Barefoot March Madness with Merrell’s and Mud!

Run for your Lives GA March 3 2012

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly an Update on my Barefoot journey

So it’s been a while since my last post and in a short month it’s been a roller coaster ride of up’s and down’s.

The Good

So come the turn of the year my running was going great. Felt fantastic and also seemed i could run for ever. I was still keeping to my ground rules of running only a maximum of 5 miles in my barefoot shoes and switching to my Saucony Kinvara’s for anything longer. It was around this time i decided i wanted to do the GA Half Marathon in March. So i stepped up the training over night. Instead of doing just the one lap of my course i would double the distance too two laps and a 9+ mile run. After 3 of these in quick succession my knee really started to hurt.

The Bad

Thinking i could run it off i gave it another go with my knee in pain from the get go, Bad move. I hobbled around the 5 miles and went off to see my friendly neighborhood orthopedic Dr. Here my naivety showed through, Where i was being “careful-ish” with my barefoot running transition, i gave my knees and legs no such benefit. I may well be able to run a half marathon from a cardio stand point, but that does not mean my legs can, right off the bat. This was a big set back and took me out of the running for a good few weeks, while the anti-infamatories worked on my knee.

On top of that, I was rock climbing with Sophie and Ian. After watching Sophie performing all kinds of awesomeness on the rock wall at Stone Summit, i decided I’d give it a go, and try a move that was in retrospect way out of my league. Without stretching and warming up first. The outcome of this fiasco was me falling off the wall and pulling my groin in the process. Thus my extended break from running. Still I’m back now and pushing to get back to my beginning of the year pace, and slowly this time build up my distance, to run a half a little later in the year.

The Ugly

Just in time really as i have two ugly / messy races this weekend and next. This weekend I’ll be being chased by the undead. A small Zombie army will be trying to eat me, as i fly through the 5k obstacle course http://runforyourlives.com/

The second which will be much harder is the GA Spartan race. 4 miles and genuinely tough obstacles await me there. http://www.spartanrace.com Wish me luck for that one.

I did however have a warm up race back on the 18th of Feb, far from race fitness I finished the Run The Reagan 10k road race in 56:37 which all things considered I’m pretty happy with. My goal was to beat an hour and i easily did that.

Barefoot and Shod Running Concurrently

Readers of this blog will be well aware that my minimalist running progress is going very well. I am enjoying it, maybe a little too much and in real danger of moving into the TMTS (Too Much Too Soon) category.

I have been lucky enough to find my mid-foot strike form quite easily and now that i’m 50+ miles into the barefoot running i naturally fall into and out of the mid-foot form  depending on the shoe. It is with this in mind i decided over Christmas i would try to run parallel training patterns that will allow me to build my foot strength and elongate my barefoot runs while also running greater distances over all.

I want to be able to run my first marathon the end of this year or the beginning of next year. I have just signed up for the ING NYC Marathon in November. I will have to wait until April however to see if i have a number. So i want to get some distance running in, something i don’t dare do yet in my minimalist shoes. I have decided the best course of action is to continue to run my 5-6 mile routs in my Merrell‘s and Vibram‘s  and build foot strength. A pace that some already consider to be TMTS, but i am happy with.

I have got what i consider to be intermediate shoes, like the Nike Free that will allow me to run with a mid-foot strike or heel strike and give me some padded protection for the distance. I decided on a pair of Saucony Kinvara

Saucony KINVARA

I felt this to be a good intermediate shoe, Limited support for the foot, a slight heel to toe drop and enough cushioning for me to get some distance in. I have done a few runs in the shoe so far and have been able to hold my mid-foot strike form in them. My last run in them is here. A nice 9 miles.

http://runkeeper.com/user/simonjcole/activity/64273287

So going forward my plan is to run my 5k and 10k races in minimalist shoes and my half and marathon training and running will be done in the Saucony’s. I will be sure to label runs and posts correctly so it’s clear what i’m doing. To be honest it’s also nice to be able to wear some warm socks in this cold weather right now!

So lets see how this concurrent training goes and how easy i’ll be able to switch shoes and on occasion running form.

Related articles

• Barefoot Running: Is it Better? (runningshoes.org)
• Barefoot! (netniewoo.wordpress.com)
• Born to Run? (christostriathlon1.wordpress.com)

Merrell Trail Glove Review – Barefoot Shoes

So i have put about 50-60 miles on my Merrell Trail Gloves now and thought i would post a review on the ownership experience so far.

http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Product.mvc.aspx/22875M/60904/Mens/Barefoot-Run-Trail-Glove

Sophie and Simon's new barefoot Merrell Trail Gloves

I have read a few reviews and criticisms of the Trail Glove which i feel to be unfair as the review seems to have forgotten that the shoe is a “Trail” (The clue is in the name) shoe and not designed for running on the hard top. For my part i have had nothing but a positive 3 months with my shoes. My 9 year old daughter also has a pair and loves them,

The Trail Glove is a 6.2 oz zero drop minimalist trail shoe. It has a Vibram sole and a 1mm impact plate in the mid sole to take some of the shock absorption away from the foot when hitting stones etc.

