All good things...

... wear out, eventually. The good things in question here are my Vibram KSO "funny shoes." I started this experiment in changing not only my running shoes, but my running style back in January when Christopher MacDougall's book Born to Run started me thinking about how I run. My first pair of VFF's arrived in February, and since then, I've logged just over 300 miles in a wide variety of weather and surface conditions, through three continents:

• Over the snow, ice and "frozen snot" of a central European winter (cold toes)
• Through Prague's ancient cobblestoned streets and forested paths (European toes)
• On the "civilized" asphalt of Oklahoma City and Portland, Oregon, and the gravel paths of the National Mall in Washington DC (patriotic toes)
• For loops around one of our longest airport terminals (one mile long - in Detroit... layover toes)
• Over the treacherous roads, unexpected potholes and hills of San Jose, Costa Rica (Latin toes)

My KSO's took all the abuse I could throw at them over the last seven months and didn't complain. Until, about two weeks ago, I finally worked my way all the way through the rubber sole. A small hole quickly worked its way into a dime-sized spot. Duct tape didn't stick. Rubber patches cut from a piece of scrap, and superglued over the hole didn't last long either. So - I finally broke down and bought a new pair this weekend.

Old faithfuls (L); next generation (R)

I'll throw my old pair in the washing machine one last time, and then demote them from running shoes to "things I can throw on while padding around the house." The hole in the one (left) sole still tells me I haven't quite perfected my "barefootish" running style. There's still too much stuffing and not enough lifting going on. But - I suppose after seven months of use, if I was in regular shoes, I'd be looking at getting a new pair about now anyway.

My goal back in January was to try something new - to run away from nagging running injuries by running without "normal" running shoes. The experiment has succeeded. I now run pain-free (without massive does of anti-inflammatories or cortisone shots!) My heel pain isn't gone - but the only time it bothers me now is when I've taken some time off from running, and spent too much time in my "normal shoes." A couple miles back in my VFF's put me right back on track.

Tomorrow morning, I'll head to work wearing my new pair. They still look and smell clean - but I'm sure that won't last more than a couple days! Here's to the next 300 miles!

Pause... Unpause?

My barefoot-ish running experiment paused a couple weeks ago after my first couple runs in the great outdoors in my Vibram KSO "foot gloves."

The day after my "moment of truth run," foot pain returned. Yuck. It was different foot pain this time though - oddly enough, considering that I'm running close to barefoot, the pain was on the TOP of my foot - go figure.

I quickly turned to my primary healthcare provider (google.com), and came up with all kinds of options - Metatarsal Stress Fractures being the most worrisome. After waiting it out a couple of days with no running (and no improvement), I went to my real healthcare provider (who I probably should have gone to in the first place) who took a quick look and diagnosed my problem as an inflammation of the extensor tendons. She prescribed a high-dose anti-inflammatories (2400 mg of Ibuprofen daily) for 5 days. By day six, I was feeling up to running again, and hit the unpause button on the experiment.

I started slow this time - and for the first two days, ran only half of my 3.75 "commute run" in the VFF's, switching to my regular "old shoes" about 1.5 miles in. Today I ran home the entire way - in a lovely mixture of snow and sleet (Prague's spring hasn't arrived yet), and made it home safe and sound. At least it feels that way so far.

Not sure what caused the tendon problem - I've never had it before, but I have a couple of possibilities:

• It's the shoes - my VFF KSO's have a velcro strap on the top that doesn't have much give, and is (coincidentally) in almost exactly the same spot that my tendons were complaining about. Perhaps it was cinched down too tight?
• It's the shoes (redux) - per "Barefoot Ken Bob", you get pain like this when starting out precisely because you're wearing some kind of shoe and not going completely barefoot. He likens it to "learning a new song while wearing earplugs." He argues that bare feet are going to give you the most direct feedback as to when you're taking things too fast. Good point... but Prague's still a bit to cold and cobbly for me to go foot-naked quite yet.
• It's the weather - my "moment of truth" run was over a nasty mixture of ice, snow, and road snot... all that slipping and sliding might have done bad things.
• It's the gait - this "relearning" how to run is hard work. It's going to take a while to teach my muscles and tendons how to do things they way they used to back when I was a barefooted kid running around the yard.

Whatever it was, I'm watching (and listening to) my foot carefully. Icing up the top of my foot after runs. Loosening the strap on my KSO's. Working on stepping quickly, lightly and gently. A total of seven VFF miles in the past three days, and so far, so good. Some calf pain continues - but much less than in my initial weeks - and I've been trying to work on easing back my landing to the midfoot (from the forefoot), which helps.

Now if this snow would go away, I could start trying out Barefoot Ken Bob's advice and go naked-footing!

