Wisner Leprechaun Run - 3.20.10

This last Saturday was the 29th annual Wisner Fire & EMS Leprechaun run.  They had 2.2 mile, 5 kilometer and 5 mile runs as part of the St Patrick's day weekend celebrations.  I had never been to Wisner, NE but there were no other good runs that weekend so we made the drive.  The weather was questionable - only about 32 degrees and windy at the start.  I got in a good warmup and luckily the race did not begin until 12 noon. 

I stepped into the little community center to use the bathroom quickly before the start and overheard a few fellow runners speaking about how they need to get shoes with the most cushioning possible, because their feet need it if they run over 10 miles...  I figured I should stay out of it and kept to myself, glancing down at my wierd VFF Sprints with Injinji socks underneath.  Not much cushioning here but I'm doing fine with 50-70 miles per week.

The race director gave some instructions on where to go- everybody started and finished in the same spots.  The first turnaround was for the 2.2 mile race, the second was for the 5k and the last was for the 5 mile race.  My wife and I had both chosen to run the 5 mile race.  At the start I was feeling very loose and must have actually warmed up properly for once.  I got to the front of the pack and started running hard.  I chatted with another runner for a minute about the VFFs - he told me that he has a pair but only wears them on the treadmill.  I told him he should try wearing them outside!

I got through the first 2 miles in about 11:50 and did not realize that the wind was pushing me until the turnaround, about 2.5 miles in...  The return trip was brutal- into the wind for the whole last half of the race.  I think I ran about 6:00 pace for the first half and 6:30 for the second half.  I was in second place virtually the whole time- the guy ahead of me somehow ran faster after the turnaround and sped ahead of everybody.  He finished in 28:53 and I came in second at 31:22, around 6:16 pace.  I was happy, especially with all of that wind.  I even got my first trophy- with the little plastic running guy on top.  Awesome.  After I finished the runner that I had talked to came up and was asking me how much I run in my VFFs - I told him that anytime I'm outside I'll run in them, or barefoot.  He told me that they give him blisters on his big toes due to the seams - I told him that he needs to get a pair of the Bikilas (if they ever come out) because they are completely seamless!

After the race we got our free $2 steak sandwiches.  Yes; you read that right. 

bentonville half marathon

So the Wal-Mart Bentonville Half Marathon was this Saturday in Bentonville, Arkansas.  I originally signed up for it because I thought it would be a great spring half to do with warm weather- turned out Arkansas weather can be variable in March...  At the start of the race it was about 38 degrees and misting rain.  I warmed up for 15 minutes before the start, jogging around the the parking lot where our car was.  We had to wait for a while at the starting line, though, so I got pretty cold waiting there.  The Injinji socks worked well to keep my toes warm while running, but at the start they were definitely starting to get COLD!  I was shooting for a time of around 1:24 but forgot my watch at home.  I started somewhere in the middle - this was a mistake because it took a while to run through a big pack of runners.  I did not know how fast I was running until there was a clock at the 10k point- 42:17.  I still was not warming up... I picked up the pace a little from there but knew there was an impressive hill at the end of the race.  I finally started feeling warmed up and ready to run hard around 10 miles.  When I got to the hill (around the 12 mile mark) I ran up without stopping; it was steep but very fun and challenging - I passed two other runners here.  I finished in 1:29:57 feeling like I could have run a bit faster.  Results were posted already- I was in 29th place at the 10k point.  Ended up 22nd overall out of 888 runners; 4th out of 60 in my age group. 

