My first blog!

Hey guys, so this is my first official blog. Pretty exciting.

A little background first, I think. I will be a senior in high school next year, and i have ran cross country all my high school years for the varsity team (with shoes, of course). I put up some pretty good times for the team, and I am usually one of the top three runners for my team at the meets. Cross country is for my fall season. Unfortunately, I skipped track season this year due to my classes and job, but I will be back out running competetively this fall. I wonder how my times will compare? Now that i have this blog section, I will try to stay updated. I have been wondering for a while now how many other high school barefoot runners we have out there?

There was a team cross country meeting after school today. Coach informed that it is against the rules to run barefoot at meets in cross country in New Mexico. Dang. But i will soon be getting either some mocassins, huaraches, or some Vibram Five Fingers soon. I had read up on some injuries caused by people switching to Vibrams too fast. I think its becuase they dont have any kind of barefoot technique down in the first place, and then they go out and buy these Vibrams without realizing that it requires a brand new technique, hence the injuries. So, I think it is definitely worth my time to run barefoot for a while before getting any minimalist footwear. (Plus, I am a poor high school student, so i have no choice.)

Coach expects us to run at least 300 miles this summer. It's pretty cool that i can do this barefoot or minimalist. I started barefoot running on the 8th of May. I believe today was my 6th run. I had actually put on about 15 pounds since cross country ended, and I am going to run those pounds off soon, I am sure (runner don't stay even a little chubby for long do they, if you can call it chubby?). My feet actually don't hurt as bad as my calves do after my runs. If anyone knows, is that a sign of bad technique? Some tips would be very welcome. I have been running farther than i thought I could this early in my training. I went almost two miles today at a pretty decent pace. That seems to be a little farther than i would have normally. Maybe it was just a good day.

Well, here concludes my first blog of all time. I have a history final to study for. BRS, i love your site, and look forward to more barefooters in NM soon!

Comments

Calves hurting are most likely a sign of bad technique considering you are a runner to begin with. Try allowing your heel to gently touch the ground when you run. In my experience, calf pain is caused by staying up on the balls of the toes too much. You need to relax and let your foot almost flatten on the ground before lifting again



Check out The Barefoot Running Book, by Jason Robillard. It explains a lot of things thoroughly and includes tons of drills to get you in the right direction.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'll definitely try to get my hands on that book.

I'm not sure if i said it in my post, but I haven't been out running for about six months (since the end of the cross country season), until I started up again at the beginning of May, so I may just be out of shape. I also didn't have the best running technique before, so running barefoot may be forcing my technique to change.

Regardless of those two things, I just want to be careful so that I don't mess up my legs, and so I can explore barefoot running to the fullest. Thanks again though!
 

Blog entry information

Author
blazesigns
Views
53
Comments
2
Last update

More entries in Community Blogs