Running Wisdom... by Barefoot Ken Bob

Yeah - "Barefoot Ken Bob" really is the name he goes by (at least on his website (http://runningbarefoot.org) I was reading through the site tonight while waiting for my calves to stop complaining about yesterday's first "barefoot-ish" run home, and came across this gem:

Learning to run with shoes on, is like learning a spoken language with ear plugs. You just can’t hear the way the words sound. And with shoes, you just can’t feel your feet touching the ground. And, as far as potential damage to our bodies, that is where the important part of running takes place!

...It is possible to learn to run correctly, while wearing shoes. It is also possible to learn to speak and understand speech while deaf. My wife, is deaf, and she learned to speak. But it is a time-consuming and frustrating chore which requires an almost full-time commitment, as well as having someone else observing, and providing constant feedback, to let us know if we are doing something correctly or incorrectly.

My bias, is of course, to start barefoot. Our feet, after all, are our best coaches. They will remind us immediately, and persistently, when we are running badly. And, when we are running well, our feet will enjoy the run, as much as the rest of our body, especially, if our feet are not being imprisoned inside shoes!

His article on "How to Run Barefoot" is a great primer on why barefoot (or "barefoot-ish") running makes sense biomechanically, and on how to get started. This is a guy who's run more than 70 marathons barefoot, so you get the idea that he kinda knows what he's talking about. If you're interested in making the move away from your running shoes, it's well worth the read!

The moment of truth

As the snow and ice has been melting away in Prague this last week, I've been taking my Vibram KSO's out into the cobblestoned streets of Prague. I'm not sure what's been more fun - feeling the cobblestones, patches of ice and gravel under my feet, or watching the double-takes from unsuspecting tourists who happen to glance down at my feet as they wander the streets of Prague. They're really not sure what to make of my new "funny shoes."

Up until today though, I'd taken it pretty easy. But today was it - the moment of truth. As the sun shone bright and temps crept up towards the 50's today, I really had no excuse anymore. No excuse, that is, not to resume my regular commute-run back home.

At just under four miles, it's not a long run. It more than makes up for that in variety though - over 450 feet of elevation gain, cobblestoned streets, stairs, asphalt, sidewalk and even a brief trail run. And the killer bit? The last 3/4 mile uphill. It's a run I do 3-4 times a week when the streets aren't icy... but this time, I'd be doing it "barefoot-ish" for the first time - in my new 10-toed "shoes."

How'd it go? It certainly makes for a much more tactile experience. You actually feel the curve of each cobblestone. You know exactly where the gravel left over from the last couple months of snow and ice has been swept to. Oh yeah, and the white stuff that's still left on the ground? Yeah, it is cold when it gets between the toes!

I didn't set any records today, but I definitely felt stronger on the hills. No new blisters to complain about... and no heel pain. My calves are still killing me after these runs though - even though I'm now about one month in to my barefoot-ish running style. Though my feet and toes report no new blisters despite this week's 12 miles or so, I guess the muscles still aren't quite used to the new regime!

My new running shoes have ten toes

No - I don't mean I put my ten toes into them. The shoes themselves have toes. Check 'em out!

I got these in the mail last night... and my daughter promptly grabbed them and went stomping around the house like a wacky miniature Bigfoot.

Bare feet. Snowy cobblestones. They just don't go well together. I think my new Vibram FiveFingers KSO's may well bridge the gap. Think of them as "gloves for your feet." A thin, tough layer of rubber on the bottom, "caps" to protect the toesies from the sharp edges of cobblestones and other debris and a strap to keep them on. Cool!

So cool, in fact that Wired Magazine (the online magazine for geeks) reviewed the Vibram FiveFingers, calling them "the geekiest shoes in the entire universe." Take a look:

We got another inch of snow last night here in Prague (on top of month-old ice), so I took the FiveFingers for a test run on the treadmill today. Two miles... no blisters. I like this!

In the past couple weeks, I've been working on two things. First - I'm adjusting my running style away from a typical shod "heel strike" to a "barefoot-like" forefoot/midfoot strike. Second, I'm working on exercises to strengthen my calves and ankles (here's a great set of exercises to try). I have to admit - the sight of a an odd-looking American doing ankle-raises on the tram does actually attract more than a couple curious stares. But things are getting better - I've been ratcheting up the "barefoot-like" miles, and my calves, though still sore, don't feel like they've been hit by a baseball any more. Progress!

Now if only this snow & ice would melt off a bit so I can take my toes on the road again!

Shoes vs. Barefoot

This comparison shows how the my running style changes between when take off my running shoes. The treadmill speed is set identically in both clips. Barefoot step rate is about 20% faster at the same speed.

Heel strike vs. forefoot/midfoot strike

Here's a split-screen video comparison of the "old" stride (on the left) compared with the new one I'm practicing... yeah, the same one that's killing my calves!