My solicited opinion

Skora Running blog just solicited opinions on a barefoot running injury article.

I weighed in with the following, which I think sums up my opinions on running footwear pretty well:

This article seems to weigh on the side of anti-barefoot running by throwing around the word “epidemic” in an inflammatory and possibly inaccurate fashion. I agree that the “surge” of injuries claim lies on a shaky foundation. I’m not sure why proponents of either side of the argument feel so comfortable asserting such claims in the absence of sufficient evidence.

The unintentional thesis statement that jumped out of the article was “The more barefoot runners there are, the more injured barefoot runners there will be.” Barefoot running is a trend that is gaining popularity. More people are running (regardless of how) and more people are getting hurt. I am underwhelmed by this revelation.

That being said, I appreciate this article calling out the nonsensical arguments of the barefoot dogma, such as:

“It’s totally misleading to tell people that when they get injured running in shoes, it’s the shoe’s fault, and when they get injured running barefoot, it’s the athlete’s fault. It makes no sense. You’re going to have injuries either way. It’s running.”

Barefoot runners may guffaw at the final assertion of guaranteed injuries, but as someone who developed shin splints for the first time in my life after switching exclusively to Vibrams, I’m annoyed by the tendency to write-off mounting anecdotal evidence or to always blame injuries on the runner’s form.

Equally irritating is the false dichotomy created by barefoot dogma proponents and barefoot haters; that there are two ways to run and one is correct. Running for me is not a moral choice between two camps of thought. Can I be so bold as to point out that both sides stand to gain financially from convincing consumers that their doctrine is right and the other is wrong? Those peddling these ideas tend to fall under the following categories: podiatrists, PhDs, big shoe companies, start-up shoe companies, authors, gurus, etc. The blatant conflict of interest forces me to take this information with a hefty grain of salt and pay more attention to information coming from runners who have no strings (or laces) attached.

I think that an honest and objective runner will take a moderated approach and tend to stay out of this usually pointless back and forth between the sides. False pretenses are perpetuated by both sides of the “argument” and I can’t help but feel like I’m participating in an advertising campaign when I weigh in with either side.

Ultimately I don’t care how the scientific evidence pans out. I will continue barefoot/minimalist running because I enjoy it. I will also run with heretical cushioned moon boots from time to time. However, I will not pretend that running barefoot is a magical injury force field/fountain of youth/nirvana. Minimalist footwear and barefoot running are new, exciting options that allow runners to choose what suits them best for a given situation or a desired outcome.

Apologies in advance for the extended rant/gripe. I appreciate your steps toward an open dialogue by posting this article on your blog.

Preparing for my 1st Marathon

As the namesake of this blog suggests, one of my long-term goals is to run in the Boston Marathon. To date, I have not run a marathon. Come November, this will change and I will run in the Savannah Rock n' Roll Marathon. While I haven't run the full 26.2 miles, I have a fair number of shorter races under my belt, including 2 half marathons. These races have suggested to me that the whole enchilada is it's own beast and I will need to prepare more intentionally than I traditionally have for shorter distances. I've been able to get away with a lack of preparation/ignorance in short races, which because of their nature are quite forgiving to the novice. With this in mind, I've identified some running challenges that could become pitfalls in a longer race:

1-Shin Splints. After subscribing to the minimalist footwear dogma I got shin splints, which I had never experienced before. Turns out cushioning on shoes does serve a valuable purpose and is not solely (pun intended) to rob one of proprioception and cause atrophy of one's lower limbs. I pounded the pavement on some long runs in my Vibrams one too many times and paid the price. As I've laid off the long pavement runs, switched to mostly dirt trails in the Vibrams, and allowed myself recovery days, this problem has been tenuously kept at bay. The problem I now face is the all-pavement marathon I must train for. After doing some research, I decided to purchase Nike Free Run+ 2 for my long pavement runs. Reviews like this one of  the first iteration of the Free Run, coupled with trying on pairs in-store, to news that the 2nd version had more toe room brought me to the decision. I bought a slightly used pair on eBay and took them on their maiden voyage through the ghetto today. I was not disappointed. While they are far from a barefoot experience, they maintain portions of experience that I want-ie a fast, lightweight gait. As I hoped, the cushioning is adequate but not excessive. There are more runs to do in these new kicks and I will make a full review in the future.

2-Blisters-My feet are not pretty. I've grown accustomed to allowing large calluses and blisters to form one on top of the other and have basically just dealt with them rather than actively trying to prevent them. This is fine while doing short runs. Normally I'll start feeling hot spots somewhere around the 4 mile mark, regardless of the footwear I don. The problem here is that these hot spots evolve into acutely painful and crippling blisters on longer runs, which could seriously hinder my training and ultimate race in November. Barefoot prophets tell me that if I had the right barefoot form, I could run barefoot or shod for hours and come out with baby-soft immaculate tootsies. I think this is horse crap. If I did adopt the barefoot form suggested, with no pushing off; rather a light, centaur-esque prance, I could probably reduce blisters. But I would be slow and I don't enjoy running that way. I want to develop speed and endurance, and I want to like my running. Therefore I reject that idea and will find another way to deal with blisters. Reason tells me that my footwear choices have as much, if not more, to do with blisters as does the force with which I push of the ground. That being said, I develop blisters when my feet become saturated in sweat-4 miles or 30-40 minutes into a run. It's hot in Savannah and I've heard good things about Drymax Hot Weather Running Socks. So I'm giving them an extended trial and as of now, they are my race day choice as my feet have had less hot spots and really are much drier than with other socks. The shoes I wear are also a factor here, for now the Nike Frees seem to couple nicely with the Drymax socks.

