Tag Archives: the perfect runner

Tools of the Trade

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I’ve been trying out some new running tools and want to give you an update.  I’ll start with shoes/sandals and go into some other areas in future posts.

I’m not getting paid for any promotions here and these have all been purchased with money from my own pocket.  That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be happy to get some product to test, but I just wanted you to know. Because of that, I have not made an exhaustive sampling of products, but am telling you about what is or isn’t working for me.

The Sandals

I’ve been wearing Luna Sandals for over 9 months now. They are my go-to running footwear.

The photo flash washes out the deep color, but you can see how the suede conforms to your foot after a while.  I have also worn them as regular sandals through the summer. Once you get the tension on the straps set right they become second nature on your feet.  I was never much of a sandal wearer because the always seemed so bulky and uncomfortable. These are great.

I use the ATS strap version. My older pair has the elasticized straps, which are nice, but ATS seem to stay in place a bit better. Over time I’ve trimmed them down to be a bit more custom to my foot. I wear an 8D in regular shoes and these are size 8, so they fit to size for men’s shoes.

I have several hundred miles logged on these (probably 400 or more) and the soles and straps don’t show any major wear. Yes, they are wearing, but I can easily see another 500+ miles in them.  That is a lot longer than I ever got with regular running shoes. Since minimalist design doesn’t have cushioning to worry about, you can run the shoes until they literally wear out.

I would suggest anyone wanting to go minimal get a pair of sandals (there are a number of good options out there).  They take a little getting used to, but tie back to man’s first effort at foot covering, so our feet actually feel normal in them. I love not having my toes rub against a shoe box. The downside is that you will build up a callous where the strap goes between your toes. In running, there is always a price to pay.

You will also find that every little pebble or sharp edge is transferred to your foot bottom.  That is important because it is that sensitivity that immediately makes you run lighter. Listen to your body and adjust your knee bend and cadence and stride and you will feel an immediate change in how the foot fall feels.  THAT is the key difference between sandals and running shoes. The amount of dampening in sandals is almost nothing. That encourages good form.

Minimal Shoes

I have started to run some more trails.  Around here they are strewn with sharp edged rocks and boulders or all shapes and sizes. I attribute it to this area having been at the tail end of ice age glaciers. We have a lot of stones and rocks!  My sandals tend to shift a little too much on these ankle twisting routes, so I looked around for some minimalist, trail specific shoes.

Trail Shoes

The New Balance Minimus10′s came to the top of the list when I ran in them at Road Runner Sports. They are light, have a toe box that was comfortable for me and a slight heel lift (4mm). For some reason I wanted a bit of a heel in my trail shoes.

After logging my first trail in them as part of a 9 mile run, I was quite happy. I still felt the rocks and stones, but they were a bit dampened compared to sandals.  It is a slight difference, but there is a difference. You want to have the feel.  I also noticed that after any run I did in these, my achilles tendons felt pretty normal.  That is the last physical adjustment my feet and legs are making.  The 4mm lift seems to make it easier.  They also help grip the rocks and wet areas nicely.

One note. I do find that I run about 15-25 seconds faster per mile in these compared to sandals.  I’ve concentrated on my form to make sure I’m still on. It must be the dampening. I’ll see how that plays out over time as I start to do more speed work in sandals.

Minimal Shoes

One of my first minimal shoes were from Stem Footwear.  They have since changed their name to Leming Footwear, but the shoes are the same.  These are not running shoes, per se, but I have logged running miles in them. They are very comfortable walking and general footwear shoes.  They look good, wear nicely and just feel easy.  The soles are very responsive and flexible, so they will naturally help you strengthen your feet.

The Lemings are made of natural fibers with a flexible sole. You can throw them in the wash (air dry, do not put in the dryer) and it refreshes them. The insides are nice enough to wear without socks although I wear socks for longer runs.  For trail runs they don’t give much buffer. They are on par with the sandals for road feel. Maybe when my feet have adapted more to that experience I’ll be able to use these.  They are also zero lift, so absolute minimal.

Socks

I’ve used running socks for a long time. I like socks that are just at ankle height, but that is personal preference.  Since I transitioned to minimal, I’ve wanted less wrapping on my feet and have found that regular socks are too constricting in the toes. I used to crave the containment, but no longer.

When I do wear socks for distance running I wear ToeSox. It took me a little while to get good at putting them on.  It is easier than putting on FiveFingers! The great thing is they can be worn with shoes or sandals. Admittedly, walking around in them while wearing sandals does look a little like you should be retired in Florida. They do a great job of adding warmth on cool days and for added protection on more wet venues. I like the lightweight ones. They make a series with a non-slip sole that are great for when I do TRX, P90x or yoga strength training.

Isn’t this a much better photo than my feet in a pair? There are several manufacturers of these type of socks. I have only tried ToeSox and liked them from the start, so haven’t felt the need to experiment.

So there you have it.  I’ll get into hydration options and phone apps I can’t live without in the next couple of posts.

