I decided on my Lunas in an effort to keep my feet cool and dry to stave off the blisters, and it’s worked perfectly.  I got a few funny looks on the way to the start line, but I was in the starting pen with a few people in fancy dress and a guy in a running kilt, so I got a bit less attention then!  I took it very easy over the first 3k, I was aiming for any time under 1 hour, but I felt good after 3k so I picked up the pace a bit under the bridge heading up to Portway.  At the turnaround it was mostly downhill back into town, so I kept my cadence up and let gravity pull me down the hill.  That’s a really useful trick, by the way, it helps you rest while keeping the speed up.

Around Spike Island, I kept a decent pace, I knew I was on for at least a 55min run at that point, and at about 7km I decided to pick up the pace some more.  Someone actually ran alongside me for a bit there and asked about my sandals, I only had the breath and the time to say how comfortable they were before he said something along the lines of keep it up, you’re looking good, and disappeared off into the distance!  The final 1k or so felt really comfortable, I was able to stretch out and even had enough for a sprint finish at the end.  I felt like I could have pushed harder, but like I said a couple of weeks ago, it wasn’t my intention to race it today, just use it as a chance to see how I felt.

My Lunas performed admirably.  I was worried at first, because I’d been having problems with getting the heel strap to stay on, but I managed to get the tension just right so it stayed on for the whole 10k, plus the walk down there and the walk home.  They were very comfortable, I have no more blisters, no bruising on the soles, nothing.  All in all, I’m very happy with how it went today!

• Total weekly miles

11.5 miles including the race.

• Number of running sessions

3.

• Total weekly barefoot mile

0 miles.

• Number of barefoot running sessions

0.

• Running terrain

Mostly flat, on a mixture of pavement and road.

• Ground surface of barefoot runs

N/A.

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

Lunas for the race, RunAmocs and Moc3s on the shorter runs, as I was trying to find a shoe that wouldn’t aggravate my existing blisters, or give me any more!

• Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)

N/A.

• Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters

No problems this week.  I took a couple of days completely off training as a small taper running up to the 10k, this let my blisters heal up.  I’ve no extra problems from wearing my Lunas, no blisters between my toes or anything, which was something I was worried about.  Flip flops always gave me blisters initially when I wore them before, but no such problems with the soft leather laces on my Lunas.

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

Some funny looks at the start of the race, as mentioned above.  I bumped into some friends after the race as well, they couldn’t believe I ran in sandals.

• 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.

No chnages really.  But I was happy to see that I can run fast and still keep (I think!) fairly good form at the end of the race.

• Injuries incurred, or reduction of existing symptoms.

None.  I think my calves will hurt tomorrow though!

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

None this week.

Amazingly, a total exercise duration of just 15 minutes in a 2-week period can improve aerobic performance by 10%-20%.

This should be very exciting for anyone, but particularly those with limited time availability, or those returning from injury and looking for a quick return to fitness.

HIIT involves short bursts of all out effort; something many runners are not familiar with.

Dr John Babraj PHD, from the Division of Sport and Exercise at the University of Aberty Dundee, has carried out studies with various HIIT protocols using specialised ergometers. He has demonstrated improvements of 15% in cycling performance with sub-elite triathletes using just 10 x 6 second sprints.

Of course, such training sessions are difficult to apply on the road.
However, Dr Babraj has devised a HIIT protocol for runners to use. When tested on a group of young male rugby players, the results were significant improvements in aerobic performance — with just 6 sessions over 2 weeks.

Here’s what you can do to replicate the session.
Find a hill: gradient about 1:10.
Warm up, then run 4 x 30 second all-out sprints up the hill.

Run this 3 times a week, increasing reps every second session from 4 to 5 to 6.

You’ll need good, long recoveries of around 3 or 4 minutes to maintain quality.

If you’ve not done any sprinting for a while, we’d recommend a gradual adaptation, especially if you are of advancing years.

8.5 miles.

