Last Saturday I did the park run. I decided that I should wear trainers, and I carried out a DIY foot taping job just to secure my foot. I wound tape over the top of my right foot, just behind the toes, over the ball of my foot and towards my ankle. I hoped that it would give support to the obvious but undiagnosed weakness.
It worked a treat. I ran the 5k in just over 27 minutes, which I'm happy with, and I had no additional pain in my foot afterwards.
On Wednesday (two days ago) I did a barefoot mile. I've been re-reading information about barefoot form, and I also posted a message on the the Yahoo! Running Barefoot forum which was set up by Barefoot Ken Bob himself. I even got a post back from Ken Bob (thank you, Ken), which, in a nutshell, reminded me that I need to concentrate on re-learning my technique so that when I run, it doesn't hurt. Sounds simple enough, but it's so easy to forget this vital piece of information.
So in my barefoot mile, I concentrated on everything I could: relax, relax, relax; bend my knees; bend them more; lift my toes - a little mind you - not too tense; let my hips lead me forward; stay up straight; look ahead; lift my feet rather than concentrate on putting them down; shorten my cadence...... it was like trying to drive a car for the first time, so many different elements to think about, and as soon as I concentrated on one I'd forget another.
But there were steps that I took that didn't hurt. For a few paces at a time I got into a rhythm that seemed comfortable, pain free and pretty easy on every part of my body. That's what I need to focus on. I will do the drills in Ken Bob's book, I will do my Asian squats and 100-ups, but when I run, I will just try and run without any discomfort.
That will take time (again), and in the meantime I have races to run where I'm raising money for the hospice that looked after my lovely mum earlier this year, so I will wear the trainers for my training runs, and do barefoot miles here and there for now until after the half marathon in October. Then I'll start barefooting again in earnest. It's disappointing, but I want to do it right.
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Friday, 30 August 2013
Sunday, 18 August 2013
What to do next??
Where have I been, you may ask.
Well, in the interest of giving a true account of my barefoot experiences, I thought I'd come clean and confess that I've been nursing a recurrence of my foot injury :(
After upping my mileage, and doing some speed work and intervals as part of my half marathon training plan, the top of foot pain that I suffer with on and off following my stress fracture (2nd metatarsal, Nov 2011) flared up again. Not exactly the same location, but very close by (a little further towards the ankle). I think a combination of speed, increased mileage, and also a couple of trail runs where I landed on stones precisely underneath the location of the fracture, have triggered the pain again.
I rested for 2 weeks. Then, when there was no pain in my foot at all, I tried a run in trainers. I did 4 miles (probably a little too much), but what I noticed after about 2 miles was a pain in my left knee, shortly followed by aching joints in my hips and ankles. Everything felt hot and prickly. These are pains that I immediately associated with wearing trainers and training for races, pre my barefoot days.
On the plus site, my foot felt fine.
2 days later I ran a mile barefoot. No joint pains or trouble with my knee, but I could definitely feel that stress fracture pain again within a few hundred metres of setting off, and the pain lasted for another 3 days.
Yesterday (again, waiting for zero foot pain) I did 3 miles in my Vivobarefoot shoes. I chose these because they are zero drop, but they came with some padded insoles to aid in the transition to barefooting, so I put these in to give a little support to my soles. Knees, hips & ankles win, but again, foot adversely affected.
So, considering that I am half marathon training, and have a 10k race in early September, I feel a bit lost as to what to do next. I think I'm sold on barefoot / minimalist - there are just too much big joint pains associated with trainers for me now, but I really need to sort this foot out, and I think that boils down to form. Now all I need to work out is what to do about it...
Well, in the interest of giving a true account of my barefoot experiences, I thought I'd come clean and confess that I've been nursing a recurrence of my foot injury :(
After upping my mileage, and doing some speed work and intervals as part of my half marathon training plan, the top of foot pain that I suffer with on and off following my stress fracture (2nd metatarsal, Nov 2011) flared up again. Not exactly the same location, but very close by (a little further towards the ankle). I think a combination of speed, increased mileage, and also a couple of trail runs where I landed on stones precisely underneath the location of the fracture, have triggered the pain again.
I rested for 2 weeks. Then, when there was no pain in my foot at all, I tried a run in trainers. I did 4 miles (probably a little too much), but what I noticed after about 2 miles was a pain in my left knee, shortly followed by aching joints in my hips and ankles. Everything felt hot and prickly. These are pains that I immediately associated with wearing trainers and training for races, pre my barefoot days.
On the plus site, my foot felt fine.
2 days later I ran a mile barefoot. No joint pains or trouble with my knee, but I could definitely feel that stress fracture pain again within a few hundred metres of setting off, and the pain lasted for another 3 days.
Yesterday (again, waiting for zero foot pain) I did 3 miles in my Vivobarefoot shoes. I chose these because they are zero drop, but they came with some padded insoles to aid in the transition to barefooting, so I put these in to give a little support to my soles. Knees, hips & ankles win, but again, foot adversely affected.
So, considering that I am half marathon training, and have a 10k race in early September, I feel a bit lost as to what to do next. I think I'm sold on barefoot / minimalist - there are just too much big joint pains associated with trainers for me now, but I really need to sort this foot out, and I think that boils down to form. Now all I need to work out is what to do about it...
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Speed
Today I did a tempo run in my Merrells. I uploaded the workout to my Garmin before I left, so it was all programmed in: 1 mile warm up, 4 miles at 9.33 min/mile, 1 mile cool down.
My Garmin shows me an average pace for the entire run. I always run slowly at the start as it seems to take a while for my joints and feet to warm up, so by the end of the first mile, the average pace was showing around 10.20 min/mile. When the Garmin beeped to warn me to get ready for the middle 4 tempo miles, I checked my watch, still slower than 10 min/mile, so I sped up. The Garmin quickly beeped to say I was in the 9.33 min/mile zone, and then shortly after beeped again to tell me to slow down.
This seemed odd, as I didn't feel I was going much faster than at the end of my warm up mile. I didn't trust my watch. I felt I wasn't pushing hard enough, so I ignored the irritating beeps until they gave up on me, and I just kept running at a comfortably fast pace.
When I got home, my watch told me that I had done the middle 4 at 9.14 min/mile! This is significantly faster than the target pace, and makes me wonder if my form is beginning to show signs of speeding up without too much effort. So far in my barefoot/minimalist running story I have found it difficult to run anywhere near as fast as I could have in trainers. That (and the lack of structured training) have kept my pace pretty slow, though speed is not really of concern to me.
