The fivefingers aren't that great for hot conditions. when we're out there running in 100 degree weather, the surface we are on -- everything except grass -- is too hot and I get blisters.
So, back to the stupid ol' running shoes.
other than that, it's been a fantastic experience and I really enjoy the barefooting. I do have some work to do to get my lower legs in shape for this though. They are complaining. My feet also get very sore -- as in muscular soreness.
That's all there is to report right now.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
FiveFingers Day 4 -- 4 easy miles
I keep saying, "oh, I'm going to take a break from them, work up to wearing them fulltime, blah blah blah" and I resist the urge to retire my running shoes to lawn-mowing duty.
Yet, whenever it comes time to run, I am drawn to the fivefingers. I had every intention of running last night in my running shoes. But... it just seemed like I'd be slipping into a straight-jacket for my run. So, out came the fivefingers... and away we went.
I started my run next to the canal on rocky/tussocky ground perfect for breaking an ankle or twisting a knee. Neither happened. Instead I just plodded along in my little slippers. True -- my ankles did twist and roll to accomodate the terrain, but never in that painful forceful way that you get with a shoe. (hypothesis to follow)
Then I ran along a little pea-stone road, pain free.Then down along the hops on a dirt road. The dirt is the super-fine flour-type variety that is several inches deep over a base of odd-shaped stones and god knows what. This was the worst. You just were running blind and got that dirt in your shoes and BLEAH. But, still, it was bearable. I would never have touched the stuff in my shoes just because it would've made them a total, dirt-filled mess.
Ran about 3 miles on grass, turned around and went home. Felt fine.
Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that the flat base and sharp "edges" of my running shoe soles are comparable to a flat-hulled play kayak. Super stable and forgiving when upright and on the flat, but once you catch an edge you are forcefully flipped. I believe that the same applies to shoe soles and that running in lumpy terrain, once you get off the kind flat sole of your shoe, the edge on which you stand is wobbly and can result in a nasty ankle-roll. ow! The difference in the shoes on the flat is noticeable. The difference running in the shoes on lumpy/rocky/soddy ground is amazing.
I think I'm just going whole-hog with the shoes. that's that.
Yet, whenever it comes time to run, I am drawn to the fivefingers. I had every intention of running last night in my running shoes. But... it just seemed like I'd be slipping into a straight-jacket for my run. So, out came the fivefingers... and away we went.
I started my run next to the canal on rocky/tussocky ground perfect for breaking an ankle or twisting a knee. Neither happened. Instead I just plodded along in my little slippers. True -- my ankles did twist and roll to accomodate the terrain, but never in that painful forceful way that you get with a shoe. (hypothesis to follow)
Then I ran along a little pea-stone road, pain free.Then down along the hops on a dirt road. The dirt is the super-fine flour-type variety that is several inches deep over a base of odd-shaped stones and god knows what. This was the worst. You just were running blind and got that dirt in your shoes and BLEAH. But, still, it was bearable. I would never have touched the stuff in my shoes just because it would've made them a total, dirt-filled mess.
Ran about 3 miles on grass, turned around and went home. Felt fine.
Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that the flat base and sharp "edges" of my running shoe soles are comparable to a flat-hulled play kayak. Super stable and forgiving when upright and on the flat, but once you catch an edge you are forcefully flipped. I believe that the same applies to shoe soles and that running in lumpy terrain, once you get off the kind flat sole of your shoe, the edge on which you stand is wobbly and can result in a nasty ankle-roll. ow! The difference in the shoes on the flat is noticeable. The difference running in the shoes on lumpy/rocky/soddy ground is amazing.
I think I'm just going whole-hog with the shoes. that's that.
Day 3 in the FiveFingers
Ran 60 minutes, with 4:00 - 5:00 total uphill time, in "the shoes". Sore calves. Wow. got a blister on my big toe. But, all in the name of breakin' in them shoes.
3.5+ Miles Barefoot = ??? find out!!
They aren't even all that ugly... SERIOUSLY!!! Here is a slightly poetic "review" of my first real run in the FiveFingers.