Also - I had an interesting conversation with the race director/ local running shoe store owner Mike Rush (http://rushrunning.com/) about my Vibram Five Fingers Sprints that I was wearing.  While wearing a head-mounted video camera he politely informed me that I was pronating while wearing my VFFs.  I told him that a fair amount of pronation is normal during running gait and it is just your arch supplying you with energy.  He then told me that I would have problems and would get injured soon.  I explained that I have been running in them exclusively for over two years now and haven't had problems with the VFFs yet.  I have even done two marathons, two half marathons and a handful of 5Ks and 10Ks so far...  He seemed to be caught off guard about the fact that I had done two marathons in them and was still healthy- but quickly asked what the times were.  I told him 3:24 and 3:06.  He told me that he knows biomechanics and that I will get injured- and that he refuses to carry VFFs in his store because he does not believe in them.  I told him that I have my MS degree in Exercise Science and my thesis was on barefoot running- I have done a lot of research and I think I'll be okay.  It was an interesting conversation, though.  Usually I get asked by curious people what it is like to run in them and if they have any arch support, etc. but nothing like this.  Thought I would share this.

Next race - Leprechaun 5 Mile Run in Wisner, NE

update

Thought I would post a quick update regarding winter running...  I live in Nebraska and the winter has been harsh, to put it midly.  Not many warm days since November.  I have been running on the treadmill mostly, either barefoot or in socks (the treadmill can get very warm running for 1-2 hours).  Occasionally I will wear my VFFs on the treadmill too.  I have gotten outside probably 6-7 times in my VFFs this winter, every time with my Injinji socks for warmth.  I plan on wearing my Sprints (roughly 700 miles on them now) to the Bentonville Half Marathon this weekend and then to the Boston Marathon next month.  I've been running outside more and more lately- it was ~44 degrees Saturday so I did the last ten miles of my 20 miler outside in the Sprints and loved it.  I am anxiously awaiting the VFF Bikilas!!!

520 miles on the sprints-

So I calculated how many miles I have on my current pair of Sprints and it comes to 520 miles.  They look surprisingly nice for the amount of miles.  Most traditional running shoes need replaced around 200-300 miles.  I got right around 500 miles on my last  pair of Classics until the yellow material inside the heel started to break down.  The Sprints look awesome and I think they'll last another couple hundred miles.  In case you're wondering what they look like:

I haven't washed these nearly as much as I washed the Classics - I was wondering if that is the reason for the breakdown of the inside material.  The picture may not show but the Sprints are starting to get worn on the sole - I mainly run on asphalt.  There is a small rip in the fabric by one of the toes but otherwise they are in great shape.  And I don't have to worry about the breakdown of EVA either...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rmDLllqYnA

barefoot running thesis

I completed my Master's thesis in May and thought I would post the results in case anybody is interested:


The biomechanics of barefoot running have been studied quite a lot - mainly it has been shown to decrease the risk of injury because when a person runs barefoot they land softer and their legs experience decreased ground reaction forces.  I wanted to further explore the physiological aspects of barefoot running and see if it could help an athlete's performance.


The title of my thesis was "An Analysis of the Energy Expenditure of Running Barefoot versus Running Shod: Treadmill and Overground".  The abstract is below:

          The purpose of this study was to investigate the energy expenditure involved with running barefoot and running shod on the treadmill as well as overground.  Ten subjects volunteered to participate in the study, and the age range was 19 to 29 years.  The subjects were healthy, reported no previous lower limb injuries, and ran at least 10 miles per week for six months prior to the study.

            All of the subjects participated in the four experimental conditions: 1) barefoot on treadmill, 2) shod on treadmill, 3) barefoot overground, and 4) shod overground.  For each condition, the subject was instructed to run for six minutes at 70% of their vVO₂max pace.  To correct for air resistance a 1% grade was used on the treadmill.  Steady state VO₂ was collected, as well as Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and heart rate.

            A 2x2 repeated measures ANOVA was used for analysis of the data.  Running with shoes showed significantly higher VO₂ values on both the treadmill and the overground track (p<0.05).  The heart rate and RPE were significantly higher in the shod condition as well (p<0.02; p<0.01).  For the overground condition, running with shoes displayed 5.7% higher VO₂ values than running barefoot.  In the treadmill condition, the difference was 2.0%.