It was interesting to run today and feel like I could probably go faster than that, and maintain it, at least for a 10k if no more. I did enjoy reading an article about adding speed to your barefoot running from Barefoot Beginner which came up on my Twitter feed a few days ago, and I even had a go at copying the video drill. I thought about that whilst I was running, trying to replicate pulling up my feet from the hamstrings and keeping my ankle in line with my knee. Maybe that has something to do with it.
My Garmin shows me an average pace for the entire run. I always run slowly at the start as it seems to take a while for my joints and feet to warm up, so by the end of the first mile, the average pace was showing around 10.20 min/mile. When the Garmin beeped to warn me to get ready for the middle 4 tempo miles, I checked my watch, still slower than 10 min/mile, so I sped up. The Garmin quickly beeped to say I was in the 9.33 min/mile zone, and then shortly after beeped again to tell me to slow down.
This seemed odd, as I didn't feel I was going much faster than at the end of my warm up mile. I didn't trust my watch. I felt I wasn't pushing hard enough, so I ignored the irritating beeps until they gave up on me, and I just kept running at a comfortably fast pace.
When I got home, my watch told me that I had done the middle 4 at 9.14 min/mile! This is significantly faster than the target pace, and makes me wonder if my form is beginning to show signs of speeding up without too much effort. So far in my barefoot/minimalist running story I have found it difficult to run anywhere near as fast as I could have in trainers. That (and the lack of structured training) have kept my pace pretty slow, though speed is not really of concern to me.
It was interesting to run today and feel like I could probably go faster than that, and maintain it, at least for a 10k if no more. I did enjoy reading an article about adding speed to your barefoot running from Barefoot Beginner which came up on my Twitter feed a few days ago, and I even had a go at copying the video drill. I thought about that whilst I was running, trying to replicate pulling up my feet from the hamstrings and keeping my ankle in line with my knee. Maybe that has something to do with it.
Monday, 8 July 2013
Confidence is growing
On Friday, I should have done a 5 mile tempo run, but things conspired against my OH and myself, and we ended up doing a 2 and a half mile easy run, which I did mostly in Merrells, with the last half mile or so bare foot.
On Saturday, I did the park run with my daughter. I wanted to run with her as she is trying to beat the 30 minute barrier, and I was very proud that she did the race in 28 minutes and 43 seconds, 2 seconds faster than me as she sneakily threw in a sprint finish which caught me unaware!
On Sunday it looked like a scorcher of a day, so my OH and myself went out for an early-ish run. He was suffering from a little over indulgence the night before, so we only wanted to get a few miles in, and with no target pace. I decided therefore to set out in bare feet. I carried my Classics in case I needed to put shoes on at some point, but I was really pleased that I managed to run my furthest distance to date - 3.5 miles - all in bare feet. The picture above is of my feet at the end of the run - a little red in places, but with no damage at all. Our average pace was 10.40 minutes per mile, but we weren't looking to run particularly fast.
So I had a great week of running. This morning (Monday) I walked the dog in the woods at the back of our house. I've often looked at the ground in the woods thinking it would probably be quite dangerous to run through bare foot, as it is covered with bark, twigs, dirt and all sorts of unknown bits and pieces. Today, being such a warm and beautiful day, I walked up there in flip flops. As no-one was around, I took them off for a moment, and ran a few steps - just to see how bad the ground would be to step on bare-footed. It wasn't as bad as I'd expected. A little further into the woods, I took them off again, picked them up, and ran, very slowly and gently, through 50 metres or so of woodland. Just as with the pavements, I found it much less difficult to run on than it looked. Yes, I took care not to step on any large twigs and branches, but the ground was actually much softer than I expected. I find this with pavements and roads too - when I'm in trainers, I look down and think "That's too rough or stony to run on", but when I take off my shoes, it's never as bad as I had thought.
I've started to contemplate running the 10k in September in bare feet as my confidence grows. I wonder what the race organisers would think about that....
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Battling the demons
This week sees the start of my half marathon training plan. Today's run was planned as a 2 mile easy run, pace around 11 min/miles.
Not wanting to forfeit all the hard work I've been doing on my barefoot running, I'm planning to do all my training runs in minimalist footwear (Vibrams, Merrells, Vivos) and my easy runs in bare feet. 2 miles in bare feet is definitely do-able for me, but those demons inside my head started chattering away early on this week....
I rarely set off bare foot: usually, I wear footwear for at least a mile, until I've summoned up the courage to take them off, and then I run home bare foot. When I say courage, it's not courage to put my bare soles on the floor, it's courage to face the oncoming traffic, friends, neighbours and dog walkers, who look at me a little bit funny, as if to say 'do you know you've got no shoes on..?', 'is it safe to talk to that weirdo?', that must hurt, dog poo, glass etc etc etc. I'm fearful that I'll step on a giant shard of glass the second a person catches a glimpse of me, so they can see the pain written on my face, and smugly nod as if to say 'I told you so'. I'm convinced that the police will stop to 'have a chat' with me, or that I'll twist my ankle on a pot hole and have to be whisked off in an ambulance, where the doctors will shake their heads at my foolhardy ways.
Of course, I could easily twist my ankle in shoes. I could step in dog poo and spend twenty minutes at the sink trying to dig it out of the grooves in my trainers.
I find this fear very difficult to get over, the demons chatter away at me right up until the second I walk out the door, sometimes they win and I put my shoes on, today they didn't. I stepped out of my front door without my shoes, and started running. I ran along the main road, waiting at the side of the road for the traffic to slow before safely dashing across in front of a neighbour's car and giving a slightly awkward wave to her.
I confess that I did veer off the main road to head along a country lane for the most part of the run, and this is not a route I would normally choose because it's quite hilly and it's recently been resurfaced, so the tarmac is quite rough still. However, I met only one car along the way, and it was lovely and quiet with my silent footfall and my dog's quiet padding.
At just over a mile in, I turned around to head back. Safely back at home, with a perfect overall pace of 11 minute miles, I feel suitably proud of the fact that I did what I set out to do and I banished those demons, for today at least.
Not wanting to forfeit all the hard work I've been doing on my barefoot running, I'm planning to do all my training runs in minimalist footwear (Vibrams, Merrells, Vivos) and my easy runs in bare feet. 2 miles in bare feet is definitely do-able for me, but those demons inside my head started chattering away early on this week....