The bottom line is that anything you use should enhance your running experience.  These are what have made it fun for me.  Always listen to your feet and legs, not what is in the popular press.  It really is all about the form, not the footwear.

Until then, Dig Deep, Run Free, Have Fun!

Run for the Hell of It!

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It was a cool, Sunday morning.  A thunderstorm had woken me a few times during the night.  There is something about thunder and lightening at night that is both awesome and scary.  After some morning caffeine infusion I donned my sandals and shorts and went out into the overcast morning for a few miles of pleasure.

I usually take my iPhone so I can track the mileage and snap pictures as I go.  About three miles out I looked over and saw this.

View from Rt37

The grass had been matted by the rain.  Colors were deep and rich under the overcast light.  It was a moment to stop and enjoy the scenery.  I felt my muscles keyed up from the effort and listened to my even but accelerated breath.  My glasses started to fog up a little because the heat of my body warmed the frames and caused the cool, moist air to condense on the glass.  A little breeze cooled me through evaporation of my damp jersey.  All of my senses were engaged and I’m pretty sure I was smiling.  Could there be a better reason to run?

Listen, I’m all about working out and challenging yourself physically, but it has to be fun if you are going to do it long term.  If you have read any of my posts on running then you know I am a believer in the adage that we are natural long distance runners.  It’s more and less than that.  It took someone like Micah True to bring it home to me.  We didn’t evolve as runners to work out.  We evolved as runners because it helped us survive.  Our brains grew, our bodies became running machines engineered through evolution to be better at distance across land than any living creature.  We run and generate endorphins – how cool is that!  Who needs drugs when the best are already in your system.  What a gift!!

NOTE:  After I wrote that last paragraph, I looked out at the rainy morning facing me today and said  “WTF” and did a short 3 miler.  Nice to run in the rain.

The aftermath of rain.

Running is an all weather sport, day or night.  I don’t think of it as a “must do” to keep in condition any more.  I think of it as a release of my primal being.  Something I share with ancestors I don’t even know I had.  They all knew the aches and pains, joy and revelation that I feel.  Its a continuity that makes me feel part of something much, much greater.

It’s funny how this post didn’t go anywhere that I had originally intended.  Kind of like a lot of my runs these days.  I’ll see something and head down a path because it looks interesting.  What is rewarding is that I almost always discover something new or find an image that is there for only that moment in time crafted by light and atmosphere.  Like this scene.  It is a little blurry, but I was breathing hard.

A hiking trail off of Haviland Hollow

Get out.  Have fun.  Make each run different by stopping and looking around, even on a busy street.  And always – Run easy.  Run light.  Run for the hell of it!

PS: A Twitter running mate of mine, named Jenn, said she had lost the fun in her run.  I hope this helps her rediscover the pleasure.

Transition Time

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It’s been coming.  I haven’t talked much about it because I have these personal superstitions that if you talk too much about something before it happens, it won’t come true.  Coming back from a four miler yesterday I decided it was time.

I am now a minimalist runner.  The transition is complete. That doesn’t mean the work is over, though.

What clued me in?  It wasn’t just the mileage – which has been building nicely – or any one thing in particular.  On a long run the other day I noticed something.  That got me noticing other things.  Subtle things.

A Breath of Fresh Air

The trigger was my breathing.  It had changed.  When heel striking I had a two step cadence.  Two steps inhale then two steps exhale.   As I was about six miles into a ten mile run I noticed I was breathing on a three count.  It wasn’t something I had tried to do or even thought about.  I don’t know when it happened or if it was that way from the start.  There I was cruising along at a nine-minute per mile pace on a long, slow distance run feeling the motion and I noticed my inhale and exhale had changed.

Then I realized my breathing was easy and natural.  When I ran with a heel strike my exhale was much more pronounced, like when you do  benchpress reps.  Now, in natural form, I had a conversational exhale.  And I was running at a similar pace, with a higher cadence.  Clearly, my diaphragm was not getting bumped as hard or my body was just more relaxed so the breathing was easier.  I still did the tummy breathing as always, it just felt more comfortable.

There is a quote from Caballo Blanco in Born to Run that crossed my mind right at that point:

Think Easy, Light, Smooth and Fast.  You start with easy, because if that’s all you get, that’s not so bad.  Then work on light.  Make it effortless, like you don’t give a shit how high the hill is or how far you’ve got to go.  When you’ve practiced that so long that you forget your practicing, you work on making it smooooooth.  You won’t have to worry about the last one—you get those three, and you’ll be fast.

I had finally gotten to smooth.  Fast was never my goal in transitioning to minimalist running.  For me it is all about longevity and distance.  I want to run a long time, in both senses of that phrase.  That moment in a ten mile run I realized I could run much longer than I ever imagined.  Yes.  There was a smile.

