Monday, June 18, 2012
Barefoot Running Followup
Well, as I mentioned in my last post I went for a run sans shoes on Saturday and it certainly was a different running experience.
Today, being Monday, I have found muscles in my feet that I didn't know that I had. DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) kicks in about when I expected it might. I aim for one run per week of 10kms, or more if I can squeeze it in, and I don't normally have any problem with sore foot muscles, just quads mostly. Obviously I've worked foot muscles and tendons that I don't normally use as having my feet sore where they are is quite unique. Unless it is debilitating, I associate this sort of sore muscle thing as good as it indicates to me that I actually worked some muscles that either I don't normally use or beyond what I normally use them for.
Jeff.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Barefoot Running
This week I decided that I had enough of trying to adjust my running stride to accommodate my running shoes. While they are decent Nike trail runners, they still have that raised heel and cushy support that works against trying to feel how my foot is interacting with the ground. I was going to apply some tape on the heel in order to determine if I was still hitting with my heel first, sort of a wear indicator, but figured that if I cannot tell while running, I had better change something so that I can. There's no sense in running another 10kms only to find that I need to adjust again next run.
I decided to try bare foot running. It seems to me to make perfect sense. I would be able to feel the ground and tell exactly what is going on and adjust my stride on the fly.
I have a selection of venues to choose from but figured for my first foray that I would choose something forgiving and reasonably safe for my virgin soles. A local park has a crushed marble path, or whatever that white powdery stone is, that looks smooth. Of course always running in shoes it could be glass shards and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference from soft sand.
Here's the sky in the backyard as I was getting into the car to head over to the park.
I always like running or biking best right at or just before sunrise, I love watching the sun come up to start the day.
Arriving at the park I see that the path is not quite as benign as I recalled, it has been well over a month since I ran here last as I find the loop of about 1km rather boring to run compared to longer, more technical trails. Today was to be different.
The first few steps are much grittier than I imagined but I am bound to complete at least one loop so I alternate grass and path. On the first loop I pass a walker who, I imagine, must think that this barefoot guy running must be nuts. I just think of all the people in history that went against the common beliefs and were not only considered nuts, but locked up or even killed for their belief in what they were doing only to be found out to have been correct all along. Sure, barefoot running is not new, but it certainly goes against the common ideas in running and I doubt that I will get anything more than a few odd looks anyway, my safety is certainly not in jeopardy.
My daughter is running a bit in school, grade 8 track. They had some sort of running clinic where they told her to run just like she walks, "heel toe". THAT is a whole other conversation.
1km in, or 1 lap, I am feeling pretty good, no sweat, easy breathing and my feet, while starting to feel a little sensitive, are fine. The grass is cool and damp with the dew and I find that I am on it more than 90% of the time.
2km in I have found a good stride and I am just starting to feel a little more effort, but I can concentrate more on the experience rather than my stride now. Definitely no heel strikes, the odd sharp rock hiding in the grass pokes me but all is fine. In fact, on this third lap I am finding the whole sensory experience something else. This 1km loop is no longer boring as I have found a whole new world under my feet. The feel of the pavement as the oath crosses the asphalt roadway, the hard packed dirt with its soft powdery layer in a small area of construction on the other side, the sandy, gritty coarse sensation of the path, the cool wet of the grass soothing my soles as I step off of the path.
At 3kms I decide that I should stop, I don't want to have any unexpected problem from over doing it the first time as that is my classic problem with anything. I still feel like I could keep going though.
Back at the car I notice that it is 5:55. Normally there is a bike group that rides Saturday mornings at 6:00 so I decide to stop around and see if they re still going. I originally started that group by accident a number of years ago as I always did a Saturday morning sunrise ride and I picked up a few more riders at 6:00 in town. I don't ride so much with them anymore though, actually I don't ride so much now that I am running a lot more.
Today there were three and they were going for a run instead, so I joined them. I wasn't going to go any farther but I felt good and figured I could use the extra distance, 5kms more, but with shoes... what a difference going right from barefoot back into shoes.