With trepidation I wriggled my toes into their separate little pockets, scrunching, spreading, squishing... until finally, voila, they were perfectly fit to my feet. I was going to run 3+ miles today plus 4 strides. I felt a pang of concern -- what if they ate my feet and chewed them into hamburger? I'd be out in no-man's land with bloody feet and nothing but black asphalt and burning sand between myself and home. Bad ideas with potentially painful outcomes are kind of my specialty, so I went ahead with the plan.
Our plan for today was to run 3 miles at an easy pace, then do 4 "strides" -- where you run very quickly for a very short distance. In this case we would all but sprint for 100 m.
Melyssa, Katie and I met up and headed toward our "stretching rock", a line of giant boulders along our running path where we stop to stretch after warming up briefly. The slow jog to the rocks was... uneventful. Nothing hurt. Nothing felt funny.
After stretching we headed down the asphalt path along the river. I concentrated on running silently and smoothly. No toe-slapping like I had fly-swatter feet. Just a soft silent roll from mid-foot to my big-toe, then pushing off, and doing the same with the next foot. I expected some indication that muscles were being called to action in ways they hadn't before. Nothing. Just quiet steps.
We cruised through our 3 miles easily. We even ran some of it in some grass, and I ran on a gravel road for about a quarter mile. The grass and the gravel road provided great surfaces for experiencing one of the strengths of barefoot running -- stability! In the past, running on sod has me running with my arms out in some sort of gorilla-hug, jerking from side-to-side, constantly trying to offset the wobbling of my legs as my ankles roll from side to side. My knees would always, ALWAYS hurt after a grass run. I figured it was because of the lateral tweaking that they endured. Today on grass I just cruised along. I didn't even realize it until after the run -- the grass didn't cause the least bit of pain!
We finished the three miles with a little kick up a hill and then got ready to do our strides on the flat road above.
The strides went just like every other stride session. You start off rested, you accelerate until you break the speed of ecstasy, and then slow back down for a recovery. You recover by panting, "THAT was FUN!!!" until your heart rate comes back down to something manageable. Can you tell I love strides?
We did 5 strides because 4 was fun but 5 was better. Then we jogged back to work.
With trepidation I wriggled my toes into their separate little pockets, scrunching, spreading, squishing... until finally, voila, they were perfectly fit to my feet. I was going to run 3+ miles today plus 4 strides. I felt a pang of concern -- what if they ate my feet and chewed them into hamburger? I'd be out in no-man's land with bloody feet and nothing but black asphalt and burning sand between myself and home. Bad ideas with potentially painful outcomes are kind of my specialty, so I went ahead with the plan.
Our plan for today was to run 3 miles at an easy pace, then do 4 "strides" -- where you run very quickly for a very short distance. In this case we would all but sprint for 100 m.
Melyssa, Katie and I met up and headed toward our "stretching rock", a line of giant boulders along our running path where we stop to stretch after warming up briefly. The slow jog to the rocks was... uneventful. Nothing hurt. Nothing felt funny.
After stretching we headed down the asphalt path along the river. I concentrated on running silently and smoothly. No toe-slapping like I had fly-swatter feet. Just a soft silent roll from mid-foot to my big-toe, then pushing off, and doing the same with the next foot. I expected some indication that muscles were being called to action in ways they hadn't before. Nothing. Just quiet steps.
We cruised through our 3 miles easily. We even ran some of it in some grass, and I ran on a gravel road for about a quarter mile. The grass and the gravel road provided great surfaces for experiencing one of the strengths of barefoot running -- stability! In the past, running on sod has me running with my arms out in some sort of gorilla-hug, jerking from side-to-side, constantly trying to offset the wobbling of my legs as my ankles roll from side to side. My knees would always, ALWAYS hurt after a grass run. I figured it was because of the lateral tweaking that they endured. Today on grass I just cruised along. I didn't even realize it until after the run -- the grass didn't cause the least bit of pain!
We finished the three miles with a little kick up a hill and then got ready to do our strides on the flat road above.