3-Chaffage-This became an issue especially since moving to Georgia and running exclusively in humid conditions. Bag Balm has become my lubricant of choice for extended runs. It is viscous enough to stick around for the duration of a long race, it works, it's cheap, and if it's good enough for udders, it's good enough for me.

4-Cramps-I have very little experience with cramps, in fact, the only real problem I have had was during the last few miles of a half-marathon in February. My legs got rigid and my pace suffered terribly as a result. The great collective runner's mind tells me that cramps are a result of dehydration. So I need to drink more (apparently a lot more because I drank quite a bit during that race) and probably turn up the salt consumption so I don't sweat out everything I put in. As longer training runs test my hydration limits, I expect to have more experience in this area and develop a specific plan for race day.

5-Fatigue-This goes without saying, but there are two things I plan to do here. One is figuring out how many carbs I can put in without making myself sick. I'll probably be using gels on race day. Two is simply training adequately. I plan to do 2-4 short runs during the week and a long run (taper up to ~20 miles) every Saturday.

6-Side aches-I'm still figuring this out, as I often can't tell if these are going to occur or not. The less I can have in my stomach while running, the better off I tend to be. On race day I will eat breakfast ~2 hours before start time and play the cards I'm dealt after that.

New Balance Minimus/Merrell/Vibram Hearsay & Conjecture

I'm looking forward to the upcoming release of these shoes

As I've mentioned, the FiveFingers Sprints aren't doing it for me. I like them, but I know very well after several hundred miles in them what I don't like about them. Would like to try some Bikilas some day, which are apparently a significant improvement on the other models.

However, my next shoe purchase will most likely be of the non-toe segregationist type. Merrell should be releasing their line around the same time as the New Balance Minimus line (spring 2011) and the choice will probably be between those two and the New Balance MT101

It Begins...

From my FiveFingers Sprint Review:

"Overall, they are an excellent step in the right direction (pun intended). Understandably, there is widespread fanaticism associated with them at sites such as birthdayshoes.com. We're excited to have an option that maintains the barefoot experience. However, this obsession often borders on religiosity heralding the infallibility of all things Vibram. There is still room for improvement. I'm dreading 10-20 years from now when annoying purists will be singing the praises of "the good ol days" when original FiveFingers came out and selling vintage pairs to each other online."

I hate to say I told you so, but I got it pretty close on this one. Just one big problem with my prediction-it has only taken a matter of months! See the following first impressions from Barefoot Chronicles on pictures of Vibram's new 2011 line.

In all fairness, these folks are entitled to their opinions. They love certain models of FiveFingers. Great. I just find the panic that is surfacing over innovative products a little puzzling. I'm really looking forward to new products from Vibram and other companies because I, for one, am not satisfied with my FiveFingers. Like I said, I feel like they are a step in the right direction, but far from the ultimate minimalist running shoe on Earth. I'm not even saying I like the new Vibrams. I haven't made up my mind yet. But even if they are complete garbage, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Ultimately, feedback like this is what will drive Vibram to develop a refined product.

Now for my next prediction/rant. The next step in the barefoot community will come about like so: Barefoot running will gain widespread acceptance. Products will abound. Disney will have kid's shows about barefoot running. It will become common-place.

Then, the "OGs" will surface-those who started barefoot running when the concept was in it's infancy. They will make sure to tell everyone how long they have been barefooting, emphasizing that they were among the founders of the movement. They'll tell you how hard it was to find minimalist footwear. They'll tell tales of how they did "mods" to standard running shoes. They'll talk your ear off about how they were persecuted by robotic Ivan Drago-esque high-tech shoe proponents. They may even share a sad tale about how they weren't allowed to enter a race without footwear. They will pontificate about how hard they worked to gain acceptance in the running community. Mark. My. Words.

Does this scenario sound familiar? I've seen it take place in two areas specifically during my short lifetime: skateboarding and punk rock. Apparently this has occurred since the dawn of time among new fads. People like to be a part of small movements, then complain about the movement when it becomes more popular and tell everyone else they're doing it wrong, or at least that they best respect the original gangster's credibility.

It used to bother me when I'd see skateboarding on TV or Nike making skateboarding shoes. But, being the capitalist that I am, there is one great thing about a movement like that getting big-cheap products. Skateboards and their corresponding paraphernalia are cheap and abundant. Tiny towns, including my own hometown, have very nice skate parks. So I don't care how big it gets. It just means more opportunities for me. I like skateboarding and I don't care how many other people like it, I'll continue to skate regardless.