My total average speed was 10kph, which is faster than my shoe running while trying to adjust my stride. Interestingly my barefoot running was up around 10.4kph and it felt like much less an exertion than normal. Perhaps it was the difference in the sensations, something new as a distraction, perhaps it was just an easier stride. The balls of my feet are a little sensitive now as I walk around the house, but that is to be expected.
All in all I plan to do this more often, perhaps add some shoe running in afterwards to make it more of an overall workout or perhaps I will find that I can increase my barefoot distance and skip shoes altogether. I suppose I should look at some of the new "barefoot" shoe styles that are out now. newbalance has one that looks interesting. No inclination in the sole but with protection and grip to give a wider range of running venues.
We'll see.
Jeff.
I always like running or biking best right at or just before sunrise, I love watching the sun come up to start the day.
Arriving at the park I see that the path is not quite as benign as I recalled, it has been well over a month since I ran here last as I find the loop of about 1km rather boring to run compared to longer, more technical trails. Today was to be different.
The first few steps are much grittier than I imagined but I am bound to complete at least one loop so I alternate grass and path. On the first loop I pass a walker who, I imagine, must think that this barefoot guy running must be nuts. I just think of all the people in history that went against the common beliefs and were not only considered nuts, but locked up or even killed for their belief in what they were doing only to be found out to have been correct all along. Sure, barefoot running is not new, but it certainly goes against the common ideas in running and I doubt that I will get anything more than a few odd looks anyway, my safety is certainly not in jeopardy.
My daughter is running a bit in school, grade 8 track. They had some sort of running clinic where they told her to run just like she walks, "heel toe". THAT is a whole other conversation.
1km in, or 1 lap, I am feeling pretty good, no sweat, easy breathing and my feet, while starting to feel a little sensitive, are fine. The grass is cool and damp with the dew and I find that I am on it more than 90% of the time.
2km in I have found a good stride and I am just starting to feel a little more effort, but I can concentrate more on the experience rather than my stride now. Definitely no heel strikes, the odd sharp rock hiding in the grass pokes me but all is fine. In fact, on this third lap I am finding the whole sensory experience something else. This 1km loop is no longer boring as I have found a whole new world under my feet. The feel of the pavement as the oath crosses the asphalt roadway, the hard packed dirt with its soft powdery layer in a small area of construction on the other side, the sandy, gritty coarse sensation of the path, the cool wet of the grass soothing my soles as I step off of the path.
At 3kms I decide that I should stop, I don't want to have any unexpected problem from over doing it the first time as that is my classic problem with anything. I still feel like I could keep going though.
Back at the car I notice that it is 5:55. Normally there is a bike group that rides Saturday mornings at 6:00 so I decide to stop around and see if they re still going. I originally started that group by accident a number of years ago as I always did a Saturday morning sunrise ride and I picked up a few more riders at 6:00 in town. I don't ride so much with them anymore though, actually I don't ride so much now that I am running a lot more.
Today there were three and they were going for a run instead, so I joined them. I wasn't going to go any farther but I felt good and figured I could use the extra distance, 5kms more, but with shoes... what a difference going right from barefoot back into shoes.
My total average speed was 10kph, which is faster than my shoe running while trying to adjust my stride. Interestingly my barefoot running was up around 10.4kph and it felt like much less an exertion than normal. Perhaps it was the difference in the sensations, something new as a distraction, perhaps it was just an easier stride. The balls of my feet are a little sensitive now as I walk around the house, but that is to be expected.
All in all I plan to do this more often, perhaps add some shoe running in afterwards to make it more of an overall workout or perhaps I will find that I can increase my barefoot distance and skip shoes altogether. I suppose I should look at some of the new "barefoot" shoe styles that are out now. newbalance has one that looks interesting. No inclination in the sole but with protection and grip to give a wider range of running venues.
We'll see.
Jeff.
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