The Feat of Feet

The transition has not been without frustration and some pain.  As I said in the first entry of this journal, I’ve been running in modern shoes for more than 40 years.  That is a long time for muscles to slack off and get out of shape.  Those initial runs killed my calves because I ran too far too soon in minimal fashion.   That was when I was still trying to figure out what to run in and what the right form felt like.  I’ve tried a number of shoes and sandals as well as barefoot.  Here are my weapons of choice.

Running weapons of choice

My Luna Sandals and Lemming Footwear are my weapons of choice.  There are other sandals and minimal footwear out there.  I have learned that no two pairs of feet are the same, so what works for me may not be right for you.  It is a bit expensive, but try some options if you can and let your feet be the judge.

Keep in mind that the transition takes time and no footwear is going to change that.

The transition will go through stages, which will also vary by individual.  For me, the pain of conditioning seemed migratorial.  Every stage of progress led to a different group of muscles protesting.

There was the top of foot pain that came early on.  I thought it was because I had my sandals tied too tight.

Then came the arch muscle pain.  You could expect that one, but it confused me that it didn’t come until I started to run in the 4-6 mile range on a regular basis.

For a short time I had some sensitivity on the ball of my right foot where the strap came between my toes.  I’m a guy and don’t really pay much attention to my feet.  What I discovered was a small callous from the strap that had grown to the point where it rubbed on the sole of the sandal.  I do play guitar and my fingertips have small callouses, so this made sense to me.  Nothing painful, but I did discover that sanding the callous off made it much more comfortable.  That is now part of my routine every week or so.

Then came the ankle pain.  I think it might have started from a slight twisting I had while working in the yard, but there it was on both ankles.  It came when my mileage moved up to the 7-9 mile range.

With each of these pain points I listened to my body and didn’t push it.  I didn’t shy away from the pain as long as it was not debilitating, but I didn’t ignore it.  What encouraged me was that the pain would go away a short time after the run.   I’m used to other muscle groups going through workout pain, but I’ve never exercised my feet or ankles.  This was new territory for me.

The Recovery

I also learned to pace myself on my journey.  It is not usual for me to rest multiple days between runs when I was moving to the next mileage plateau.  I didn’t baby the muscles in pain, I just didn’t run as long or as often while the adjustment was going on.  I found alternate exercise (riding my bike or doing P90 or whatever) for those non-running days.  Walking around barefoot or in socks often and I tried to work my feet as I walked.  Soar muscles are part of strength development.  I hate that “no pain, no gain” macho shit, but there is truth to it.  Just keep going.

Here’s the interesting thing.  As I took extra days off, it didn’t effect my mileage ramp up.  I’m now at the half-marathon length runs about a month ahead of when I had planned to be there, but I am in now way following a half-marathon training schedule.  Which is kind of wonderful because I am running at a competitive pace to my shod self.

Eye on Ultra

Breaking with my superstition of not talking about something I am going to do, I am now targeting some ultra length runs.  Along with marathon distance runs, I am looking at 50K and 50M runs later this year. It is something that I have never dreamed of doing in my heel strike mode.  It was painful at the end of the marathons I’ve run before.  I don’t just mean muscle soarness, which is expected, but my body just felt beat up.

The idea of ultra became real for me at the end of that ten miler.  The last three miles I listened to my body.  It was my longest run after transition.  My form was good and it was something I seldom thought about.  My breathing was smooth and even, much easier than ever before in running.  My pace was right where I wanted it to be for that distance at that point in training.  The hills came at me and I just moved up them with a smooth step.  Yes, I had to breath harder as I worked the hills, but it felt like I was running them, not fighting them.  Shorter steps at the same cadence.

As I pulled into the last mile I felt an ease in my run.  I always try to finish faster then when I start out.  My stride was comfortable, easy and natural.  In that moment, when ten miles were nearly expired, I felt I could go on.  In that moment, I knew that I was born to run.  There, on a street in New England, I felt a common line of heritage to my ancestors who first wondered out on to the plains of Africa.  They could run all day.  I am built of the same stuff.  Why couldn’t I?

Transition – Again

I am a minimalist runner now.  This journal will follow me to the next step.  Becoming a runner of long distance.  I may never get to the intensity of century runs across Death Valley, but in the back of my mind I feel I can run a century and I plan to.

Running, for me, is a time of personal reflection.  That does not mean that running is a solo sport.  I draw on a large community of runners, shod and barefoot, at #running on Twitter and elsewhere.  We share a passion and spirit.  When I read of someone killing a race or running a mile for the first time I smile, send a congratulatory note and think of them when I am on the road.  The one thing that we have in common as a species is that we ran together to survive.  Before language or tools, we ran.

This week I watched “The Perfect Runner”, a film written and directed by anthropologist Niobi Thompson.  In that film he said something that was almost a direct quote of my high school wrestling coach.  “Your body can take a lot more than you can give it.”  If you’ve watched The Biggest Loser, you know that that is absolutely true.  Don’t be foolish in ramping up, but don’t be afraid of pushing yourself.   You’ll be amazed at the places you can go (thank you Dr.Seuss!).