This week I thought I would try to pack on miles to see how things went. Monday was 4 miles au natural, Tuesday 5.25 miles with the yoga sock. Wednesday took a break and rode the bike, Thursday 4 miles bare. The feet are surprisingly fine and calves have not given me one stitch of problems.
I think I have a few more milex in me this week. I am going to try a mini-triathalon this Saturday but I don't believe I will be able to do the run barefoot as it will be on packed dirt. Working my way up to a barefoot 10K race in Walnut Creek, CA in a few weeks. Piece of cake (I think).
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Gaiam Yoga Sock
Today was a 5.25 mile run. The first 4 miles were in the dark so I tried out the Gaiam Yoga sock. The sock has non-stick rubber beads on the bottom and for the most part worked pretty well. It was quite windy yesterday therefore there was a lot of debris on the road. I was effectively able to deflect rocks and sticks which would most likely have torn up my feet.
The sock does not solve the water problem and tree sap is still the enemy but for those days where I have little running alternatives I found it helpful although an expensive proposition. I wore away the part of the rubber which makes it non-stick and may be able to get 10 more miles out of the sock. At $10 a pop, it makes the most expensive running shoe look like a good bargain.
The sock does not solve the water problem and tree sap is still the enemy but for those days where I have little running alternatives I found it helpful although an expensive proposition. I wore away the part of the rubber which makes it non-stick and may be able to get 10 more miles out of the sock. At $10 a pop, it makes the most expensive running shoe look like a good bargain.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Barefoot in Belize
Unfortunately I have been traveling over the last couple of weeks. I spent time in San Diego and 9 days barefoot in Belize. While I would have liked to run while in Belize, I was too pre-occupied with all the things to do there... Basking in the sunshine, drinking piña colada's and swimming with the fishes.
I am back at it and after a couple of weeks off and a pedicure I found that I could only run 2 miles. I found the tips of my toes to be a little sensitive today. Strangely enough they were the same toes that I have been trying to grow my toenails back from the last marathons that I ran a couple of months back.
Aside from the little sensitivity, I am happy to report that I have experienced zero issues with running barefoot. No leg pain, back pain or foot soreness. I am going to start looking for a 10k that I can run in the next month or so. If that goes well, I will try for other races.
I am back at it and after a couple of weeks off and a pedicure I found that I could only run 2 miles. I found the tips of my toes to be a little sensitive today. Strangely enough they were the same toes that I have been trying to grow my toenails back from the last marathons that I ran a couple of months back.
Aside from the little sensitivity, I am happy to report that I have experienced zero issues with running barefoot. No leg pain, back pain or foot soreness. I am going to start looking for a 10k that I can run in the next month or so. If that goes well, I will try for other races.
Monday, July 26, 2010
High Heel Theory
My intention this morning was to start out running with shoes and then ditch them along the way. My legs would not have it. After about 3 steps I could tell it would not be a good day if I continued. I thought I would try a couple miles barefooted. After a mile I felt pretty good and ended up 5.25 miles.
I had been reading about other people's experiences in the early stages of running without shoes and the stories talked about blisters, plantar fascitis, and calf strain. I am starting to develop a theory which is wholly my own opinion. I thought about the many years of squeezing into and strutting around high heel shoes in the name of fashion. How many miles have I walked around city streets and conferences in agony suffering from blisters, leg pain and squished up feet. I am pretty sure that this has toughend up my feet pretty good and why I am experiencing less issues than my fellow male barefoot runners.
Suffice it to say I feel I am at an advantage which is why the longer run did not seem to impact me negatively. No blisters, cuts or foot pain. I spent my weekend researching shoes that similate barefoot running and I am at a loss to figure out if I should really try that route or continue on with the natural approach. I guess the lack of light in the morning and future weather conditions will help me make that determination. For now, I am pleased with how things are going.
I had been reading about other people's experiences in the early stages of running without shoes and the stories talked about blisters, plantar fascitis, and calf strain. I am starting to develop a theory which is wholly my own opinion. I thought about the many years of squeezing into and strutting around high heel shoes in the name of fashion. How many miles have I walked around city streets and conferences in agony suffering from blisters, leg pain and squished up feet. I am pretty sure that this has toughend up my feet pretty good and why I am experiencing less issues than my fellow male barefoot runners.
