The War on Inefficient Foot Strikes: Mission Accomplished

I completed the Barefoot Running Festival 5K in a very average 23 minutes and 2 seconds in duck feet. So I thought I'd update everyone on how becoming a runner... went.

I'm declaring victory on the War on Inefficient Foot Strikes. I fully transitioned to a gentle forefoot strike that forced me to put more mental effort into stepping gingerly and efficiently. My evidence is in a 92 minute half-marathon and 68 minute 10 miler with minimal running beforehand.

Here's how I waged the war.

-Barefoot Training: I ran fully barefoot for a quarter mile to 3 miles every other week as a refresher of what right feels like. 

-Minimalist Training: I ran in Brooks Pure Connects, minimalist shoes, to further build calf muscles and stay in touch with the road. I ran progressively longer distances to build the muscle and am able to sustain a forefoot strike for 10 miles. The link above is a great critical article from a true shoeru (GET IT?!), give it a click if you're thinking of getting some minimalist shoes.

-Cushioned Racing: I went back to the highly cushioned Reebok Zigs for races. I was able to run with my new stride without focusing too much on foot placement or reducing speed. I was also able to revert back to a mid-foot strike once my calves were too tired during the half-marathon. 

-Circuit Training: I still push it in the weight room harder than anyone else around me. Upper body, lower body, complex lifts, and Olympic lifts (still setting personal records for the deadlift) are all contributing to cardiovascular fitness. 

-Trying: Seriously, I try. I push as hard as I can without injuring myself every single time I train. Don't get me wrong, if I start to feel a "bad" pain somewhere or lightheaded, I take it easy. However, I'll be taking it straight to the house after I recover. If you do not do this, enjoy your life of unathletic mediocrity.

-Moderation: Don't step off the starting line at a full sprint. Gauge how you feel each mile, estimate how much energy you've got, and pull the trigger on your 90% pace as much as possible within the last few miles without having to cross the finish line on a stretcher.

Real runners, I'd glad to hear your two cents on any of those factors. You know what to do.

Keep running,

LSF

Duck Feet

I took the coward's way out of the Barefoot Running Festival 5K by taping up my long sox with duct tape. It gave that minimalist feel without the gravel-induced, skin-tearing damage that Boston paths, roads, and sidewalks invariably cause.

To toughen up my feet for this 5K, I dried them out by walking around barefoot. I cracked my feet on a redundantly long walk which caused open wounds. I didn't want goose poop to infect the cracks and inhibit performance at the Tarheel 10 Miler next week so I went with this skin-protecting, minimalist solution.

Here are some photos for your eye-buds:

Duck Feet

Starting line photo op. The epicenter of the barefoot movement.

Duck feet, duck lips. OR Too sexy for my shoes. You pick.

It really happened. Groovy crowd.

It was this dude's first time ever running barefoot. He paid for it but kudos for sucking it up.

The staff was ready for him.

And my damage. None on the left foot though. Not a terrible wrapping job for a rookie.

Keep running,
LSF

PS: I highly recommend attending one of the New England Barefoot Running Meetups if you're in the area and want to get a free lesson on how to run barefoot. World-class instruction from some of the pioneers in the movement. Sundays at 1PM by the Hatch Shell. Chill, nice, welcoming folks.

Barefoot Running Baby Steps

Okay okay okay okay. This is the very last time I'll use the term "Techsnique". You win society, I'll conform. From now on, I'll call it forefoot striking, minimalist running, or barefoot running. I'm using all three as I take baby steps towards comfortable barefoot running. Here are the definitions of each type of running and the progress I'm making to build up for a respectably paced barefoot jog:.

-Forefoot Striking: What is this? Landing on the balls of the feet and bringing the entire foot down to meet the ground as weight increases on the foot and stride progresses. Similar to this pattern:

Forefoot striking: red first, yellow second, green final or not at all. (C) Pablo Picasso 2012

Personal Progress: I can run a medium pace (8min/mi) for 5 miles with a forefoot strike after 1 month of training. My calves are getting stronger and my overall 5 miler is faster than it's been in a long time. It could be cardiovascular related or muscular, not sure. I DO know that the increase in calf strength adds to the overall power. I wear Reebok ZigDynamics for this.

-Minimalist Running: Same form, different shoes, no arch support, extremely lightweight. I purchased some Brooks Pure Connects (neon green baby) to dive into this. These were made for forefoot striking. Where most running shoes have a  thicker sole at the heel, these are thicker at the forefoot, forcing you to stay forward on your foot. Walking in them feels awkward. Bonus feature: cleft toes. There is a minor notch between the big toe and uhhh, whatever you call the one next to it.

Personal Progress: I ran 4 miles in these ranging from 6-9 mph (10:00~6:20 min/mi) on a treadmill with a minute break between each to recharge my calves. It felt great. I was smoked. No injuries. Form was good and remained consistent. I'm also pretty sure I saw a calf vein. First ever. 

-Barefoot Running: This means actually taking your shoes off and hitting the road which is preferred over trails or beaches. If you're going to do this, make sure to build up everything first: sole skin, mental toughness, stronger foot muscles, tendons, bones, and ligaments. And keep your shoes and socks in your hands for gosh-sakes. Ain't no shame in bailing early on.

Personal Progress: I showed up for the New England Barefoot Runners Meetup a couple of weekends ago to meet some of the nicest people in New England. They meet weekly on Sundays on the Esplanade and have a great time running together like cavemen. Although I've missed the past two weeks I'm eager to attend again when I'm over the cold I'm dealing with.

