A running purist runs to run...
Do it for the medals, do it for the pesonal best times, do it for the t-shirts, or do it for whatever social / interpersonal reasons you have, but when you run, do it for the foundational reason that it opens your body and soul. And when you are open, the stress, frustration, and injury pours out of you, and is replaced by calm, peace, and appreciation. This is the method for running purity.
We are human beings, so we are littered and hampered by human desires. But when I run, I constantly focus on why I am running. It is a gift from God, and I am grateful for the gift. I am blessed to be able to run, and I intend to celebrate that gift as often as possible. So when I put one foot in front of the other, I pour out the bad...which can take a few miles sometimes...and take in the good. And when I am finished with my run, I am rejuvinated with a more pure body and soul. I include "soul" instead of "mind" because it is a religious experience for me. I pray before, during, and after a run. And through prayer, it centralizes the importance of peace and humility. And these elements are the key ingredients to being a successful runner.
I continue to be hampered by a stinging case of plantar fasciitis in my little toe, which precludes me from wearing shoes. Even to wear shoes for walking hurts. So, I am either barefoot, or in Vibram Five Fingers. I am not trying to convert fellow runners to VFFs, nor am I a die-hard natural runner, so they say. The simple fact is, this is the only way I can run right now.
I ran the Lucky 13.1 half-marathon at the beginning of March this year. I entered it on a whim after our spring break trip was cancelled. Wearing a pair of VFFs SeeYas LS, I took to a country road course, with absolutely ZERO spectators, in cold and windy conditions. Twelve miles was the longest previous run in my Vibrams, and my fitness was in line with the HM, so it was a safe gamble. The race went well, resulting in a 1:36 finish, 1.5 minutes faster than any previous HM finish, and just over a minute faster than any 13.1 split in my previous 2 marathons.
After a week off of running now (not because of the race, but due to severe strep throat), I am ready to figure out what kind of runner I want to be. Regardless of the conclusion at which I will arrive, I will remain a running purist.
M
Showing posts with label Vibrams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vibrams. Show all posts
Friday, March 22, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
February 3 - 9: Running in Vibrams
I have a pain, and it won't go away. I tried ignoring it. I tried cutting it out. I even taped it with duct tape. So, if the top 3 ways to live a healthy life, as applied to an injury, don't work, you have to get creative.
I bought a pair of Vibrams (Bikilia) a few years ago. I loved them. Alas, they were really a little too small. So, I bought a pair of KomodoSport LS. They fit just right. I wore them around, but never to run in...until now.
The pain behind and in my little toe is too much to bear when I wear running shoes. I presume it is because I am pronating on the outside of my foot, putting pressure on either a fracture (unlikely) or a tweaked nerve. This is of course, based on my expert, non-medical opinion. The only way I can run pain-free, is barefoot, or in Vibrams. And because I cannot run fast enough barefoot, or really like the idea of running barefoot, I choose the Vibrams.
Inexplicably, I am drawn to running in these "shoes". There is just something about it, like when I first saw my wife and knew immediately we would get married. Sometimes, you just know. I am hoping I am right about this as well.
Ok, enough with the drama.
Week One: 33.4 miles
Most importantly, I am asking St. Jude for help. It is such a selfish thing for which help should be asked, but I believe more in the power of prayer than medical logic. About this, I am 100% certain.
Week Two started today. 5 miles on the treadmill.
M
I bought a pair of Vibrams (Bikilia) a few years ago. I loved them. Alas, they were really a little too small. So, I bought a pair of KomodoSport LS. They fit just right. I wore them around, but never to run in...until now.
The pain behind and in my little toe is too much to bear when I wear running shoes. I presume it is because I am pronating on the outside of my foot, putting pressure on either a fracture (unlikely) or a tweaked nerve. This is of course, based on my expert, non-medical opinion. The only way I can run pain-free, is barefoot, or in Vibrams. And because I cannot run fast enough barefoot, or really like the idea of running barefoot, I choose the Vibrams.
Inexplicably, I am drawn to running in these "shoes". There is just something about it, like when I first saw my wife and knew immediately we would get married. Sometimes, you just know. I am hoping I am right about this as well.
Ok, enough with the drama.
Week One: 33.4 miles
- Sunday - 2.6 miles (road)
- Monday - 0 miles
- Tuesday - 6 miles (treadmill)
- Wednesday - 6.5 (road)
- Thursday - 8 miles (treadmill)
- Friday - 7.2 miles (road)
- Saturday - 3.1 miles (road)
Most importantly, I am asking St. Jude for help. It is such a selfish thing for which help should be asked, but I believe more in the power of prayer than medical logic. About this, I am 100% certain.