The inside is seamless and so designed for you to not wear socks with the shoe. The shoe required no breaking in and has never rubbed or caused any blisters of any kind. It also has a Aegis® antimicrobial solution footbed that claims to resist odor. Which i think works pretty well as they still smell pretty good and nothing like my soccer boots that i wear socks in. So a big thumbs up there. It also helps that the shoes are machine washable.

So far my shoes have shown very little wear and i would expect many hundreds of miles in the shoes. The soles being quality Virbram’s you would expect this and the uppers are the usual high quality you expect from Merrell.

The fit is great for my feet. My feet are narrow  at the arch and then wide at the mid foot and toes. The trail gloves have been criticized for being too narrow at the arch. I feel this to be somewhat an unfair criticism  as you need a trail shoe to be tight and glove like as you don’t want the the shoe to move independently underfoot when running on slopes or difficult surfaces etc. Something you don’t need from a standard running shoe. The toe box is very wide giving plenty of room for your toes to splay out and feel the ground as you are running. The rubber bumper around the toes providing you with that extra protection when hitting the rough stuff.

All in all i give the shoes a solid 8 out of 10. These are great minimalist trail shoes. High quality, offering you strong foot protection and still allowing plenty of feeling. The only downsides are potentially if the narrow fit around your arch is going to be a problem and they are slightly more expensive than the Virbram equivalents at $110

Related articles

• What’s Been on My Feet Lately? – Preview of Three Minimalist Road Shoes From New Balance, Merrell, and Adidas (runblogger.com)
• Running Form and Efficiency with your Stride (barefeat.wordpress.com)
• My Review of Merrell Pace Glove Cross-Training Shoes – Women’s (fromfatkidtofab.wordpress.com)

1st Barefoot race Jingle Jog 5k, Atlanta GA

Had my first barefoot race today. The 5k Jingle Jog in the perimeter area of Atlanta. All in all it was a bit of a mare. Both Sophie and Ian were also running in the 1k version of the race. Noah my nephew was going to help out and run with them. In all the muddle getting to different starts etc I ended up have no warm up time and it was freezing.

The race was starting as i approached the line. So i took off in the Merrell’s with very cold legs and feet. Far from ideal and to top it off i’m starting from the back of the pack and the GPS would not start up.

So here is 2 miles of my 3 miles:

http://runkeeper.com/user/simonjcole/activity/62495631

My overall race time was 28:15, so my pace i think was pretty good. I started toward the back and so it took me a couple of mins to reach the start line as everyone shuffled off, The section missing from the runkeeper above was also down hill. So i would hazard a guess that my overall time was probably in the 8:40 mi/min range.

Finishing up though the i might have hurt my left foot. Running off when it was cold and not warmed up, it does not feel good at the moment. Lets see how its doing tomorrow morning for my run then.

Barefoot Running Stress Fractures. A theory from @joemaller

Here is a great theory from Joe Maller (@joemaller) on the stress fractures that some barefoot runners or should i say minimalist shoe wearing runners are seeing when they try too much too soon. I had always thought that it was the impact that was causing the fractures in our feet. Due to not allowing out bones to strengthen properly.

Joe however put forward the theory that its the increased frictional forces that the minimalist shoes allow us to produce while running that are causing these. He specifically mentions that the injuries tend to happen several months into training as speed increases.

I find this a compelling argument as i am finding my overall pace increasing and i am running a full min/mi faster than i was prior to wearing the Merrell’s. It’s a great piece and well worth the read.

http://joemaller.com/2861/barefoot-running-stress-fractures-a-theory/

A split weekend on the feet. Barefoot and Shod.

After running my fastest ever 4.5 miles on thursday i put in another good 4.5 run on saturday. Form felt great and i was only 6 seconds a mile slower in pace than Thursdays effort. The only thing was i was left with a dull pain in my left foot. right in the center of my mid foot landing area. Im hoping that this is a case of tenderness after cranking out 9 miles in two days.

http://runkeeper.com/user/simonjcole/activity/61885503

With my left foot still a little sore on sunday i did not want to make it worse, so i pulled out the old traditional running shoes and decided to try to clock up a bit more mileage. Overall my run went well. I have found that i can switch between running styles quite easily now. I recall reading in a Barefoot test on minimal shoes that half the people in the test switched to a mid foot strike within the two weeks, while the other half stayed with the heel striking form. It seems luckily that i would be in the first group as i can, and do switch automatically depending on what shoes i am wearing.