Suffice it to say I feel I am at an advantage which is why the longer run did not seem to impact me negatively. No blisters, cuts or foot pain. I spent my weekend researching shoes that similate barefoot running and I am at a loss to figure out if I should really try that route or continue on with the natural approach. I guess the lack of light in the morning and future weather conditions will help me make that determination. For now, I am pleased with how things are going.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Nike Free 5.0
This is a pretty funny commercial promoting the Nike Free 5.0.
http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/products/free5?blogSource=en_US
http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/products/free5?blogSource=en_US
Thursday, July 22, 2010
I was very surprised to wake up yesterday morning and find that the typical soreness and stiffness that I had become accustomed to after a run was not as bad I had been experiencing. This is promising. I had a tough time sleeping last night as I was contemplating a new route where I could feel comfortable running. Another challenge that I would be facing is that it is now dark again when I leave the house which would require me to wear shoes until it became light.
I chose a route that I could start running for 3.5 miles that would put me on the bike trail through the vineyards as soon as it became light enough. I also decided to wear my shoes which have way too many miles on them as I knew I would be ditching them and run the risk of losing them.
The bike trail is mostly asphalt which is different from what I had been running. My first barefoot runs have been in my neighborhood and I was able to stay on the sidewalk which is much smoother. On the asphalt I found there were a lot more tiny stones and some slightly bigger so I had to run a little slower taking care with each foot landing. All in all, it was a little rougher but still a much easier run than in my shoes.
What I have been finding out as I try this new endeavour is that my Saucony ProGrid 8 shoes had been building up callouses on the sides of my big toe and the widest part of my foot. Sadly I did not take this as a clue that I had the wrong shoes. Instead when I would get a pedicure I insisted that the girls not file the callouses down as I coveted them and did not want to get future blisters. Come to find out, I do not land on the inside of my feet at all. My shoes (after 700+ miles on the same model) were causing me to pronate which leads to injury. Surprise, surprise.
A good test for this is running through wet ground and looking back at your footprint. I am a neutral runner and always have been. Sure enough I looked up my Saucony's online and they do offer a slight pronation. I hate trying to pick out new shoes. This is not the first time that I have been screwed over by picking the wrong shoe.
Anyways, I ditched the shoes and continued on for another 3.25 miles. The soles are a little sore but not too bad. One caution that I do have for those who are interested in trying this is avoid sap from trees. It turns out that the sap sticks to your feet attracting little stones that WILL stick to your feet. You might as well strap a meat grinder onto your feet and run.
All in all, 6.75 miles today and feeling happier that I am on the upward mileage trend. Sadly I will miss the San Francisco Marthon this Sunday but will be on the sidelines supporting all the runners. The marathons in SF have been my nemisis. The last two I ran there I was injured and of course too injured to run this one. I will be back to conquer a SF one injury free. Stay tuned...
I chose a route that I could start running for 3.5 miles that would put me on the bike trail through the vineyards as soon as it became light enough. I also decided to wear my shoes which have way too many miles on them as I knew I would be ditching them and run the risk of losing them.
The bike trail is mostly asphalt which is different from what I had been running. My first barefoot runs have been in my neighborhood and I was able to stay on the sidewalk which is much smoother. On the asphalt I found there were a lot more tiny stones and some slightly bigger so I had to run a little slower taking care with each foot landing. All in all, it was a little rougher but still a much easier run than in my shoes.
What I have been finding out as I try this new endeavour is that my Saucony ProGrid 8 shoes had been building up callouses on the sides of my big toe and the widest part of my foot. Sadly I did not take this as a clue that I had the wrong shoes. Instead when I would get a pedicure I insisted that the girls not file the callouses down as I coveted them and did not want to get future blisters. Come to find out, I do not land on the inside of my feet at all. My shoes (after 700+ miles on the same model) were causing me to pronate which leads to injury. Surprise, surprise.
A good test for this is running through wet ground and looking back at your footprint. I am a neutral runner and always have been. Sure enough I looked up my Saucony's online and they do offer a slight pronation. I hate trying to pick out new shoes. This is not the first time that I have been screwed over by picking the wrong shoe.
Anyways, I ditched the shoes and continued on for another 3.25 miles. The soles are a little sore but not too bad. One caution that I do have for those who are interested in trying this is avoid sap from trees. It turns out that the sap sticks to your feet attracting little stones that WILL stick to your feet. You might as well strap a meat grinder onto your feet and run.
All in all, 6.75 miles today and feeling happier that I am on the upward mileage trend. Sadly I will miss the San Francisco Marthon this Sunday but will be on the sidelines supporting all the runners. The marathons in SF have been my nemisis. The last two I ran there I was injured and of course too injured to run this one. I will be back to conquer a SF one injury free. Stay tuned...
