Category Archives: barefoot running diaries

Week 3 – 15th – 21st January

Total distance: 15km

Barefoot distance: 800m

Outlook: positive, although developed a bit of a pain in right calf.

It was cold last week.  Went out early on Sunday morning after a freezing night, it was beautifully clear and the common was covered in frost.  The ground was frozen and the patches of mud that are usually slippery in smooth soled minimalist shoes were hard and crunchy underfoot.  Took my shoes off for a bit and ran on the horseride, and a bit of rough tarmac.  The cold ground numbed my feet pretty quickly and meant I couldn’t feel the ground properly – despite the numbness, everything felt rougher than I’d expected and actually quite painful.  A few other runners and dog walkers looked at me as if I was crazy, and began to think they might have a point.  I couldn’t tell if I was trashing my feet or of it was just cold.  After about 800m I put my shoes back on and my feet warmed up quite quickly.  When I got home, I checked my feet and they seemed fine, so think it was just the cold.   

It warmed up later in the week, and after recovering from a stomach bug, I went for a trot at lunchtime with some friends from work.  Running with colleagues meant I wasn’t inclined to take my shoes off, partly because it was raining and although not too cold I worried about my soles getting wet and blistering, but being honest it was really not to look weird in front of people I work with.   I reckon that as I get more confident barefoot I’ll be less shy about it, at the moment it would just look odd to take my shoes off just so I could run slower for 800m, and then put my shoes back on. Running and chatting meant I wasn’t so focussed on my form, and probably sped up a bit as a result, either way I was relaxed and enjoyed the run (apart from what I fear is a slight strain in my right calf, which came on towards the end – perhaps because I was going a bit faster and not focussed on my form).  

I’d be interested to hear from more experienced barefooters what limits you find – how cold, how wet, does it have to be for you to keep your shoes on (or not go out)?  Does this change as you get more experience/confidence?  And what tips do you have for keeping feet warm?

I don’t like resolutions.  They’re all a bit set up to make you feel bad if you fail.  Ambitions are much more positive because when (if?) you realise them you feel great.  My running ambition for this year is to run a half marathon barefoot.  A few years ago my ambition was to run a marathon and I thought that the more people I told about it, the less likely I was to back out of it.  The purpose of this blog is to tell as many people as I can and to share my experiences.

Last year was probably the worst year for running that i’ve had.  I was training for the Paris marathon and was on track for a pretty good time when I got shin splints really badly and had to drop out.  Having recently read a lot about barefoot running I blamed spongy shoes and the forces necessary to control the foot on landing.  Seeking a solution I thought I’d try minimal shoes and went to a barefoot running workshop.  Running in Five Fingers was great, but i got carried away and ended up with achillies tendonitis.  Again, I blamed the shoes.  I blamed my old built up running shoes for shortening my achillies/calf muscles, and I blamed the Five Fingers for letting me do too much too quickly.  I tried barefoot as a way of regulating how far and fast I was running and got up to about 40mins on pretty rough surfaces but the achillies made itself known again.  Following the birth of my daughter I had less time for training so I cut back on running and focussed on kettlebells and conditioning.  Before I noticed, months had passed without running and I started really missing it.  I tried running again but each time after a couple of runs, the achillies would twinge and I’d be very disheartened.

In November I decided to do something more proactive and started a daily routine of calf stengthening and stretching, with a bit of self massage with a roller.  I bought a pair of Vivo Barefoot Aqua and started wearing them whenever I could.  Around Christmas I thought I’d give it a go and went out in some racing flats.  These have a small heel drop so I thought they’d be a good transition from my old shoes towards completely flat.  After a few runs it all seemed fine so I’m back running in Five Fingers and Vivos and taking it very slowly this time. 

I’ve also ditched my previous obsession with training paces and target times so my watch has stayed at home.  I’m trying to stop myself getting competitive, but I don’t think this will last..!  So far this year, the longest i’ve been out has been about half an hour(ish) - I’ve got a long way to go before I’m running a half.  I got my feet out for a stretch today and even though it was cold I loved the fresh air between my toes. 

Introductory Summary:

years running: more than 10, regularly for maybe 7.

weekly milage: very low at the moment, used to be 20-30 – more if I was training for something.

