Greetings Sasquatches (I’m not sure if that’s really a word, however the spell check is not having any issues with it, so I guess it is!)
“Our ancestors moved over the earth...and found their way into nearly every nook and cranny of the planet...with their bare or minimally clad feet. The foot has been the primary vehicle of our success as a species, allowing us to fulfill our desire to explore, discover, achieve and eat. Yet, most people these days have come to see their feet as broken appendages, unfit for the real world, sickly and weak, prone to injury, in need of support and padding, doomed to suffer.” Barefoot Ted
I wanted to give some basic knowledge of bare footing and questions for you:
1. Why do you want to run barefoot? This is very valid question and you should have an idea of why you’re deciding barefoot over the traditional running shoes.
2. If barefoot running is for you, realize this will be a slow transition. You will need to re-train yourself how to run as your feet and legs have had years of being protected and cushioned with the traditional running shoes. All of the padding, support, protections, and shoes with stilts have not let for you to have stronger feet and legs.
a. It took me about a month to get used to running in the Viabram Five Finger Shoes. For example, if
I was going to run 6 miles that day; I would run 5 in my traditional shoes and do the last 1 mile in the
VFF and slowly work my way up to more miles and graduate from the traditional shoes and only run
in the VFF.
i. Wear the VFF for everything; grocery shopping, walking the dog, movies, etc etc. The feet will
need to get used to them and you will also need to get used to them.
3. Your range of motion will also change as you will adapt to running on the ball of your foot rather than mid foot or even a heel. I used to also be a heel striker and thought this was the correct and best way to run. On the contrary my fellow sasquatches. Again from my earlier post, I have shaved 40 minutes of my marathon time and most of it’s due to the change in my running.
4. Vaseline will be your best friend. There are 5-finger socks to wear in the shoes, but if you’re like me that’s going against what I find natural and free; I don’t wear the socks. I put Vaseline between my toes and cover the foot to prevent from blisters. It sounds disgusting, but it works and your feet will thank you later!
5. The goal is for you to run quiet and balanced.
6. Quicken your cadence and shave some time off. Barefoot will allow this naturally. (Again, I’m living proof of it)
7. Stable upright posture. The feeling of being balanced and strong.
8. Embrace your surroundings and have some patience, enjoy your experiment with your body and mind!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Barefoot in the Park-Not Knowing Enough About Sasquatch
Greetings, I think we’ll continue on this Sasquatch concept for awhile and see where it leads. Unfortunately, we’re in the day and age where anyone can sell anything to anybody without having much prior knowledge on the product(s). I guess this is what qualifies as an outstanding sale professional and someone you would definitely want on your team. However, when you’re compromising information on your body, especially your feet, and don’t have much or any experience with the product this can lead to some frustration and misjudgment to the consumer.
This exact experience happened to one of my friends that is currently training and prepping for the Susan G. Komen, 3 Day Walk, Twin Cities. The walk consists of 20 miles each day and totals at 60 miles of walking over 3 days. This is an amazing event and very inspiring for anyone that is spectators, participators, and donators. She asked me if she could wear the Viabram 5 Fingers (VFF) for her training and throughout her weekend of walking. My response, absolutely, however make sure you try a pair on in the store as some of the models offered by VFF fit differently. During her visit to the store, the sales professional says she could not wear them on hard surfaces and would not last throughout the 3-day; the shoes are only meant for grass soft trailer and water. Well dear sir, shoe sales professional, I beg to differ as in my previous entry you have read how many miles I have put on these lovely shoes. I have since added to that count with a couple of recovery runs this past week. And dear sir, sales professional, my shoes have not shown any signs of fatigue and are still 100% intact.
My friend did mention my experiences in these shoes and he obviously was stumped by the statement and stated well in the pamphlet here it says you cannot use these shoes for those types of surfaces. Eventually he ended up walking away from her to help an easier customer buy some shoes and she left without the VFF. I’m hoping that she will return or find them from a store that does have the proper education and will have great success during her 3 Day walk. She will be the talk of the race looking not only like a Sasquatch, but also sharing the education about the benefits of barefooting.
It’s very frustrating when you’re not being informed on the correct information about products and especially these shoes and the benefits of barefooting or looking like a Sasquatch! I’ve had my own experiences with different sales professionals and the responses have been similar. I’ve found that most sales professionals haven’t even tried the shoes on or worn them to really know the benefits of barefooting.
I plan on wearing my VFF's this weekend at the World Cup events and I’m sure will spark plenty of conversations and hopefully find some new members for team Sasquatch!
