B.A.A. Boston Marathon 2010

Photo courtesy of marathonfoto.com !!!

Third marathon in Vibram FiveFingers! Just saw on birthdayshoes.com that another runner was at the Boston Marathon in VFFs: link to birthdayshoes.com post. He ran a great race in 3:25, which is just right around where my first VFF marathon was (3:24). Congrats, Dan!

Went to the expo on Sunday after my wife ran the B.A.A. 5k to pick up my packet. I had to stop by the VFF exhibit and check out the new Bikilas- I am a bit skeptical... They seem to have a lot of padding. I may or may not try them out- I'm still deciding. I did hear that Tony Post gave a free pair to Corrado Giambalvo to run in. He finished in 3:23. Hey Tony, I'll take a pair to try out!!!  Maybe they will get me to go under three hours for a marathon!!   I keep contacting Vibram about being a tester but they have no interest.  I also have contacted them about putting out some technical t-shirts so that I can support them during races but they have no interest.  I have asked them to send me some more of the cards to hand out to interested people but they will not do it.  The product is great, but the customer service lately has been poor!  Oh well.  The expo was huge but very organized; there were tons of people wandering around, very excited about the impending race the next day. I met a few people who gave me tips on how to run Boston efficiently. One experienced runner who was running his 21st Boston told me to take it easy on the first five miles because you'll want to run fast! I heard this same thing from a few others as well.

I got on the first set of busses that left the park in Boston at 6:00am. We pulled into the Hopkinton school around 7:00am made the walk into the "Athlete's Village". The wait from 7::00 to 9:10 was long and cold. Luckily they provided food, music and delicious coffee. I trotted to the starting line with thousands of other people and made my way to the #4 corral. I wore my VFF Sprints for this run - I got asked many questions by people in the corral and during the race. Many of them had just bought VFFs recently but hadn't run in them yet. I told them they are great; go for a run in them!!

The Boston Course is a net downhill course, but there are plenty of uphills along the way. I tried to take it easy on the first half, making the way in just under 1:29 like planned. The second half was mostly pain from sore quadriceps muscles. The girls of Wellesly College were amazing and gave a boost of energy to all the runners. The Newton hills were tough! I still cannot believe how many spectators there are at this event; there are people cheering the whole way! I had to stop and rub a tight quad muscle around mile 19; there were about five people that were yelling "you can do it!!" and when I started running again they cheered. Great support, plenty of water/gatorade, plenty of orange slices along the way. I got asked by a few people how my feet were feeling - I told them they were great! Boston College was awesome - seeing the Citgo sign was great, and the last two turns onto Hereford and Boylston were NUTS! Very fun race! I didn't break three hours like I had hoped but still requalified to run next year- 3:06:02 (a PR by 29 seconds!).

Bib	Name	Age	M/F	City	State	Country	Ctz	*
4083	Hanson, Nicholas J.	27	M	Blair	NE	USA
Checkpoints 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k 0:20:56 0:42:06 1:03:00 1:24:14 1:28:52 1:45:50 2:08:45 2:32:29 2:56:03 Finish Pace Projected Time Official Time Overall Gender Division 0:07:06 3:06:02 2020 1884 1334

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.