PBs:  Marathon 3:32 (shod); Half-marathon 1:31 (shod)

barefoot experience (apart from running):  10 years of capoeira 2-3 times a week;  2 years muay thai before that; always barefoot when using kettlebells or circuit training.

previous foot landing:  heel strike; transitioned reasonably successfully to midfoot in 2010, noticed an increase in speed, enjoyment, blisters and plantar faciitis.

previous running shoes: originally heavily cushioned, slight motion control shoes like Asics Kayano or Brooks Trance.  Moved to neutral, more flexible shoes in 2010 to complement midfoot landing (Mizuno Wave Rider)

Previous injuries:  ITB pain; knee fat pad impingement (solved when I switched to mid-foot landing in normal shoes); PF (started when I switched to midfoot landing in normal shoes); shin splints (recurring, but not recently)

Bit of a delay since my last post, but I have a reason…

I followed the training plan I decided on pretty well for a week and a half.  It incorporates things like hill repeats, fartlek runs, long slow runs and the like.  It was all going really well, and then I tweaked my achilles tendon running for a bus a few days ago.  Doh!  Trying to sprint up a hill from a standing start after being sat down for most of the day was asking for trouble to be honest…

If you’ve read my first post, you’ll know that I suffered from achilles tendonitis a while ago that took a few months to clear up.  I’m determined that I won’t be out that long this time, so I’ve decided to take a break from running for a few weeks.  I tried running again soon after the initial tweak and knew that I need to rest.  This is part of the whole “listen to your body” thing that I’m trying to do.  I’m certain that one of the reasons it took so long for my achilles to heal the last time was because I’d tried to run through it too many times before deciding to take a break.  I don’t want to make that mistake again.  So my regime at the moment (and probably until after christmas) is regular massage of the achilles area on my left leg, and eccentric calf exercises off the bottom step.  I’m also doing lots of playing card workouts, which are basically HIIT workouts to try and keep up my overall fitness and build my core strength.

After christmas I’ll re-assess where I am and hopefully get back to running in my minimalist shoes.  I’ll update this again when I start running again!  Until then, merry christmas and a happy new year!

• Total weekly miles

 9 miles.

• Number of running sessions

3.

• Total weekly barefoot mile

0 miles.

• Number of barefoot running sessions

0.

• Running terrain

Mostly flat, one steep hill, on a mixture of pavement and mud.

• Ground surface of barefoot runs

N.A.

• Runs in minimalist shoes, e.g. Five Fingers.

RunAmocs on one run, Vivobarefoot Evo II on two runs.

• Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)

I’m going to fill this in weekly even though I’m not barefoot at the moment… This week has been really wet, so the ground surface for running has been really muddy and greasy.   

• Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters

Good.  No side-effects of wearing my new shoes. 

• Interesting/amusing comments received during the week: e.g. ‘You’ve got no shoes on!’

Nothing.      

• Treading on nasty things: e.g. glass, thorns, poo — how you dealt with any

No problems this week. 

• Changes in your running style that you’ve noticed.

Interestingly, the first time I wore the Evos, for the first few yards outside the front door I reverted back to my old heel-strike before I caught myself and started concentrating on my form again…  I don’t quite know why.  It was probably the old ritual of sitting on the doorstep, putting on the socks and trainers and lacing them up that put me back in my shod-runner mindset.  RunAmocs are so different that this doesn’t happen.  But after those initial few yards, I made sure I concentrated on my form.  My second run in the Evos was fine.

• Injuries incurred, or reduction of existing symptoms.

Still noticing calf tiredness at the end of runs.   

• Useful tips and nuggets of info you’ve picked up along the way.

 None this week.

I’ll just note down my initial impressions of the Evos.  I tried them on in the shop and took them for a little run up and down the road in Covent Garden (the shop there is really nice by the way, lovely people!).  They felt good, so as an early christmas present to myself I handed over my credit card with watering eyes… At £99 they are not cheap.  My first run in them, I was expecting great things from all the other reviews of them I’ve read over the last few months.  But I was a tiny bit disappointed.  The shoe itself is of great quality, I can imagine it lasting for a very very long time.  The tread is good, certainly up there with my old trainers and far better than my RunAmocs for running in mud.  But… the tread, which is why I bought the shoes, is also the bit that disappointed me a little.  Because the sole is a bit thicker and has this tread, you sacrifice quite a lot of the groundfeel.  The overwhelming sensation I had in my feet the first time I went out in them was of the tread, not the ground.  I’ve started to get used to it, and I’m positive they’ll grow on me, but I think for road running, or running on hard surfaces, the RunAmocs will be my preference.