The strides went just like every other stride session. You start off rested, you accelerate until you break the speed of ecstasy, and then slow back down for a recovery. You recover by panting, "THAT was FUN!!!" until your heart rate comes back down to something manageable. Can you tell I love strides?
We did 5 strides because 4 was fun but 5 was better. Then we jogged back to work.
- the Fivefingers were great on every surface. I did FEEL pebbles, but not in a painful way.
- the shoes were awesome on those wonky surfaces that I normally loathe. My toes were so dang happy to get to manage my stability, and they did a fantastic job.
- The wear pattern on the bottoms of my shoes show that I definitely was landing mid-foot, and rolling off the big toe. the toe soles are black on one side, with a bit of a fade pattern to the other side -- darkest on the outside of my foot, and lightest on the inside. i think that indicates good stride, or at least good foot work.
- The other cool thing is that you get a way better tanline pattern with the fivefingers than with shoes and socks. Ugh.
- When i got back i washed them in the sink and they are drying right now.
So, 3.5 + miles in the Fivefingers = BLISS! I am hereby proclaiming these my new running shoes. Not quite ready to retire my "old" running shoes to lawn-mowing duty yet... but close. Tomorrow's a rest day and Thursday is a one hour run, so about twice the distance. I'm just going to keep running in them.
FiveFingers 7/7/09: Debut Run
I got the FiveFingers about a week ago: http://www.productwiki.com/vibram-fivefingers-classic/
Background: For those of you who don't know, i have a bit of a reputation for going barefoot around the office as much as possible. I have problems outdoors on gravel (OW) or asphalt (HOT). As a raft guide I was barefoot just about 24/7. it never really occurred to me to train barefoot, even though I'd much prefer it. So, when I heard of running in these I thought "Eureka!"
Test One
I put them on, but left the tag on, just in case. Putting them on is tricky -- you have to spread your toes out and coax them into each little toe-hole. If you have manky, knobby, knuckly toes and a freakishly long middle toe, this takes a little time. I found that if I slipped my finger in over the top of each toe and pushed down on the knuckle to flatten the toe out, it squished in nice and tight and comfy. Except, of course, the pinky toe of my right foot which has a mind of its own. Walking around in them, just around the house and yard, rocks. so comfy but without the usual hazards and annoyances. Test one: pass.
Test Two
Today I ran 3 miles then did 4 x 100 "strides" (kinda like 100m sprints) on asphalt. The better bet would've been to do the strides on grass, but I wanted a flast (flat/fast) surface. Again with the wiggling, knuckle-flattening, wedging... and of course the rebellious pinky toe that I'm naming Elvis for its flagrant wiggling and non-conformist ways. (Plus, it's kind of a sexy toe.
Stride 1 -- uh, yeah, i was chicken. It was nothing like a stride or a sprint. More of a trepidatious twinkle-toe-trot ala Fred Flintstones at the bowling alley. Also, the little twinge of tendonitis in the top of my right foot began acting up a bit, but it was bearable. The cool thing is that I could spread my toes and stretch my foot to remedy the problem (unlike with my running shoes).
Stride 2 -- better, something more closely resembling commitment, and the shoes are feeling fine. Absolutely NO heat from the asphalt (but I bet over a long distance you'd get toasty feet).
Stride 3 -- I wanted to go fast, but the only way I could do it comfortably was to modify my stride.... which is exactly the effect i wanted from the shoes. You just can't heel-strike with them for long, and certainly not fast. And to land mid-foot requires good posture, shoulders back, abs engaged, it was feeling good. I was mashing my toes into my shoes though, mostly just Elvis. I wiggled the fabric around to fix it.
Stride 4 -- still not perfect form. However, instead of looking straight down at the road in front of me in fear of little rocks that normally would hurt, I began looking further ahead... and then things really started lining up as I lifted my head.
I walked back to the office in them and it was all good. Still some practice needed in them for running, but that was expected and even desired. I bought some socks for them, I'll let you know how that goes when i use them. So far i've been going commando in the shoes. So, for walking around I LOVE them. For running, I'm going to continue adding them in bigger doses as my feet and legs strengthen. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying a few more pair over the next few months. do you think they make them in a dress shoe???