• Number of running sessions

2.

• Total weekly barefoot mile

0 miles.

• Number of barefoot running sessions

0.

• Running terrain

Mostly flat, on a mixture of pavement and mud.

• Ground surface of barefoot runs

N/A.

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

Lunas on my shorter run, RunAmocs on my long run.  I had to miss a session this week because of some foot pain.  I didn’t want to push through it, especially this close to the 10k.  I think the pain might have been from over-tightening my Luna laces.  Seems I have a bit to learn about tying them…  Might not wear them for the 10k after all…

• Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)

N/A.

• Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters

Somehow I’ve managed to get more blisters on the balls of both feet after my long run on Sunday!  Really gutted…  I really don’t know why.  It might be that I’m getting nervous about the race and am pushing it too much in my runs, it might be that because I didn’t do any barefooting this week my form is off, it might be my RunAmocs are too big (well, I know they are, but I haven’t run this far in them before)…  So I’m a bit stuck!  Really not sure what to do in terms of what I should wear for the 10k.  I know my feet aren’t conditioned enough to run the whole distance barefoot.

• 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.

My short run today felt really hard.  I never really got going.  I found my self trying to force my pace too much, with knock on effects on my form.  I think it’s probably down to my crappy diet over the last couple of days.  Too much white bread and crisps, not enough fruit and veg!  Will have to remedy that for the rest of the week before the race.

• Injuries incurred, or reduction of existing symptoms.

Again, a bit of calf pain.  My new blisters hurt too.

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

None this week.  Feels like a bit of a regression.  Too little milage, too many blisters.  Maybe after the 10k I’ll take a week off, let my feet heal and re-assess where I am.  I think now with summer coming I can probably ditch the shoes for at least the first f couple of miles of the majority of my runs, maybe running purely barefoot will stop my blister problems?

Here is the 10k Spice plan, it’s for new runners who can handle the distance, but want to add just a little quality training to get running faster.

11 miles.

• Number of running sessions

3.

• Total weekly barefoot mile

1.5 miles.

• Number of barefoot running sessions

1 (at the end of my 3 mile shod run).

• Running terrain

Mostly flat, on a mixture of pavement and mud.

• Ground surface of barefoot runs

Pavement.

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

Luna Sandals on 2 shorter runs (2 and 3 miles respectively), Moc3s on the 5 miler, which turned into a 6 miler.  I’ve had the Lunas for a few months now ( I bought a DIY kit, which is much cheaper than a ready-made sandal, and much more fun to make!), but only recently got the tension in the lacess right enough for them to stay on for more than a few hundred metres.  Had no problems with them at all while I was running, they stayed on for the duration with no need to adjust the laces.  I’m thinking about wearing them for the 10km…

• Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)

Damp and slightly muddy on trails, but nice and dry on pavement.

• Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters

Blisters are still healing nicely.  The dead skin is coming off (I’ve resisted temptation to cut/tear it off and left it to heal by itself), and the new skin underneath is toughening up nicely.  No new injuries or blisters.

• 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.  I thought I had stepped on a glass shard at the end of my barefoot run, but it was just a small tear in the dead skin at the edge of one of my blisters that took a bit of healthy skin with it.  No problems with it subsequently, and I ran the last 1/4 mile home with no problems or pain.

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

Not sure if there are any changes, but it does feel smoother than before.  I think I was right last week in that a barefoot run of over 1 mile each week will really help to keep me honest with my form, rather than doing all my runs in minimal shoes/sandals.

• Injuries incurred, or reduction of existing symptoms.

Again, a bit of calf pain.  Some foot pain after the 6 miler, but I’m putting that down to tiredness, as my feet feel fine today.

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

A six mile run the day after you get back from a stag weekend is painful!  But then again, it’s good penance for all the beer and crappy food consumed over the weekend!  That’s my top tip this week…

But, why is this? Simple, it’s because this is the advice that has been handed down over the years from respected coaches, published in books and magazines, bandied about in forums, and recommended by experienced runners in running clubs all over the world. But where did they get their information from? Do we know? Maybe we should check it out, because if we take a look at how the elite runners perform in the marathon we might get a surprise.