Now I’ve hit 3 miles with ease, I’m going to try and do Jason Robillard’s “10k Pronghorn plan” from his “The Barefoot Running Book”.  I’ve never run a specific 10k or half marathon plan before, I simply increased the milage slowly without any other kind of speedwork or anything.  So it’ll be a new experience for me!  We’ll see how it goes.

• Total weekly miles

 7.8 miles.

• Number of running sessions

3.

• Total weekly barefoot mile

0 miles.

• Number of barefoot running sessions

0.

• Running terrain

Mostly flat, one steep hill, on a mixture of pavement and grass.

• Ground surface of barefoot runs

N.A.

• Runs in minimalist shoes, e.g. Five Fingers.

RunAmocs on all 3 runs.

• Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)

Not barefoot, but I had some problems this week in my RunAmocs.  I’ve got the “street” soles on mine, which is basically a smooth piece of rubber with no grip or tread.  When it’s dry, or when I’m running on pavement or road, it’s fine.  However, the routes I want to get back to running on now are mostly on grass and trails around a big park nearby.  It rained quite heavily this week and it was pretty much impossible to run properly in my RunAmocs (or barefoot) as it got so muddy and slippery.  So I’m going to have to think about wearing something else on my feet…

• Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters

Good.  No side-effects of wearing my RunAmocs so far. 

• Interesting/amusing comments received during the week: e.g. ‘You’ve got no shoes on!’

Nothing.      

• Treading on nasty things: e.g. glass, thorns, poo — how you dealt with any

No problems this week. 

• Changes in your running style that you’ve noticed.

Still noticing a more mid-foot type footstrike.  But still no tendency to heel-strike, so I think it’s OK.  I can relax a bit about it now.  I did some reading about increasing speed and running downhill, so I have the theory down now I think (leaning forward to speed up, bending the knees going downhill).  Putting it into practice is a matter of playing around over the next few weeks till it feels comfortable, I suppose.   

• Injuries incurred, or reduction of existing symptoms.

Still noticing calf tiredness at the end of runs.  But I expect this will go away as I get fitter.   

• Useful tips and nuggets of info you’ve picked up along the way.

 None this week.

I’m going to increase the distance I run again this coming week to just over 3 miles.  I’m also going to be in London this week, so I might pop into the Vivobarefoot shop and check out a pair of Evos.  I need something for running in the mud.  When it’s dry, or if I’m road running, I’ll probably still wear my RunAmocs just because I love them so much.  But I really do need something that will give me some grip in the wet.

• Total weekly miles

 6.9 miles.

• Number of running sessions

3.

• Total weekly barefoot mile

0 miles.

• Number of barefoot running sessions

0.

• Running terrain

Mostly flat, one steep hill, on a mixture of pavement and grass.

• Ground surface of barefoot runs

N.A.

• Runs in minimalist shoes, e.g. Five Fingers.

RunAmocs on all 3 runs.  Again, just too cold to go barefoot.  I kind of doubt I’ll be able to go barefoot again till Spring now.

• Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)

N.A.

• Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters

Good.  No side-effects of wearing my RunAmocs so far. 

• Interesting/amusing comments received during the week: e.g. ‘You’ve got no shoes on!’

Nothing.  Like I said last week, with my RunAmocs, I have something on my feet, whether they look like trainers or not.  So I don’t expect anyone to say anything.    

• Treading on nasty things: e.g. glass, thorns, poo — how you dealt with any

No problems this week. 

• Changes in your running style that you’ve noticed.

