It seems today's as much a lesson in humility as it is in running.
Despite my initial reservations of running purely barefoot due to the dirt and dust, I decided to give it a shot today to test my form and see my limits. The plan was to run the same Changi route last week in my new Bikila LS, and then take it off halfway to go barefoot. Unfortunately, it decided to rain heavily on that side of the island, so I ended up doing a run around my own neighbourhood.
Since I was close to home, I changed my mind and went for a 10 minute warm-up barefoot first, planning to come back later to get my Bikilas for a full run. Bad idea.
Regardless of what delusions I had in my mind of how tough my feet were, the soles of my foot shared no such illusions. Since they were so much more grounded in reality (pun totally intended), I soon found myself hurting less than 5 minutes into the run.
At first, I ignored them thinking they were just from getting used to the rough asphalt, but I soon realised they were precursors to blisters. By then, I was halfway into my warm-up run and there was no shortcut back. With no shoes to put on, I decided stick with it and finish the run back. In a short span of 10 minutes, I had two spots of blisters on each foot. Under the ball of the feet which was no surprise, and interestingly, near the outer edge of my sole, just below the little toe.
While I've gotten blisters from running before, they usually appear under the ball of the foot, so the ones below the little the toe was something new. I was paying close attention to my gait once I noticed the blisters, and I did not have any excessive scrapping against the ground as far as I could tell. So it probably is just a function of how the barefoot running gait is slightly different even from minimalist shoes. I'll probably need to clock more barefoot runs to find out.
However, me being me, I didn't want to be shortchanged out of my weekly run, so I came back to put on the Bikila LS for my actual run despite the blisters. During the week I had already walked around in the Bikilas, and they felt nice and cushy enough that I knew they would take much of the sting out of the blisters. They were also very comfortable to wear, so I went without socks.
Still, I didn't want to overexert and bleed all over in my shoes, so I cut my run short to just 25 minutes at my 85% MHR pace. Based on the pain I was getting from the blisters, I also noticed something interesting - I tended to land further up on the forefoot when running barefoot, almost on my toes and the area below it, while I landed more squarely on the ball and nearer to the midfoot area when in shoes. Seems like the further up I land, the more impact is cushioned, hence the need only to do so when there's less padding underfoot.
Of course, the shoes won't protect me completely from my blisters, so now I'm nursing a tender foot with two medium-sized blisters under each foot. Moral of the long story, take it slow and easy.
Guess I gotta start implementing a barefoot regime to get my feet up to speed. I'm thinking maybe a short 5-10 minute morning run to the pool on weekdays, followed by a swim and walking back in shoes.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Terra Plana Singapore Sale
Just saw that Terra Plana Singapore is having a 15% off for their shoes as part of the Fashion Season in Orchard. Damn! I missed the sale by just a week. Had I held off from buying my Neos...
Oh well, too little too late. I'm digging Vivobarefoot's shoe designs actually, and may pick up a few more of their shoes in April when my funds come in. Hopefully they'll have sizes for Evo by then, and maybe bring in the Achilles and Ultra too!
That said, the Great Singapore Sale is coming up in 27 May to 25 July, and the staff at Terra Plana say they'll try to restock in time for GSS. I'm guessing GSS will have better promotions, so to wait or not to wait? Decisions, decisions!
Oh well, too little too late. I'm digging Vivobarefoot's shoe designs actually, and may pick up a few more of their shoes in April when my funds come in. Hopefully they'll have sizes for Evo by then, and maybe bring in the Achilles and Ultra too!
That said, the Great Singapore Sale is coming up in 27 May to 25 July, and the staff at Terra Plana say they'll try to restock in time for GSS. I'm guessing GSS will have better promotions, so to wait or not to wait? Decisions, decisions!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
New Shoes!
Guess what just arrived in the mail? My Komodo Sports and Bikila LS are here after more than a month's wait! They were out if stock when I first ordered them online.
Out of the box, both feel even more forgiving in fit than the KSOs, and slightly more padded as well. It's like wearing nice comfy socks. Photos and reviews to come after extended field testing!
Out of the box, both feel even more forgiving in fit than the KSOs, and slightly more padded as well. It's like wearing nice comfy socks. Photos and reviews to come after extended field testing!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The Prevalence of Heel Striking
Spoke to another friend today about my running goals, and he too mentioned that he was trying to learn the barefoot gait, and eventually go shoeless.
We shared a common acquaintance who ran everyday barefoot in the mid afternoon sun, something I still find quite incredible.
