Japan and joining a run club in Nagoya. Free Thy Feet will continue running strong with the addition of lots of exciting travel pics from Asia and details about running in Japan.

Has anyone ever run in Japan? Any recommendations on Japanese races?

"To Run" (It looks a bit like a runner doesn't it)

Nagoya Castle

Wednesday Workouts

2012-05-24T15:39:00.001-06:00

The Workout

Warm Up: 10 minute jog

Workout: 8x400m hard with 200m jog recovery

The plan: We're continuing to work on speed and faster turnover. Two months ago we were doing this same workout with 400m jog recovery, so by halving our recovery we're training our bodies to run hard with less rest. After a few solid months of speed work there should be a noticeable decrease in the time it takes to return to recovery heart rate. A heart rate monitor is a great tool for measuring fitness and marked improvements. The fitter you are the faster your heart rate will drop after a hard interval.

Very general heart rate equations are:
MaxHR= 220-age
RecoveryHR= 60% MaxHR

When first adding speed work to your training, give yourself ample rest. For the initial 8x400m workout a full 400m jog recovery is best.

Cool down: 1 mile

Total Mileage: 5 miles

Pace: 5k race pace and under

Colfax Marathon

2012-05-21T17:36:00.000-06:00


Go Kevin! Kevin is the center runner in red with his arms up in the air.

Congratulations to my friend Kevin Hickman on a terrific race at yesterday's Colorado Colfax Marathon! Kevin ran a PR of 2:56 and finished 8th overall. Look for Kevin's Colfax race review coming soon.

Nutrition for Runners

2012-05-12T12:08:00.000-06:00

Nutrition is tough and often the lifestyle patterns we have concerning our food take more time and energy to change then we realize. Last week I was chatting with my friend and master nutrition therapist, Robin King, about how to keep my energy stable all day long. She was full of helpful advice that she is sharing with us below. Look for my upcoming interview with Robin about running specific nutrition.

Our favorite breakfast spot in Denver

Does this pattern sound familiar to you:

Wake up in the morning, feeling totally “fine” but not hungry and definitely not too energetic. You get ready for the day, grab a cup of coffee and possibly a muffin and head out the door. By 10 or 11 am,you are finally hungry. But you want either sweets or bread. At about 2 in the afternoon, you’ve hit a wall; you’re so tired and you just want to nap. You get something to eat to keep you going and by 4 or 5pm you finally have a second wind.You don’t want to eat dinner at dinnertime, but you are hungry an hour or so after dinner and you just want to have dessert. You say that you just have a “sweet tooth”. The next day is the same…

If this is a pattern that you are in, your blood sugar could be to blame. Blood sugar imbalances are incredibly common, but are often overlooked.When we don’t feel well, we blame work, sleep, training routines and many other things. The answer could simply be that we need to get our blood sugar back on track.

Here are some small tips that could make a big difference in the way you feel. Often times, within a matter of a day or two of implementing these changes people notice an improvement in sustained energy. It could be worth a shot for you.

New tasty restaurant in Denver

· 1. Upon waking drink 1 – 2 full glasses of water

· Even if you are not hungry, eat a breakfast that is heavy in protein. Try Greek yogurt with some slices of fruit; a bowl of steel cut oats with nuts and seeds sprinkled in; grab a couple of hard-boiled eggs and a smoothie if you are on your way out the door; have a pork chop leftover from dinner last night.

· 2. Pack a lunchbox filled with food for the whole day
This will help you avoid heading for the coffee cart and the vending machine in moments of weakness. Fill it with plenty of fruits, veggies and protein-rich and healthy-fat snacks. Nuts, cheese and fruit are some of my favorites.

·
3. Eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day to keep the blood sugar rises and falls to a minimum
Staying ahead of the curve will keep your energy even.

4. It will be hard for the first day or two to eat breakfast when you are not hungry.
This will quickly pay off when you realize that you aren’t chomping at the bit for a sweet treat after dinner. Before you know it, you will be waking up hungry every day, eating consistently throughout the day, and your energy (and mood) will directly follow!

Robin King

Master Nutrition Therapist

Denver, CO

On Queen's Street West in Toronto

The Boston Marathon Race Review

2012-05-07T14:44:00.000-06:00

This year was an absurdly hot Boston Marathon and my friend, Luke Hartley, ran an incredible race despite the conditions. Read Luke's review of his 2012 Boston Marathon experience.

Luke running the last mile of The Boston Marathon. Nice Form!

