left heel blister

[Phil Hart]

I'm an old soldier, so I've been running for 25 years, all distances, all speeds, with or without weight, road or forest. I'm no stranger to running. But I've developed a right hip problem (confirmed over-use induced arthritis plus who knows what else) that has pushed me to try to find a way to run more sustainably after a 1-year hiatus from running entirely.

I love to be outside, I don't want a hip replacement if I can avoid one, and I can confirm that I now passionately hate elliptical machines, although I'm grateful to the one I used to keep my heart in shape for that year off from running.

I started running again about 3 months ago, but only 3x/week, and no more than 4 miles at a stretch. In looking for a more sustainable way to get outside and to keep running if at all possible, I started barefoot running 3 weeks ago. I'm going slow as Christmas, and I'm all the way up to 3/4 of a mile at a time, 3 times a week now. I'm trying to focus on form and tactical injury prevention, watching my path ahead closely, keeping my toes out of sidewalk cracks, and trying to land mid-foot in contrast to my 25 years of landing hard on my heels.

The soles of my feet are toughening up a little bit as I had anticipated, but I have just developed a blister about 1/2-inch across in the center of my left heel pad.

Can one of you more experienced folks help the grasshopper out - what am I doing wrong?

Thanks,
Phil

 

[miker]

Phil, I'll give it a

Phil, I'll give it a go...

I've been bf since Apr. '10, but I never got blisters on my heels. I have had plenty on the balls of my feet & toes from pushing off. I "think" I'm getting better with my form and am past that stage (meaning I didn't get blisters last time out).

I read somwhere (I think) that heel blisters are caused by heel striking, although less heel striking than in shoes.

Blisters are caused by friction. So my blisters are caused by pushing off. Obviously you aren't pushing off with your heels, thus you must be landing on them.

So I'd concentrate on cadence (180 per min.), lifting the feet & shortening your stride. Lean forward from the ankles, not the waist. Feels strange at first. But only by doing it for a while will it become habit and feel "normal".

Remember, running BF doesn't feel (initially) like you are used to running feeling because your entire body is being used differently. Once the muscles are more developed and you have proper form, running any way other than the proper way will feel "wrong". But it does take a while.

Good luck & good running!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Good advice, Mike.Hi Phil! 

Good advice, Mike.

Hi Phil! Glad you've posted. Do you feel yourself heel striking while running? Could you be scraping your heels on lift off? You can have someone video tape you while running if you are unsure.

Cadence is a good place to start, but also consider bending your knees more. When we bend our knees more than we think we should, we are unable to strike with our heels. This will tax your calves more, so you may feel extra tightness there. Just know that the tightness will go away in a few short weeks. Also, the forward lean will get you off your heels as well.

If you ever get out toward PTC, we'll go for a run together.

 

[miker]

Dang! Forgot about the bent

Dang! Forgot about the bent knees! Thanks for catching it TJ! That's a biggie!

 

[Phil Hart]

Mike and TJ:Thank you both. 

Mike and TJ:

Thank you both. I think I am probably leaning toward heel striking. 25-year-old habits are hard to undo, but I think I've got the theory closer to correct now with this advice.

Lean forward from the ankles, bend the knees, stay off the heels on landing. I'm reading Jason Robillard's book (1/3 finished so far), and it's helpful; but it's really helpful to have a live human response that can address questions.

Thanks again.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

How'd you hear of Jason's

How'd you hear of Jason's book? Do you have his second edition?

 

[Phil Hart]

I heard it mentioned on this

I heard it mentioned on this site, so I went to Amazon.com and ordered the 2nd edition, along with Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run" so I could have some good references available.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Good to know.

Good to know.

 

[Phil Hart]

I got my first TMTS lesson

I got my first TMTS lesson combined with my first solid connection with better form last night. I was striding too long and heel striking while attempting to run too fast. I think that's pretty much everything you can do wrong at once. Last night's 3/4-mile was a little slower, but better. Now I've just got to get the hang of making the right form and processes into subconscious habit; I'm just not smart enough to consciously think about and adjust for all of these elements at once.

Today's shod 3-mile run at the barefoot pace (and landing midfoot/forward rather than heel striking) definitely felt more natural to me, if a little odd due to the shoes themselves.

I may eventually learn this after all.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

When you're running barefoot,

When you're running barefoot, Phil, try to keep a cadence of 180-200 steps per minute and take shorter strides. This, along with bending your knees more, will help you to keep your feet under you when you are on level ground, and hopefully keep you from heel striking.

Ken Bob turned a light bulb on in my head when he said to count your cadence upon the lifting of the foot instead of the striking of the foot (as most runners do); when you count on the striking of the foot, you are more likely to strike with more force. When you count on the lift, you are more apt to run lightly. I don't count cadence often, because I'm just not a fast runner (and yes, I know increasing cadence and maintaining a good cadence will make me a faster runner in the long run-pun on purpose, but I have no sense of urgency), but when I do I count cadence, I use my arm swing (elbow back).

 

[Phil Hart]

I ran shod, but deliberately

I ran shod, but deliberately trying to focus all my attention on a midfoot landing, on both Friday and Saturday (VERY slowly on Friday, which is why I went ahead and ran on Saturday as well). My calves and fairly well all lower leg muscles are very sore, but it's a nice change for my muscles - which will heal quickly - to be hurting more than my hip, which is not healing so quickly. The reduced impact was obvious, but 25 years of old habit is going to take some time and some serious concentration to change. I'm definitely feeling and recognizing the difference now as well as seeing how effective this style can be; I was skeptical at first.

I'm also doing pure barefoot, but only 3 times per week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays), only 3/4 mile each time, and at about a snail's 10-minute mile pace. I went by REI on Saturday and picked up a pair of Vibram 5-fingers KSOs after trying a few pairs out and wearing them around for about half an hour. I'm going to stick with pure barefoot as often as possible, but I want to have the option available to run minimalist anywhere and any time without having to worry about injuring myself.

I'd love to run with you sometime after I can cover more than 3/4 of a mile at a stretch. I'll let you know in a couple months when I've more thoroughly acclimated the soles of my feet and built up my wimpy lower leg/foot muscles enough to actually go for a few miles at a time.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Excellent.  I should have

Excellent. I should have mentioned that Smith & Davis in Fayetteville is now carrying VFFs. I don't know if that would be closer to you than REI though. Keep us posted.