Throwing em back on

There are no long races I am training for this summer, so I decided I will have some time to break the vibrams back in. I went for a run recently and was able to get to about mile three until my foot cramped up. It is just going to take some time I think to build up the strength. Fortunately I am not on a time line and determined to make it work. I love running in the vibrams. Everything feels bettter. I have been having issues with my big toes in my old shoes, which have forced me to have to stop on occasion. When I run in the vibrams I don't have that problem at all. I will keep my progress tracked.

Grand Rapids River Bank Run

I haven't posted in awhile, mostly because the Vibrams haven't been working out. I still would like to eventually use them exclusively, however that has proven to be difficult in a short period of time.

I rant the Grand Rapids River Bank Run in 1:58:06. It's a 25k (15.6 miles). This is as good as I could have hoped for, I was not able to run it in the Vibrams though. My left foot still cramps up terribly after about mile two. I have started jumping rope in hopes to alleviate this problem, but so far it hasn't helped much. I also have been running in my old shoes so much that I will have to slowly build my calluses back up on my feet. It has been a frustrating couple of months. I also have been running more often, and can feel my old injuries starting to come back. The days I run in short distances in the vibrams, I feel great.

I will continue to run in the vibrams when I am going short distances, but I don't expect to be running a lot in them anytime soon, until the issues go away.

MY GPS data for the River Run has been uploaded here

10 miles. Flying

I threw on my old shoes because I wanted to cover some distance without getting blisters after mile 2..

10 miles at a 7:30 pace. If I can keep it up, I will be able to join the 2:00:00 club at the Grand Rapids River Run. I've come to the conclusion that it is unlikely I will be wearing the Vibrams for this race. I ran a few miles in them the other day when it was about 80 degrees out. The sun heating the blacktop just made my feet blister more easily. I am going to continue to run my short runs in the vibrams when my feet are feeling up for it.

In other news, the slight change in form that I mentioned earlier, has made all the difference. My shins feel fine, and my feet don't cramp up in the Vibrams. Again, I'm just leaning slightly forward during my runs so my feet land under my hips and are not reaching in front of me.

Full run details here
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/30252584

General Update 4/10/2010

The running has been going well. I can run on the sidewalk with the vibrams most of the time. No discomfort in the feet or shins. My skin can still blister and can be a little uncomfortable, but that is just going to take time.

I ran through central park in NYC the last few days and regret not bringing my GPS watch. I'm sure I'll go back someday.

Happy Trails

25th Run: A change of form and all my problems went away!

Today I ran 6.5 miles in the Vibrams, all on the sidewalk, without my feet cramping up and without my shins hurting! Blisters still formed but that's to be expected. Not sure when that will end. Anyway, what did I do differently?

I changed my stride. I have heard over and over that you should be taking light quick steps, which is what I thought I was doing, but I guess I was doing it wrong. I was forcing it in a way. I was still running like I had normal running shoes on, I just hit my toe first, but I was still reaching with my foot and pushing off it once it was behind me. Bearfoot runners will tell you this is the wrong way to run barefoot, I just didn't pay attention to this advice for some reason. Your feet should stay under you and gravity should do most the work. It's very much like the Pose method. Anyway, I leaned forward a little bit and man did it make a difference. My feet were landing almost right under my hips, and once they went back far enough I just picked them up and put them back under my hips, one after the other. When you run this way, it's almost like you're not running, but just falling and catching yourself before you tip over, a few thousand times.

Not only did this allow me to run 6.5 miles without pain, but it allowed me to run it fast! Average pace of 7:30. When I ran 2 days prior I was struggling to keep up an 8:10 pace. Today my body did not feel like I was going that fast. I kept looking at my GPS watch and thinking that can't be right. I unfortunately didn't wear my heart rate monitor on the long run a few days ago, but I looked at some of my previous runs going at a slower pace, and my heart rate was about 164, the same as it was today. So this seemingly minor adjustment to my stride allowed me to go much faster, without using any more oxygen. Freaking amazing!

