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.

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.

A lot going on

Well I've certainly made up for a poor start to the running week.  On Friday I went for my longest run for ages, wearing my Vibram TrekSports.  I did around 4 miles in them and they felt amazingly comfortable. I haven't worn these since February, and what I really noticed was that the soles are way thicker than my Classics.  I added 0.3 miles in bare feet at the end for good measure.  I think I'll be wearing these quite a lot in the colder weather.

Yesterday (Saturday) I dropped my son at his gymnastics class and got chatting to a fellow runner.  I told him I've been running almost exclusively barefoot or minimalist for some time, and he made my day by asking "Doesn't it hurt?" and "What if you step on dog poo?".  No-one has blatantly asked me these classic questions yet, so it made me chuckle.  When I got home, I tried my new Vivobarefoot Evo's for 0.8 miles, which I found really comfortable - just a slight bit of rubbing on the left big toe, but I think these will make a great substitute when barefoot's not an option, or for days when I'm keen to keep a low profile and look 'normal'!

Shortly after I had taken off my Evos off to run the last half mile barefoot, I was stopped by a passing driver who wanted directions.  I wondered if he wished he hadn't stopped me when he spotted my bare feet and shoes in hand, but to his credit he did not flinch or waver from his train of thought once.  To my own credit, I also did not flinch or look embarrased, but gave him clear directions to his destination and padded off.

Today (Sunday) I've run just over a mile without any footwear.  The weather is getting colder, and I thought it would be interesting to see how my feet fared on the cold pavement.  Air temperature just under 8 degrees Celcius, and the pavements were noticeably warmer on the sunny side of the road, but my feet coped admirably and have suffered no ill effects.  I did notice that the ground seemed more gravelly and ouchy today - I'm not sure if that was the cold or the fact that we've had lots of rain...

My OH graciously agreed to accompany me on this run, forfeiting his own pace to match my slower one, and I was very grateful for his company when a bus pulled up and offloaded it's passengers just as we ran past.  Pity there weren't any trees to hug I guess!

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!

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)!

Pause for thought

I've had to be sensible and take a few days off.  Things were going really well: I've braved the main road, and for two consecutive days I ran a mile completely barefoot.

However, I'd developed a small bruise-like pain on my right heel - outside or lateral edge, underneath my ankle bone. When I was running on the second day (a 2.5 mile run, first 1.5 in Vibrams, last mile barefoot) I could feel pain developing quite rapidly in this area. It scared me a bit because it reminded me of the pain I got when I had my stress fracture. I slowed for the last 400 metres or so, and iced the area on my return.

I little later I could see a small amount of swelling in the area. I did a bit of research and found an excellent website for pinpointing foot pain. It is either posterior heel pain (though this seems to present much more at the very back of the heel), or more worrying - a developing stress feature of the calcaneal.  Another classic symptom of this is that that there is pain in this area when the achilles is 'pinched' on both sides simultaneously - something that I can definitely confirm.

That was the 17th August.  I've been good and rested my foot now for a few days, and whilst there is still a little pain, it's much improved.  Symptoms now are only noticeable when I walk - on flexing the ankle to lift the foot up at the end of each stride - or if I squeeze the area.  I'm not limping.

So another little set back.  I think, as runners we accept that our running life is never straightforward - except for the lucky few.  Have I been put off running barefoot?  Certainly not.  In fact, as I drove down a local road the other day, I commented to my daughter that it looked like it would be a great road to run down barefoot, because it was a little bit rough and gritty, and I thought it would feel nice on my soles.  It's frustrating to wait, but I know it'll be worth it.

I thought it was important to make this post, because I'm guilty of raving about how great barefooting is, but (for me at least) it's not a quick route to faster and longer runs.

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 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.

Feeling confident

Yesterday I went for a 5 mile run in my trainers (I can't go that far yet in bare feet or FiveFingers). We averaged around 10 min miles, so a fairly leisurely pace. At the end I took off my trainers and did the last 0.3 miles in bare feet. I was able to almost maintain the same pace.

Today I've been for just over 2 miles in my Classics. Again, for the last 0.3 miles I took them off and ran barefoot. Overall, I managed an average pace of 10.06 min/miles. This is considerably faster than I was doing only a few weeks ago. I'm discovering that whilst I like my Classics (and there's no way I could go as far completely barefoot yet), I feel much more comfortable when my feet are bare. They don't feel restricted in any way (even my FiveFingers are a little restricting), and I feel more confident that I can avoid injury when my feet are bare. It's like they are communicating with me as I run, and this feedback is definitely more muffled even when I've just got FiveFingers on.

