Hello From the town that makes Weetabix

The Mole

Barefooters
May 12, 2020
100
124
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Kettering UK
Hello Everybody !!!!!
Just thought I would introduce myself, (my name is chris) I’ve been coming to this site for a few months now but never got round to signing up, just reading and trying to absorb all your helpful advice.

I have been trying to transition to minimalist running for nearly 2 years on and off... This is going to sound a bit wrong but I first heard of minimalist running when I had a knock at my front door and it was one of my neighbours asking if I wanted to buy a pair of weird looking shoes that he had acquired as he had seen me out running in the past, they were Vibram five finger KSO’s.
Amazingly they fitted like a glove and although they looked really weird and my wife and kids mocked me I loved them and started wearing them round the house, on my daily dog walks and to the gym, at that point I was suffering from a Achilles’ tendon strain so no running just cross trainer and weights.

To this day I’m still suffering with my Achilles, I think its just because I won’t give them enough time to heal properly, as soon as they start feeling a little better I go out for a 5k run in my Vibrams and do them in again, I run at about a 180 cadence with bent knee and mid foot strike, I do foot and calf exercise every day. I don’t really no what else to do but I’m not giving up, one day I will get there but it does really get me down....

It would be really nice if there was somewhere you could go to get help and have experienced barefoot runners look at your form and get some hands on advice but I cant find anywhere.

Anyway I’ve rambled on enough, thanks for letting me join and I will keep reading all your sound advice.

Take care

Chris
 
Welcome, Mole! Please feel free to join your local chapter through the Chapters link above.

There's no way to know for sure, other than complete rest for the proper amount of time, but how does your Achilles feel when you run skin on ground? I'm just wondering if the footwear, even minimal, could be affecting your form and causing problems there. Or it could just be that you need to let this old injury heal properly.

Also, you can take a video of your running, different angles, and the members here could critique it for you if you want.
 
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BTW, what's Weetabix?
 
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Hello,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to me.....
Your going to shout at me but I haven’t tried running totally barefoot so maybe I should give that ago and then based on that send you a video of me running, your very kind to offer, thank you so much !!!!!!

I haven’t run for a couple of weeks now, just long walks in five fingers (Achilles starts to burn when I go past 5k but we do walk quite fast compared to most people).... I’ll give it another week of rest then I’ll try a little bit...

Weetabix is a breakfast cereal over here in the UK. I mentioned it as its the only thing we have round here that puts us on the map :). Thought that it was a thing in most places... Take a look.

https://www.weetabix.co.uk/

Thanks again for all your friendly advice and I will post back after a bit of total barefooting

Chris
 
Welcome Chris -good to have you here...
(Hmmm -Weetabix, I'm sure that's within about an hours drive from where I am! Could be wrong though of course..:)).

Sounds like you're struggling a bit with that Achilles..:(
I'm certainly no doc. but I know that injuries are very frustrating. My own anecdotal experience on something like that is -as TJ said- make sure you rest it properly. I've suffered with occasional injury & I know the irresistibly intense craving that pushes you to get back to running as soon as you get close to thinking 'yay it's fixed' -and then WHAM -there's that old injury right back again...
What I tend to do now is make an estimate of how many days I think I might need to give something to repair, and then double it, or even triple it. When it starts to feel good again restrict yourself to rehab & re-strengthening work & when you're finally confident enough to head for a run again -keep it short... Then build again from there.
I generally find the help of either a physio or a good sports massage therapist helps speed the process as well (although at the moment that's a little tricky to organise obviously).

As you said -don't give up, you will get there... this is just a 'bump in the road'.

Enjoy the journey...:barefoot:
 
Hi Mole/Chris,

Weetabix- loved that stuff when I was a kid (warm milk, honey, and cinnamon- yummy).

I’m convinced going barefoot brought back the severely twisted ankle I had a couple of years ago to good health...I noticed both ankles had far more strength and flexibility this year cross country and back country skiing than they’d ever had before. It tested my patience greatly to stick to walking/hiking for several months before I ran again but it was worth it. I used that time to experience a variety of terrain, elevation changes, walking backwards and sideways, balancing on railroad tracks, stepping from rock to rock in streambeds...anything I could think of to keep it fresh.

Injury recovery can be exasperating time wise, I really feel for you there. Hope that Achilles of yours comes around sooner than later.
 