Now, does cheap mean good? Obviously not. Wal-Mart skateboards are awful. But there are more quality products at a lower prices elsewhere. And so I envision the minimalist footwear movement to unfold. Wal-Mart will probably have some horrible "minimalist footwear" someday. But that also means that TJ Maxx will have some great out-of-season minimalist footwear for peanuts.

And with that, I end my diatribe. It may seem far-fetched, even delusional.

Just don't say I didn't warn you...

My Name Is...

I won't lie to you. I shaved my legs. Knee down.

Why?

It's hot. Really hot here in the South.

Stop judging me. I don't need to defend my actions.

In her disdain toward the zombie-like appearance of my ghostly, greenly veined, scarred, Northern European/Scandinavian lower extremities, the Mrs. has sealed a new moniker:

Music and Running

Blog=soapbox

Why do we feel compelled to constantly assault our brains with pop sensations?

• In the car
• Walking to the car
• Walking down the street
• At home
• By the pool
• Running?!

Music is not inherently bad. Constantly listening to music can, in my opinion, be distracting, and inherently bad music is always bad. Did I mention bad? Pluck out the earbuds, rip off that ridiculous pPod from your arm and just run! You can THINK.

"But the beat gets me pumpt up, y'all"

!? Stop the madness! No one should participate in any activity that is synchronized to Linkin Park.

Do what you want. I'm just letting you know, there exists an alternative: NO MUSIC

Energy Gel$

Earlier this year, I started experimenting with energy gels on my longer runs. The first experience was with an expired Gu "Lemon Sublime" packet on a 9 mile run without any water. I'm learning. Miraculously, I didn't get crippling diarrhea and I didn't perish from thirst. I can't say it gave me all that much energy either. I wasn't in great shape at this point, early into more serious training.

I purchased some Powerbar gels because they were cheap and started taking them with a fair amount of water, which made them more palatable, but equally non-efficacious.

I've also tried Clif Shot gel. Still nothing.

As I mentioned in last week's report I had a successful experience on an empty stomach morning run after plodding along for 3 miles. I felt the burst of energy and really picked up the pace to end my run well.

So it seems a few things are required to feel the effects of energy gels:

1. Low blood sugar
2. A good level of baseline fitness
3. Water

I'm excited about this new arrow in my quiver. I'm thinking about races where I have felt heavy and how energy gel would have potentially helped significantly. Not excited about paying mucho lettuce for gross sugar, though.

I can make gross sugar for free, thank you very much. I will experiment with homemade gel consisting of:

• Honey
• Molasses
• Sea Salt

The results will follow...

Mommy makes it possible.

Being Mother's Day, I must take an opportunity to praise my wife, Deanna, for her active support in the goals related to this blog. She acts as the sole babysitter of our two young children during my meanderings through the dark and desires acheivement of my goals.

We have plans to become a running family, which realistically necessitates a 2-seat running stroller at this point in our lives. As you may be aware, they are not cheap, at least those that will weather the storm, as it were. Thus, we scour the Internet for deals. So far, an unfruitful pursuit.

On this day of days, thanks be to my beloved Vos for rearing beautiful babies and facilitating this long-term endeavour.

Thoughts on Stretching (Skretching)

I've always been told to stretch before workouts or running. I started questioning this practice when I began running with more experienced runners who would stretch after getting loosened up running a few miles. Now, I question the benefit of the practice at all.

When my knees started giving me problems, I noticed that I could instantly precipitate knee pain by doing the following: stretching. Me being the curious fellow that I am, I stopped stretching all together just to see would happen. Oddly enough, I didn't crumple up into fetal position and perish like I had been led to believe as a gullible PE student. Overall, my pain decreased, as a matter of fact.

Now I'm not going to make outlandish claims and say that stretching is worthless and no one should ever do it. I might even stretch some now and again. But I think we seriously need to question the "stretching prevents injuries" paradigm that we are all familiar with, especially in light of studies like this, which are not a few. In short, don't fear the reaper when it comes to running without stretching.

Silent, but deadly

Treading lightly is a necessity in my quest to avoid continual injury. At times I forget how quiet running lightly is and I accidentally sneak up on folks. Usually this is humorous and benign. When I see cats in my path pawing at some festering bag of hamburger trash, I'll silently approach and stomp directly behind the feline, disrupting it's feast. The result would make an instant youtube viral video.

Unfortunately, Savannah's residents don't always share my jovial outlook on this ocurrence. Take the other night-it's after 11:00 PM and I'm running down the street briskly and silently, thinking about the complexities of existence, not considering the man that I am fast approaching from behind. Judging by his attire, he might have been accustomed to people running up quickly behind him late at night for reasons other than jogging. As I realized the peril of this situation, it was too late to prevent an unsavory encounter. All I could do was swing out to his left slightly. As I did so, his fist pulled back like an archer ready to fire and he exclaimed "OH SH...." Indeed. I chose the flight option in my sympathetic response and hastened my pace.

I plan to start running in the morning once it gets too hot to run at night.