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Purpose of This Blog
I have set up this blog page to give runners a forum to discuss injury prevention and learn about the benefits of barefoot running (providing there any). I recently completed my 8th marathon this year and have stress injuries in my left ankle which resulted in stress in my right quad from over compensating during my long distance runs. I have been unable to run consistently for the last 2 months and have been very frustrated. A purchase of a new Specialized road bike has not satisfied the yearning for soulful long runs early in the morning allowing me to solve the worlds problems and make my connection with mother nature.
Every week since the injuries I would start off with a nice 8 mile run only to be laid up for a few days and not able to hit the pavement. The pain in my ankle and quad would not resolve itself and the attempted miles each week would diminish to the point where even a one-miler was unbearable.
I decided to start researching barefoot running as I felt I had nothing left to lose. I had concerns about whether it would be painful, how often I would need a pedicure, and quite frankly how silly I would look running down the street barefooted.
During an attempt to run 2 weeks ago which ended in one mile out run and one mile return walk as the pain was too much, I threw my shoes in the front door and ran out across my lawn and onto the sidewalk figuring I would start by just running around the block. I couldn't believe it. I felt amazing with each step I took. I was light on my feet and to my surprise I was running ball to heel with toes splayed. Absolutely no pain. How could this be? I did not want to stop as it felt good to finally run as I had been unable to comfortably run for over 2 months.
My first barefoot run was 1 mile and I would have gone longer were it not for the precaution to get over excited during the first run. After all ,the lack of pain is a suggestion that I am using different muscles. A days rest to see how I felt would be wise. The calves were tight the next day but nothing that would prevent me from trying it again.
A few days later 2 miles of painful running and 2 miles barefoot were just what the doctor ordered. I could have gone further but again this is something that needs to be approached practically.
I have gone on 4 barefoot runs so far and here are the percieved benefits that I will further explore.
- The hearts chest is open naturally while running barefoot. With shoes I find that I tend to hunch and without shoes I feel forced to throw the shoulders back resulting in better posture
- My feet are surprisingly smooth. Exfoliation has been an unexpected benefit
- No need to track miles on shoes. I resorted to writing the miles on my shoes as I had a tough time tracking multiple shoes during trainings (I alternated new and old shoes so that I was always breaking a pair in)
- My toenails should be happier. I am always losing them.
- Creepy people should think twice about a crazy girl running down the street barefooted
I will report on my progress and provide honest feedback on how things are going. I will also continue to research this topic and would hope that you would share both good and bad experiences.
Every week since the injuries I would start off with a nice 8 mile run only to be laid up for a few days and not able to hit the pavement. The pain in my ankle and quad would not resolve itself and the attempted miles each week would diminish to the point where even a one-miler was unbearable.
I decided to start researching barefoot running as I felt I had nothing left to lose. I had concerns about whether it would be painful, how often I would need a pedicure, and quite frankly how silly I would look running down the street barefooted.
During an attempt to run 2 weeks ago which ended in one mile out run and one mile return walk as the pain was too much, I threw my shoes in the front door and ran out across my lawn and onto the sidewalk figuring I would start by just running around the block. I couldn't believe it. I felt amazing with each step I took. I was light on my feet and to my surprise I was running ball to heel with toes splayed. Absolutely no pain. How could this be? I did not want to stop as it felt good to finally run as I had been unable to comfortably run for over 2 months.
My first barefoot run was 1 mile and I would have gone longer were it not for the precaution to get over excited during the first run. After all ,the lack of pain is a suggestion that I am using different muscles. A days rest to see how I felt would be wise. The calves were tight the next day but nothing that would prevent me from trying it again.
A few days later 2 miles of painful running and 2 miles barefoot were just what the doctor ordered. I could have gone further but again this is something that needs to be approached practically.
I have gone on 4 barefoot runs so far and here are the percieved benefits that I will further explore.
- The hearts chest is open naturally while running barefoot. With shoes I find that I tend to hunch and without shoes I feel forced to throw the shoulders back resulting in better posture
- My feet are surprisingly smooth. Exfoliation has been an unexpected benefit
- No need to track miles on shoes. I resorted to writing the miles on my shoes as I had a tough time tracking multiple shoes during trainings (I alternated new and old shoes so that I was always breaking a pair in)
- My toenails should be happier. I am always losing them.
- Creepy people should think twice about a crazy girl running down the street barefooted
I will report on my progress and provide honest feedback on how things are going. I will also continue to research this topic and would hope that you would share both good and bad experiences.
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