Week Two started today. 5 miles on the treadmill.
M
Sweetheart Shuffle 5k - Race Report
The Sweetheart Shuffle 5k is the first of six events in the Healthy Holiday Fun Run Series, held on February 9, 2013 at the Bass Pro Shops in Independence, MO. This event was low-key from the standpoint the field was small, but on display were people running for best times, meeting (and some exceeding) personal goals, conquering fears and pain, and finding a new reason to run. These are the reasons the Sweetheart Shuffle was a large-scale event.
Running is a selfish hobby. I wake up at 4 AM, run up to 13 miles, wake up the dog coming back into the house, which in turn wakes up everyone else. I drap wet clothes in the closet, and significantly add to the laundry that needs to be done everyday. I run over lunch, which compounds the laudry even more. The cost for races, shoes, socks, gear...it is all expensive. The time I am gone for races (all local, of course) is still time I am away from my family, leaving my wife to manage the kids on her day off from being a stay-at-home mom. It is selfish, yet I do it anyway.
So why run? It is an evolving reason, but one that has culminated into a simple one...it is a gift, one for which I am grateful. And I intend to celebrate it everyday. So I run. Ask me how I feel at the end of a race, and you will get the same answer: "Blessed...that's how I feel."
This year is a drastic change for me. My oldest daughter, Madilyn, is running with me. I proposed running to her as an alternative sport to soccer or softball...something she and I could do together. She was into it. So, the Sweetheart Shuffle was our first race in our yearlong sport. This is how it went:
We arrived at the Bass Pro Shop around 7:15 in the morning. After a quick stop at the porta-john, we waited in the car until 5 minutes before the start of the race. This is a HUGE benefit to these races...easy access!
Running is a selfish hobby. I wake up at 4 AM, run up to 13 miles, wake up the dog coming back into the house, which in turn wakes up everyone else. I drap wet clothes in the closet, and significantly add to the laundry that needs to be done everyday. I run over lunch, which compounds the laudry even more. The cost for races, shoes, socks, gear...it is all expensive. The time I am gone for races (all local, of course) is still time I am away from my family, leaving my wife to manage the kids on her day off from being a stay-at-home mom. It is selfish, yet I do it anyway.
So why run? It is an evolving reason, but one that has culminated into a simple one...it is a gift, one for which I am grateful. And I intend to celebrate it everyday. So I run. Ask me how I feel at the end of a race, and you will get the same answer: "Blessed...that's how I feel."
This year is a drastic change for me. My oldest daughter, Madilyn, is running with me. I proposed running to her as an alternative sport to soccer or softball...something she and I could do together. She was into it. So, the Sweetheart Shuffle was our first race in our yearlong sport. This is how it went:
We arrived at the Bass Pro Shop around 7:15 in the morning. After a quick stop at the porta-john, we waited in the car until 5 minutes before the start of the race. This is a HUGE benefit to these races...easy access!
I gave Maddi three goals: never walk, walk at the aid station, or walk one time per mile. Even though running is for fun, a race is a lesson in and of itself. And I am the coach. We started slowly, easing through the crowd in front of us, and maintained a nice, easy pace. Maddi was able to talk to me, which tells me how tired she actually is. Past the first mile, she wanted to walk...I told her we could after we crossed the next street light, but only until the next subsequent cone. My belief is she has no idea how far or much should she push herself, so I need to judge for her. Soon, she will learn on her own.
Running isn't easy. It should hurt..a little. It should cause doubt, and subsequently reaffirm the belief that you can accomplish anything in your heart. We took a few short walks throughout the course, always aware we would be passed by others pushing just a little harder. Towards the end, when the finish line came into view about 600 meters away, Maddi pushed through. I pointed to runners we needed to pass. She complied. And at the end, we finished our first race as a pair of runners, as father and daughter, as friends.
When I run a marathon, it is for fun, but I run hard. It is self-involved, and I want to do my very best. Running alone, I could have run a 19 min 5k. But on this day, my very best was not about time or placement. My very best was running with Maddi. And it was wonderful.
The Sweetheart Shuffle is the first of six races we are planning to do this year. The other five, well, those are the remaining races in the Healthy Holiday Fun Run Series. Run baby run. You've got to love it!