            From the results of the experiment, the following can be concluded: 1) At a given velocity, barefoot running shows significantly lower VO₂ values than running shod; this indicates a higher running economy when barefoot.  2) When a 1% grade is used on the treadmill, there is not a significant difference in VO₂ values between running on a treadmill and running overground.  

What I found, essentially, in my study was that when the subjects were running barefoot they were more economical.  The main finding that barefooter runners might like is the overground condition.  I think overground testing is much more applicable to everyday runners than treadmill testing, as most runners prefer to run outside and see the world!  Take for example one of the subjects:  He was running on an indoor track at the university at 7 mph for both conditions- with shoes and without.  When he was running barefoot his body required less oxygen than when he was running with shoes on.  This basically means that it was easier for him to maintain that same pace while barefoot.  Over the 10 subjects the average increase in oxygen uptake when people went from barefoot to shoes was 5.7%.  This was very interesting though because economy of barefoot running hasn't been studied before overground and the results were great!

One of the subjects with the portable metabolic cart (Oxygen-measuring device)

The economy can kind of be explained like gas mileage with a car.  More economical cars can go further on a gallon of gas than less economical cars, just like one could go further on a certain volume of oxygen if they were barefoot.

the beginning

I was not a runner when I was younger, and didn't really run in high school or college. After I graduated with my Bachelor's degree I decided to go for a run. It went really well and I loved it. The next day I could barely walk; it was a shock to my body. After I took a few days off to heal I started running a three mile loop around my house seven days per week. I did all of this in an old pair of Nikes that were laying around the house. I ran fairly consistently for about a year until I stumbled on Barefoot Ken Bob's website runningbarefoot.org and thought the idea of barefoot running was great. I decided to give it a try and implemented it during the last mile or so of my run every couple of days.

I really liked running barefoot but living in eastern Nebraska out in the country made this difficult. I tried running barefoot out on the highway but at the time it was summer, the asphalt was incredibly hot, and I ended up with some impressive blisters. Additionally, the winters are snowy/icy and there are not any good clean sidewalks where I live. I wanted an alternative...

I then found the Vibram Five Fingers website: vibramfivefingers.com. This was exactly what I was looking for - a thin rubber sole that protected against hot asphalt, rocks and other road hazards but also allowed for the same foot movement as running barefoot. I immediately bought a pair.

When my blue Vibram Five Fingers Classics arrived I slipped them on, admired them in the mirror and went for a run. Three miles later I cam home, having thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The next morning, however, my calves were on FIRE! It took about three days for them to heal and I could try them out again. I started using them gradually after that, using them for the last mile or two of every run. Eventually I was using them for almost every run.

I had the chance to use them during a race but backed out at the last second and wore running shoes. A few weeks later I was doing my 20 mile run in preparation of my first marathon and my running shoes caused me to have some severe pain in my Achilles tendon. That is the last time I wore traditional running shoes. I rested my Achilles for a couple of days and then switched completely to the Five Fingers and barefoot running (if I am on the treadmill, or if it is very mild weather out I'll run barefoot but otherwise I am in the Five Fingers). I ran the Omaha Marathon in them a few weeks later, as well as the Market to Market Relay two weeks after that.

As for a review - the Classics are great. The drawstring in the back has bugged my heel here and there but I've formed a small callus that has prevented any blisters or anything. I wore them for about 400-500 miles and then switched to the Sprints, which are very similar but instead of a drawstring they have two sets of velcro straps:

I have had these for about 400 miles and they are still going strong- I'm kind of curious to see how many miles I can get out of them.

omaha marathon 9.27.09

This is the second time I ran the Omaha Marathon, and my second marathon overall.  I trained a little harder for this one, peaking at 62 miles per week rather than 40 last year.  Last year's marathon was my first, and also the first race that I ran in my Vibram Five Fingers.  

