Road to Nowhere

Hey Mark, how's it going? We're not going to have to run barefoot when we come visit? are we? So do you have one huge callous on the bottom of each foot?

See you guys soon.

T Miller wrote:Hey Mark, how's it going? We're not going to have to run barefoot when we come visit? are we? So do you have one huge callous on the bottom of each foot?

See you guys soon.

Hey, Tim! We're all looking forward to your visit. Trying to figure out if it's better to but Splenda for Wendy by the cubic yard or metric ton..

No, you don't have to run barefoot when you visit... but I bet I could show you how to do it and not rip your feet to shreds. As for the one huge callous... no, not really. The pads on the soles of my feet are definitely getting more resilient, but if I'd built a huge callous, it would mean I had too much friction on touchdown and that would be b-a-a-a-a-d.

Barefoot Run: 5.1 miles

Weather: Overcast, muggy. 61 degrees, 91% humidity. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T. Fuel: Coffee and rice milk before.

Gronk. This getting up in the morning is taking some getting used to. I'm giving myself a little extra time for drinking coffee and stretching before I head out the door, but it takes me a good mile before I feel warmed up and can start relaxing into the run.

I decided to do laps around the block this morning rather than head out. I didn't know how far I wanted to go, so I wanted to be able to stop when I decided I'd had enough. Of course, I ended up doing just over five miles.

My spits were pretty consistent at my low HR, which is nice: 10:47, 10:22, 10:20, 10:36, 10:47.

Average HR 137

I thought you use to get up and do runs in the morning or is it just earlier than you use to do them? I am so confused. Nice job on the 5 miles.

Joel H wrote:I thought you use to get up and do runs in the morning or is it just earlier than you use to do them? I am so confused. Nice job on the 5 miles.

Emphasis on the "used to." Ever since school started last year, I shifted all but my Sunday runs to mid-morning. It didn't make sense to get up at 4 a.m. when I wasn't training for anything, so I did my runs when Alec and Alita were off at school. Now that school's out, I had to shift back to earlier runs. It's fine, though it makes my time out there feel more purposeful than I'd prefer.

Walk: 2.23 miles

Weather: Overcast, mild, a little muggy. 67 degrees.

A lunchtime walk along the Columbia River. With my weird schedule this week (I had only one day off last weekend), I ended up walking three days in a row. It's more than normal, but I really didn't want to spend my lunch hour planted in front of the computer.

Hi Mark, it was quite illuminating reading your posts from the last few weeks. The barefoot running seems to be going really well. I know my feet hurt just walking to the end of the driveway to get the newspaper so I can't even imagine what it would be like. But you have definitely progressed quite a bit lately in this, nice job. So will ever run a race barefoot?

JohnP wrote:Hi Mark, it was quite illuminating reading your posts from the last few weeks. The barefoot running seems to be going really well. I know my feet hurt just walking to the end of the driveway to get the newspaper so I can't even imagine what it would be like. But you have definitely progressed quite a bit lately in this, nice job. So will ever run a race barefoot?

Hi John, thanks for stopping by!

Barefooting is working out pretty well for me so far. It may help that I was the sort of person who'd take off his shoes whenever possible, so it was less of a shock to my system than it might be to somebody who wears shoes even around the house. Still, if you take it slowly and easily, you'd be amazed at how much your body can adapt. One of the hardest parts for me right now is fighting the urge to go for some nice long run when I'm not ready for it.

Funny you ask about racing. I almost ran a charity 5k last weekend barefoot, but we were late registering for it and I got cold feet (rimshot) after seeing how much it would cost for all three of us to do it. I let Alita do it while I goofed around in the park with Alec. One of these days, though, I'm sure I won't be able to resist the temptation.

Ah the family obligations in regards to early runs....I know the feeling but you and I both know that if we didn't run our significant others may, shall we say politely, kick us out the door for a run if we haven't run in a few days! I know mine would.

Jerry hasn't raced since March. Races are getting too expensive. Not complaining, but would like to spend elsewhere first.

Joel H wrote:Ah the family obligations in regards to early runs....I know the feeling but you and I both know that if we didn't run our significant others may, shall we say politely, kick us out the door for a run if we haven't run in a few days! I know mine would.

That is (cough, cough) quite possibly true in my house, as well, Joel. Moreover, I know it'd be necessary.