Anyway, this is very exciting. I think the Grand Rapids River run shouldn't be a problem. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to run that at a 7:30 pace. We will see.

I will still continue to track my progress on this blog, but my posts will be more spread out because I have essentially adjusted to these shoes sans the blisters. Those can be avoided by running on the grass though, I just wanted to see what would happen.

Full Run Details Here
Happy running!

24th Run: Ok I lied.. 7 miles in the old shoes

Had to pull out the old shoes for a distance run. My foot issues were preventing me from going far in the vibrams. Still having issues with my shins too, we'll see if I can do anything about that.

21-23rd Run: Retiring the old shoes.

Well, my skin has finally gotten tough enough to withstand the shoes. Although I have been running on the grass more, which may have something to do with it.

I ran an easy 2 mile run the other day at a slower pace (8:40 miles) and it felt pretty good. Today or tomorrow I will see if I can run really far at that pace. My foot arches didn't seem to get as tired, and I felt like they could have gone forever at this pace. It is going to take awhile for my arches to get stronger and be able to support me running long distances at a decent pace, but I'm willing to work at it.

For now, the plan is to run 2 days on, 1 day off, until my feet and shins can handle running 6 days a week. I am still can feel my shin splints, but they don't seem to be getting any worse, which is a good thing. I might have to get more aggressive with treatment (icing, slowing my pace, and ibuprofen) without having to stop running.

I will let you know how my long run goes. I'm hoping I will be able to go 10-12 miles. So far the longest I have run in the Vibrams is 6.5, so it will be interesting to see how big of a difference a slower pace makes.

20th Run: Tip. Run on the grass

Distance in VFF 5.5

I ran on the grass about 90% of this run. This allowed me to run the entire distance without my left foot cramping up, and without pain where my blisters are healing.

If you want to run long distances when you first get these shoes, I recommend running on soft surfaces. It does wonders.

19th Run: Distance in the vibrams, sore feet, sore achilles

Distance in VFF: 6.0


My feet were really sore after this, and I think the only thing that got me through it was running on the grass as much as I could. This is seriously taking forever and I start to wonder if it's even worth it. The reason I started running in these shoes was so I could run farther, without getting injured. The method of running allowed me to do that, the shoes do not seem to have much of an added benefit at the moment. I have noticed that when I put on my old shoes now, my arches ache from the padding. I'm not sure how to explain that one.

I also felt a pull on my Achilles this time around. I read that because I have been walking in normal shoes with higher up heels, my Achilles is likely shorter and not used to the full extension of my ankle when running.

I will continue to get my feet used to the vibrams, but I think I will do longer runs in my old shoes for the time being.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/27268341

18th Run: Vibrams, broke an eating rule

I ate too much pizza. It was over 3 hours before I went for a run, but a mile into it I got a sideache like nobodies business. Had to quit early, will throw on the vibrams and try again tomorrow.

Went 2 miles.

15th- 18th Run

I've taken a break from the Vibrams and have been running every other day in my old shoes. Seems to work. I'll throw the vibrams on for my next run to see how my feet feel.

full run details

14th Run: in the old shoes.

Total Distance: 3.5
Distance in VFF: 0

Just giving the feet a chance to heal. Nothing noteworthy about the run.

13th run: Vibrams 2nd day in a row.. Blisters..

Distance in VFF: 3.5
View my run details here

Tomorrow I will be taking a break. The blood blister that seemed to be going away on my foot just got a little bigger.

In better news, I think my distance pace right now is about 7:45 miles. I gauge this pretty much just by how my body feels. For long distances, you should not be gasping for air. If you run at a pace, that while you're running, you're not sure you will be able to keep it up the entire run, you're going too fast. You should feel like you could run 100 miles at that pace. My heart rate at this pace is about 162-164, I'm 24 years old if that helps you for a reference.

