Barefoot Bill?

My monthly mileage was shorted significantly when I changed races at the OT50. I have a goal to run at least 100 miles every month. The streak is in its infancy, but I sure as hell don’t want to start over. While logging yesterdays run I happen to notice the mileage for April was only 96.48. Today I was supposed to run two miles and Friday is my ‘off-day’. As you can see, I would have missed my goal by a mere 1.5 miles. I’m glad I noticed this in time to fix the issue! And yes, my streak continues… SEVEN months and counting!

Today was my third mid-day run this week. I don’t mind the heat when the humidity is this low. There was sweat dripping from every inch of my body, but I never felt hot.

The mowers are in the area, so I took several pictures of my bayou rim route before the scenery changes to that of urban life. The grass has been so high lately that I’ve been wearing my gaiters and I love, love, love it!

Run:
3.75 miles
40:56
10:55 pace

Walk:
1.18 miles
19:00
16:06 pace

Kingwood FIT will be up and running before I know it. Last season lots of people asked me questions about barefoot running. The best I could offer them was references to books and websites, because I know very little about this newest craze. At times I’ve taken it even further by being a barefoot running naysayer due simply to ignorance.

More and more ultra guys are adding small amounts of barefoot running to their regimen and treating it as cross training. These same athletes are seeing positive results, which I can no longer ignore.

I want to add my own personal disclaimer: You don’t need expensive Vibram five-fingers or any other brand of minimalist shoe to be a barefoot runner. If you want to run barefoot, then take your shoes off and run. Why over complicate the issue? Of course, the terrain DOES matter, so don’t go running in a debris laded ditch and not expect your feet to get sliced open. I digress….

This afternoon I took off on my trail bike for a few leisure miles. On my way to the Kingwood High School track I took a wrong turn on the greenbelts and nearly doubled my mileage. I was on my way to the track because I wanted to try a little barefoot running for the first time.

I predominately land heel first, which is better known as a heel striker. If running barefoot could teach me anything, I hope to learn how to land mid-foot. As an added bonus, I also like the idea of toughening the souls of my feet as well as strengthening the small stabilizer muscles of my lower legs.

At the track there was a group of young high school athletes along with 4-5 other people walking. The attention of the younger runners was quickly on me as I got off my bike and took off my socks and shoes.

The infield looked plush, so I ran the first loop on the grass closest to the track. I was shocked how refreshing it was to run sans shoe. One spot was wet and I could feel mud squishing between my toes as I ran, reminding me of my childhood in the country. On the second lap I decided to run on the rubber-like surface of the track. Neither of the surfaces seemed to bother me. There was something different about running without shoes, but it is hard to put into words.

It is easy to see how this could help you become a midfoot or forefoot striker. Something automatically changes and you naturally land mid-foot. At one time I tried to land on my heel, which I did with a small amount of discomfort. Half way through the second loop I could sense a small bit of tightness on the anterior aspect of both shins. One thing I learned from reading blogs of people who run barefoot is to “ease into it” or you will be hurting.

I felt really good running both this morning and the half mile barefoot session. Hard to believe, but the barefoot experiment yielded an 8:53 pace. Over the next month I plan to run barefoot at least once a week, while increasing the distance. I’m not looking for a miracle, but I want to become a better runner and possibly a better coach with a broader range of experiences.

I was pumped when I got home, so I finished the day with a small set of push-ups.

Barefoot Run:
0.5 mile
4:21
8:53 pace

Push-ups: 19

Trail Bike:
11.42 miles
1:01:39
11.12 mph