BAREFOOTING VEG-HEAD!?:)

Well it's been about a year now since I embarked on the barefoot running experience. It certainly has been interesting. Let me take you back to my pre-barefoot research. I like many people, was inspired to look in to barefoot running after reading Born to Run. A wonderful read even if you aren't a runner. If you are a runner you will be totally engrossed. The book embraced the idea of barefoot running and the use of minimalist shoes. The author also shared a lot of info as to why one would chose barefoot running, from a scientific stand point. Armed with this info I searched for anything I could find about barefoot running. The internet is wonderful and scary at the same time:) I did find a fountain of information about barefoot running. In my search I started to find a common theme; barefoot running and vegan run hand, foot and mouth:) It seemed the more barefoot runners I found I also found a wealth of info on vegetarian or vegan nutrition. To add to that most, not all, of the men involved with barefooting looked like 60s rejects. I remember telling Paula; "Apparently I have to be a veg-head and look like Jesus to get involved with this" :):) I'm not judging just making an observation.


So I continued my research and finally started running barefoot last October. The vegan thing kept popping up and the more I read the more intrigued I became. I fought it and continued my barefoot quest. As most of you know I didn't ez into it and added mileage a little too fast. Once I received my Vibrams at the end of October it got worse. Once I had protection I couldn't stop. Sort of like a condom:) I added mileage every week and not 10%. In the course of 16 weeks I changed my running style and ran 2 marathons. Because of this I had some serious Achilles and calf issues, fortunately I had a great massage therapist to get me through my marathons. Over the course of the last year I have continued to run in my Vibrams or Flippers, which is what they are called in our house. My longest run to date is 30 miles. I cut back during the summer and ran more trails and longer runs in a minimalist shoe, Brooks Green Silence. I ran the RATS run in June then of course my dismal failure in August with a 200 mile attempt. After that I eased back into the Vibrams and now I am running 100% in them. I am slowly building my mileage back up and will run a marathon in the next couple of months. I will run an ultra in them the early part of 2011.

I have come to love running in my Flippers. Barefooting is more of an after thought. I have ran as much as 10 miles barefoot but lately 3 is my longest. Comparing the two, barefooting and Flippers, I have to say I choose Vibrams hands down. I find that I am not relaxed when I run barefoot and have to watch my footing very carefully. I run downtown a lot so there are many obstacles such as glass and debris so I can relax more in the Flippers. I honestly don't think I will pursue the barefoot option much more than 10 miles. I like how the Flippers feel and I have even gotten a little faster. Not bad for 49 years old:) The change has been great and it just makes sense, the science behind barefooting is hard to debate. And with the protection of my Flippers I can run anywhere. I have recommended the minimalist option to a few clients with mindboggling results. One switched from a high-end cushioned shoe to Nike Free. He had plantar problems and they are no more!! He is also running better than ever. Another switched to the Vibram Bikilas, he had plantar and IT Band problems. GONE!! I too found it hard to believe, but you can't argue with results. Paula made the switch during the summer after and injury. She figured since she had to start back slow with low mileage it would be a good time. She would run her short runs during the week in Vibrams then run her long runs in a light weight shoe on the weekend. She started to notice that her weekend runs weren't as smooth and enjoyable. So we talked and she decided to make the change complete and hasn't looked back. Of course I am doing the smart training with her, adding mileage very gradually. Her longest run to date is 7 miles. Then we have The Beast(our daughter) who begged for a pair of Vibrams. Well after a little negotiation and help from David at Garry Gribble's, he has a soft spot for out little Beast, I bought her a pair. The deal: she had to pay $20 out of her own money and has to run 3 times per week. So far so good, she ran 2 miles this past Saturday with our RIT run group. She was very excited!! I will continue to advise people to try the minimalist approach, if not just as a training tool but as a total switch to barefoot or Vibrams. Give it a try, if you stick with it you will be happy.

Is running in Vibrams barefoot running? NO!! The Vibrams are a minimalist shoe, a very good barefoot alternative but you are NOT running barefoot. Having experimented with both, there is a very distinct difference. Yes you strive for the same form as barefooting but you can make mistakes and it won't be as painful. Relax too much lose your form and land on your heel while running barefoot and you will feel a jolt of pain that will take you right back to perfect form! Not so much in the Flippers, the pain doesn't jolt you back to the perfect barefooting form as fast as real barefooting. The Vibrams provide the protection someone like me needs. I will admit, after much research and watching videos of people running on gravel and rough terrain in their bare feet, I'm just not there. Further more I'm not sure I want to be. Again I love running in my Flippers!! Real barefooting may be for you though, give both a fair try.

Now let's get to those Veg-Heads!! As of now, most of you know, I am officially a Veg-Head!! Hard to believe, research and science led me here. I am not an environmentalist and you won't catch me driving a Prius, I will stick with my Ford F-150:) I made the switch from a purely health conscious mind set. I have detailed my transformation in previous blogs so I won't bore you. I am meat free, I do get drink 3 Isagenix shakes a day. This is the highest quality whey you can get. The rest of my diet is 95% Vegan, and probably 80% raw. When I eat it is fresh fruit and veggies. Yes I still occasionally make poor choices when it comes to my nutrition but 90% of the time I am right on target and my body is very grateful.

So if you are looking to take your training and performance to the next level I would recommend giving barefooting and vegan a try. I am not a militant minimalist runner or Veg-Head, life is about choices. Give it a try and have an open mind, if it works for you great. If not go back to your tried and true or try something else. Oh, I did make the switch to minimalist shoes and I am basically a Vegan, but my hair is still short.  So I didn't go all the way to the other side:)  I don't look like Jesus:)

NEVER STOP RUNNING!!

Choose to Succeed

Koach Karl

http://www.koachkarl.com/

http://www.k2ultrarunning.blogspot.com/

http://www.k2rawrudeandright.blogspot.com/