M
Friday, March 16, 2012
March 11 - 17
I learned more this week about running than I have ever known. I finished Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton's book, Barefoot Running: Step by Step, and the simple information as it applies to running has so far caused a breakthrough!
Barefoot Ken Bob is a preeminent advisor on barefooting, author of the first website on barefoot running, Running Barefoot, and guru on proper running form and economy. I won't preach the virtues of running barefoot here, but what Ken Bob teaches is form, economy, technique, and mental adjustment. There are many forms of advice, but he delivers his simply and with a conciseness that even the most stubborn shod runner shouldn't ignore. If you want to get over an injury, run injury free, he has the answers.
I am also lucky enough to work in the same building as another legend in barefoot running, Barefoot Rick. He has run more mile barefoot than anyone in documented history. I see him running along the campus regularly...even in the snow. His website contains valuable information as well. I am thrilled that a legend in barefoot running is willing to be so accessible.
So what did I learn? I learned that I don't run correctly. Yes, yes, I've heard we are all an experiment of one. That's nice. But human beings are all alike, for the most part. So the baseline for the "experiment of one" is the same.
Results
My Monday and Wednesday runs hurt. My Achilles was aching terribly. Walking hurt too. Then, Wednesday night, I started reading "Barefoot Running: Step by Step". Then I ran on Friday. Barefoot. No pain in my Achilles. Bliss!
I am not naive enough to think I am miraculously healed. I still need to stretch my calf muscles and Achilles. But, running with the correct form and technique, which cannot be simulated in shoes or Vibrams, is the only way to maximize my running longevity. It does require a bit of humility. Some folks' egos are simply too broad to let them try. But mine isn't. I care about running. I care about being healthy. So I will let my feet do the rest of the talking.
Monday: 1.3 miles in VFF Bikila - road; 1 hour on bike trainer
Tuesday: Core and strength
Wednesday: 2.6 miles in VFF Bilila - road; Core and strength
Thursday: 45 min. on bike trainer; Core and strength
Friday: 1.3 miles barefoot - road; 1 hour on bike trainer
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest
Total running miles: 5.2
Barefoot Ken Bob is a preeminent advisor on barefooting, author of the first website on barefoot running, Running Barefoot, and guru on proper running form and economy. I won't preach the virtues of running barefoot here, but what Ken Bob teaches is form, economy, technique, and mental adjustment. There are many forms of advice, but he delivers his simply and with a conciseness that even the most stubborn shod runner shouldn't ignore. If you want to get over an injury, run injury free, he has the answers.
I am also lucky enough to work in the same building as another legend in barefoot running, Barefoot Rick. He has run more mile barefoot than anyone in documented history. I see him running along the campus regularly...even in the snow. His website contains valuable information as well. I am thrilled that a legend in barefoot running is willing to be so accessible.
So what did I learn? I learned that I don't run correctly. Yes, yes, I've heard we are all an experiment of one. That's nice. But human beings are all alike, for the most part. So the baseline for the "experiment of one" is the same.
- Run with your knees bent.
- Run relaxed
- Run tall from the waist up
- Run from your haunches (like a cat)
- 180 cadence is great
- If you feel pain, then you need to adjust what you are doing
Results
My Monday and Wednesday runs hurt. My Achilles was aching terribly. Walking hurt too. Then, Wednesday night, I started reading "Barefoot Running: Step by Step". Then I ran on Friday. Barefoot. No pain in my Achilles. Bliss!
I am not naive enough to think I am miraculously healed. I still need to stretch my calf muscles and Achilles. But, running with the correct form and technique, which cannot be simulated in shoes or Vibrams, is the only way to maximize my running longevity. It does require a bit of humility. Some folks' egos are simply too broad to let them try. But mine isn't. I care about running. I care about being healthy. So I will let my feet do the rest of the talking.
Monday: 1.3 miles in VFF Bikila - road; 1 hour on bike trainer
Tuesday: Core and strength
Wednesday: 2.6 miles in VFF Bilila - road; Core and strength
Thursday: 45 min. on bike trainer; Core and strength
Friday: 1.3 miles barefoot - road; 1 hour on bike trainer
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest
Monday, March 12, 2012
Running Experiment: The Road Less Traveled
Well into the fifth week of achilles tendonitis, much reflection has been given to why this injury exists in my left leg. Secondarily, what caused all the other injuries I have incurred from running?
