Someday, I'll be able to peel a banana with'em...

A few weeks back when Spring started her evil tease, I relegated a few hours to raking up and thatching the back and front yards to get the leaves which had been covered by our early November snowfall and rotting under the snow during our endless winter. I headed out to the mud room and slipped on my "outdoor shoes", which in my home generally means "whatever running shoes I retired from the last year". (And these particular trainers were the 1st investment shoe I made when I started race training properly last March. A comfortable shoe is a must for lawn frassin', and those b#tches were done broke in)

After a few hours and with the full knowledge that I'd be a little sore from raking, I was surprised waking up the next morning when I discovered that I could also barely walk. My knees, which hadn't been problematic since this seasons race training (knock on wood) and hips felt like there were hot spiky bands wrapped around them. Sure , I had ran and lifted earlier that day. But this wasn't workout-soreness. Noooo...this...this was shitty and acute pain. And it wasn't until the next time I attempted to tenderly go for a run that it occurred to me...


These a$$holes were still in those "retired" running shoes:



I've mentioned the fun that comes with race training and seeing how far you've come- even if it's only your first or second season. When Moda and I started last year, she was gung ho- collecting as many facts and as much information as she could about marathon racing which was why we found ourselves making our first trip to a running store for a free, professional assesment of our running gaits in order to determine a good shoe/insert that would fit our needs, and help diminish the potential for injury. I had had some pre-existing issues, sure. I was a casual jogger at best at that point...but I figure I'd try anything to keep me hale and hearty. $25 later and with the assurances of the clerk that these were a decent mid-range running shoe insert- we were off to the trails.

Except Moda was still having some hip and knee issues. And grew frustrated. So she continued with her reading and researching. (For my part, I was just gritting my teeth to get through the pain and felt like I was being supportive when actuall I was just following along.) After a few weeks, she started reading up about the recent increase in the idea of barefoot running, more specifically, the onset of the five-finger running shoe- popularized by Vibram.

Behold the Vibram weird f#cking shoe (tm):




If you've managed to read this far, please note that this isn't trying to be a sales pitch, soapbox, or the gospel of safe and injury-free running. I'm completely and totally aware of the parade-pissing-party that happens when you mention Veebs around runners and atheletes- Whether it's from an aesthetic standpoint, or how the idea that barefoot running is "better" for you is unfounded medically speaking.

So if you want: I'd encourage you to read to your precious pink hearts content about the arguments, the studies, the historical significance of barefoot running, the testimonies, the naysayers. All that shit is out there for your perusal on teh interwebs. Go ahead. I'll wait. I'm all for being an informed runner/lifter etc.

What I'm trying to tell you, is just my...little old me? MY experience with the ugly sumbitches. Dig? So chillax. And as always, do what works, what's safest, what keeps you healthiest...and most importantly- What feels good.

Ohhhh HA HA HA HA HA!!! At first, I had a field day at her expense. I laughed at how they sounded when she ran. (With this weird "clopping" noise.) I asked if she'd be able to use her feet for cooking and chopping and driving. I quietly judged when she said her calves and quads were burning and I wondered if anyone was staring at the woman running barefoot on the treadmill at the gym. Or if they'd even wanna use it afterward. I was not what you'd call a convert.

Except- while we started running distances at about the same level/effort? You know...together? She amped up her training and started running farther, longer, faster, and stronger. The best I could do was stop with the sarcasm and teasing. And of course, eat her dust while I'd walk up hills, take NUMEROUS breaks, and usually...sometimes. A lot of times...just turn around outright and let her go while I walked back to the car. (Insert "Incredible Hulk" ending theme)

Eventually, she shucked her original trainers entirely, invested in Nike Free's, and started cross-training. It was around this time she lent me that great book which talks about Veebs, Free's, and Barefoot running in general. Yes, it gets preachy on occasion- But it's still a fascinating and entertaining book. And so while a laggard like me, who hates bandwagonning with an unbridled passion? Well I could get behind some of the speaking points. And I found some of the applications to be not only educational, but invariably put me over the fence into the minimalist running camp. So for your benefit/amusement, here are some of the basic bullets I've learned from minimalist/barefoot training incorporated with running technique that has helped me within the last 6-7 months.

(I know, right? It's always f#cked me up to think that something as elementary and rudimentary as RUNNING has to have a correct "form". I've been running since I was a TODDLER fer Chrissakes. Like I said...I just...well it was hard to wrap my head around.)

-Within the last 30 odd years or so, modern orthotics have provided a marked increase in the amount of, and different types of cushioning in athletic shoes.