Jerry wrote:Jerry hasn't raced since March. Races are getting too expensive. Not complaining, but would like to spend elsewhere first.

Agreed. As it was, we paid $40 to enter one person in a 5k. Too rich for my blood, even with a T-shirt. That's $12.90 per mile.

By comparison, Western States is a bargain! 100 miles at $2.95 a mile!

Mark, I am with you! Some of the races around here are stunningly expensive. $95 for a half marathon? In Eugene? wow.......But at least I don't have to drive long distances to find a race almost every weekend, and most of them are reasonable.

EugeneGreenie<---my dog has fleas

EugeneGreenie wrote:Mark, I am with you! Some of the races around here are stunningly expensive. $95 for a half marathon? In Eugene? wow.......But at least I don't have to drive long distances to find a race almost every weekend, and most of them are reasonable.

EugeneGreenie<---my dog has fleas

Hey, Greenie! It is nice that most shorter races are cheaper. That does make it surprising, though, when they ramp up the cost on you.

Barefoot MAF Test: 5 miles w/ 1-mile warmup

Weather: Overcast, mild, humid. 61 degrees, 85% humidity. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T. Fuel: Coffee and rice milk before. Drank some water during run.

I wanted to do something a little different this morning, so I headed out to the track to see just how fast I go at a low HR barefoot. My miles have been in the 10:20s on the asphalt around my house, but the terrain rises and falls, so I wanted to compare apples to apples and see what happened on a (relatively) flat track.

The track was wet (it rained last night), which made for an interesting sensation underfoot. I walked a lap then slowly brought my HR up to my target of 138 in the next three laps. Then the test began.

Mile 1 came in at 9:57. Woot! I thought I was getting faster. Mile 2? 9:55. Really? Mile 3? 10:08. Ah. Okay, slowing now. But surprisingly, that was it. Mile 4 and 5 came in at 10:07 and 10:10, respectively. Very interesting.

By comparison, in my last MAF test a month ago... Mile 1 was 10:25 and Mile 5 was 11:11. Yowza.

The chart:


Was it going shoeless? Losing weight? Improved mitochondria?

All of the above, I think. Whatever it is, it's better than I have been in a long time.

Nice to see!

Wow! Great job! It must be nice to see those 9:xxs...and barefoot! Crazy

E Greenie<--donner and blitzen in the sky! Woohoo!

Awesome to see some 9:xx in this blog again and barefoot too. Great job Mark!

Michael Enright wrote:Nice to see!

VERY nice to see, Michael! As you can see by the chart below, it's been a while since I've flirted with sub-10...



The closest comparison was in the fall of 2009, as I used low HR training (with a similar target of about 138) to get ready for Portland and CIM that year. My times improved when I mixed things up getting ready for Eugene 2010, but that "improvement" was pushed by greater intensity and ended in an overtraining death spiral that has required a total change of approach to overcome.

One difference worth noting is that my total mileage remains low, and my long runs aren't very long. Even wearing shoes, I haven't cracked much more than 10 miles since last December. It's kind of an interesting distinction, and I wonder what will happen when I start going longer.

EugeneGreenie wrote:Wow! Great job! It must be nice to see those 9:xxs...and barefoot! Crazy

Crazy is good, in this case. I think the barefoot work is keeping me honest by keeping the effort level low on these runs, allowing them to have their intended physiological benefit. If I hadn't needed to take the time to let the soles of my feet (and joints, tendons, bones and ligaments) to slowly adapt to barefoot, I surely would have started overdoing it by now.

Joel H wrote:Awesome to see some 9:xx in this blog again and barefoot too. Great job Mark!

Thanks, Joel! I have to admit that I'm tempted to toss on a pair of shoes this weekend and do a shod version of a MAF test just to see how it compares. I wonder if it'd make it into the 9s, or not? Hm...

Another MAF Test! - 6 miles total, this time, wearing shoes

Weather: Overcast, mild, a little muggy, a slight breeze. Gear: Free 3.0 v4s, shorts, T. Fuel: Coffee and rice milk before. Took water halfway though run.

Since I did a MAF test barefoot on Friday, I couldn't resist the opportunity to do a comparison MAF test this morning, except this time in my Free 3.0 v4s. I wanted to see if my perception of faster running at a lower effort level was more than just my imagination.