For my run today in my traditional running shoes, i fell straight back into my old form. Heel planted into the ground. well in front of my body, and a slower stride rate even though i was running about the same speed. I can still run like this as i clocked in 7 miles, But i don’t like it any more. All the pains i used to feel running come back. Specifically in my knees as i’m far more aware of my body feedback now, and i know how painless running can be.

http://runkeeper.com/user/simonjcole/activity/61994230

This run was 2 miles further in distance yet a full 50 seconds a mile slower in pace. I might run  a 5k next week end, The Jingle Jog (http://www.jinglejog.com/) so lets hope the foots tenderness is all cleared up by then.

How much is too much too fast? (TMTF)

So you’re looking to get into barefoot running. You go out and pick up a new pair of Merrell’s or Vibram’s and ready and raring to go. But how much should you do. There is a huge amount of data on the web about running form and listening to your body. There is also considerable information including warning labels on the boxes of those shoes to slow down and take it easy. All great information and excellent advice.

I am new to barefoot (read minimalist shoe) running only about a month into it now. I realize that i have to strengthen my feet, Achilles and calf muscles and i am taking it steady. I am only running 5 miles at a time and probably running half that on grass. The running is great. I feel fantastic. My form is really coming along, my foot strikes are light, frequent and midfoot. I am working on my arm movements (thanks Verity), My energy and efficiency in running coming along nicely as I could go on further if I were not “taking it steady”

I’m not suffering any aches or pains that would worry me so my body i feel is telling me all the right things, so should i press on? This thread on Runners World (http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/runner-communities/barefoot-running/please-slow-down) has me already well over doing things, as they are taking 6 or more months to build up to 2 miles in some cases which seems incredibly slow to me.

The thing that scares me most is a stress fracture. Common with “too much too fast (TMTF)” syndrome  and barefoot running. BLAM! 6 to 8 weeks out, putting a major halt to my running, races and screwing up my soccer as well. But when your body is loving what it is doing and all the feed back is positive what is a man to do? Do i push on?

As a follow-up i did my best ever run today. I finally broke into the 8 min/mile pace over 4.6 miles 30+ seconds per mile faster than i have ever run in running shoes with a heel strike.

http://runkeeper.com/user/simonjcole/activity/61715470?channel=web.activity.shared.facebook.auto&utm_campaign=SharedActivity&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=Ref

So do i push on? How much is too much too fast?

Merrell Down and Dirty Mud Run 10K

The Natural Running Debate

Image via Wikipedia

Here is a great post from Sam Murphy, He attended UKSEM’s (UK Sport and Exercise Medicine Conference) debate on natural running. It was a panel debate that consisted of Professor Daniel Lieberman, podiatrist Simon Bartold, Professor Benno Nigg, Professor Daniel Howell and Dr Matthias Marquardt.

http://www.sam-murphy.co.uk/newsandevents/?p=961

From what little i know, as a relative newbe to this field, i agree with Sam’s conclusions that running is all about form and injuries stem from poor form. The major trouble being the traditional running shoe and it supporting a non-natural running technique. One of the key interesting points of the debate, regardless of the panelists views of the current barefoot running trend and the various shoes that are sale now, they all agreed on what a running shoe does not need. That is that: a running shoe shouldn’t need: cushioning, stiffness, medial posting, arch support or a heel raise.

Great writing from Sam, and it will be interested to see how sneakers start to change as this debate goes on.

Running Form and Efficiency with your Stride

It came to me this morning during my run, Somewhat of an epiphany. After my rather heavy and laborious run of two days ago ( blogged about here in my “back to sneakers ohhh dear” post) in sneakers and then cruising through the exact same run barely out of breath and feeling no tiredness in the legs, running in my Merrell Trail Gloves. It came to me. It’s all about EFFICIENCY!

I have been really focusing on my barefoot running form and that’s going pretty well. It occurred to me when i am wearing my Merrell’s, several things happen. My stride shortens as i concentrate on landing on the mid-foot and in doing so find my stride landing below my body. Now I am no expert and as you can see from the video below i may still be slightly over stepping. I welcome your opinion on this. I have read that ideally I should be trying to land “behind” me.

This shortening of my stride must in turn be allowing me to better use the natural elasticity in my ligaments, in an overall more efficient running form. Noticeably so. I don’t know but i need to pick up a pedometer so i can check my stride timing. I must be closer to the optimal 180bpm running barefoot. Two days ago for the same run my legs felt tired and heavy, it was not an enjoyable run. Today felt fantastic as i cruised home effortlessly and could have gone on much further had my Achilles and calves been stronger.

I shot a short video of my form running in traditional running shoes as a comparison below.

My run today is here http://runkeeper.com/user/simonjcole/activity/60972499

Related articles

• Back to sneakers today, ohh dear (barefeat.wordpress.com)
• Why you should run barefoot (gazaliahmad.com)
• Barefoot running: an overview of the science | Guardian Sport Network (guardian.co.uk)
• Running Barefoot: The First Steps (onlineshoes.com)