Need advice for marathons

#21
SillyC said:
BUT - I ran 6.5 miles and my soles are completely fine. Goes to show ya it isn't sole toughness, but technique. ;-)
Click to expand...

I'm really hoping this holds true...:barefoot:
I also hope my form has not gotten sloppy as I have been getting minimal BF running in as of late....mostly minshoed
 
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#22
Zetti said:
I'm really hoping this holds true...:barefoot:
I also hope my form has not gotten sloppy as I have been getting minimal BF running in as of late....mostly minshoed
Click to expand...

In previous years, I've been a bit more conservative in getting my soles back into shape. I'd start out with going bare for a 3 mile shortie, then over the course of 4 weeks or so, I'd incorporate barefoot into successively longer runs till I was bare for a 12 miler (I would have run the 12 miler minshod earlier during the month). All I have to say about yesterday's run was that it slipped my mind that my soles could be an issue.
 
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#23
Dave Flickinger said:
I am a new member. I'm 44 and have been running in "normal" shoes since I was 14. When I turned 30, I transitioned from 5K - 15K distance into 25K - marathon distance. I've done 12 marathons (3:30 - 4:00 times), and also a few half ironmans. This past summer, I started reading about barefoot running, and became interested because my marathon training often led to IT-band problems. I started going barefoot as much as possible this past summer, except in running. Then after my last marathon (end of Aug), I started my transition to minimalist shoes (Merrill Trail Glove). I started super slow (no more than a mile on a given day), and slowly worked my way up to 8 miles in these shoes.

Are there any members out there with a similar background? While my transition has gone pretty well overall, I wonder how things will go as the mileage increases. My feet do feel sore after the longer runs, especially in the forefoot. Is this normal? And while I use the roller on my calves before each run, my calves feel pretty tired by the end of a 6-8 mile run. Will I have cramping problems when I get to the marathon? And how does barefoot running impact the speed of my marathons? I'm hoping to do a 25K in my minimalist shoes in May, and 1 or 2 marathons this fall.

Being from Michigan (Grand Rapids), I haven't done much running completely barefoot yet. But hoping to give this a try this summer too. We have some good trails in the woods by our house.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Dave
Click to expand...

Dave,

I've ran several marathons barefoot as have many others on this board. Here are my thoughts...

First, if I can run a marathon barefoot in less than a year, anyone can...

That being said...

I pushed it and, if I'm honest, I shouldn't have. I took 5 steps forward and 2 back every week it seemed. I HAD to run the miles on my plan during my first training cycle which was my mistake. I survived, but it could have been much better. Fortunately, it only took a Louisville Slugger to my forehead once for me to get it. It's been smooth sailing ever since.

It took me 3 months to run a 10K, 8 to run a 1/2 and 11 to run a full. I TOTALLY threw away the shoes and I haven't worn them since. (That's a bit of a lie, I wear VFFs ONCE every year to remind myself why I don't...)

LISTEN to your body. Sounds like you're an experienced runner, but where you can "run through" an injury and/or pain in shoes, you absolutely cannot when barefoot. If you have to start from zero to run barefoot, do so and don't look back. IMHO, if you're going to run barefoot, run barefoot ALL the time. If you feel true pain, STOP! Little niggles are okay and soreness is normal. Don't baby your feet, but don't seek out gravel either (that's a fine balance, but you'll understand after a couple of weeks).

Don't worry about speed in the beginning. Pace? Forget it. Learn how to run and listen to your body. Then a "poof" moment will happen and you'll be flying and not even realize it.

Most of all... HAVE FUN WITH IT!

Unless you're running for money, its all BS.

JMHO,

PILOTRUNNER
 
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#25
You all are giving me great things to work on. Today I worked the calves all over again (like yesterday). And then I took my softball and really dug into the feet this time. I'll look into the porcupine ball. Also been really careful with the running stride, trying not to do a "T-Rex stomp". It does make sense to toughen up the feet and legs. Seems like that would really help speed up my ability to run farther. I'll be honest - I've never liked stretching before I run. With a job and 5 kids, I tend to want to use all of my "spare" time running, not splitting up the time between stretching and running. But what you are talking about is not just stretching, but also strengthening and conditioning. And best of all, I can do these things while spending time with the kids. It doesn't just have to be done right before a run.

