Hey TF,
I hope everyone's season/training has been enjoyable/effective.
I've semi-recently converted to barefoot running (approx 6mos). I've come to love the feeling of running unshod and have decided to run Chicago barefoot this Oct. I've always had a mid/fore foot stride since childhood and I finally feel like I'm not fighting my feet/shoes. What started as barefoot on the beach, turned into barefoot on the trail, then to barefoot on the street. I currently run in self made huaraches soled with thin rubber.
It's still very early in my training plan (wk 2) and I'd like to hear from some of our Gurus about their experience (and considerations) with marathons, barefoot running, or running barefoot marathons.
EDIT: (file upload failed)
I've linked to a copy of the training plan I made for our group. (5 of us are going) and just wondered if there were any mileage/volume considerations I might have missed about switching to barefoot.
Also, I am training for a Nov IM (my 1st) as I had to bail on last years IM attempt 2 weeks out due to unforeseeable complications (not training related).
Is it too much to run my 1st barefoot marathon (3rd OA) and then attempt the IM portion barefoot in less than 4 weeks? If so, should I add in some "shod" workouts in my marathon flats just in case?
I have experimented with
I have experimented with barefoot running for a couple of years now, but I don't do the Iron distance. So this advice may not be directly applicable, and certainly is worthy of discussion.
Like you, I love feeling the ground with bare feet...grass, asphalt, trail, whatever. I feel very light and nimble running barefoot, like I am a deer scampering around a forest.
The thing I have difficulty with with is maintaining my foot pads. They never seem to get tough enough to make a total leap into barefoot running.
As a result, I do the minimalist thing most of the time...vibrams, race flats, huraches, etc. and barefoot during cool down parts of running.
I have found that my running position and gait do not change that much between running barefoot and running with the minimalist shoes. If your foot pads are shot, (or worse, your marathon occurs in the rain, and the pads get soft and wear away), you will need to rebuild them and the four weeks may not be enough.
Consider the fact that your feet will be in cycling shoes a number or hours before the marathon in IM. Your foot pads may be soft for the start of the IM marathon.
This is an interesting topic...I wonder what other thoughts will surface.
Why not just wear a zero
Why not just wear a zero drop shoe of some sort? Protecting your feet is important. What happens if you find a nasty piece of glass at mile 10? I haven't done the barefoot thing but have done a lot of research in forefoot/minimalist running and if you are doing it right it's a great thing for most people (not all). One thing that I have concluded is that you can have bad form anywhere, barefoot not excluded. Furthermore, shoes protect your feet so in my mind why not find a foot that allows you to use that same technique and run in a shoe? It's all personal choice but at some point a disposable piece of rubber is a better thing to beat up than the skin on your feet.
jnrice wrote:It's all
[quote=jnrice]It's all personal choice but at some point a disposable piece of rubber is a better thing to beat up than the skin on your feet. [/quote]
+1, especially twice in a four week period?
Barefoot may work for some.
Barefoot may work for some. If it does for you, that's great!
I have seen folks running form go all to hell about half way through an IM marathon. A really good article in a recent Running times reflects this. That as we get tired, form falls apart. Shod or un-shod.
One big point that un-shod and minimalist runners make is that we are designed to run that way...the whole mid foot fore foot thing. Now I get, Minimalist and run in Altras as well as some minimal drop shoes.
Barefoot? There is a reason our ancestors wore moccasins or some other type of foot covering. To protect their feet. One can imagine that if they damaged their feet they could be in real trouble. If you trash a foot at the marathon, through no fault of your own even, your IM is going to go very badly or not al all.
All the best!
While I love to run barefoot
While I love to run barefoot on known surfaces, I'm not sure I'd go totally bare in a marathon, where gravel, broken glass, other things could come into play. I'd consider wearing the huraches or some FiveFingers or other zero drop shoes for both marathon and IM. Mostly because it would suck to mess up a race due to something beyond your control, whereas a training run you can always do over.
My current IM plan is to start out in my Vibrams, and have my Nike Frees in my run special needs bag in case I need a bit more protection. If the temperature (and thus asphalt) is hot on race day, I may reverse that (start in the Frees, and have the FiveFingers as backup).
Well, it's been an
Well, it's been an interesting season so far.
Still running 100% of my runs barefoot (or in my huaraches) and loving every minute of it.
I find it amazing that in less than 10mos, I could completely change my running form, running speed, running capacity, and running enjoyment ALL AT THE SAME TIME!.. Sorry, but are you kidding me? Why did this take so long to figure out?
My running style before sounded like a diagnosis - "Hmm, a mild overpronator. Here are some _______ brand trainers with moderate arch support."
Since Jan, I've ran 100% (or very close) of my runs, races, ect barefoot or in my homemade huaraches.
I've only had 1 minor injury this season (minor sprain from being clumsy), which is pretty good from past seasons.
I've managed to increase my LT pace from 8:35 to 6:45. (Still building the endurance at LT)
But the thing I've noticed most, is that switching to a forefoot (or mid foot) stride has been tantamount to my reducing injury and overall soreness after running. (DOMS)
I can now run 13mi with little residual soreness or fatigue the following day. Where'as before, after 10mi my hips, knees, ankles, toes, plantars would all be sore the next day.
I attribute this to the horrible degree that most shoe wearers foot muscles have atrophied over the years. We spend so much of our childhood build foot strength, and then, at some point, we imobilze our feet in cushioned foot casts and forget about them.
This leads us to cushion out our entire connection to the ground to such an extent that impacting the ground with your heel (ie- using horrible form) has little to no feedback telling you about your poor mechanics.
Running barefoot forces you to not only strengthen the weakened muscles in your feet, but also re-enforces the foot-ground connection. You have to learn "where" to step, because landing on obstructions/poor footings can be painful.
And trail running barefoot vs shod? Forget about it. No comparison.
I know I sound like "another one of these crazy, hippy, barefoot, vegan, tofu, yoga, spiritual, hairbrianed barefoot runners," but I had to share the joy (and rejuvination) that running barefoot as reinstalled in my workouts.
Hope to see some of you at the finish lines in years to come!
Oh, and for the IM, I'm
Oh, and for the IM, I'm going to wear my favorite huaraches. The J.michael Version 1.2.
Hey j, Like you, i converted
Hey j,
Like you, i converted this year to barefoot and just completed my first marathon on sept 23rd. All i can say is be sure to carry a pair of something to replace your soles if you need to. I made it to mile 18 barefoot and my legs had a freak breakdown so i had to suck it up big time to the finish. I was glad to have carried my vff's because my form took a first rate canyon nosedive so my feet would not have lasted long beyond that point.