A New Book!

I'm so excited! I got a book in the mail -- "Barefoot Running: How To Run Light And Free By Getting In Touch With The Earth." The book is written by Michael Sandler, the barefoot runner I interviewed. Get this -- the intro says, "One day the Denver Post came out to photograph me chasing down cyclists, uphill barefoot and it dawned on Jessica that I had an important story to share." I specifically remember that photo shoot. Michael indeed was chasing the cyclists and oftentimes, passing them.

So, needless to say, I am really stoked to dive into the book. I will keep you posted on what I learn and the thoughts I have about the book.

Heels vs. Forefront

Lesson No. 1 About Barefoot Running: Get On Your Toes

The main difference between running in shoes and running without them is that in a shoe, we are heel-strikers. This collision between the heel and the ground sends a shockwave through the body that can often lead to injuries. When landing on the forefront of the foot while barefoot running, the motion is springy and "less of the body comes to a dead stop at the moment of impact, so there is less force involved in the collision."

At the same time, when you run more on your toes, your Achilles tendon and calf muscles have to work over-time to control your heel and not let it slap down on the ground. This load on these muscles is one of the reasons people say to start slowly when barefoot running.

I noticed the other day that I am definitely a heel striker, even when walking. I am trying hard to not land as hard as I do on my heel, but it is a really hard habit to break. It feels very un-natural to shift to a forefront strike and I think I do a better job of it when running barefoot because it is so obviously painful to heel strike without shoes on.

A Brand New Barefoot Experience

Still getting my...feet...under me with this whole barefoot running thing. When I woke up this morning, the sky was overcast but I didn't realize that it had rained until I stepped out the door. Water + feet = very sensitive toes. But I figured I would give it a shot because if I'm going to be committed to this, I've got to be able to run in all types of conditions.

I'd have to say that the only curveball the water on the ground threw me was the fact that little pieces of gunk (pebbles, grass, sand, etc.) got stuck to my feet a whole lot easier. While most of the stuff fell off my feet within a couple of barefoot steps, I did notice that there were some pesky pieces that wouldn't fall off, which caused me to stop and brush them off. These pieces mainly were on parts of my feet that had contact with the ground that when I landed on them, they were uncomfortable. I guess this is a small price you have to pay for not wearing shoes.

I think I am making steady progress. The only thing that is experiencing a little bit of pain is my right ankle, which feels a little "tweaked" and strained because it doesn't have an orthotic to hold the arch in place, and therefore the ankle in place. I pulled out the trusty bag of frozen peas (the easiest and best way to ice any part of your body) and hopefully by not doing too much too quickly, my body will begin to adapt to this new movement.

The Self Consciousness of a Barefoot Runner

I had planned last night to go barefoot running this morning, but as I was pulling out my running clothes, I grabbed my favorite pair of socks (pink with piggies on them) without realizing. I guess old habits die hard.

I started out by walking a couple of blocks to get my feet acclimated to the ground but I was definitely giddy to start running. But just as I was going to begin a slow jog, I saw a person getting into a car on the same side of the street that I was on. Suddenly, I became self conscious. How weird am I going to look while running...barefoot? It's one thing to walk barefoot -- I live by the beach and feel like I can get away with that. It's another thing to actually be moving at a semi-quick pace down the street sans shoes. So, I let the guy get in his car and not until after he had driven away did I start running.

I walked/jogged for about 30 minutes (ok, most of it was walking). But being able to actually do some running and understanding the form that I need to have when running barefoot was really cool. I could hear Barefoot Ken Bob's sayings in my head as I cruised along with the ocean to my right ("Let your calves relax so your whole foot touches the ground"). Everything seemed to feel pretty good by the time I got home. I had a little tenderness on the balls of my feet (again) but not as bad as the first day.

I feel like I am doing things right and moving at a pace that is good for my body to get used to a different type of running. I will probably do a similar "workout" on Friday and get into more of a routine and hopefully be able to start running more. Fingers crossed.

My first attempt

I went to Griffith Park today for Bareftoot Ken Bob's barefoot clinic. There were about 15 or so people and yes, we were all barefoot. We talked the general basics about barefoot running (bend your knees, don't act like a pogo stick, relax, relax, relax), which was really great for me. There were a couple of experienced barefoot runners there - being able to see them run and watch their stride was very helpful.

For me, the most important and eye-opening part of the whole experience was hearing Ken Bob talk about how to lift your feet off the ground when running barefoot. Shod runners push off the balls of the back foot. Barefoot runners should lift their foot and not push out. In the same vein, your whole foot should touch the ground. It doesn't have to stay there very long (according to Ken Bob, a barefoot runner should have a cadence of 180 steps/minute), but it should land flat.

As we made a couple of barefoot loops around the parking lot, I realized that I was running with a totally different form. My knees were bent, my hips were leaning forward (making my whole torso lined up) and my feet were lifting off the ground. It didn't feel odd or foreign, but I'm sure it will take some getting used to.

When I got home, the heels and balls of my feet were a little tender, but other than that, they were good! I'm going to ice them tonight and then lay low tomorrow. I'm already getting an urge to go out and try it again, but I need to give my body some rest. I want to start slowly so as not to overdue it.

Momma said there'd be days like this...

I know it's gonna be a rough one when, as I lay in bed (even before getting up), my feet ache. It's a dull pain that makes me not want to put any pressure on my feet - it makes it oh-so-hard to get out of bed. But of course I get up, lace up the running shoes and hit the pavement. And I should have known better. The calves start to feel tight, the shins feel pressure and it's downhill from there.

Days like these make me wonder if my body will be able to handle barefoot running. How can it when I can't even wake up without pain?

But momma also said there'd be days like this...when on my run, the low fog hung over Palos Verdes and the waves had a little pep in their step as they crashed on the sand. The air tasted like salt and the smelled of fresh grass. Days like these make me want to run and run and run. Days like these give me hope that anything is possible and that maybe, just maybe, this barefoot stuff will work.

See, real people do run barefoot!

My sister commented on my last post and suggested I watch this video from the New York Times. The video is an interview with Chris McDougall, the author of the bestseller, "Born To Run," which discusses the notion of barefoot running and introduces us to the barefoot-running Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyons.

It is a nice intro to what barefoot running is all about.