Below are some figures from the top one hundred finishers at some of the fastest marathon courses in the world. These races attract the very best runners on the planet. Specifically, the figures give the percentage of those same top 100 runners who ran a negative split.

Clearly, running a negative-split marathon is a rare thing.

Actually, it shouldn’t surprise us at all, running is extremely hard and uncomfortable during the latter part of a marathon. Although running at the intensity of marathon pace is well within us, as the miles pass by the discomfort becomes increasingly difficult to overcome. The legs hurt, the feet hurt, in fact the whole body hurts so much that the mental effort required to keep running at our goal pace is very often too much to bear. But it’s not just the mental effort, it is well documented that running a marathon at even pace will result in a gradual increase in heart rate too, i.e. it becomes physically more demanding to maintain a constant pace. The result? We cannot maintain our pace, our heads drop, our target time vanishes into the distance and by that time it’s too late, we have entered the marathon runner’s worst scenario: a negative mental state.

Running at a constant pace for 26.2 miles is a huge challenge, so why are we setting ourselves up for failure during the race by attempting to do something that even the very best in the world rarely manage? The runner’s mental state is an absolutely huge determinant of their performance, and of course, it increases in importance according to the distance of the race. We should be running a strategy that preserves a healthy mental state for as long as possible and not one that destroys it.

But, why we are advised to target a negative split? Most of the reasons are psychological: if you run a negative split you will be passing other runners and feeling good about speeding up. Yes, that’s great — in theory. The problem is that it’s just too far out of reach to make it anything other than a fool’s goal. Anyone who has run a marathon and found themselves slowing down during the second half will know what a demoralising experience it can be. The reason it’s demoralising is because our race stops going according to plan. Slowing down has all those negative connotations: I am more tired than I should be, it’s hurting too much, I can’t keep going at this speed, everyone around me is handling this better than me.

But, wait a minute, what happens if we actually plan and expect to slow down as the miles pass by (because this is what happens)? All those negative thoughts cease to exist; we stay on track, content that everything is going according to our plan and we are more able to focus on our race rather than our disappointment for the way things are going.

It’s a bold move to alter the way we think about ideas that seem set in stone. Nevertheless, without doubt, the data indicates that we should question why we chase such a challenging target as the negative marathon split. The chances of failure are extremely high and the consequences of realising that failure during the race can kill any possibility we had of running a satisfactory race. It could be far better to adjust our own times, either our goal finishing time to allow for some slowing down, or our race splits so the early miles are run slightly faster to bring us in on time allowing for that slow down.

If you want to read more about this, the GB ultra runner (and sports scientist), Stuart Mills, has some fascinating insights on endurance running pacing strategy.

Before I discovered the book Exercising Through Your Pregnancy by Dr. James Clapp, much of what I read about running whilst pregnant focused on avoiding harm to the baby, although benefit to the mother was acknowledged. Dr Clapp’s research, however, has identified positives for both the mother and baby. He proposes that the changes a women’s body goes through from exercising whilst pregnant either compensate for, or complement the pregnancy. Some of his claims were of particular interest to me:

1. Exercising mums have larger placentas. 
2. Exercising mums tend to produce babies that are slightly lighter (an average 7.2 lbs vs. nonexercising mums’ babies that are on average 8 lbs) but the risk of a low birth weight baby (less than 5.5lbs) was reduced. 
3. Consistent exercise actually creates a margin of safety for both mother and baby that could protect them should unanticipated medical problems arise in late pregnancy or during labour.