I rarely set off bare foot: usually, I wear footwear for at least a mile, until I've summoned up the courage to take them off, and then I run home bare foot. When I say courage, it's not courage to put my bare soles on the floor, it's courage to face the oncoming traffic, friends, neighbours and dog walkers, who look at me a little bit funny, as if to say 'do you know you've got no shoes on..?', 'is it safe to talk to that weirdo?', that must hurt, dog poo, glass etc etc etc. I'm fearful that I'll step on a giant shard of glass the second a person catches a glimpse of me, so they can see the pain written on my face, and smugly nod as if to say 'I told you so'. I'm convinced that the police will stop to 'have a chat' with me, or that I'll twist my ankle on a pot hole and have to be whisked off in an ambulance, where the doctors will shake their heads at my foolhardy ways.
Of course, I could easily twist my ankle in shoes. I could step in dog poo and spend twenty minutes at the sink trying to dig it out of the grooves in my trainers.
I find this fear very difficult to get over, the demons chatter away at me right up until the second I walk out the door, sometimes they win and I put my shoes on, today they didn't. I stepped out of my front door without my shoes, and started running. I ran along the main road, waiting at the side of the road for the traffic to slow before safely dashing across in front of a neighbour's car and giving a slightly awkward wave to her.
I confess that I did veer off the main road to head along a country lane for the most part of the run, and this is not a route I would normally choose because it's quite hilly and it's recently been resurfaced, so the tarmac is quite rough still. However, I met only one car along the way, and it was lovely and quiet with my silent footfall and my dog's quiet padding.
At just over a mile in, I turned around to head back. Safely back at home, with a perfect overall pace of 11 minute miles, I feel suitably proud of the fact that I did what I set out to do and I banished those demons, for today at least.
Friday, 24 May 2013
Longest run to date
Today I've run 10.35 miles :)
I couldn't decide what footwear to put on before this planned long run. Options were Vibram Classics - so far the footwear that's seen my longest run of 7 miles or so; Vivobarefoot - I didn't fancy these for a long run, because they are ever so slightly too short on the toe (my fault for being a cheapskate and buying the only remaining size in an Amazon special); or Merrel Pace Glove - super comfy when I tried them out the other day, but I've only done 2 miles in them, and the last thing I wanted was to have to cut the run short over a blister.
The other option of course was regular trainers, and I admit I was tempted with these from a safety point of view - I know I can run 13 miles in trainers, because I've done it before. I reminded myself that my goal is to run the 10k and possibly half marathon in minimalist footwear though, and that trainers don't guarantee blister-free running (I've got the photos to prove it), so I finally plumped for the Classics.
When I ran 3.5 miles on Wednesday I had a bit of Top of Foot Pain (TOFP), and I was concerned that this might be an issue for a long run. However, I recall Barefoot Ken saying that pain can help you refine your form, so I decided to view any pain as being welcome, so long as I could then adjust my form to prevent the pain. Before I set off I did some Asian Squats - something I've been trying to do once a day to built foot strength and stretch my achilles / calves etc. I also did some tiptoe exercises - I could feel the TOFP when I stood on tiptoe, so I adjusted the angle of my foot slightly and this avoided the pain.
Once running, I adopted the same foot angle as when I had practiced standing on tiptoe before setting off. I tend to run very straight footed (if not actually turning my toes in towards each other just a little). This seems to put extra pressure on my 2nd and 3rd metatarsals. By turning my foot out ever so slightly (ie so my feet would make a very slight v shape if I stopped and put them together - like a ballet stance) the pressure was taken from the middle toes and moved more squarely to the ball of my foot. This seemed to do the trick and the pain was non-existent when I used this technique - just coming back if my form changed.
I took my shoes off 2.5 miles into the run, and did 1.4 miles in bare feet, and then put the shoes back on for a while, removing them again just over 7 miles in. I did a total of 2.93 miles in bare feet (the longest I've done so far), and 7.42 miles in Classics, making a total of 10.35. Towards the end of the run, my knees felt quite stiff, but the pain was not a 'bad' pain which concerned me, just a bit of muscle fatigue I think. What was reassuring was that both knees were equally sore, which made me think that I must have been running nicely aligned (something which I'm sure I never used to do).
I'm very pleased with today's efforts. I finished off with a cold bath for my knees, and my feet are a little sore on the soles, but nothing that a good night's sleep won't sort out. If I continue to progress as well as this, I should be able to complete the half in Classics / barefoot. Happy days.
I couldn't decide what footwear to put on before this planned long run. Options were Vibram Classics - so far the footwear that's seen my longest run of 7 miles or so; Vivobarefoot - I didn't fancy these for a long run, because they are ever so slightly too short on the toe (my fault for being a cheapskate and buying the only remaining size in an Amazon special); or Merrel Pace Glove - super comfy when I tried them out the other day, but I've only done 2 miles in them, and the last thing I wanted was to have to cut the run short over a blister.
The other option of course was regular trainers, and I admit I was tempted with these from a safety point of view - I know I can run 13 miles in trainers, because I've done it before. I reminded myself that my goal is to run the 10k and possibly half marathon in minimalist footwear though, and that trainers don't guarantee blister-free running (I've got the photos to prove it), so I finally plumped for the Classics.
When I ran 3.5 miles on Wednesday I had a bit of Top of Foot Pain (TOFP), and I was concerned that this might be an issue for a long run. However, I recall Barefoot Ken saying that pain can help you refine your form, so I decided to view any pain as being welcome, so long as I could then adjust my form to prevent the pain. Before I set off I did some Asian Squats - something I've been trying to do once a day to built foot strength and stretch my achilles / calves etc. I also did some tiptoe exercises - I could feel the TOFP when I stood on tiptoe, so I adjusted the angle of my foot slightly and this avoided the pain.
Once running, I adopted the same foot angle as when I had practiced standing on tiptoe before setting off. I tend to run very straight footed (if not actually turning my toes in towards each other just a little). This seems to put extra pressure on my 2nd and 3rd metatarsals. By turning my foot out ever so slightly (ie so my feet would make a very slight v shape if I stopped and put them together - like a ballet stance) the pressure was taken from the middle toes and moved more squarely to the ball of my foot. This seemed to do the trick and the pain was non-existent when I used this technique - just coming back if my form changed.
I took my shoes off 2.5 miles into the run, and did 1.4 miles in bare feet, and then put the shoes back on for a while, removing them again just over 7 miles in. I did a total of 2.93 miles in bare feet (the longest I've done so far), and 7.42 miles in Classics, making a total of 10.35. Towards the end of the run, my knees felt quite stiff, but the pain was not a 'bad' pain which concerned me, just a bit of muscle fatigue I think. What was reassuring was that both knees were equally sore, which made me think that I must have been running nicely aligned (something which I'm sure I never used to do).