On another note, I have had a little Top Of Foot Pain this week on my right foot (hence the five day break from running). This is still apparent, albeit it very minimal. Interestingly, I notice that when I get back, there is almost always a bit of redness on my second and third toe joints (highlighted on the pic - excuse the terrible nail varnish, I really must take it off!).

I think this is a throw back from my stress fracture. It's not on my left foot. I guess there must still be a bit of weakness there, so I do need to be careful.

Why do I run barefoot?

A recent entry on the Runners Forum asked those who have posted on the thread on barefoot and minimalist running to say what motivated them to start. I found myself pondering this question in the middle of the night.  Rather than clog up the forum with a long and probably rather boring essay on my thinkings, I thought I'd write it here.

I've been running for about six years.  For the first two years, I suffered terribly with shin splits.  In hindsight I think this was due to bad form - big heel striker and far too much overstriding (I thought this was how you were supposed to run).  At that time, I read a lot about barefoot running, because I was looking for anything that might help with my problems.

Gradually, my form improved - painfully slowly, and I built up strength in my shins and calf muscles which also helped.  For the last couple of years I've had no shin splint problems.  Along the way I've picked up various minor injuries - thigh strain, dodgy knee, sore ankle - and I've been for physio and rested, then picked up again.  Trainers have been good to me on the whole.

But always in the back of my mind I've had a fascination with the idea of barefoot running.  I really can't explain why.  I wanted a pair of Vibram FiveFingers, but couldn't justify the expense.  I hoped I might get some for my 40th, but I didn't.  Last summer I read Born to Run, and by October, I'd persuaded myself that several years of Googling Vibram FiveFingers needed to end:  I needed to have a pair of my own.  I got them for my 41st birthday.

I built up really carefully, starting out with a quarter of a mile, then half a mile, and so on, until over a four week period I'd built up to just over 3 miles.  Then one wintry day at the end of November, I set out for a 3.5 mile run, but my feet were freezing.  I expected the top of foot pain I experienced to disappear after my feet had warmed up, but a mile in it just kept getting worse, and after half a mile of walking and gentle jogging, I knew I had done some damage.  Turns out I'd got a stress fracture in the second metatarsal of my right foot.  Ouch :(

I duly rested, and watched my other half go out running every other day.  As I couldn't run, I read about running instead, and in particular I did more research on barefoot running.  I couldn't understand how I'd got a stress fracture when I'd been so careful.  I read Ken Bob Saxton's Step by Step guide to barefoot running, which was one of the first books I downloaded to my Christmas Kindle. I conversed with a fellow forum runner who had had an almost identical experience on switching to FiveFingers.  It began to make sense.  Whilst I had built up my distance slowly, the FiveFingers were tricking me into thinking I could run further than my feet were ready for.  The only way to truly build up distance would be to run completely barefoot.

Late in January, when I decided it was time to try a very short run for the first time in almost six weeks, I wore my trainers.  I felt that I needed the support, and I was incredibly nervous about injuring myself again.  You'd think that my experience with VFFs would have put me off barefoot or minimalist running for life, but it only served to make me more determined.  Perhaps determined is too stubborn a sounding word - it was more about being curious.  After a couple of weeks in trainers, I ran a short distance in my FiveFingers and it was ok.  Shortly after that, I took my first, very self conscious steps outdoors in bare feet.  That's where this blog really begins.

I now run barefoot at the end of every shod run I do, and I also bought a pair of FiveFinger Classics which are thinner than the TrekSports to enable me to increase my distance on rougher surfaces.  Do I think barefoot running is the holy grail to avoiding injuries?  No, definitely not.  It hasn't made me faster, and I cannot run as far as I can (and still do) in trainers.  But I have started to love the freedom I feel when my feet are in direct contact with the ground, I've built up my confidence in being seen barefoot in public, and my feet feel stronger.  In short, I think it's added a bit of spice to my running, and brought me a fresh challenge.  It is for those reasons that I will continue to run barefoot for the foreseeable future.

Lush

I don't say 'lush' very often.  For me, 'lush' is something inexplicably 'nice', a bit indulgent, a bit special.

Yesterday I went for a run.  I was a bit short on time (roast dinner waiting!) so I ditched the 3-miler shod run I had planned in favour of a one-miler in my new FiveFinger Classics (which I've been wearing in over the past week walking around).

The Classics are thinner than the TrekSports, so I needed to get even closer to a barefoot technique than I had in the TrekSports.  It's still not the same as running completely barefoot though.  So, after two thirds of a mile (and once back away from the main road and in the safety of my side roads), I pulled off the Classics (much quicker than taking off trainers) and ran the last third of a mile in bare feet.