Thanks guys for your reply’s .. I went on the cross trainer today and it was ok till I got to about 50 minutes then it started to burn.... last year it was just painful then when it started to get better and I ran on it again I got a lump appear...
Hello Tedlet, I’m in Kettering near Northamptonshire where about are you ?
Thanks for your advice but its easy said than done..... mind says do it and the body sez pi$$ off :).....
Hello BarefootBC,
Thanks for entertaining my ramblings like the rest of the guys and thanks for you advice....
I have noticed that there’s a lot of people come to this site and don’t hang around very long, I promise I’m in it for the long haul and want to be part of the community.... Please put up with my lack of spelling and multiple questions and thanks again for all you help....

Chris
 
Hello Tedlet, I’m in Kettering near Northamptonshire where about are you ?
Thanks for your advice but its easy said than done..... mind says do it and the body sez pi$$ off :).....
Hello BarefootBC,
Thanks for entertaining my ramblings like the rest of the guys and thanks for you advice....
I have noticed that there’s a lot of people come to this site and don’t hang around very long, I promise I’m in it for the long haul and want to be part of the community.... Please put up with my lack of spelling and multiple questions and thanks again for all you help....

Chris
About 30-40 miles south of you -on the other side of Northampton.. Go easy:)..
 
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Hello,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to me.....
Your going to shout at me but I haven’t tried running totally barefoot so maybe I should give that ago and then based on that send you a video of me running, your very kind to offer, thank you so much !!!!!!

I haven’t run for a couple of weeks now, just long walks in five fingers (Achilles starts to burn when I go past 5k but we do walk quite fast compared to most people).... I’ll give it another week of rest then I’ll try a little bit...

Weetabix is a breakfast cereal over here in the UK. I mentioned it as its the only thing we have round here that puts us on the map :). Thought that it was a thing in most places... Take a look.

https://www.weetabix.co.uk/

Thanks again for all your friendly advice and I will post back after a bit of total barefooting

Chris
No one here will yell at you for not running barefoot. Unlike shodies, we don't judge others who choose to run however they wish. We understand that different experiences lead people to make choices in how they run or what they run in or not run in. For example, most people here who run barefoot do so because they were injured and found that running barefoot diminished or vanished their injury. Those who run shod uninjured would most likely never even consider running barefoot, and yet they would think barefoot runners are odd for doing so. At this forum, you are in good company, unlike other running forums. We're all friends here, and you are welcome.

In the US, we have Wheaties. I guess that would be similar to your Weetabix.
 
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It would actually be interesting if you could post a video or your running in Vibrams then another one running barefoot so we could compare.
 
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Hello Chris

I'm also a recent barefoot running convert in the UK - I'm in North London. You may want to read the attached article by Dan Lieberman (it was his books that got me interested in the topic). He cautions that barefoot may put more strain on the achilles. I certainly found when I started that I had some calf issues, because I took the transition too fast. I never had any calf issues or achilles issues before barefoot running. The massive benefit for me has been that my knees - which had been sometimes sore and I had a few injuries - are completely without injury now. My approach is that I do about half of my training with (traditional, support) shoes (New Balance), and half barefoot. It works really well for me now. Incidentally I don't do any barefoot training from about November to February in the winter. I never got into the Vibrams so it is too cold for my feet then ! So, now I have a mini-transition each Spring and start to do more barefoot training. At maximum now with most of my training barefoot, what a joy !

http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/5BarefootRunning&TrainingTips.html
 
Hello Chris

I'm also a recent barefoot running convert in the UK - I'm in North London. You may want to read the attached article by Dan Lieberman (it was his books that got me interested in the topic). He cautions that barefoot may put more strain on the achilles. I certainly found when I started that I had some calf issues, because I took the transition too fast. I never had any calf issues or achilles issues before barefoot running. The massive benefit for me has been that my knees - which had been sometimes sore and I had a few injuries - are completely without injury now. My approach is that I do about half of my training with (traditional, support) shoes (New Balance), and half barefoot. It works really well for me now. Incidentally I don't do any barefoot training from about November to February in the winter. I never got into the Vibrams so it is too cold for my feet then ! So, now I have a mini-transition each Spring and start to do more barefoot training. At maximum now with most of my training barefoot, what a joy !

http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/5BarefootRunning&TrainingTips.html
Welcome, Tom! Please feel free to join your local chapter through the Chapters link above.

We normally recommend not transitioning but ditching the shoes altogether and gradually ramping up your barefoot running, but... if you've found a routine that works for you and you're not getting injured, then good for you. Everyone is different, and we each have to find what works best for us and our situation. For me, transitioning destroyed my feet, but that's a really long story. :barefoot:

Glad to have you here!
 