I'm very pleased with today's efforts. I finished off with a cold bath for my knees, and my feet are a little sore on the soles, but nothing that a good night's sleep won't sort out. If I continue to progress as well as this, I should be able to complete the half in Classics / barefoot. Happy days.
Sunday, 12 May 2013
The Race is on
I've entered a couple of races...
Cardiff 10k in September 2013, and then the Cardiff Half Marathon in October. I was thinking of doing some races this year (or next) to raise some money in memory of my Mum, and with a bit of gentle persuasion from my other half, I've taken the plunge and paid the entrance fees (or rather, he has!!).
The question now is what to wear on my feet when I run. I'm quite keen to run the 10k at least in Classics or Vivos. A week ago I would have said Vivos, but this week I've done quite a lot of miles in the Classics and I've really enjoyed wearing them. I don't think I'm ready to run barefoot yet (and I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to face the crowds without at least something on my feet), but September's still a way off and I'll hold off making a decision until nearer the day.
Training for the time being will be in minimalist shoes on the whole, though I did wear trainers for a run today as I had a little top of foot pain at the site of my old stress fracture, and I erred on the side of caution and stuck to the more solid support of a trainer.
I'm quite convinced now though that my ankles seem to suffer a lot more in the joints when I wear trainers, as on Friday I did 7 miles in Classics and bare feet, and felt no discomfort or stiffness in my ankles at all. Today I can already feel that they have done some miles, even though I didn't go as far. I also found my socks rubbed my soles (just as much as any rubbing from the pavement on bare feet, if not more) and my feet did feel really hot at times.
All good stuff though, and I'm feeling really positive about supporting the hospice that looked after my mum (and my family) back in February.
My JustGiving Page.
Cardiff 10k in September 2013, and then the Cardiff Half Marathon in October. I was thinking of doing some races this year (or next) to raise some money in memory of my Mum, and with a bit of gentle persuasion from my other half, I've taken the plunge and paid the entrance fees (or rather, he has!!).
The question now is what to wear on my feet when I run. I'm quite keen to run the 10k at least in Classics or Vivos. A week ago I would have said Vivos, but this week I've done quite a lot of miles in the Classics and I've really enjoyed wearing them. I don't think I'm ready to run barefoot yet (and I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to face the crowds without at least something on my feet), but September's still a way off and I'll hold off making a decision until nearer the day.
Training for the time being will be in minimalist shoes on the whole, though I did wear trainers for a run today as I had a little top of foot pain at the site of my old stress fracture, and I erred on the side of caution and stuck to the more solid support of a trainer.
I'm quite convinced now though that my ankles seem to suffer a lot more in the joints when I wear trainers, as on Friday I did 7 miles in Classics and bare feet, and felt no discomfort or stiffness in my ankles at all. Today I can already feel that they have done some miles, even though I didn't go as far. I also found my socks rubbed my soles (just as much as any rubbing from the pavement on bare feet, if not more) and my feet did feel really hot at times.
All good stuff though, and I'm feeling really positive about supporting the hospice that looked after my mum (and my family) back in February.
My JustGiving Page.
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Yay - 2 miles plus
Headed out again today in my Vibram Classics with the intention of clinching that 2 miler that I missed on Friday.
Shoes felt good, though I did notice a bit of Top of Foot Pain at the site of my old stress fracture, so I didn't push it, just ambled along. I took them off earlier than yesterday, telling myself that I could always put them back on if I needed to.
I ran the same route, and stayed barefoot for the whole of the run after that first mile or so. My feet did feel a little bit sore - still recovering from Friday's 1.99 miles, and in particular, my left foot, on the far side at the base of my little toe felt a little uncomfortable. There's not much padding there, and whilst I avoided most of the friction, there was still a bit of that tarmac rub which is noticeable now, a good few hours later.
Did have an amusing moment when a cyclist passed me and said 'enjoy your run'. My brain took a while to engage, and what came out in return was 'yes..... thank you..... and you...... on your bike....'. Doh!
Still, I'm well chuffed, as I've done 2.2 miles Barefoot today, with a total of 3.5 in all, and that takes me over 50 miles in bare feet since I started last year.
Shoes felt good, though I did notice a bit of Top of Foot Pain at the site of my old stress fracture, so I didn't push it, just ambled along. I took them off earlier than yesterday, telling myself that I could always put them back on if I needed to.
I ran the same route, and stayed barefoot for the whole of the run after that first mile or so. My feet did feel a little bit sore - still recovering from Friday's 1.99 miles, and in particular, my left foot, on the far side at the base of my little toe felt a little uncomfortable. There's not much padding there, and whilst I avoided most of the friction, there was still a bit of that tarmac rub which is noticeable now, a good few hours later.
Did have an amusing moment when a cyclist passed me and said 'enjoy your run'. My brain took a while to engage, and what came out in return was 'yes..... thank you..... and you...... on your bike....'. Doh!
Still, I'm well chuffed, as I've done 2.2 miles Barefoot today, with a total of 3.5 in all, and that takes me over 50 miles in bare feet since I started last year.
Saturday, 24 November 2012
Gravel, twigs, stones and floods
After a mile or so in my Vivos yesterday, I came across a flood, going across the whole of the country lane I was running down. I was at the point of taking off my shoes near there anyway, so it seemed as good a point as any.
It felt quite liberating to splash through the water - though I was quite wary of the fact that I had no idea what was under there, so my tread was very light. The water was probably a couple of inches deep in places, and it felt very cold.
The remainder of the lane was quite difficult to negotiate. As there had been water running across it, it was covered in debris - small stones, gravel, twigs, leaves, mud and even small branches. It meant I needed to slow down the pace (even more than usual), but it certainly helped me concentrate on form. Once out of the lane, I ran along a tarmac road, which I always find tougher if it's wet, but I continued on to the main road.
I considered putting my shoes back on, but with a bit of encouragement from my other half to just keep going, I did exactly that. It wasn't that my feet hurt, just a mental barrier of running barefoot along a trunk route from the M4 into town.
The M4 rounadabout was a challenge. It was made more pedestrian friendly just before the Ryder Cup in 2010, with the addition of small, firm gravel walkways between the numerous sets of lights. In the past, I would not have even attempted these sections bare foot, but the stationary onlooking traffic is a great motivator, so I padded along and crossed over the roundabout in 3 places, avoiding looking directly at any of the drivers and passengers.