12th run: short run in the vibrams

Distance in VFF: 2.0
Average pace: 7:38

Shorter run in vibrams was fine. I put my pace on here because I didn't feel like I was going that fast. I don't think it's the shoes, but it's worth noting that it appears my body is adjusting to the running and becoming more efficient, so I can ran faster, longer. We'll see how the next few runs go.

At this point my feet feel 90% recovered, but still look pretty torn up. I am going to see how running every day, shorter runs in the vibrams and longer runs in my old shoes goes. If my shins can take it, it shouldn't be a problem.

Also a weird thing I noticed on my last few runs. I feel a mild tendonitis on the top of my left foot. Not sure if it's serious yet. Seems like a weird place to get tendonitis.

11th run: old shoes again.

Total Distance: 4.5
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25993660

I wanted to run a little farther so I stayed away from the Vibrams, I am going to see how my shins handle running everyday, so tomorrow I'll throw on the Vibrams and go a short distnace. Hopefully I will be able to keep this pattern up 6 days a week, where I do my long runs in my old running shoes and my short runs in the vibrams. Then when my feet get accustomed, I will switch, and run the long runs in the vibrams and the short runs in my old shoes. We'll see how it goes.

10th Run: Into the grove in the old shoes

Distance in VFF: 0
Total Distance: 5.75
avg pace: 7:46
View the entire run at my Garmin Connect site

I think this is going to have to be the routine if I want to increase my mileage. One run on and one run off. My feet just have a hard time handling the abuse they get in the Vibrams.

9th run: blood blister..

Distance in VFF: 3.5.

I thought my feet were adjusting, but I failed to remember that my last run was in my regular running shoes, so my feet had 4 days rest in between vibram runs. This time they only had 2, and apparently it wasn't enough. I started developing a blood blister below my middle toe.

I think I will be switching off again for my next run, just so I can start adding some real distance.

I also forgot that a gps watch needs to be charged all the time.. I have just been plugging it in to do the uploads and then unplugging it right away. Not bad though, lasted about 6 hours before I
needed to recharge.

8th run: Over the hump!

Outdoor run
Distance in VFF: 4.86
Average pace 8 min miles
Full workout details at my Garmin Connect site here

I feel like today was a milestone. I was able to run nearly five miles without having to take a break for my feet. I hit some spots of discomfort along the run but a few minor adjustments to my foot landing or stride seemed to fix it.

Something you don't really think about, is the workout your lower calf muscle is going to get. Regular shoes have padding that keeps your heel somewhat elevated, so the bottom 10% of your calf never does any work. You definitely can notice a difference when running in VFF.

I didn't have any issues with my arches this time. I think this is because I let my heal hit the ground a little harder, relaxed into the stride a little more. The stride should be toe-heel-toe. Before my heel was barely brushing the ground, this time I relaxed a bit and let it hit the ground. Seems to have helped.

Happy running

7th run: no Vibrams

Distance in VFF: 0
Total Distance: 3.5

My feet were still pretty tender from my last run, so I threw on my old running shoes. It allowed me to run the entire way without my archers killing me. On a better note, my shins seem to be doing fine and I don't think I am going to have to worry about them much longer. Maybe even start running everyday! Exciting stuff.

6th run

Distance in VFF: 3.15

Outside again, after about 2.25 miles my left arch started to tighten up, I'm not sure if there's anything that can be done about this. I'm also getting blisters under my blisters, it's a pretty awesome feeling..

I keep telling myself my next run I will take a break from the Vibrams, but then when the time comes my feet feel fine. On the flip side, if I can make it 3 miles, that's good enough for now I guess. At the end of the month if things don't change I will throw on some normal shoes so I can start increasing the distance occasionally. I'm hoping it won't come to that, and my feet will adjust by the end of next week.

Happy running

Suggested training for moving to a barefoot running style.

I came across this blog I wanted to share with you. It has some suggested training for transitioning to barefoot running. I have not been following this, mostly because I'm too stubborn to decrease my weekly mileage that much.