Makes me wonder though, how is it possible that so many of us learnt to walk and run the 'wrong' way? If we were really made to land forefoot first, where did all the non-runners pick up heel striking? I've been observing passersby for a week or so, and even those slippered and sandalled walk heel first.
I don't recall at any point having modern education teach us to heel strike. The only incidence would be my mom who always chided me to land heel first when I landed with my forefoot as a child. Was it as simple as just parents passing it on to children?
If you look at footwear around you, which I have been doing so the past week, many slippers are equally primitive with no heel and arch support, and it doesn't seem like the fashionable Converse shoes many wear have them either. Does that mean even a little bit of cushioning leads to bad form? Or is heel and arch support so prevalent that nobody in modern society can escape it?
Curious questions indeed. All I can seem to think of is how much a killing those self-labelled barefoot shoe companies must be making. Hopefully the notion will reach the mainstream sooner, with more companies making new or rebranding existing shoes, and finally creating minimalist shoes with minimalist prices.
We shared a common acquaintance who ran everyday barefoot in the mid afternoon sun, something I still find quite incredible.
Makes me wonder though, how is it possible that so many of us learnt to walk and run the 'wrong' way? If we were really made to land forefoot first, where did all the non-runners pick up heel striking? I've been observing passersby for a week or so, and even those slippered and sandalled walk heel first.
I don't recall at any point having modern education teach us to heel strike. The only incidence would be my mom who always chided me to land heel first when I landed with my forefoot as a child. Was it as simple as just parents passing it on to children?
If you look at footwear around you, which I have been doing so the past week, many slippers are equally primitive with no heel and arch support, and it doesn't seem like the fashionable Converse shoes many wear have them either. Does that mean even a little bit of cushioning leads to bad form? Or is heel and arch support so prevalent that nobody in modern society can escape it?
Curious questions indeed. All I can seem to think of is how much a killing those self-labelled barefoot shoe companies must be making. Hopefully the notion will reach the mainstream sooner, with more companies making new or rebranding existing shoes, and finally creating minimalist shoes with minimalist prices.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Running with Company 2
Just came back from a 45 minute run with a friend, and I gotta say I'm feeling better than ever! Still feel like I'm fresh enough for another run! No knee pains this time either, I could feel the right ITB threatening to give my problems, but fortunately it never got further than just a little discomfort.
That said, the pace was a little slower at my 75% MHR, but extremely comfortable for me. We decided not to overdo it since my friend was coming back from a long running break.
Did a couple of sprints up gentle slopes in between to test my actual MHR, and seems like my heart rate monitor is fairly accurate after all, clocking my heart rate after the sprints at close to my theoretical MHR.
Also experimented with a few different gaits, and found a light, springy one that I might try again for faster speeds. I lean forward a bit and it feels like I'm falling forward, but I catch myself with my foot and use the bounce to propel forward. I'm sure there's a name for it, but too lazy to find out.
Incidentally, I introduced my friend to the idea of the barefoot running after hearing how hard her feet were pounding on the pavement. She tried landing forefoot first and instantly the pounding disappeared while she told me she felt lighter. Good to know it's not only in my mind and glad to have spread the word!
The evening scenery was great as well, a change from my usual routes around housing estates. This was more long quiet stretches of road with foliage on the side. Very serene and calming for running. Never thought I'd say this, but I enjoyed the run tremendously!
But that's the whole point isn't it? I'm starting to see what people who love running see. For me, I guess the most profound thing is just remembering how important it is to enjoy the run. Running shouldn't be a chore, it should be fun!
Hopefully I still feel this way when I have to clock longer distances for the marathon. Heh.
Shoes-wise, this would be my first run in my Vivobarefoot Neos, without the insole but with toe socks. The shoes were more comfortable than expected on the run, probably because the socks helped to prevent chafing. They were also very light and flexible, and I felt like I was flying during my sprints.
Curious to see now hoe these would compare to my Bikilas when they arrive.
That said, the pace was a little slower at my 75% MHR, but extremely comfortable for me. We decided not to overdo it since my friend was coming back from a long running break.
Did a couple of sprints up gentle slopes in between to test my actual MHR, and seems like my heart rate monitor is fairly accurate after all, clocking my heart rate after the sprints at close to my theoretical MHR.
Also experimented with a few different gaits, and found a light, springy one that I might try again for faster speeds. I lean forward a bit and it feels like I'm falling forward, but I catch myself with my foot and use the bounce to propel forward. I'm sure there's a name for it, but too lazy to find out.
Incidentally, I introduced my friend to the idea of the barefoot running after hearing how hard her feet were pounding on the pavement. She tried landing forefoot first and instantly the pounding disappeared while she told me she felt lighter. Good to know it's not only in my mind and glad to have spread the word!