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Hello guys and girls..... Hope your all ok and staying safe and out there running. Just a quick update, I've laid off running for a few weeks to help sort out my Achilles’ tendons and just speed walking and using the cross trainer that we brought for the covid lockdown and there still hurting...
Just have a quick question about cadence ??? I know that we are supposed to aim for a 180 but when your starting out and going slower does it matter if you’re cadence is lower. I can happily run at a 180 cadence but my Achilles problem feels better at a lower cadence..... I cant seem to find any information on the web....
Any advice would be great, thanks very much, say safe and take care.
Chris
 
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I know that we are supposed to aim for a 180 but when your starting out and going slower does it matter if you’re cadence is lower. I can happily run at a 180 cadence but my Achilles problem feels better at a lower cadence..... I cant seem to find any information on the web....
Any advice would be great, thanks very much, say safe and take care.
Chris
Something between 170-180 is probably the range for most people, yours could be on the lower range. From my own experience I'd say you are overstriding and tensing too much your calves. If you were to run long enough barefoot, you would get blisters. My technique is to reduce my the stride length and pace. Also, land with the foot under the hip. Running slow allows me to check how I run.

The best description about how to run I have found is by Dr.Cucuzella. Pay particular attention about how the muscles work on a stride and adjust accordingly.
 
Something between 170-180 is probably the range for most people, yours could be on the lower range. From my own experience I'd say you are overstriding and tensing too much your calves. If you were to run long enough barefoot, you would get blisters. My technique is to reduce my the stride length and pace. Also, land with the foot under the hip. Running slow allows me to check how I run.

The best description about how to run I have found is by Dr.Cucuzella. Pay particular attention about how the muscles work on a stride and adjust accordingly.
By far, one of the best if not the best video on proper running form. Dr. Cucuzzella is one of our Ask the Docs doc.
 
Thanks very much peeps !!!!
I have seen this video but for me being stupid at most things I find it really hard to put things into practice without being shown in person..... the whole lift the foot like your stepping on a bee and lift from the hip I wouldn’t know if I was doing it right or not..
They run a running form work shop in London at vivobarefoot do you think it would help if I went there once covid is done and dusted ?

https://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/coaching.

Your thoughts would be appreciated as always and thanks again for putting up with me :)
Chris
 
Thanks very much peeps !!!!
I have seen this video but for me being stupid at most things I find it really hard to put things into practice without being shown in person..... the whole lift the foot like your stepping on a bee and lift from the hip I wouldn’t know if I was doing it right or not..
They run a running form work shop in London at vivobarefoot do you think it would help if I went there once covid is done and dusted ?

https://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/coaching.

Your thoughts would be appreciated as always and thanks again for putting up with me :)
Chris
I've heard good things about VivoBarefoot running clinics, we've had some members become coaches of theirs, but aren't they expensive?
 
Thanks very much peeps !!!!
I have seen this video but for me being stupid at most things I find it really hard to put things into practice without being shown in person..... the whole lift the foot like your stepping on a bee and lift from the hip I wouldn’t know if I was doing it right or not..
They run a running form work shop in London at vivobarefoot do you think it would help if I went there once covid is done and dusted ?

https://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/coaching.

Your thoughts would be appreciated as always and thanks again for putting up with me :)
Chris
Hi Chris,

The vivo workshop may well be useful, if you can manage to get it as and when it starts up again.

Only comment I’d add (quite possibly not that helpful;)) is that I don’t believe there is a truly ‘right’ answer to how you lift your feet. So don’t worry too much about being unsure.

Putting it simply –we are all different and some descriptive imagery that works perfectly well for one individual may seem totally incomprehensible to someone else. That doesn’t mean you are necessarily ‘wrong’. You just have to find an analogy that works for you.

I’ve heard a variety of suggestions over time -from lifting as though you have stepped on that bee, to imagining that the ground is white hot, to visualising yourself running out of the house in the middle of the night looking across the street for someone in a crowd (honestly!). Personally, I find sometimes picturing a small log in front of each step that I then have to step over seems to work for me. I also generally focus more on lifting knees than worrying about my feet –they just follow where my knees and legs go!

Possibly more importantly however - I think it is very easy to end up over-thinking all of this and then fretting that you’re never going to get the hang of anything (I know I’ve had that feeling a number of times!).
The answer very often is to just relax. When you truly relax and listen to your body it can very quickly all fall into place almost without you realising it, or even particularly trying. This is probably why people might suggest losing the shoes completely is a useful first stage, so that you can feel clearly what your feet are telling you, as opposed to the somewhat ‘muffled’ feedback you’d get through a rubber shoe sole. –All easier said than done though, I know!...

Keep going anyway… And if you do manage to get to the Vivo workshop it would be interesting to hear how you get on…

Good luck...:)