10 myths of Barefoot running

If you are looking for more analysis and opinion on barefoot running, 10 myths of it are covered in this post on Podiatry today. (H/T's to Runblogger and Yelling Stop) Unfortunately, the post is a multi-page that you have to click through to get all the info, but it is advertising-free. The post is well-referenced (although I admit not being familiar with the podiatric literature). Interestingly, the author, Dr. Campitelli, considers orthotics to be overused by podiatrists. In the concluding material, he does disclose being a scientific adviser to Vibram (here is a link to his practice website)

Runblogger and foot strike

Those readers interested in all things footstrike (stride length, strike patterns, shoe lift, barefoot running, etc.) owe it to regularly read Pete over at Runblogger. He provides excellent insight to the topics and now, he has announced his own published research to be proud of as well. Congrats Pete!

Memorial Day Weekend running at the beach

Running on the loose sands of the Northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico can be both a great workout and a treacherous risk (primarily of twisting an ankle). Usually when I run the beach, I use a pair of ancient worn-out trainers that I am not afraid to fill with sand. On occasion, I run barefoot but this adds the dangers of broken shells, jellyfish and more. Thankfully, I had my new Vibram's with me along with a pair of Injinji toe socks. In my first couple of outings, the VFF gave me some raw areas and early blisters. After I read about others using toe socks, I ordered some and they worked great! So for three consecutive days, I ran 4 miles a day and only had to cut things short due to calf soreness. I'll be taking a few days off for my calves to recover, but I am excited about incorporating minimalist runs into my base training.

Post #100: a little more about barefoot/minimalist running

For those interested in reading more about the phenomenon of minimalist/barefoot running, Runblogger has a great post about the "debate".

I am in strong agreement with the basic premise of his post, which is that the "debate" can get a little hairy sometimes with both the pro and con sides resorting to hyperbole and ad hominem attacks to make their points, neither of which hold much sway with me. I must admit that my expertise in medicine is in Cardiology and not Sports Med, but my review of the literature doesn't really find much to say that either side has strong footing (pun intended). We could definitely stand to see more robust science supporting both sides.

I was interested to learn from this post that Dr. Lieberman gets research funds from Vibram. Dr. Lieberman's website at Harvard does make this disclosure, but has nothing about the extent or size of the research support.

VFF Follow-up

So it turns out that those spots didn't cause any blisters. They were a little red and sore, but no blistering. I've got some injinji toe socks on the way for future wear, regardless. I have still got a pretty nice ache in the calves yesterday and today, and I feel like I've really worked some smaller muscles in my feet unlike any previous run. So far, so good!

Brand New Vibram Five Fingers

Between the lay press coverage, Steve Runner's experiences with minimalist shoes, the Runner's Round Table, and Born to Run, the roars of support for minimalist/barefoot running have deafened me and I decided to take the plunge and add them to my Amazon wish list. So, happy birthday to me and thanks to my Mom and Dad M. for the black and orange Vibram Five Fingers KSO's. I took them out this morning for my first run.

I had tried on a pair of size 44's a while back to check out the fit and they were pretty darn good this morning. One big toenail needs a little clipping and it was a little scrunched in the tip of the shoe, but not bad, so I went with it. Today was a run basically all on pavement with a little concrete and just one or two spots with uneven surfaces. Breaking into my stride, I ended up landing on my forefoot for the first 3 miles or so. The sensation was quite interesting. The padding is plenty enough to keep the rough road surface from hurting, but you can still feel the coarse rock in segments of pavement. In terms of time, I was definitely running more slowly, concentrating on form and landing, my pace was about 30-45 seconds slower than typical.


Now, I have simulated barefoot runs several times in the past by forcibly landing on my forefoot using regular Ascis Gel Enduros. It works pretty well and I know to expect some serious calf ache afterwards. This time the ache set in at about mile 2.5 of my 4 mile out and back course. (ie: no cutting it short, because I still had to get home :-P) Then the blisters started. I could feel them starting to crop up near the end of the run and sure enough when I got home, I could see a good one under my second toe, another on the inside of my big toe, and there was a small subcutaneous hemorrhage on the other big toe where I think I landed and took off from right on top of a pebble.

Bottom line: Felt great during the run, need to find a solution for the blisters.

I read some other blogs and comments about the VFF and I found two general opinions:
1) The blisters will be less as my feet become accustomed to the VFF
2) Toe socks (like Injinji's) can help a lot

I'm hoping that using the VFF once a week or so will be a good "strengthening" addition to my runs and add some ankle/foot/toe stability.

Proper foootstrike, Ryan Hall at 300 fps, 17 miles into Boston

In another post regarding form and proper footstrike, you probably don't need to wear minimalist shoes if you strike on your midfoot like Ryan Hall. He may not have won Boston this year, but finishing in the fastest American time EVER is an astonishing achievement. Congrats Ryan!

This video is from Peter Larson's blog "Runblogger" who teaches anatomy and runs in New Hampshire.


Ryan Hall - Boston Marathon 2010 from Runblogger on Vimeo.

iRun/iRead and Ep 75 of the Runner's Round Table

Most podcasts are set up as a host (one, two, or an ensemble cast) who covers some topic (news, reviews, etc.) in a familiar format (something akin to a radio show with intros, outros, segments, etc.) One running podcast which breaks that format is the Runner's Round Table. This show is more of a populist creation where someone comes up with a topic and volunteers to moderate a panel discussion held over the internet with each person calling in to a central number. Additionally, the audience can watch/participate live during the recording on a chat channel, or sometimes just calling in themselves.

I bring up RRT as an alternative to other podcasts if you are looking for a new place to branch out in consuming content about running. I especially wanted to mention episode 75 featuring Grant, Vicky, Joe, and Toni talking about the iRun magazine and the accompanying iRead program. I'll let you listen to the show for their discussion of those, the part of the episode I wanted to discuss here is their review of Born to Runand the accompanying question of barefoot running.

I really appreciated how well the panel disagreed on the book, its tone, and the "fad" of barefoot running. While I greatly enjoyed the book, it was great to hear a point of view from someone who didn't like the book. The panel also did a great job of putting into words, my thoughts about the barefoot running phenomenon. To summarize some of their points:

1. The Tarahumara don't actually run barefoot, they have makeshift sandals to protect the bottom of their feet.
2. The effect of barefoot running/minimalist shoe training can be largely duplicated with a conscious effort at better mid/forefoot striking and form.
3. Amateur runners who never received formal coaching (ie: were not runners in high school/college) are frequently coached to "find their own form" and assume that whatever they do is "best for them".
4. Alternatively, amateur runners might well benefit from formal (even if brief) coaching.
5. If you are not having knee/back/other pains and injuries in standard shoes, you may not derive any benefit from barefoot/minimalist running.
6. Maybe you don't need to always run barefoot/minimalist, but doing so as part of core training will help to keep propriceptive and balance muscles in the calf and ankle strong.

Anyway, the panel is not a group of scientists and there is no hard evidence discussed in the show, but I thought it was a great discussion. If you have heard about barefoot/minimalist and are considering it, I would check out this episode as a great review of differing opinions on the subject and see how you think it might work with your training.