This is a fairly tough course but having run it last year I felt I was ready for the challenge.  My time last year was 3:24:25 and my goal was to be as close to 3:00:00 as possible.  I figured I would hang out with the 3 hour pacer as long as possible and if I lost them along the way hopefully I could still be under 3:10:59 and qualify for the Boston Marathon.

So the race starts promptly at 7:00 am (maybe a minute or two early, actually) and we are off.  In Omaha, they start the 10k, half-marathon and full marathon together since the total is only around 3000 people.  The first couple miles I ran around 6:35 pace and have not yet seen the 3 hour pacer.  Then, about 3 miles into the race someone passes me and I notice a small "3:00" tag attached to his shorts.  I thought they would be holding a sign or have a larger tag, but oh well...  I decided to follow him as he weaved through the other various runners.  After each mile I looked at my watch and each of the first six miles were right around 6:35 pace.  I crossed the 10k point right at 41:00, which is exactly 6:35 pace.  I thought it was a little fast, since 3:00 pace for the marathon is around 6:52 pace, but I figured the pacer was allowing for the second half to be a little slower.  

It got a little crowded around the 10k point because there was some congestion and all of the half-marathoners were still around.  Somehow I lost sight of the pacer but decided to keep running at 6:35 pace for a while.  At a water/Gatorade station around mile 10 the pacer passed me, so somehow I had gotten ahead of him.  We ran together for a mile or so and each time there was a hill I would pull ahead but on the downhills he would surge forward.  We were holding steady for a while until the marathoners merged back with the half-marathoners on a narrow street.  It was there the the pacer pulled away.  We both reached the halfway point at 1:29 and that was the last I saw of the pacer.  

It was at the halfway point that I also started slowing down a bit.   In the Omaha Marathon the full marathoners split from the half-marathoners for good around the 14-15 mile point, and there the pack thins drastically.  I did the next few miles around 7:00 pace and started getting a little lonely.  I really enjoy running alone but during a marathon when it gets tough it's nice to have people around.  From mile 14 to 18 I didn't really see anybody behind or ahead of me so I slowed down a little without realizing it.  A group of people around mile 16 told me that I was the tenth runner to pass that station.  At around mile 18 I could see the leaders heading into the park and starting to finish their last 10k.  I took a gel from the station and plugged along.  

I crossed the 20 mile point at 2:18:30, which is right around 6:55 pace.  I really wanted to be at three hours but I was starting to fatigue and my body couldn't run as fast as my mind wanted it to.  I started the last 10k with some slight cramps in my legs, which was a first for me, and felt very odd.  I passed a triathlete (obvious from the zippered shirt) who asked me a couple questions about my Vibram FiveFingers:  Do I like running in them?  Do they offer any arch support?  Yes, I love them.  No, not really any support; they do make your feet stronger because of this though!

I was still plugging along at the 22 mile point but slowing down.  I got passed there by the female that won the marathon.  She was looking strong and I followed behind her and her cyclist.  For some reason at around mile 24 I really felt like I needed to walk for a few steps.  At the water station I grabbed a drink and walked with it for about 2 minutes.  It was here that I got passed by a runner around my age who seemed to have two assistants with them.  I didn't realize that fact until the last stretch when they both eased off the course to let the runner finish.  One was on a bike providing drinks and one was running beside him.  I let them pass me but caught up and was right behind them until the finish.

It was at the 25 mile point (up a hill!) where the race was getting really difficult.  I knew that I needed to hurry: 3:00 was out of the question but if I wanted to qualify for Boston I needed to keep running.  No more breaks!  I got up the hill (slowly) and headed toward the last part of the race.  On the last stretch there were people that had already finished the 10k or half-marathon and were cheering me on.  All I could think of was getting to the finish and getting an ice cold water to pour on my head and another to drink.  I got across the finish line at 3:06:31 which was good enough to qualify for Boston.  

(here I am getting asked yet another question about my "footwear")