I was particularly interested in the above because my first baby had been just over 5lbs at term and it seemed that my placenta (which was retained) wasn’t the healthiest. Clapp’s research suggests that  mothers who stop exercising mid-pregnancy, however, have a larger placenta providing a marked increase in calories to the baby. Mums that exercise to the mid-way point, therefore produce “fatter” babies than the other two groups – exercising mums and non-exercising mums. This point helped to motivate me to continue running when the going got tough!! I didn’t feel that my little body could accommodate a large baby!!! I didn’t have the easiest of labours and delivery first time around either, and I was also a bit anxious about my age and the potential medical problems that have been linked to pregnancy over 40 years of age. I wanted to grow the healthiest baby I could so that any potential difficulty could be more easily overcome, and so that he would have the best start in life.

The Outcome:

Ned was born at 39 weeks 6 days weighing 6lbs 2ozs. My labour was long for a 2nd labour and very difficult, just as it had been with my first child. Having been in a good position up until labour started, he was now facing upwards with his back to mine. Not good! After a promising start my labour failed to progress and followed the same pattern as before – syntocinon drip, epidural, ventouse.   There were concerns about regular and prolonged decelerations in the fetal heart rate and suggestions of a caesarean section, but Ned came into the world kicking and screaming with an Apgar score of 9/10. I’d like to think my continued running helped him with that. My low pulse throughout labour, and strength when it came to pushing, were also commented upon. I feel that I have been quick to recover and, although I never weigh myself, I don’t think I’m carrying much extra weight at all. Ned is a very lean baby, but has steadily gained weight. People have also commented upon his strength and muscle tone – something else that was highlighted in Dr Clapp’s research.

It was a challenge to keep running throughout my pregnancy, not least because of the negative views and concerns of others. However, my baby was always my first concern and I exercised caution throughout. I was also very open with my midwives and doctors. I am not qualified to recommend running throughout pregnancy, but my own experience has been a positive one and I’m pleased that I did it. Anyone else wishing to do the same should seek qualified advice to reassure themselves that it is safe for them to do so.

I can’t remember exactly when I last posted, but it’s been a while. It would have been during the latter weeks of my pregnancy. Well – I’m no longer pregnant!! I ‘ran’ up to 39 weeks and 3 days and Ned was born 4 days later – just 25 minutes before his due date. I’ll come back to that in another post!!

I felt pretty beaten up post delivery but managed to keep active with gentle exercise. We went for a gentle 3 mile walk with the pushchair just 24 hours later, and tried to keep this a daily routine (although we didn’t always manage 3 miles). I managed NOT to run for 10 days. In truth, I was too sore to even contemplate running! Just sitting still was painful!! On the evening of the 10th day I set out to walk 1.5 miles to get some milk from the next village. As I set off walking downhill I began to gather speed, and the urge to run got the better of me. I managed to run the whole 1.5 miles without stopping and, more importantly, without any body parts falling off or coming apart. To say I was pleased is an understatement – I was overjoyed! Ecstatic! I had looked forward to this day for more than 9 months and there were times I thought it would never come. I wouldn’t be without Ned for The World, but I felt that I’d found myself again now that I was able to run ‘properly’.

Now, I’m not one to let grass grow under my feet so I upped my mileage to 2 miles the day after. That went ok, and so my next run was 3 miles. I stuck at 3 – 4 miles for a week or so and ran 5 times per week. I also introduced a circuit class at 3 weeks. Ned is now 7 weeks old and I have increased my longest run to 8 miles. I don’t always wear a watch, but my shorter runs tend to be between 7.30 and 7.45 minute miles and my longer runs about 8 minute mile pace. I haven’t yet tried to introduce speed, but my circuit class involves a bit of sprinting.

So far – so good!! I have a bit of discomfort around the symphis pubis joint and I’m quite tired (mostly due to breast feeding), but other than that I feel that I’m almost back to normal……….although not quite up to speed!!

12 miles.

• Number of running sessions

4.

• Total weekly barefoot mile

1 miles.

• Number of barefoot running sessions

1.

• Running terrain

Mostly flat, on a mixture of pavement and mud.

• Ground surface of barefoot runs

Pavement.

