All VFF run

Just finished 5.64 miles in my VFFs. I did some trail running so the minimal protection of VFFs was great. I'm currently switching back and forth between barefoot and VFFs. I'm pretty sure I'll mix both but not sure whether I'll run more BF or VFF. I'm also waiting for my moccasins to try them out; maybe they will be the best; worked for the great Indigenous tribes on all terrain.

HHH

What a Great Day, and it just started . . .

Here's the definition of a great day and this was only this morning:

1. 6.5 mile run with 2.5 miles barefoot and 4 miles in VFFs

2. walk on wet grass barefoot after the run; it feels sooooooooooo good

3. listening to the iPOD while walking on the grass barefoot listening to a song that reminds you of your baby (my incredible wife, that is).

This is why you MUST run and especially in the morning. It is practically impossible to have a bad day when you start the day with a good hard run. You've already accomplished so much before the day even begins. Trust me, get up early, get off your ass, walk out the door, and just start placing one foot in front of the other . . .

HHH

My Moccs are in the mail

Now that I'm only barefoot (BF) and Vibram Five Fingers KSO (VFF) running, I have to think about the cold, snowy and slushy winters. Hopefully I have the solution. The Navajo, Utes, Apache, Comanche, Blackfoot (that's me), Pueblos and many of the other great Indigenous tribes made it through very cold winters in moccasins and continued to roam, hunt and run the plains.

So, why do I need Nike for a solution the Indigenous peoples solved centuries ago? Exactly, I don't need Nike or any other shoe company. I'm already running the same pace as I did in shoes with my barefeet (or the thin leave sole of my Vibrams).

Harry

Fun Combo BF/VFF run

Had a great morning run. 8.74 miles with 3.91 miles barefoot and 4.83 miles in VFFs. My barefoot and VFF pace is basically the same as my pace was when I wore running shoes. Of course, I'll never wear traditional running shoes again. Running barefoot allows you to find your true running form, stride and pace. It turns on all your nerves and you can feel your feet strengthen. You become a more aware runner and a more cautious runner which is a good thing.

Just lovin' it.

HHH

No Shoes for Me

Another run completely barefoot. 3.52 miles in 32:38. Took my pace down to 7:57 for 1 mile, so I can run comfortably as fast as my tempo pace in shoes. Most important, running barefoot with no achilles or knee pain. So what do expensive shoes do for you? They injure me.

HHH

Week 2; All About My Barefeet

Starting week 2 of boycotting running shoes and only running barefoot or in Vibrams. Just finished a 6.27 mile run (3.01 miles barefoot; 3.26 in Vibrams) in 1:03:01 this morning. The terrain included concrete, asphalt, train and rocks but I was able to make it through. The key is to relax the body (similar to folks that lay on a bed on nails) as the key is to evenly distribute the stress throughout the body as opposed to isolated areas of the body. Also, you must bend your knees and keep your upper body straight.

There's something so refreshing to running barefoot; reminds me of being a kid.

HHH

My first "all" Barefoot run

Just finished my first run all barefoot without taking my VFFs as a crutch. I left the house only with my natural feet so it was up to me to run and make sure I could make it home. I knocked off 6.13 miles in 1:00:36. After a 2 mile warmup, I held a 8:40 pace comfortably. After showering, I put my shoes on for work and literally my feet spoke to me and had some not so nice words for me. It's clear my feet are happy without being in prison.

HHH

Going For It Tomorrow

I'm planning my first all barefoot run (no VFFs as a crutch) tomorrow morning. Between 3-5 miles. I won't carry the Vibrams (VFFs) with me, so I'll have to deal with all surfaces and make sure I can make it home.

I'm taking the dive; no excuses.

HHH

Who needs shoes?

Just finished a 5.28 mile run this morning. 4 miles in VFFs and 1.28 miles Barefoot (BF). Continuing with the theme, I ran BF and VFF without any achilles or other pain. My achilles is getting better and it only started improving once I ditched my running shoes. After I finish the next 6 weeks boycotting shoes, I suspect I will never return to running shoes and will be a permanent BF/VFF runner. However, I do need to deal with the winter (snow, slush and ice) so I am going to try traditional Navajo moccasins, VFF Flows, or anything else I think might work.