-The more heel cushioning (for example) allows for the body to naturally impact harder when running outside. It also increases our tendency to have a harder heel-toe footstrike versus the "safer" mid-stride footstrike. So you land harder? You make a greater impact on your hips and knees. Or think about...

-Jog in place. Go on. (This is what made me think about the arguments for a minute) The idea is that how you jog in place is the natural way your body is meant to run: Smaller strides, mid-to-front range foot strikes, and your hips and upper body in alignment. The idea being your form shouldn't try and emulate a gazelle or a sprinter, but (sorry) a mall-walker moving faster. This is why I said in previous posts that running can and should be more involved in your head when it comes to doing it safely and to reduce the potential for injury. Moreover, by improving your form and footstrike you're activating and using the muscle which power you on your run: Glutes, Calves, and Quads.

-(Now, this next part is what gets everyone kerfluffling) Barefoot/minimalist running helps to engage the musculature and ligature of the feet to help improve resilience and foot strength, as well as endurance and posture. Collegiate coaches in track and cross-country will have their teams train barefoot on the track to improve their form, and race-historians have made observations that race times experienced a decrease from the first popularized heyday of marathoning in the late 60's-early 70's when cushioned shoes were made for people who wanted to be a runner but also wanted it to feel comfortable.


Vibrams were originally intended to be deck shoes for professional sailors b/c they emulated the natural contours of the foot and allowed for grippage. About 7-8 years ago, a barefoot running advocate lobbied to be their poster-boy. And so- The barefoot runners now had a minimalist and protected way to keep their feet safe from the elements and dangers of a wayward pebble or stick. And now the applications for them have reached into Yoga, Hiking, Martial Arts...you name it they've found a way to give you a new kind of Veeb.

So what did I do that was so different? I didn't have "chronic" pain. Sure, I was unhappy with my times during runs. Was that enough of an excuse to invest? Well as luck would have it, two things happened. The first? My mileage was up on my shoes. Various experts have various #'s when it comes to "when" you should retire your trainers. Since I'd put on about 400+ miles I figured new shoes were in order. So I frassed w/Moda and shopped around, which brought me to the 2nd thing- No one was carrying Nike Free's except the specialty stores. So I ended up with a model of minimalist shoe "1-Up" from the Free's. And they ended up being a good fit.

The Lunar Fly:



A few weeks later, as a treat to myself for my new job, I got myself some Veebs. I wore them casually at first- To the cabin. Around the yard. They were awkward. I had to endure a fair bit of ribbing from my family. Although I admit I enjoyed how it felt with the world underneath me, remembering how much fun it was to be barefoot as a kid. How sticks and rocks were "there" but not something to make you cuss and grab your foot. Eventually, I started wearing them to musical choreography rehearsals which garnered quite a bit more in terms stares, snickers, and comments, etc. (Hey. F#ck you. And send me a check, Vibram. I just found a new use for them...DANCE!)

And yet I was still scared to death to run in them. And then I felt stupid. So then I just did it. I incorporated an approach that I figured was safe (do a short treadmill workout, either doing hills on a low MPH or just flat out- 2 x's a week). The first day I ran in'em? I felt like a champ. No pain in my calves. (D-Gangs and Moda both said they were nigh on incapacited with lactic acid...but it was better than frassy knees and hips) And I didn't have a dreaded blister. Buh-wah-ha-haaa.

The second time I ran in them? F#ck me. Blisterville. Lactic Acid-ville. And then after the 3rd, 4th, 5th time? No worries. In fact, Moda commented that having had a few months in my minimalist shoes and then switching to Veebs probably saved me from the agony of da-feet. I'm proud to say that I accomplished my first actual outdoor run last week wearing them (versus only treadmill training). 5.75 miles. Non-stop. With some speedy downhills. And a good finishing time. (And the return of the big frassy blister. Whatever. I'll take it. It's just skin, right?)

So...for me personally? (And a few friends that have been trying them. And Free's. And Merrill's. And other forms of minimalist shoes?) Well I'm running stronger and smarter than I was a year ago. I'm not flat-out incapacitated immediately after, or even a day after my long runs and (so far) my races. Hills aren't as much of a problem. Distances either. And I'll knock on wood again...I haven't experienced a single frassy knee. (No clicking). Bad hip. (No burning or twitching) or that awful recurring lower back twinge that makes you want to do nothing more than lay down with a heating pad or Bio-Freeze and 800 mgs of ibuprofen. I guess cross/strength-training has helped a bit along with a more contientious approach to my running form. But I'll take smart running at this stage and age versus a good running time with $115 shoes and bad knee pain. Which I've done without.

Oh wait.

I did have one bad day of knee/back/hip pain. The day after I wore those stupid expensive inserts. Hm. Fancy that.