It was a sunny day, the pavement was warm under my feet, and the ground felt great.  Slightly scratchy, warmth from the earth, and the quiet 'pad, pad' of my feet.  My feet felt strong, my soles felt tough, but sensitive, the pavement seemed less scratchy than on previous runs.  It was liberating and fun.  As I ran through my front door, all I could say was 'lush', because that's exactly what it was.

I woke up this morning in a really good mood.  I'm definitely making progress, and I'm almost craving the feel of the ground on my feet. I think I'm turning a bit hippie!  Can't wait to go a bit further.  I might even be brave enough to hit the main road soon!

Starting again

Yesterday I went out for 3.5 mile run - in my trainers.  I tried to employ barefoot techniques - keeping a rough cadence of 180bpm, light on my feet, 1-2-3 footfall (ball, heel, toes, in quick succession), concentrating on lift, not landing.  It was great to get out for a proper run again, and I really enjoyed it.

When I got home, I took off my trainers and ran up and down the side of the house a few times.  My bare feet felt fine (though it is only a smooth surface).  Then I realised that the neighbours opposite would have a great view of the side of the house, so I went inside.

Today, I put on my FiveFingers and did just under a mile.  I was extremely careful, being vigilant for any signs of TOFP (top of foot pain).  There was none, just a slight stretching of my achilles.  I tried to remember all of the barefoot running hints & tips as above.  I tried to run silently and effortlessly.  It seemed to work reasonably well.

I did notice that I had no calf pain which I had definitely experienced in my previous FiveFinger outings.  I think this is because I make sure the whole of my foot touched the ground, and I didn't focus on staying on my toes like I had done pre-injury.

On my return home, I once again took off my fives and ran up and down the side of the house completely barefoot.  I was relaxed, gentle footed and it felt good.  My neighbour's blinds were shut so I felt a little less silly.  I think this is the way forward for me for the time being.

To barefoot or not to barefoot?

As I've been unable to run, I've spent most of the Christmas break reading about running, or looking longingly out of the window wishing I could be out there racing through the wind and rain.

From Amazon.co.uk

Having been good enough for Santa to bring me a Kindle, I decided to download Barefoot Ken Bob's book "Barefoot Running Step by Step", which I have been reading avidly for the past few days.  It's been a bit of a revelation (and I haven't even finished it yet!).


Firstly, there are a few paragraphs about the transition to barefoot running using Vibrams.  The paragraphs could be describing me:

"Although running on your toes can seem fun and exhilarating for a while, it can lead to stubbed toes, blisters, and metatarsal stress fractures (a too common malady particularly striking in beginning Vibram/minimalist footwear runners"

Here, Ken Bob is talking about the 1-2-3 (ball, toe, heel) technique.  This is ringing bells in my head.  I'm having a lightbulb moment.  I was running on the balls of my feet only.  When my calves were aching a bit (Ken says if they're aching, you need to tweak your technique, or stop), I did lower my heels a little more, but I thought this was wrong, and would produce a shock impact, so I tried really hard not to put my heels down at all.  In fact, the foot should land with the ball a split second before the heel or toes follow, thus reducing impact whilst then quickly spreading the weight across the whole foot.

The next interesting thing is that Ken says you should learn to run barefoot with nothing on your feet at all, and on the most uncomfortable surface you can find.  That way, you will learn to create the most gentle running experience possible, in order to avoid any pain.  It is this technique that leads to significant improvement in form.

The last thing I want to mention at this stage is cadence.  I've read before that a good running cadence is 180bpm, and I've even once or twice tried to find music tracks with the right bpm to run to, without success.  Yesterday, I had a proper look for this beat, and the reason it's difficult to find is because it is phenominally fast.  At Ken's suggestion, I took to my exercise bike this morning (not one of my favourite activities), and I tried to pedal at 90rpm (the equivalent of 180bpm when running).  I was astounded at how fast it is.  I certainly worked up a good sweat in the 10 minutes I did, something I've never really done before on an exercise bike - I was clearly just plodding along before at around 60rpm.

The question now is whether I want to pursue this barefoot lark.  I know my friends and relatives will think I'm bonkers.  My OH is supportive, though concerned about the combination of feet on stones and broken glass, which I too would be worried about - though a little less now I've read some of Ken's book.

Ideally, I'd have a hidden bit of gravel in the back garden where I can make a start in private.  Perhaps the winter isn't the best time of year either - I could certainly get away with running up and down the road with my son barefoot in the summer.

Barefoot Ken's feet after 10 miles of gravel

Oh, and I don't blame the Vibrams for my injury.  I just wish I'd read Ken's book first.