Still noticing a more mid-foot type footstrike.  I’m not convinced it’s got anything to do with getting tired at the end of a run and losing my form, because it’s pretty consistent through the run.  Two things I’ve been thinking of this week though, firstly, how do I run fast in this new running form?  I’m not supposed to push off with my toes…  Quickening my stride just shortens my stride length… How on earth am I supposed to sprint?  Something I’ll have to work on I suppose.  Secondly, running downhill is something I need to work on as well.  I’m trying to follow Barefoot Ken Bob’s method of almost allowing your legs to collapse under you as you go down to minimise impact and braking.  But it’s hard on the quads!  I need to get this down because where I live there are a lot of hills!

• Injuries incurred, or reduction of existing symptoms.

Still noticing calf tiredness at the end of runs.  But I expect this will go away as I get fitter.   

• Useful tips and nuggets of info you’ve picked up along the way.

 None this week.

Since this week went well, I’ll increase the distance again next week.  3 runs of 2.6 miles. 

• Total weekly miles

 3.5 miles.

• Number of running sessions

2.

• Total weekly barefoot mile

2 miles.

• Number of barefoot running sessions

1.

• Running terrain

First run was in my RunAmocs, I’m starting to get back to the sort of distances where I can run the routes I used to run in my trainers.  So this one was pretty flat, one steep hill, on a mixture of pavement and grass.  Second run was along a beach barefoot, so that was flat.

• Ground surface of barefoot runs

A mixture of pavement and grass/mud for the first run and a sandy beach for the second.

• Runs in minimalist shoes, e.g. Five Fingers.

One wearing my RunAmocs.  It was just too cold to run barefoot, so I wore something on my feet for the first time in over 3 months of running.  Quite an odd feeling initially!

• Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)

Barefoot run was nice and warm.

• Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters

Good.  The 2 mile run along the beach really cleaned up my feet, I have to say!  Got rid of a lot of dead skin in a far more pleasant way than scrubbing with a pumice stone in the shower! 

• Interesting/amusing comments received during the week: e.g. ‘You’ve got no shoes on!’

Still no comments.  Mind you, my barefoot run was on the beach, so I didn’t look at all out of place.  My RunAmocs look enough like normal shoes from a distance that people probably didn’t notice they weren’t trainers.    

• Treading on nasty things: e.g. glass, thorns, poo — how you dealt with any

No problems this week. 

• Changes in your running style that you’ve noticed.

Interestingly, running in shoes, even something as minimal as my RunAmocs (which barely qualify as shoes, they’re more leather bags with a very thin layer of rubber underfoot) does seem to have an impact on my running style.  I’m not heel-striking or anything that drastic, but I’ve noticed that I’m scuffing my feet more, my foot strikes aren’t quite as clean as when I’m barefoot.  Whether this is just a reaction to the slightly loose fit of the RunAmocs and it’s the soles of the shoes that are hitting the ground slightly before my feet or whether it’s actually that the bit of rubber between my skin and the ground reduces groundfeel that much that I’ve started dragging my feet or something, I don’t know.  Definitely something to keep an eye on, as I think I’ll probably end up wearing my RunAmocs more and more as the weather gets colder.  Anything under about 10 degrees c outside, I’m not going to risk barefooting it. 

Other than that, I think my foot strike has changed somewhat as well.  I’m landing less on my forefoot and more on my midfoot instead.  This definitely isn’t deliberate on my part, it’s just something that feels comfortable and natural while I run.  I’ll keep an eye on this as well, just to make sure I’m not lazily slipping back towards heel-striking and it’s a natural progression towards finding a gait and running style that feels comfortable and natural for me.

• Injuries incurred, or reduction of existing symptoms.

Not an injury as such, but now I’m running more that 1.5 miles, I’m starting to notice my calves are getting very tired towards the end of the run.  Again, this is something I’ve read about, but haven’t run far enough in the past to notice for myself.  It passes pretty quickly though, within a couple of hours I’m fresh again!   

• Useful tips and nuggets of info you’ve picked up along the way.

 None really.  The run along the beach was a good way to check my form by running in wet sand.  But I’ve already used that as a tip, so it doesn’t really count!

This week I’ll be upping my mileage again.  As I said, I’m starting to run on my old routes now.  The shortest of these is just over 2 miles (about 2.3 miles actually), so I’ll try and do that 3 times this week.  A big jump, but I think my feet are strong enough after 3 months of transitioning to take it.  We shall see though, and if it feels like too much, then I’ll cut the mileage back down.