I wanted to make this as pure a comparison as possible. I had a rest day before, got about the same amount of sleep, ran at the same time of day, on the same track, with the same pre-run fuel - heck, I even wore the same clothes! Science!

Anyway, the result was interesting. My first MAF mile was close to my MAF time barefoot, though at 1 bpm higher on average, but my second mile slowed noticeably - when I ran barefoot, I actually sped up a little - and my third mile slowed even more. Hm. At the same time, I could feel my legs starting to fatigue. I tried experimenting with my form in miles 4 and 5, and I sped up a little - but back up at a slightly higher effort level.

Here's the pure comparison, mile by mile, with average HR:

Barefoot: 9:58/139; 9:55/139; 10:09/140; 10:08/139; 10:11/139
In shoes: 9:59/140; 10:09/140; 10:20/139; 10:10/140; 10:14/140

Interesting, isn't it? Before I go any further, I should say that shod or barefoot, I'm enjoying a big improvement in MAF times since I resumed low HR training, so I am quite pleased. But I'm fascinated by the difference in effort level/speed that these two tests reveal.

My best guess is that running barefoot forces me to run more efficiently, which means going faster at a lower effort level, BUT that I haven't drilled that barefoot form sufficiently into my nervous system to allow me to translate it fully into a shod environment. At least, not yet. I felt like I was flailing during the run this morning as I tried to find what felt like a natural, easy form. I never really found it. My cadence averages 180-182 barefoot, but I couldn't get my turnover to go any faster than 174 this morning. I also felt different muscles engaging. It felt like trying to type while wearing gloves.

One last note. The instant the Garmin hit the end of the final mile, I took off my shoes and walked back to the car barefoot. It was a liberation.

Hi Mark, glad to read that running has been so liberating for you and it truly looks like you have found your enjoy/fun with it. Awesome!!

Schuey wrote:Hi Mark, glad to read that running has been so liberating for you and it truly looks like you have found your enjoy/fun with it. Awesome!!

Thanks, Schuey! This experiment has been a lot of fun for me. For my wife? Not so much, sometimes.

Take last night, for example. She went to a block party while I was at work, only to find herself cornered and grilled by slightly inebriated neighbors about our nonconformist approach to running...

"Yeah, okay, you say it's fun and easier on the body... but WHY would you do it?"

And..

"Well, I used to run a lot back when I was younger, and a big shoe company gave me a bunch of shoes to wear at the time... and THEY never said anything about barefoot running being good for you...."



Funny that they've never asked ME such questions. Maybe they're afraid of being steamrolled by my missionary zeal.

Hey, I'm not sure why anyone would run without shoes either, but I certainly wouldn't accost your wife ! Nice work and I'm glad you are enjoying it. Great to see the progression too.

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:Hey, I'm not sure why anyone would run without shoes either, but I certainly wouldn't accost your wife ! Nice work and I'm glad you are enjoying it. Great to see the progression too.

Oh, feel free to accost her! And if you ever get out this direction, I'd be happy to try to lure you into trying it.

We even have cookies.

Barefoot Run: 2 miles

Weather: Mostly cloudy, mild, a little muggy. 62, 78% humidity. Gear: Bare feet (so much better!), shorts, T. Fuel: Post breakfast.

Two miles barefoot around the neighborhood with Alita and Alec. It felt SO MUCH BETTER to run barefoot than it did even in my minimalist 3.0s earlier this morning! It felt easier and far more relaxed. I could feel my body easing into the form.

I didn't wear my Garmin. This was more about spending time with my family (their form is noticeably better barefoot, btw) and enjoying a recovery run. We stopped a couple of times to talk with neighbors, including some who just can't wrap their brain around the whole barefoot thing, even though they say it's something they'd maybe like to try someday.

Who knows? Maybe we'll start getting more people joining us as we pad along, Pied Piper style.

My ankle was a little sore today (I blame the shoes!), so I decided to make today a rest day. It's feeling better as the day progresses, so I'll probably head out tomorrow morning.

Running in the next week or so might be a little haphazard. The Millers (Tim, Wendy, Amelia and Rowan) are coming to visit, so we'll be in full "show off the best of the Pacific Northwest" mode. There might even be some running thrown in, even if only to prove that the llamas are more than my imaginary friends.