The evening scenery was great as well, a change from my usual routes around housing estates. This was more long quiet stretches of road with foliage on the side. Very serene and calming for running. Never thought I'd say this, but I enjoyed the run tremendously!
But that's the whole point isn't it? I'm starting to see what people who love running see. For me, I guess the most profound thing is just remembering how important it is to enjoy the run. Running shouldn't be a chore, it should be fun!
Hopefully I still feel this way when I have to clock longer distances for the marathon. Heh.
Shoes-wise, this would be my first run in my Vivobarefoot Neos, without the insole but with toe socks. The shoes were more comfortable than expected on the run, probably because the socks helped to prevent chafing. They were also very light and flexible, and I felt like I was flying during my sprints.
Curious to see now hoe these would compare to my Bikilas when they arrive.
Basic Exercise Course Part 2
I'm waiting outside the function room where the second part of my basic exercise course with International Sports Academy is supposed to start 15 minutes ago.
The function room is locked, while the trainer has just arrived, late and confused. Once the room is opened in another 15 minutes or so, followed by yet another 15 minutes of bumbling to setup the laptop and projector, we would be 45 minutes behind time.
For a paid course, this is truly atrocious! I would hesitate to recommend them to anyone else given their poor performance.
While the trainer himself is fairly knowledgeable in many aspects of the field, it seems like he has never taught the course before. His teaching pace is haphazard at best, often finishing way too early, skipping certain relevant materials while spending too much on others.
He's unfamiliar with the required syllabus, bungles up some of the formulas, and has not even looked through the sample test paper beforehand, leading to uncertainty and confusion when addressing the answers, teaching the wrong answers until someone points out the conflict in the answer sheet.
Not that he's not a nice guy, but the trainer could have been better prepared. I have serious doubts when he says we can bring our handphones into the test for calculations. For a closed book test? Really?
Sigh. Another precious Saturday gone, extra income lost, and little value in exchange for it.
The function room is locked, while the trainer has just arrived, late and confused. Once the room is opened in another 15 minutes or so, followed by yet another 15 minutes of bumbling to setup the laptop and projector, we would be 45 minutes behind time.
For a paid course, this is truly atrocious! I would hesitate to recommend them to anyone else given their poor performance.
While the trainer himself is fairly knowledgeable in many aspects of the field, it seems like he has never taught the course before. His teaching pace is haphazard at best, often finishing way too early, skipping certain relevant materials while spending too much on others.
He's unfamiliar with the required syllabus, bungles up some of the formulas, and has not even looked through the sample test paper beforehand, leading to uncertainty and confusion when addressing the answers, teaching the wrong answers until someone points out the conflict in the answer sheet.
Not that he's not a nice guy, but the trainer could have been better prepared. I have serious doubts when he says we can bring our handphones into the test for calculations. For a closed book test? Really?
Sigh. Another precious Saturday gone, extra income lost, and little value in exchange for it.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Knee Conditioning
During the PPT, there was this middle aged triathlon in my group. I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask him for a little advice on preparation for long distance running.
One of the things that he mentioned which I haven't really considered was leg conditioning through hillwork. I had taken it for granted that my legs and joints would toughen up with more runs, but now that I think about it, I could just as easily sustain an injury.
I've hurt my knees in training a couple times before, twisting or hyperextending them. Since the start of the year though, I've been taking glucosamine to help with joint recovery and my knees haven't had any major problems in a long time.
However, the nagging ITB pain during runs and the fleeting feelings of weakness that pop up every now and then post-run is making me reconsider my position.
In looking for suitable hillwork terrain though, my current neighbourhood is really flat, and I'm not willing to travel too far as I have difficulty slotting in runs as it is.
For the time being I guess I'll have to take it slow and listen to my body. I'll probably give myself more time in the one hour region before trying for two.
One of the things that he mentioned which I haven't really considered was leg conditioning through hillwork. I had taken it for granted that my legs and joints would toughen up with more runs, but now that I think about it, I could just as easily sustain an injury.
I've hurt my knees in training a couple times before, twisting or hyperextending them. Since the start of the year though, I've been taking glucosamine to help with joint recovery and my knees haven't had any major problems in a long time.
However, the nagging ITB pain during runs and the fleeting feelings of weakness that pop up every now and then post-run is making me reconsider my position.
In looking for suitable hillwork terrain though, my current neighbourhood is really flat, and I'm not willing to travel too far as I have difficulty slotting in runs as it is.
For the time being I guess I'll have to take it slow and listen to my body. I'll probably give myself more time in the one hour region before trying for two.
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