HHH

Continuing to Boycott Running Shoes

I'm still continuing my boycot of the traditional running shoes. I just finished 7.11 miles in VFFs and barefoot with no pain or injury. Hmmm, interesting continuing pain and injury is exactly what follows me when I put on running shoes.

Most people think I'm nuts but if I'm nuts, then ALL the indigenous peoples of the world who ran hundreds of miles without any of our modern injuries must be nuts also. I think I'll listen to them before I listen to any modern doctor that directly benefits from our addiction to traditional running shoes.

HHH

Ditchin' the Shods For 1 Month Trial

Everytime I run in shoes (Shods), I seem to get injured. Conversely, everytime I run barefoot (BF) I seem to run injury and pain free. It even gets more interesting when you compare my running results in Shods vs. BF. When I run BF, my strides per minute (SPM) ranges from 204-220 but my SPM in Shods ranges from 178-184. So, I'm taking shorter and more SPM running BF. If you belief (as I do and I haven't come across any compelling data to challenge this assertion) that running BF is the natural state of running, then I'm not running correctly when I run in Shods.

The other interesting thing is that my average pace which is about a 9:00 - 9:15 min. per mile running BF and it's about 7:45 - 8:05 min. per mile in Shods. So, I'm running faster in Shods but I'm getting injured. For me, one conclusion is I run faster in Shods that my body wants to run. Also, the Shods trick me into believing I'm running at a comfortable and safe pace when I'm fact I'm not. This is very similiar to a football player shot up on cortizone and believing they are fine when they are playing and tearing their body to shreds.

Now, I've only incorporated BF and Vibram Five Finger (as close to BF as you can get) (VFF) running in the last month but I'm only added about 20% BF/VFF running vs. 80% Shod running. Well, to gather more meaningful data, I'm going to ditch all Shods for 1 month and only run in BF & VFF and commit to at least 20% only BF for my weekly running schedule.

I'll report back daily on the results.

HHH

Maybe shods are not my friend

I'm still working through some achilles issues. The interesting thing is I pretty much run pain free when I run barefoot or in VFFs but when I put on my racing Shods then the injuries start again. All I can think is that I have bad running form in Shods and in barefoot or VFFs I'm forced to run the natural way we are suppose to run. This is the secret to shoe companies. They know we are hooked on shoes even if they are bad for us and they produce shoes that make us more dependent on additional (needless) new features to try to deal with the high number of running injuries.

I'm going to spend the next few weeks running barefoot or in VFFs and see how it goes. I'll report back.

HHH

Nice Tempo Run

9.04 miles in 1:17:10. Nice and easy 8:32 pace. A little longer run than I wanted; was a little late to work but it was worth it.

Feeling Better & Back From Vacation

Back from a one week vacation. Lots of fun, food and laughter. Also, lots of running. Knocked off about 40 miles over the past week at 7,000+ ft. elevation with many hills. My achilles is feeling better and I ran 3 back-to-back days without any significant pain. That's the first back-to-back running since my injury.

I'm thinking about of VFF running tomorrow but I want to be careful as I return to my regular running schedule. Achilles injuries are serious and not fun to deal with.

HHH

Coming Back From Injury

Well, after 2 days off dealing with very sore achilles tendons which are very serious and must be dealt with carefully, I returned to the pavement today and knocked off 7.24 miles in 1:00:12 . . . a nice steady 8:12 pace. My achillies feel pretty good with only a little pain. This is the best they've felt in 10 weeks which is about the time I ran the marathon. The weeks b/f the marathon my achillies were so tender that you couldn't touch them. Today is the first day, post run, that I could touch my achilles and put preesure on them. For the past 2 day I've tried a very different type of rehab and one recommended by Swedish doctors which is "eccentric achilles tendon and calf muscle loading and strengthening." It's a difficult drill and a bit scary with sore muscles . . . a bit controversial but I did it and I think it had a bit role in me coming back in 2 days and feeling this good. I'll continue to do this exercise permanently.

HHH