Achilles tendonitis in right leg (2009)
Morton's Neuroma in right foot (2010 - 2011)
Plantar fasciitis in left foot (2011)
Achilles tendonitis in left leg (2012)
So, what caused these injuries? I have no idea, nor will I ever know because there is no film of me running during these times, only race photographs. I used to heal-strike, so maybe that was it. Then I gradually changed to a forefoot striker, but maybe my upper body wasn't moving in concert with my legs. Maybe my core was too weak. At this point, it doesn't matter what was, only what will be.
What amounts to speculation results in lack of proof. However, there is ample amounts of research.
At http://www.naturalrunningcenter.com/, there is an excellent video of proper running economy. I have studied this video several times, which led me to video my form on a treadmill. I found few differences. BUT, I was wearing Vibrams when I filmed myself. So how do I run with shoes?
Experiment and Commitment: For the next several months, I am going to run solely in Vibram Five Fingers - Bikila (and eventually in Spryidon Trail LS) in an effort to fix my maladies and injury-ridden legs. If I can develop a economical form that reduces / eleminates injury, then I will gain countless running years in my life. And what about speed? I will sacrifice speed in the short term to gain efficiency in the long term, but based on research of aging and speed, I should be able to regain my current fitness quickly, and eventually surpase it.
Let me be clear - I am not running barefoot. I am running in Vibrams, which some consider to be the same as running barefoot, but shouldn't. I am going to invest in my legs, in the gift that God has given me, to extend my running life for as long as possible. I am blessed to be able to run, and if I don't take care of the gift I have been given, it could expire.
2012 Plan: For the next 4 weeks, I will run every other day, beginning at 1.3 miles per day, working up to 5 - 7 miles per day. The following month, I will add in an extra run per week, and gradually increase my mileage. If my body tells me to back off, I will. If I feel I can go more, I will not, until month 3.
2012 Races: My spring schedule is pretty much shot right now. I can either rush through recovery with shoes, run the races, and risk delay of healing, OR I can cut my loses now, pick a goal race, and take baby steps to get there.
June - Hospital Hill 13.1 (used as a training run)
July - Psycho Psummer Run Toto Run 50k (trail) - Goal race
October - Kansas City Marathon - Goal Race
To be continued...
Achilles tendonitis in right leg (2009)
Morton's Neuroma in right foot (2010 - 2011)
Plantar fasciitis in left foot (2011)
Achilles tendonitis in left leg (2012)
So, what caused these injuries? I have no idea, nor will I ever know because there is no film of me running during these times, only race photographs. I used to heal-strike, so maybe that was it. Then I gradually changed to a forefoot striker, but maybe my upper body wasn't moving in concert with my legs. Maybe my core was too weak. At this point, it doesn't matter what was, only what will be.
What amounts to speculation results in lack of proof. However, there is ample amounts of research.
At http://www.naturalrunningcenter.com/, there is an excellent video of proper running economy. I have studied this video several times, which led me to video my form on a treadmill. I found few differences. BUT, I was wearing Vibrams when I filmed myself. So how do I run with shoes?
Experiment and Commitment: For the next several months, I am going to run solely in Vibram Five Fingers - Bikila (and eventually in Spryidon Trail LS) in an effort to fix my maladies and injury-ridden legs. If I can develop a economical form that reduces / eleminates injury, then I will gain countless running years in my life. And what about speed? I will sacrifice speed in the short term to gain efficiency in the long term, but based on research of aging and speed, I should be able to regain my current fitness quickly, and eventually surpase it.
Let me be clear - I am not running barefoot. I am running in Vibrams, which some consider to be the same as running barefoot, but shouldn't. I am going to invest in my legs, in the gift that God has given me, to extend my running life for as long as possible. I am blessed to be able to run, and if I don't take care of the gift I have been given, it could expire.
2012 Plan: For the next 4 weeks, I will run every other day, beginning at 1.3 miles per day, working up to 5 - 7 miles per day. The following month, I will add in an extra run per week, and gradually increase my mileage. If my body tells me to back off, I will. If I feel I can go more, I will not, until month 3.
2012 Races: My spring schedule is pretty much shot right now. I can either rush through recovery with shoes, run the races, and risk delay of healing, OR I can cut my loses now, pick a goal race, and take baby steps to get there.
June - Hospital Hill 13.1 (used as a training run)
July - Psycho Psummer Run Toto Run 50k (trail) - Goal race
October - Kansas City Marathon - Goal Race
To be continued...
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