Background: For those of you who don't know, i have a bit of a reputation for going barefoot around the office as much as possible. I have problems outdoors on gravel (OW) or asphalt (HOT). As a raft guide I was barefoot just about 24/7. it never really occurred to me to train barefoot, even though I'd much prefer it. So, when I heard of running in these I thought "Eureka!"
Test One
I put them on, but left the tag on, just in case. Putting them on is tricky -- you have to spread your toes out and coax them into each little toe-hole. If you have manky, knobby, knuckly toes and a freakishly long middle toe, this takes a little time. I found that if I slipped my finger in over the top of each toe and pushed down on the knuckle to flatten the toe out, it squished in nice and tight and comfy. Except, of course, the pinky toe of my right foot which has a mind of its own. Walking around in them, just around the house and yard, rocks. so comfy but without the usual hazards and annoyances. Test one: pass.
Test Two
Today I ran 3 miles then did 4 x 100 "strides" (kinda like 100m sprints) on asphalt. The better bet would've been to do the strides on grass, but I wanted a flast (flat/fast) surface. Again with the wiggling, knuckle-flattening, wedging... and of course the rebellious pinky toe that I'm naming Elvis for its flagrant wiggling and non-conformist ways. (Plus, it's kind of a sexy toe.
Stride 1 -- uh, yeah, i was chicken. It was nothing like a stride or a sprint. More of a trepidatious twinkle-toe-trot ala Fred Flintstones at the bowling alley. Also, the little twinge of tendonitis in the top of my right foot began acting up a bit, but it was bearable. The cool thing is that I could spread my toes and stretch my foot to remedy the problem (unlike with my running shoes).
Stride 2 -- better, something more closely resembling commitment, and the shoes are feeling fine. Absolutely NO heat from the asphalt (but I bet over a long distance you'd get toasty feet).
Stride 3 -- I wanted to go fast, but the only way I could do it comfortably was to modify my stride.... which is exactly the effect i wanted from the shoes. You just can't heel-strike with them for long, and certainly not fast. And to land mid-foot requires good posture, shoulders back, abs engaged, it was feeling good. I was mashing my toes into my shoes though, mostly just Elvis. I wiggled the fabric around to fix it.
Stride 4 -- still not perfect form. However, instead of looking straight down at the road in front of me in fear of little rocks that normally would hurt, I began looking further ahead... and then things really started lining up as I lifted my head.
I walked back to the office in them and it was all good. Still some practice needed in them for running, but that was expected and even desired. I bought some socks for them, I'll let you know how that goes when i use them. So far i've been going commando in the shoes. So, for walking around I LOVE them. For running, I'm going to continue adding them in bigger doses as my feet and legs strengthen. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying a few more pair over the next few months. do you think they make them in a dress shoe???
Barefootin' It -- What it is.
I've started "Barefooting". In this case, I'm referring to running with no support, as close to barefoot as possible. It's not purely barefoot running though, I use these: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_classic_f.cfm
Vibram FiveFingers. There are other similar shoes available, but this is where I started.
I won't bore you with a lot of the history behind my decision to run barefoot. I've heard that I won the genetic lottery to train for 16 weeks with no base, and run a marathon with out a single injury to interrupt my training. So, it's not that I'm out to "fix" anything ailing me.
What follows are some notes about my experiences.
Vibram FiveFingers. There are other similar shoes available, but this is where I started.
I won't bore you with a lot of the history behind my decision to run barefoot. I've heard that I won the genetic lottery to train for 16 weeks with no base, and run a marathon with out a single injury to interrupt my training. So, it's not that I'm out to "fix" anything ailing me.
What follows are some notes about my experiences.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Week Off from training
I've drawn up a new training plan, 22 weeks of training, for the Las Vegas R n' R. Not sure how I feel about training for 22 weeks. That's pretty freakin' huge.
This week I'm pretty much chilling.
This week I'm pretty much chilling.
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