My next race is not until May 11, a 15.5 miler (25K) in Grand Rapids. That still gives me a few months to get the feet ready. And if I'm not ready, I may elect to skip this one. However I've already signed up for the GR half-ironman on June 9. I feel confident that I can be ready for the 13.1 mile run in this race, especially with all of your ideas. By this time, I should also be able to get a good number of runs outside completely barefoot, even if I still race in my minimalist shoes. While I can certainly respect the comments made by SillyC about temporarily cutting back on the racing, and just focus on getting the barefoot running down, it is easier said than done! While my speedy days are past me, I still love to compete. If there is a way for me to transition to bf, and still compete at the same time, I'll do my best to make it work. If not, I may cut back a little. Looking ahead , I'm hoping to do my first full ironman in August of 2014. Maybe I'll be ready to do this completely barefoot?

Funny that you had 55 in Massachusetts on Wed. We had the same on Monday. But now we're getting pounded by lake-effect snow, and it's going to continue through the weekend.

Thanks again.
Dave
 
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#26
Pilotrunner, thanks for the note. I didn't see your note before I sent my last one. When you trained for your marathons, did you ever train on a treadmill completely barefoot? I can't run barefoot in the snow. And the one time I tried running completely bf on the treadmill, I didn't like it. But that was a long time ago. Maybe I should try it again. I just remember the mat getting hot. And my form at the time must have been off since I got a blister.
 
#27
Dave Flickinger said:
Pilotrunner, thanks for the note. I didn't see your note before I sent my last one. When you trained for your marathons, did you ever train on a treadmill completely barefoot? I can't run barefoot in the snow. And the one time I tried running completely bf on the treadmill, I didn't like it. But that was a long time ago. Maybe I should try it again. I just remember the mat getting hot. And my form at the time must have been off since I got a blister.
Click to expand...
just as a though...no pressure of course...I used to say the same thing...and kind of still do. :D
But I started trying the BRS winter challenge and I have gotten a few miles in in sub zero and some even in slush. I am one of the very low mileage members of the challenge, but is seems like those who keep at it build up a pretty impressive tolerance.
Obviously not for this winter, but just an idea to keep in mind for next.
 
#28
My last run the air temp was just over 30F, so I thought I'd start out BF and carry my VFFs. The frozen ground, grit and salt got to me in less than half a mile and I was SOOOooo glad when I put on the covers.

Maybe I could have toughed out another mile or so, but I think I'd have been miserable, and I certainly wouldn't have been able to happily cover the 4.5 miles I managed to run.
 
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#29
pilotrunner said:
I pushed it and, if I'm honest, I shouldn't have. I took 5 steps forward and 2 back every week it seemed. I HAD to run the miles on my plan during my first training cycle which was my mistake. I survived, but it could have been much better. Fortunately, it only took a Louisville Slugger to my forehead once for me to get it. It's been smooth sailing ever since.

It took me 3 months to run a 10K, 8 to run a 1/2 and 11 to run a full. I TOTALLY threw away the shoes and I haven't worn them since. (That's a bit of a lie, I wear VFFs ONCE every year to remind myself why I don't...)
Click to expand...

I'm intriegued by your progression as I'm hoping to do the berlin marathon barefoot this September. Looks like the main challenge was working up to the half and then the step up to the full was more straightforwads. Is that fair?
 
#32
SillyC said:
In previous years, I've been a bit more conservative in getting my soles back into shape. I'd start out with going bare for a 3 mile shortie, then over the course of 4 weeks or so, I'd incorporate barefoot into successively longer runs till I was bare for a 12 miler (I would have run the 12 miler minshod earlier during the month). All I have to say about yesterday's run was that it slipped my mind that my soles could be an issue.
Click to expand...
so just went an a 5mile run bf and my feet were fine.....I was still pretty skeptical before the run but am now a complete believer after that run.

not even a single sore spot on my soles. I kept a 8:30 pace so I wasn't "pushing it" by any means...and it was mostly on sidewalks so basically smooth sailing the whole way.

Looks like you know what your talking about SillyC :barefoot:
 
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