All in all, 2.2 miles in bare feet. A triumph for me, not just because of the challenges of the terrain, but also overcoming the mental barrier of running in such close proximity to busy traffic and the public glare.
And my feet... well, here they are: A little muddy round the edges, but not a single scrape or cut. Aren't feet brilliant??
It felt quite liberating to splash through the water - though I was quite wary of the fact that I had no idea what was under there, so my tread was very light. The water was probably a couple of inches deep in places, and it felt very cold.
The remainder of the lane was quite difficult to negotiate. As there had been water running across it, it was covered in debris - small stones, gravel, twigs, leaves, mud and even small branches. It meant I needed to slow down the pace (even more than usual), but it certainly helped me concentrate on form. Once out of the lane, I ran along a tarmac road, which I always find tougher if it's wet, but I continued on to the main road.
I considered putting my shoes back on, but with a bit of encouragement from my other half to just keep going, I did exactly that. It wasn't that my feet hurt, just a mental barrier of running barefoot along a trunk route from the M4 into town.
The M4 rounadabout was a challenge. It was made more pedestrian friendly just before the Ryder Cup in 2010, with the addition of small, firm gravel walkways between the numerous sets of lights. In the past, I would not have even attempted these sections bare foot, but the stationary onlooking traffic is a great motivator, so I padded along and crossed over the roundabout in 3 places, avoiding looking directly at any of the drivers and passengers.
All in all, 2.2 miles in bare feet. A triumph for me, not just because of the challenges of the terrain, but also overcoming the mental barrier of running in such close proximity to busy traffic and the public glare.
And my feet... well, here they are: A little muddy round the edges, but not a single scrape or cut. Aren't feet brilliant??
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Shoes? You must be joking!
Last night I went out to a charity dinner/dance. It was just down the road (0.3 miles to be precise) so naturally we walked. Well, I say 'walked'. It was more a case of stumbling awkwardly along clinging to my husband's arm with my toes crushed into the front of my very nice, very high, but very uncomfortable high heeled shoes.
It made me think how strange it is that people wonder why I would dare to run barefoot and risk a foot injury, when here were close to 50 women wearing shoes which were just as likely to cause pain and injury, worn for longer than any barefoot run I've done, and whilst dancing of all things!
During the evening I was introduced to another runner by a friend. We got talking, and she asked me if I'd run the recent Cardiff half marathon. I explained that I hadn't because I've been mainly running in bare feet. She then exclaimed "Ahh - do you run through the lanes near me - I've seen you!!". For a moment, I felt rather famous (or perhaps I should say infamous!). We had a laugh about it, and I had the 'does it hurt' question, to which I replied "not nearly as much as wearing these shoes does!".
On the way home, I removed my shoes and walked barefoot along the pavements in the dark. I was wearing tights, and as a testament to my new found form and delicate footfall, there is not a single run or ladder on the soles.
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Further and further
I've managed to up my distance the past few days.
Yesterday, we ran through a local village, along a long and windy country lane. I started in my TrekSports, and once we were on the lane, I took them off and ran barefoot. My first experience of squishing in mud was encountered (rather nice), and we stopped to chat to a couple and their dogs, who acted like running barefoot was perfectly normal, and they didn't even acknowledge the shoes in my hand.
After 1.4 miles I rather relunctantly put my shoes back on for the main road, but I rather think I could have gone a bit further. My feet had felt very comfortable without shoes.
Towards the end of the 6.5 mile run, I took them off once again, making a grand total of 1.95 miles in bare feet - a further to date.
Today we did a rainy 3 miler. Again I started in my TrekSports, but they really rubbed in the rain, so taking them off was less of a risk than leaving them on. In fact, it was a pleasure to remove them just under a mile before we got back, even though the ground was wet - something I usually find harder to run on.
Good progress then - it certainly helps having a supportive partner to encourage me to take off my shoes and not worry about what everyone thinks.
Yesterday, we ran through a local village, along a long and windy country lane. I started in my TrekSports, and once we were on the lane, I took them off and ran barefoot. My first experience of squishing in mud was encountered (rather nice), and we stopped to chat to a couple and their dogs, who acted like running barefoot was perfectly normal, and they didn't even acknowledge the shoes in my hand.
After 1.4 miles I rather relunctantly put my shoes back on for the main road, but I rather think I could have gone a bit further. My feet had felt very comfortable without shoes.
Towards the end of the 6.5 mile run, I took them off once again, making a grand total of 1.95 miles in bare feet - a further to date.
Today we did a rainy 3 miler. Again I started in my TrekSports, but they really rubbed in the rain, so taking them off was less of a risk than leaving them on. In fact, it was a pleasure to remove them just under a mile before we got back, even though the ground was wet - something I usually find harder to run on.
Good progress then - it certainly helps having a supportive partner to encourage me to take off my shoes and not worry about what everyone thinks.
Monday, 29 October 2012
Fartleks
Over the past few months I've been working hard to build my form, improve my muscles and bone density, and generally develop my barefoot and minimalist running skills. But as is the peril of many runners across the globe, there's always that need to do a little bit more - to improve on what's already there.
So now I want to start improving my speed. I suppose I feel that if I don't push this aspect, I'll never improve my distance or my overall stamina, because I'm a great believer in the notion that if I'm concentrating on one particular element of my running, a lot of other elements improve without me noticing. So far, I've concentrated on technique and I'm hoping that if I now concentrate on speed, the technique stuff will just fall into place without me thinking about it.
Today I went out - just for a short 2 miles as time was limited - and did some Fartlek work - running slowly followed by bursts of speed. I wore my Garmin, and hit the lap button at every changeover, but I didn't set a goal pace, I just ran hard for 150 - 250 metres, then ran slow until I'd got my breath back for the next burst.
When I first took up running (shod), I followed pretty much the same pattern. Once I felt I'd got to grips with getting out the house and running for 3 miles or so without dying, I started to build in a variety of sessions - Fartleks, hill work, speed work and tempo runs. It was only at that point that my running really improved. Switching to barefoot and minimalist running took me back to those early running days, and now I've grasped the basics, I feel the need to do a bit more.
How did I get on? Overall, I hit an average pace of 8.56 minute miles. This is great because it means I should be able to hit my previous shod distance PBs with a bit of training. In the short speedier bursts I managed to hit speeds of 8.05 minute miles - 8.30 minute miles. Granted, these were really short distances, but the fact that my legs will move this quickly is great - it's something I've wondered about as my cadence has increased dramatically and I wasn't sure I'd be able to move my legs fast enough to get the speed.