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

RunAmocs on three runs, Vivobarefoot Evos on my long run because of pouring rain.  Much as I love my RunAmocs, they aren’t much cop when it’s really wet out.

• Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)

Damp and slightly muddy on trails, but nice and dry on pavement.

• Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters

Blisters are healing.  No other injuries.  I ran a mile barefoot with no discomfort or pain, so I think my sole conditioning has come back.  Barefoot running was limited this week by the cold temperatures and the wet conditions.

• 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.

No changes.  I ran continuously further barefoot this week than last week.  I think that running that far barefoot really ironed out the little issues I had with my form.  I intend to try and run at least one continuous mile barefoot each week from here on, obviously depending on the weather and temperatures.

• Injuries incurred, or reduction of existing symptoms.

As last week, no injuries, just calf stiffness.  I expect that this will be a more or less permanent feature of my running since I’m aiming to run at least one half marathon this year, so it means that my long run distance will increase week on week.  If or when I reach a plateau at which I’m comfortably running a consitstant distance each week, then I expect the calf stiffness will go away.

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

There are three weeks to go before the 10km race I entered.  I’m pleased with my progress, I ran for 5 miles yesterday with very little discomfort or tiredness at what I think was a pretty reasonable pace.  I’m still running by feel, so I have no idea what sort of time I took to run that far.  I do know that I could have quite happily carried on for at least another couple of miles at the pace I was running, so that can only be a good sign.

I remember feeling very frustrated early on in my transition that I was stuck running such short distances, and being unable to up my mileage by any significant amount through fear of injury.  However, I think I’ve reached a point now where I can pretty much increase my distance at will (within reason) and the limits I face are down to my fitness rather than worrying about my feet, soles, TOFP etc.  So if there is anyone out there reading this who is contemplating transitioning to barefoot/minimalist running, or is transitioning and is at that ‘frustrated’ stage, stick with it!  You will be able to run far again!  Although I should say that ‘far’ is entirely subjective!

9 miles.

• Number of running sessions

3.

• Total weekly barefoot mile

1 miles.

• Number of barefoot running sessions

2.

• Running terrain

Mostly flat, on a mixture of pavement and mud.

• Ground surface of barefoot runs

Pavement and earth trails.

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

RunAmocs on all runs, removing them for about half a mile each on 2 runs.

• Weather for barefoot runs (rain on road?)

Damp and slightly muddy on trails.

• Condition of skin on feet — hotspots, blisters

The blisters continue to heal slowly.  Barefoot running has been limited because of them and the fact that it’s been cold and wet here.

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

No comments, lots of looks though.  I think that there’s slightly more awareness of minimalist/barefoot running in the UK now than even 6 months or so ago when I started.  There have been articles in running magazines, newspapers and mentions on the TV, so maybe it’s greater awareness that’s making more people look, rather than “ooh, look at that weirdo!”.

• 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 midfoot landing, so no real changes.  I do find that when I remove my shoes, I slow down and I run more lightly.  So my shoes, even minimal ones like RunAmocs, definitely do affect my running style.  Maybe this is just the added protection from the sole of the shoe that allows this.  I think I need to try and up my barefoot mileage anyway.  Once I’m running further and faster barefoot, then I can think about the effect shoes are having on me more.

• Injuries incurred, or reduction of existing symptoms.

No injuries apart from the blisters and they are healing.  Still getting calf stiffness after my long run (4 miles again this week), but that only lasts a day or so.

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

I don’t usually wear socks when I run in my minimal shoes.  But I found this week that wearing socks when you have blisters helps a lot, they allow my feet to move around in the shoe with less friction, and therefore less aggravation to my blisters.  Without the socks, I could feel the dead skin over the blisters pulling at the healthy tissue, which was pretty uncomfortable.  I think I’ll continue to wear socks over the next couple of weeks while the blisters clear up.  Not much of a tip, and pretty much useless if you already wear socks, but there you go!