Last week I joined 22,000 of my closest friends to make, for the first time, that famous annual pilgrimage from Hopkinton, MA to downtown Boston. I had trained hard all winter, preparing mentally to control my pace through the first miles down from the start through Ashland and Natick and to avoid the siren calls at Wellesley, which are rumored to drive unsuspecting runners into a burst of speed leaving them to hit the Newton Hills and the proverbial “wall” at the same time. I suffered through countless tempo runs and track workouts to drive my legs over Heartbreak Hill and sacrificed my ski season for long weekend miles to give me the endurance to finish strong through the home stretch down Commonwealth Ave. However, no amount of winter running could have prepared me for the e-mail I received from the Boston Athletic Association on Saturday morning implementing a deferment policy and strongly advising – “that if you are not highly fit … you should NOT run this race” (http://www.baa.org/news-and-press/news-listing/2012/april/warm-weather-advisory.aspx).

I wasn’t about to take the BAA up on their offer, having already qualified for 2013 and made the trip from Denver. I thought I had prepared for all eventualities, but the 87 degree heat presented the biggest challenge someone with my inclinations could face. I had to cut against my instincts, be disciplined enough to slow down, pack away my goal of finally breaking the 3 hour marathon barrier, and run a race of survival.

The evening before the race, I met with my former training partners from the Warren Street Track Club in New York at an Italian cafeteria-style restaurant aptly named Vapiano (slow food). We joked that it was aptly named, not only because it took nearly an hour and a half to get through the line, but also because the following day, we were all anticipating a much slower than hoped-for race.

The morning buses transporting runners to the start left Boston Commons beginning at 6:00am – and I was on one of the earliest. This being my first Boston Marathon, I don’t know what level of anxiety is expected, but the conversation all focused on the forecasted heat for the day. I sat silently, still trying to decide whether to stick with my initial race plan regardless of the heat. After arriving at the athletes’ village (which was surprisingly comfortable) the conversation surrounding the heat never faltered – and the mercury began to rise as the sun climbed the horizon. I was shocked that so many people had chosen to lie basking in the sun, as if on a beach vacation, while waiting for the call to drop our gear bags and take the long walk to the starting corrals. I’m sure that they paid for that decision later in the day.

Lining up for the start – I can recall only a few specific other runners – one was a man in his mid-40s, who claimed to be an expert at running in the heat, and was trying to push salt tablets on me at the start. He lost a bit of credibility, however, as he also claimed to be running for the very first time in a brand new pair of Newton running shoes. I don’t have anything against Newtons, in fact I have never tried them, but I do know that they are different from any other shoe – and doubt the wisdom of first experimenting with them for the Boston Marathon.

It was nearly 80 degrees when the gun sounded, but people seemed to ignore the heat and shot off the line for the first rolling downhill miles to Framingham. It took all of my will power to hold back and run well within myself through these miles, trusting experienced advice that assured me the heat would sneak up on me if I didn’t. I had adjusted my plan from running 6:35 min/mile through the first half to running just under 7:00 min/mile and planned to take water at every stop, douse my head (which I had never done before in a race) and eat a Gu every 3-4 miles. I found that being able to carry 6 Gu packets is another benefit of running in compression shorts! Through about 10 miles, I still felt fresh; I felt I was almost jogging in a sea of 3000-4000 bib numbers. The heat was building, however, and the crowd would instinctively swing to hug the side of the road to steal even momentary reprieve from the sun in the shade of a passing building. I was feeling so comfortable, however, that I began to wonder if I needed to pick up the pace. Then, almost on cue, just before the screams of the Wellsley co-eds at mile 12.5 – people started slowing – some even walking! Without increasing my pace, I started passing people by the dozens.

By the time I’d reached the Newton hills, it was clear that my strategy had been sound. I was getting stronger and knew that I was going to have a great finish to the race. I hate to say it, but I enjoyed seeing the suffering of runners (most now with bib numbers much lower than my own) walking and gasping for breath up Heartbreak Hill. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the most sensitive thing when I exclaimed “is this all they’ve got??” when I accelerated up the last rise on Heartbreak.