What I need to do now is increase the speedy sections to up to 0.5 miles, so I think perhaps it's time to plug some training plans into my Garmin and push myself properly. Doing this completely barefoot will need to wait until warmer days, I think winter training will be minimalist, with barefoot easy runs thrown in for good measure, and barefoot training will be a Spring challenge.
So now I want to start improving my speed. I suppose I feel that if I don't push this aspect, I'll never improve my distance or my overall stamina, because I'm a great believer in the notion that if I'm concentrating on one particular element of my running, a lot of other elements improve without me noticing. So far, I've concentrated on technique and I'm hoping that if I now concentrate on speed, the technique stuff will just fall into place without me thinking about it.
Today I went out - just for a short 2 miles as time was limited - and did some Fartlek work - running slowly followed by bursts of speed. I wore my Garmin, and hit the lap button at every changeover, but I didn't set a goal pace, I just ran hard for 150 - 250 metres, then ran slow until I'd got my breath back for the next burst.
When I first took up running (shod), I followed pretty much the same pattern. Once I felt I'd got to grips with getting out the house and running for 3 miles or so without dying, I started to build in a variety of sessions - Fartleks, hill work, speed work and tempo runs. It was only at that point that my running really improved. Switching to barefoot and minimalist running took me back to those early running days, and now I've grasped the basics, I feel the need to do a bit more.
How did I get on? Overall, I hit an average pace of 8.56 minute miles. This is great because it means I should be able to hit my previous shod distance PBs with a bit of training. In the short speedier bursts I managed to hit speeds of 8.05 minute miles - 8.30 minute miles. Granted, these were really short distances, but the fact that my legs will move this quickly is great - it's something I've wondered about as my cadence has increased dramatically and I wasn't sure I'd be able to move my legs fast enough to get the speed.
What I need to do now is increase the speedy sections to up to 0.5 miles, so I think perhaps it's time to plug some training plans into my Garmin and push myself properly. Doing this completely barefoot will need to wait until warmer days, I think winter training will be minimalist, with barefoot easy runs thrown in for good measure, and barefoot training will be a Spring challenge.
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Bit of a lull?
The last few weeks have felt like a bit of a lull. The weather is getting colder and wetter, and for some reason I've been feeling more self conscious - not the nervous excitement I started out with, more of just wanting to get on with it quietly on my own away from public comments and stares. Not that I blame anyone, I would surely have stared and passed comment a year ago if I had seen someone mad enough to run in bare feet.
Anyway, on Friday, my OH persuaded me to go for a run with him, so I put on my VFF Classics and we did just over 3 miles together. I pushed the pace to keep up with him in his trainers, so ended up with a respectable 5.8mph - not bad considering I haven't broken the 10 min mile pace on more than one occasion.
Today is Sunday, so I got up and out early (ish) to avoid too many people, and did a nice 1.3miles in bare feet - my further BF run to date. Temperature was around 11 degrees C. I kept it slow as I knew I wanted to increase my longest distance, so only 12 min miles, but I can report no aches and pains or sore feet of any kind, so I'm more than happy.
On the VFF note - what I did notice was that whilst my thighs burned whilst I was running (I've not done 3 miles for some time), I had no post run soreness, even the following day, so I'm convinced my step was light and my form was good.
My OH has asked me to run a 10k with him in mid November, and I'm now toying with the idea of doing it in my Fives.... Just a thought at present, but it's been ages since I've worn trainers for running now!
Anyway, on Friday, my OH persuaded me to go for a run with him, so I put on my VFF Classics and we did just over 3 miles together. I pushed the pace to keep up with him in his trainers, so ended up with a respectable 5.8mph - not bad considering I haven't broken the 10 min mile pace on more than one occasion.
Today is Sunday, so I got up and out early (ish) to avoid too many people, and did a nice 1.3miles in bare feet - my further BF run to date. Temperature was around 11 degrees C. I kept it slow as I knew I wanted to increase my longest distance, so only 12 min miles, but I can report no aches and pains or sore feet of any kind, so I'm more than happy.
On the VFF note - what I did notice was that whilst my thighs burned whilst I was running (I've not done 3 miles for some time), I had no post run soreness, even the following day, so I'm convinced my step was light and my form was good.
My OH has asked me to run a 10k with him in mid November, and I'm now toying with the idea of doing it in my Fives.... Just a thought at present, but it's been ages since I've worn trainers for running now!
Friday, 7 September 2012
Back to the Classics
I was starting to get a bit twitchy from not running anything more than about half a mile, so this morning - a beautiful hot sunny day - I decided to get back in my VFF Classics and go a little bit further.
I ran 1.9 miles in these, and then 0.3 miles in bare feet at the end.
What I noticed was that since I've been running exclusively in bare feet for a few weeks, my VFF technique seemed better - shorter steps, faster cadence, and better foot position. It was lovely to go a bit further, but towards the end I really wanted to take them off and 'free my feet' (sorry, sounding very hippy there!), so I did. Interestingly, whilst I thought my VFF technique was pretty good, I instantly noticed that my heels were going doing more in bare feet - ie a ball of foot touch quickly followed by a pretty much flat foot, with toes and heels down together. I also noticed my stride shorten instinctively.
I think not wearing VFFs for a few weeks has been good for developing my form, but I can certainly still go further (and feel way less self conscious) in them than in bare feet (at the moment)!
I ran 1.9 miles in these, and then 0.3 miles in bare feet at the end.
What I noticed was that since I've been running exclusively in bare feet for a few weeks, my VFF technique seemed better - shorter steps, faster cadence, and better foot position. It was lovely to go a bit further, but towards the end I really wanted to take them off and 'free my feet' (sorry, sounding very hippy there!), so I did. Interestingly, whilst I thought my VFF technique was pretty good, I instantly noticed that my heels were going doing more in bare feet - ie a ball of foot touch quickly followed by a pretty much flat foot, with toes and heels down together. I also noticed my stride shorten instinctively.
I think not wearing VFFs for a few weeks has been good for developing my form, but I can certainly still go further (and feel way less self conscious) in them than in bare feet (at the moment)!
Friday, 31 August 2012
Action Plan
After a week off with my sore heel, I decided to put a more consistent plan into action.
This involves sticking at a comfortable distance for a few weeks without any pain or injury before upping the distance by approximately a quarter of a mile and repeating the process. This was always sort of in the back of my head, but I was not really keeping track of my progress and tempering the distance increases perhaps as much as I should. I was reminded of this process after reading the "Lose the Shoes" plan on Runnersworld.com.