It's worth checking out, at the bottom of the page their are two suggested training plans.

http://barefoot-running.com/transition/index.php

5th Run - First Run Outside

(Click image to enlarge)

Two days rest, for my feet and shins.
Picked up a Garmin Forerunner 305 so I don't have to map my routes before running them :-)

Running outside is completely different than running on a treadmill. The ground is more rough (obviously), and the way it feels running up hill and down hill feels a lot different than normal shoes. It also gave my arches more of a work out. My feet blistered a little as well. I think building up miles on the vibrams is going to be a little more time consuming than I first thought.

I also put some athletic tape on the top of my foot. The top foot strap was digging into my foot and creating a tiny cut. I didn't actually notice this until after taking the shoe off, and there being blood on the strap.

The temperature was about 30 degrees, and I had to run through some packed snow. I did not wear socks, and at no time did my feet feel cold.

Distance in VFF: 3.6
Avg pace per mile: 8 min
Total Distance: 3.6
You can find my full work out summary here Garmin Connect - Activity Details

4th Run

Distance in VFF: 2 Miles (8 min miles)
Total distance: 2 miles.

Some mild to medium discomfort in the bottoms of my feet. Seems to be only the left foot, so I tightened the straps about half way through my run to see if it would make a difference. Inconclusive, but I will make sure they are tight tomorrow.

3rd Run

Distance in VFF: 0
Total Distance: 2 miles.

Feet feel ok, as long as I wasn't running on them.
First time in awhile that I ran two days in a row. Iced the shins afterwards and took some ibuprofen. We'll see how my run goes tomorrow, will be putting on the Vibrams again.

2nd Run

I did not run yesterday to give my feet a chance to heal.

Second Run
Distance in VFF - 1.5 miles (8 min mile pace)
Total distance - 3.0 miles.

No socks this time. Started out fine, but had to take the VFF's off again because of the blisters. I want to give my feet a chance to develop callouses before I go for longer runs.

I just went grocery shopping and man are my feet tender. Needless to say I don't think I will be running on the Vibram's for a few days.

1st Run

Today is 2/12/2010.
I plan on running the Grand Rapids River Run on May 8th. It is a 25k (15.5m) run along the Grand River.

It is winter here so I am running at my local gym on treadmills.

First run:
Distance in VFF (Vibram Five Fingers) - 1.25 miles (8 min mile pace)
Total distance - 2.0

I wore the injinji socks for my first run which may have been a mistake. I'm not sure if it was the socks or just the shoes but the friction caused the balls of my feet to blister pretty quick. I had to stop after 1.5 miles because it was becoming painful and I didn't want to decomission myself for the next few days. I was able to finish another mile and a half in my normal running shoes.

Besides the blisters, the shoes felt great. It felt much more natural than running in my old running shoes.

The Beginning: My Story as a Distance Runner

I have been running off and on since high school (I'm 24). The off periods have mostly been due to injury, shin splints, and more recently Achilles tendinitis. I would run 6-8 miles every other day at about 8 min miles. Before I stopped running, when I got out of bed in the morning I could barely walk.

Then one night I was watching the daily show. Christopher McDougall was the guest talking about his book Born to Run. I ordered the book for my dad who is a marathon runner, and planned to read it after he finished. Soon thereafter, I started running on the balls of my feet rather than striking my heel first. My achilles pain went away almost instantly! I could still feel some discomfort in my achilles with my new running style, but it gradually went away, and after about two weeks it was completely gone.

It did take my muscles about three weeks to adjust to the new style. Running on the balls of your feet is a major calf work out, so I started out doing one to two miles and worked my way up to four every other day. I would like to do more, but my shins are still bothersome so I am trying to be patient with my mileage increases.

So this is where I'm coming from, the rest of the blog posts will be dedicated to my experience with distance running in the Vibram Five Finger Sprints.

The store I went to had two colors available, and I decided to go with the Clay (shown).