I had told myself from the start of the race that I was going to sustain my energy through the hills and then make a race of the last 5 miles – and I was in exactly the position I had hoped for. I ran my fastest 5 miles over the last part of the course – down Commonwealth, right on Hereford, left on Boylston then home! I finished with some gas in the tank eager for the next race. I came in at 3:03:36 -- about 8 minutes slower than my goal pace. However, I finished 678^th overall – which would have required a 2:51 in 2011’s blisteringly fast conditions. So, while I was actually slower, I was relatively much faster than I had planned – and learned a valuable lesson. I learned the importance of racing to the conditions as well as the course. I ran, for my level of training and fitness, a very smart race. I wasn’t faster than many of those people I passed during the second half of the race – but they underestimated the combined effect of 87 degree heat and Boston’s back-loaded course.

Thanks to my friends (Erin, Oliver, Monica, Olivia, Arthur, Charlie, Fabio, Sebastien, Paul, etc.) and my wife, Sarah, who all cautioned me to take it easy – I carried your advice the entire way! I have learned that marathoning is about so much more than just running fast. The 2012 Boston Marathon was, for me, a great learning opportunity and a huge step forward in my running career.

Urban Running with Jacquie Mannhard

2012-04-28T13:41:00.000-06:00

This post is by my dear friend, Jacquie Mannhard, a fellow teammate from CU and a competitive runner and triathlete. Jacquie recently made the move from Boulder to Spain and she has some sage city running advice for us.

A side view of the Boulder Flatirons

Admittedly, I was spoiled. In less than two minutes I could run from my backdoor to the Boulder Creek Path or Flagstaff Mountain. I had instant access to hours and hours of blissful bounding through the majestic canyons and foothills. For a nature lover and trail running aficionado, it was paradise.

Fast forward just a few months, and I found myself abruptly transplanted into a noisy, smelly, crowded city. My husband and I relocated from Boulder to Barcelona. Canyons were replaced by winding alleyways; trails were traded for asphalt. The fresh mountain air was exchanged for thick exhaust, humidity, and cigarette smoke. I was so frustrated and over-stimulated by my initial attempts at urban running that I nearly gave up on it.

Now, I’m happily back to lacing up my running shoes; and while I’m not a complete convert to city running, these few tips have made it a more endurable option.

1.      Take advantage of parks and open spaces, no matter how small.
Our neighborhood is punctuated with many dots of green space with meandering dirt paths. If I connect a few of these together, they make for an interesting route with intermittent changes in scenery and running surface. They also provide a momentary escape from the people and pollution.

2.      Get out early.
Beating the morning rush requires setting the alarm clock slightly earlier, but it’s certainly worth the effort. I’ve found that I need to finish my run by 7:30 am to avoid being swarmed by the morning commute. Tune in to the rhythm of your city and adapt your training schedule accordingly.

3.      Use your run as a city tour.
Running is a great way to explore a city. I’ve logged some great miles just sightseeing. In fact, I’ve found that the best way to get acquainted with hidden treasures and charms of the local neighborhoods is to set out on foot. There’s something really special about having a sunrise vista of La Sagrada Familia all to myself before the hordes of tour buses arrive.

4.      Get creative.
I’ve created some innovative workouts just using the inherent features of the city. For example, one of my favorite city runs, “Race the Bus”, makes for an awesome tempo workout. I leap-frog the bus along its route as it stops to pick up more passengers. Also, I overcame my frustration with frequent traffic light stops by making it into an interval session. I pick up the pace between lights and then recover while waiting on red. When I arrive back at my apartment, I bound up the five flights of stairs, (two at a time) for an urban uphill finish.

5.      Get out of town!
When you really can’t take it anymore, get out of the city and find some fresh air! I find this to be the best cure for the asphalt blues. Just one trip to the hills outside the city is enough to inspire me to keep hitting the streets for a few more metropolitan miles.
If all else fails, you can always head to a local track, enroll at a nearby gym, or join a community running group for motivation. Although I still prefer open space and fresh air, I’ve come to realize that urban running is not as bleak, polluted, and cement-filled as it may seem!

Here's Jacquie celebrating success!

Acoustibuds Giveaway

2012-04-25T07:49:00.000-06:00

Acoustibuds and Acoustigrip are a life saver on long runs when you need some tunes to keep you motivated. Acoustibuds attach easily to any flat faced earphones for a secure fit during exercise and the Acoustigrip are clips that manage your earphone wires while working out. No more yanking the earbuds out and having to stop mid run to adjust.

Because they're so awesome I am giving away a fresh pair of Acoustibuds, thanks Rhonda! To be entered in the drawing comment on the pros or cons of running with standard earbuds. If you're a follower on Facebook or Twitter I'll enter your name in twice!