So, here's the progress so far:
25/8/12: 0.5 miles - 7 mins 2 seconds
26/8/12: 0.52 miles - 7 mins 7 seconds
27/8/12: 0.53 miles - 7 mins 0 seconds
29/8/12: 0.5 miles - 6 mins 32 seconds (on account of having to run away from lots of people I knew!)
31/8/12: 0.61 miles - 8 mins 21 seconds
I'll now stick with the 0.6 mile distance for two weeks (and here's the reminder to myself) ie mid September.
The last run on the list (today's) was a fantastic run. It's a beautiful, cool but sunny morning and my feet felt really good and strong. I could have easily been tempted to do more!
This involves sticking at a comfortable distance for a few weeks without any pain or injury before upping the distance by approximately a quarter of a mile and repeating the process. This was always sort of in the back of my head, but I was not really keeping track of my progress and tempering the distance increases perhaps as much as I should. I was reminded of this process after reading the "Lose the Shoes" plan on Runnersworld.com.
So, here's the progress so far:
25/8/12: 0.5 miles - 7 mins 2 seconds
26/8/12: 0.52 miles - 7 mins 7 seconds
27/8/12: 0.53 miles - 7 mins 0 seconds
29/8/12: 0.5 miles - 6 mins 32 seconds (on account of having to run away from lots of people I knew!)
31/8/12: 0.61 miles - 8 mins 21 seconds
I'll now stick with the 0.6 mile distance for two weeks (and here's the reminder to myself) ie mid September.
The last run on the list (today's) was a fantastic run. It's a beautiful, cool but sunny morning and my feet felt really good and strong. I could have easily been tempted to do more!
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
I braved the main road
Very brave today (and to be honest, I've annoyed myself with my fear of public barefoot running). I ran to the end of our estate, and then along the main road. This is significant progress, as so far, I've only run around the houses on our estate, or along a very quiet country lane. I didn't take any shoes (even though I felt they'd be added security and I could put them on if I felt too conspicious).
I've checked with all my family that they aren't embarrassed (a bit tongue in cheek on my part - I'd probably do it anyway, but it's lovely to have their support). My friends just think I'm a bit wacky. I don't suppose it really matters what anyone else thinks.
My feet felt fantastic, the ground felt lovely, and when I got back there was not one single ache or blister. This is the way forward I think. 0.88 miles and rising.
I've checked with all my family that they aren't embarrassed (a bit tongue in cheek on my part - I'd probably do it anyway, but it's lovely to have their support). My friends just think I'm a bit wacky. I don't suppose it really matters what anyone else thinks.
My feet felt fantastic, the ground felt lovely, and when I got back there was not one single ache or blister. This is the way forward I think. 0.88 miles and rising.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Back from our hols
I've had over two weeks off running because I've been living it up in Florida. Plenty of walking in flip flops or bare feet (in the water parks), and a couple of days in VFF Classics, so my feet felt like they'd had a great workout every day and I was confident that they'd feel strong on my first run back.
I ran just under two miles in my Classics - pretty slowly as I had my son in tow, but as expected, my feet felt great. None of the twinges of my stress fracture were present, and I loved my final 0.3 miles in bare feet at the end. Great to be running again.
The following day I did a four mile run in my trainers. This certainly felt like hard work - whether because of the break from running, or because I've only been wearing very light shoes for two weeks, or because I'd had a short run the day before, I cannot say. The following day, my thighs and calves were all very achey, and I really noticed the hip pain which I suffer from, which I've not had for the two weeks off running, nor had it returned on my VFFs run.
Today I've been for a two mile run in Classics, followed by 0.3 miles barefoot. Much nicer than trainers, and I averaged around 9.40 min miles which is by far the fastest I've gone in minimalist footwear.
I'm thinking of signing up for the September 10k, and wonder whether I should go for a fast time (52 mins or so) in trainers, or whether to just go for any time, but in my Classics.... Decisions, decisions...
I ran just under two miles in my Classics - pretty slowly as I had my son in tow, but as expected, my feet felt great. None of the twinges of my stress fracture were present, and I loved my final 0.3 miles in bare feet at the end. Great to be running again.
The following day I did a four mile run in my trainers. This certainly felt like hard work - whether because of the break from running, or because I've only been wearing very light shoes for two weeks, or because I'd had a short run the day before, I cannot say. The following day, my thighs and calves were all very achey, and I really noticed the hip pain which I suffer from, which I've not had for the two weeks off running, nor had it returned on my VFFs run.
Today I've been for a two mile run in Classics, followed by 0.3 miles barefoot. Much nicer than trainers, and I averaged around 9.40 min miles which is by far the fastest I've gone in minimalist footwear.
I'm thinking of signing up for the September 10k, and wonder whether I should go for a fast time (52 mins or so) in trainers, or whether to just go for any time, but in my Classics.... Decisions, decisions...
I Spy FiveFingers
I haven't posted for a few weeks because I've been on holiday, enjoying some sun and heat and the hustle and bustle of Florida's many theme parks.
Whilst I was away, I spent a lot of time in very busy places, sometimes in queues (for those hairy scary rides), sometimes in cafes or restaurants, or just cooling down with an ice cold drink. I used the opportunity to entertain myself with a few games of "I Spy Vibram FiveFingers". Surprisingly, I didn't see that many - of all the tens of thousands of people I must have seen, I would say I only spotted a dozen or so people in VFFs. I also noticed a slightly greater number of people wearing Fila toe shoes - with one split for the big toe and a separate pocket for the remaining four. Interestingly, a Google search for Fila Toe Shoes reveals that Fila actually make five toed shoes also - very similar to VFFs but at a much reduced price - something for me to research at a later date.
But I digress... by far the most popular footwear at the theme parks were trainers (not surprisingly) and the rather strange (at least to me) practice of flip flops and woolly black socks. I think this is an American trait, and may be perfectly normal to some, but in 36 degrees and blazing sun, I can't think of anything worse than woolly socks.
I did dare to wear my Classics on two days in the parks - once at Universal's Islands of Adventures, where we spotted a couple of girls curiously pointing to my feet and whispering whilst queueing for the new Harry Potter ride, and on another day when we went on an Airboat ride (very practical for that) followed by a wander around Downtown Disney, where a lad said "I like your shoes, Mom" as he passed me on some stairs.
