On Altered Strides and Constantly Falling

Okay, I tried the "Constantly Falling" running style recommended by those into the whole barefoot running thing.  It is not easy to do.  It's almost like learning to walk again but it certainly is nicer in the Fivefingers.

The thing to do is to think about not pushing off with the trailing foot, instead, bring your foot off the ground from the knee, using your upper leg.  I imagine that this running style looks like the old cartoons where the character spins his legs in place before going anywhere...

I couldn't do much running today, as I am dealing with that blister on my right foot.  However, I can see that, with practice, I will be able to adopt the new stride and it should be more comfortable as I developed no new hot spots.

Reggie was pretty good on the walk.  He now only gets really distracted by seeing dogs he has never seen before or by people in their yards.  He is the biggest wuss on the planet in his own yard, but out and about he wants to greet everyone.

Have I mentioned he is handsome?  He is.

UPDATE:  I should also mention that in the very short bursts of running, my calves are super-sore.  So, I don't think I can emphasize enough to take it slow or you won't be walking for a couple days...

Damn the Blister! Full Speed Ahead!

Yup, got a blister in that section between the ball of the foot and the big toe.  According to all the info I have dug up around running in the Fivefingers, it more than likely has to do with me overdoing it before I am used to the new stride.  I think they are right.

Apparently, my forward foot should make contact when it is directly beneath my torso.  Most people writing about it liken running barefoot or in Fivefingers to "constantly falling forward" and state that you should curl your toes up slightly prior to impact.  When I did my brief spurts of running in them today, I was striking the ground forward of my torso and was more upright, like I was running traditionally.  What I was doing was shortening my stride so I could impact the ball of my foot, but since my weight wasn't in-line over the foot when it struck, it forced my foot forward in the shoe and caused friction.  Simple physics gets me again.

So, I am going to continue trying to take it slow, but beware the traditional gait, there be dragons (and blisters) there...

The First Tentative Strides...

On this morning's walk with Reggie we worked some more on his short attention span (SQUIRREL!!!) and his heeling, at which he is getting pretty darn good. As this was a gorgeous Saturday morning, all of the dogs were out with their invisible fences, so it was like going through the Gauntlet of Distraction for Reggie. I have to say I am pretty proud of him though. For the most part he stayed in his heel and only paid a little bit of attention to the other dogs.

As a part of this, I decided to change up my pace when he started getting distracted. So, I began some unplanned jogging in my Fivefingers. Let me tell you, it is a whole different experience. In regular running shoes, I am a total heel-striker, which causes me issues in the shins and knees and my lower back. So, I don't run. With these, you completely alter your stride and take much choppier steps so that you take the impact on the ball of your foot and then settle into your heel. However, I didn't really put any weight on my heel as when it made contact, I was already starting to bring it back up for the next stride. A much quicker cadence.

I liken it to a running style we used in the military called the "Airborne Shuffle". A very short stride meant for being done in boots and so annoying instructors would have more time to yell at us (it was a slower pace). But, this isn't like the shuffle in the fact that while you are taking shorter strides, there are a lot more of them and they flow into each other a lot better. It is a smoother run than I am used to.

Now, I didn't do much running today, but I can tell you it will mess with your calves. They simply won't be used to this. In the little bit of running I did, I can feel them burning more so than when I would do calf raises at the gym. So, take it slow if you go this route.

All-in-all, still very happy with the shoes, and very happy with Reggie.

Stay tuned for further updates.

An interesting talk on barefoot running

My friend Azdio turned me on to this authors@google talk. It's 52 minutes, but very well done and entertaining. If you are looking into the barefoot thing, I suggest watching it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_usxrvKvus

Pseudo-Barefoot and Dorky

I picked up a pair of Vibram Fivefingers KSO shoes today. If you are not familiar with these, they look like toe socks:

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO_m.cfm

I picked up mine at REI (I went with the black with the urban camo sole) and have been wearing them around the house to test them for comfort before I go outside and make them non-returnable. So far, they feel far less weird than I anticipated. most of my toes don't even come close to the end of their "finger" but that doesn't seem to be an issue so far. I can say that you feel what you are walking on through the sole, which is an interesting sensation. It is like you are walking around in dress socks (from a sensitivity standpoint). That's the best way I can describe it.

I will try them out over the next few days as I begin my trail work. I already know I will have to adjust how I walk in them, just from walking around the house. So, it should be interesting. Worst case is I have a pair of really nice water shoes, but I think they will be okay.

One thing I should point out... They look really dorky :-)

Stay tuned.