This exact experience happened to one of my friends that is currently training and prepping for the Susan G. Komen, 3 Day Walk, Twin Cities. The walk consists of 20 miles each day and totals at 60 miles of walking over 3 days. This is an amazing event and very inspiring for anyone that is spectators, participators, and donators. She asked me if she could wear the Viabram 5 Fingers (VFF) for her training and throughout her weekend of walking. My response, absolutely, however make sure you try a pair on in the store as some of the models offered by VFF fit differently. During her visit to the store, the sales professional says she could not wear them on hard surfaces and would not last throughout the 3-day; the shoes are only meant for grass soft trailer and water. Well dear sir, shoe sales professional, I beg to differ as in my previous entry you have read how many miles I have put on these lovely shoes. I have since added to that count with a couple of recovery runs this past week. And dear sir, sales professional, my shoes have not shown any signs of fatigue and are still 100% intact.
My friend did mention my experiences in these shoes and he obviously was stumped by the statement and stated well in the pamphlet here it says you cannot use these shoes for those types of surfaces. Eventually he ended up walking away from her to help an easier customer buy some shoes and she left without the VFF. I’m hoping that she will return or find them from a store that does have the proper education and will have great success during her 3 Day walk. She will be the talk of the race looking not only like a Sasquatch, but also sharing the education about the benefits of barefooting.
It’s very frustrating when you’re not being informed on the correct information about products and especially these shoes and the benefits of barefooting or looking like a Sasquatch! I’ve had my own experiences with different sales professionals and the responses have been similar. I’ve found that most sales professionals haven’t even tried the shoes on or worn them to really know the benefits of barefooting.
I plan on wearing my VFF's this weekend at the World Cup events and I’m sure will spark plenty of conversations and hopefully find some new members for team Sasquatch!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Barefoot in the Park-Sasquatch has returned
Hey Sasquatch, what are those shoes you are running in? What is a Sasquatch you might ask, well that was my question as well. I was very intrigued by this question and I thought I would entertain this chat while I was running the 34th Annual Grandma's Marathon on June 19th in Duluth, MN, with the 3:40 pace group, a girl in a green neon tank and neon pink shorts says, "You look like a Sasquatch in those shoes and by the way how do you like them?" What shoes you ask, well another great question. I was running in the Viabram 5 Finger Barefoot Shoes in the Classic Model. http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/
I was hoping and pushing hard to qualify for the Boston Marathon in my age group, however didn't meet my goal. I still finished in 4:07.25 and that's been my fastest time at the Grandma's Marathon, and this was my fourth time running this fabulous run, which isn't an easy course. A month before I ran the Fargo Marathon on May 22nd, 2010 and I crossed the line at 3:48.48 and shaved 40 minutes from my marathon time since the NYC marathon on November 1, 2009. Why the big difference? I will tell you, it's from running in the 5 Finger shoes and also re-training myself to run naturally and how we're supposed to run BAREFOOT.
I know that some of you probably think this is a crazy concept, but until you try it; I think running in the heavy soles of traditional stilts is a crazy concept. I am very new to this barefoot running, as I bought the shoes this past December and do not plan on returning to traditional running shoes. On my first pair I have approximately 530 miles, 2 marathons, and no injuries or blisters. They could probably go for another year before I had to replace them. It took me a long time to get to this point, but I'll save that for another time. So, I challenge you my friends to go out and find your inner Sasquatch and give it a go and run naturally and free.
I was hoping and pushing hard to qualify for the Boston Marathon in my age group, however didn't meet my goal. I still finished in 4:07.25 and that's been my fastest time at the Grandma's Marathon, and this was my fourth time running this fabulous run, which isn't an easy course. A month before I ran the Fargo Marathon on May 22nd, 2010 and I crossed the line at 3:48.48 and shaved 40 minutes from my marathon time since the NYC marathon on November 1, 2009. Why the big difference? I will tell you, it's from running in the 5 Finger shoes and also re-training myself to run naturally and how we're supposed to run BAREFOOT.
I know that some of you probably think this is a crazy concept, but until you try it; I think running in the heavy soles of traditional stilts is a crazy concept. I am very new to this barefoot running, as I bought the shoes this past December and do not plan on returning to traditional running shoes. On my first pair I have approximately 530 miles, 2 marathons, and no injuries or blisters. They could probably go for another year before I had to replace them. It took me a long time to get to this point, but I'll save that for another time. So, I challenge you my friends to go out and find your inner Sasquatch and give it a go and run naturally and free.
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