I had thought that not running for a couple of weeks would cause the skin on my soles to soften a little, but I need not have worried... a number of days in water parks where we wore nothing on our feet all day, and only wearing a pair of Birkenstocks (or my Classics) the rest of the time meant my feet had an excellent workout (and we must have walked miles each day) and were raring to go on my return to the UK.
Whilst I was away, I spent a lot of time in very busy places, sometimes in queues (for those hairy scary rides), sometimes in cafes or restaurants, or just cooling down with an ice cold drink. I used the opportunity to entertain myself with a few games of "I Spy Vibram FiveFingers". Surprisingly, I didn't see that many - of all the tens of thousands of people I must have seen, I would say I only spotted a dozen or so people in VFFs. I also noticed a slightly greater number of people wearing Fila toe shoes - with one split for the big toe and a separate pocket for the remaining four. Interestingly, a Google search for Fila Toe Shoes reveals that Fila actually make five toed shoes also - very similar to VFFs but at a much reduced price - something for me to research at a later date.
But I digress... by far the most popular footwear at the theme parks were trainers (not surprisingly) and the rather strange (at least to me) practice of flip flops and woolly black socks. I think this is an American trait, and may be perfectly normal to some, but in 36 degrees and blazing sun, I can't think of anything worse than woolly socks.
I did dare to wear my Classics on two days in the parks - once at Universal's Islands of Adventures, where we spotted a couple of girls curiously pointing to my feet and whispering whilst queueing for the new Harry Potter ride, and on another day when we went on an Airboat ride (very practical for that) followed by a wander around Downtown Disney, where a lad said "I like your shoes, Mom" as he passed me on some stairs.
I had thought that not running for a couple of weeks would cause the skin on my soles to soften a little, but I need not have worried... a number of days in water parks where we wore nothing on our feet all day, and only wearing a pair of Birkenstocks (or my Classics) the rest of the time meant my feet had an excellent workout (and we must have walked miles each day) and were raring to go on my return to the UK.
Friday, 6 July 2012
Mid run barefooting
I departed from my usual route today and ran a 3.5 miles circuit through some country lanes in my VFF Classics.
Just over a mile in, I took my Classics off, and ran barefoot. This was a challenge because I'm used to the fairly well kept, smooth pavements around our housing estate. This road was old, crumbly, gritty and dirty - a typical unkempt country lane. It felt great though, my feet have definitely toughened up, and the gritty stones didn't bother me at all. In fact, I think I had more discomfort from rogue stones when I was wearing the Classics.
Quite a few vehicles passed me when I got into the village area, including a work van which had to pull in to allow a bus to get through. Both occupants were clearly discussing why on earth I might be standing there (letting the vehicles pass as it was very narrow) in bare feet, holding a weird looking pair of shoes with toe pockets. They looked very confused!
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| Where I ran today - Image from Google |
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| Narrow lanes - Image from Google |
Sunday, 17 June 2012
It's been a busy weekend for my feet...
It started on Friday, when I went for my longest ever run in Vibram FiveFinger Classics - 3.85 miles. I'd only intended to do just over three, but we took the slightly longer route instead. Feet felt great - no rubbing or sore spots, and more importantly, they felt strong. All good stuff.
On Friday evening I went to a friend's 40th birthday party. At the dinner table, I enjoyed a conversation with a neighbour who had been approached by someone who was 'concerned about Clare'. Turns out she has seen me running barefoot and is very concerned about me stepping on something sharp. I then had a brief discussion with my dinner companions (also fellow runners) about the virtues of barefoot running, which was nice because I'm still a little bit self conscious about doing it, if I'm honest.
Later in the evening (with an excellent set by Mr Gareth Gates himself - not that I'm name dropping, you understand!), I danced for a bit in my very high heels, and then abandoned decorum and kicked them off, as did many of the other revellers. I particularly enjoyed a bit of jumping around to the Killers (harder work on the calves than barefoot running, I can assure you), and I smiled smugly to myself when a friend complained of blisters. Been there, done that, my soles are made of stronger stuff ;)
Saturday was a day of chilling.
Today, I did a couple of miles in my Classics, followed by 0.3 miles barefoot as usual, and then took my son to a gymnastics competition. Unusually, I was sitting at the front, just 5 feet or so (if you'll pardon the pun) from the tumble run. From this excellent position I was able to study the form of tumblers and vaulters aged 7 and 8. I noticed some interesting things. Firstly, that when walking or jogging around, the children instinctively raise their toes before the balls of their feet contact the ground (something I mentioned in my last blog post when I fell over). Secondly, when the tumblers did their routines, which included cartwheels, handsprings, forward rolls, tuck and star jumps, it was really noticeable that they constantly wiggled their toes, using them all the time to minutely adjust their balance. I even took a video (which if I get time I'll try and post) where it is easy to see just how much toe movement goes on in the simplest of activities (not that I'd call a cartwheel simple - I can't do them for toffee!).
I used to find my feet horrible - awkward shaped toes, peely skin, yucky nails. Now I feel rather proud of my feet and all they can do. Clever little things :D
On Friday evening I went to a friend's 40th birthday party. At the dinner table, I enjoyed a conversation with a neighbour who had been approached by someone who was 'concerned about Clare'. Turns out she has seen me running barefoot and is very concerned about me stepping on something sharp. I then had a brief discussion with my dinner companions (also fellow runners) about the virtues of barefoot running, which was nice because I'm still a little bit self conscious about doing it, if I'm honest.
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| Well, just in case you didn't believe me! |
Saturday was a day of chilling.
Today, I did a couple of miles in my Classics, followed by 0.3 miles barefoot as usual, and then took my son to a gymnastics competition. Unusually, I was sitting at the front, just 5 feet or so (if you'll pardon the pun) from the tumble run. From this excellent position I was able to study the form of tumblers and vaulters aged 7 and 8. I noticed some interesting things. Firstly, that when walking or jogging around, the children instinctively raise their toes before the balls of their feet contact the ground (something I mentioned in my last blog post when I fell over). Secondly, when the tumblers did their routines, which included cartwheels, handsprings, forward rolls, tuck and star jumps, it was really noticeable that they constantly wiggled their toes, using them all the time to minutely adjust their balance. I even took a video (which if I get time I'll try and post) where it is easy to see just how much toe movement goes on in the simplest of activities (not that I'd call a cartwheel simple - I can't do them for toffee!).
I used to find my feet horrible - awkward shaped toes, peely skin, yucky nails. Now I feel rather proud of my feet and all they can do. Clever little things :D
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