I ran a barefoot mile with the group 2 weeks ago with no skeletal/muscular problems except some hot-spots on my feet. I need to work on how I land... too much toe curling. I ran half a mile on a run on my own in sub-freezing weather. My feet went slightly numb but the ground felt great as long as I kept moving. The feel of the ground on your bare feet is definitely one of the appeals of the technique. I stayed on main roads with good sidewalks and only had issues crossing streets where I had to focus on the ground instead of traffic. My third and most recent was on the back roads of my neighborhood which has not-so-great sidewalks. I spent a lot of time digging pebbles out of my feet. Yes, it hurt.

The most discouraging factor was pace. Even with an open path, I was only going at a 12 min pace. I takes patience and time. Since I'm focusing on 5ks, I'm wondering if this practice isn't more for people putting in serious mileage.

So the journey continues to improve form to prevent injury and improve pace. I'll keep you posted. It's time to start looking for upcoming 5ks. Any suggestions?

Keep training,
LSF

The Techsnique, Week 1

So I reached a new level of calf pain last week as I amped up the Techsnique of silent running in preparation for barefoot running. Here are the initial effects:

Slower pace: The Techsnique is initially slower. I'm still building muscle, tendons, ligaments and bone. I'm not about to push this faster than it needs to go but I'm going to step outside of my comfort zone on every run to ensure I get that body "shock" without destroying something.

For Bearfoot runners. Buying theeeem.

Faster regular pace: When I switched back to my regular gait for the Cambridge 5k, I was going a lot faster than I estimated and had mad calf STREMPF in the reserve tanks at the finish line.

Stronger legs: No hint of muscle fatigue last night on a 3.5 miler with agility drills incorporated. Try some ladders/agility drills and see how your foot hits the ground. That should be YOUR Techsnique.

Concentrate: Buddy runs are a no-go when changing your gait. Focus on the noise of your feet, how you're stepping, an upright, posture, bent knees, etc.

I did the last quarter mile of last night's 3.5 miler sans shoes. I made it about 100m before I had to walk. Totally forgot to build up thicker sole skin. If you try it, your feet will quickly remind you that you're not ready.

And that ends this year's edition of Long Sox Fitness. I'm headed home for Christmas to see family and friends and get fat drinking eggnog and eating cookies. There won't be much time for blogging in the next couple of weeks due to the aggressive schedule. Don't let your training get in the way of life.

What you can look forward to in the first few days of 2012:
-Setting goals/New Year's Resolutions, I'll be figuring mine out until then
-Personal Trainer Certification, the exam is coming up. Time to cram.

Happy Holidays,
LSF

My New Running Techsnique

So I've been listening to "Born to Run" on audiobook for the past couple of weeks because reading anything longer than a blog post is, frankly, for nerds. I'd wager almost all distance runners are familiar with this book because it made barefoot running more mainstream in 2009. Those Vibram Five Finger shoes couldn't stay on racks in the summer of '09 and they still seem to be in most gyms. Whether you've seen them or not, they gained a ton of popularity because of B2R. While it was fun to point and laugh at the fitness junkies wearing them, I've finally hit the breaking point. I have to get on the bandwagon. B2R had everything to do with this.

Book Summary: The 6'3" author (Christopher MacDougall) sucks at running but loves it. He's slow and gets all kinds of injured regardless of how he changes his gear and form. He sees some Native Mexicans (Tarahumara tribe) who are awesome runners and run in nothing but skirts and sandals and sometimes floofy shirts. The key? Barefoot running their entire lives. The logic? The foot, leg, and entire body evolved without shoes. Just run like a caveman and your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones will adapt to the stresses you put on them by forcing you to step carefully and quietly. He argues that the more cushioned the shoe, the worse it is for your body. Check out the feet on the picture above. Shoes/orange shirt is going heel first (but is one of the greatest ultramarathoners of all time), sandals/floofy shirt (Tarahumara) is stepping toes first.

I've got some personal knowledge that backs this up. My best runs when preparing for the marathon were night runs when I had to step carefully, keep my center of gravity low, bend my knees more, and gently place each step. When I got to lighted areas, I felt energized and picked up the pace. Those steps in the dark were also the most quiet.

I learned to keep the sound down when I took a "stalking" class at a camp in 5th grade (before Craigslist was invented). The purpose was to learn to walk as quietly as possible so you could sneak up on woodland critters. We were taught to put our toes down first then softly transition to the heel. Zero sound, like sneaking. This same concept works when running to minimize fast-paced stomping. Less stomp, more full body cushion, more natural steps, less pain, more distance, more speed.

Finally, consider going down stairs quickly. You are putting even more pressure on the body as you land from step to step. Where do you land? On the balls of the feet. Boom.

Proper sneaking technique: The Techsnique

In conclusion, if a novice runner's story, a lesson from a 5th grade stalking class, and your experience with stairs doesn't have you convinced, you're obstinate and unreasonable. Change yourself.

I'm going to begin training for barefoot running by running as quietly as possible. I've only gone for one 1.5 miles run so far. Calves were sore for days. The good sore. I've heard it's best to take it slow and build up miles to begin with. When starting a new type of exercise, it is important to build the muscles AND joints. And seriously, I'm very interested in anyone's feedback who has tried the Vibrams for distance running. Any love or hate out there?

Keep Training,
LSF

PS: Couldn't you imagine Todd and Margo (aka Elaine Benes) from Christmas Vacation wearing Vibrams? I mean, where do I get these reflective couple's track suits and a liter of Evian these days? Also, neon green shelves. Every futuristic home in the past should have neon green shelves.