Story time part II

Before going into the story, I want to make a distinction about what this blog is truly about, and what the name really means. First, Barefoot 0 is a term that had not already been registered, second it refers to my running form. I'm not actually barefoot, but the minimal shoes-glove things that I wear have changed my running style in a way that has me mimicking a barefoot runners posture, and foot-strike style.

This is where the tag comes in. A minimalist blog for a minimalist runner.

So is it form follows function? Or a case of function following form.

Here's the second part of my opus on running in Vibram Fivefingers minimalist shoes for the first time.The first part starts here.

In an interview with The Times, ultra-marathoner Chris McDougall explains, “When you're running a hundred, you're going to be out there for about 13 hours, no matter what... You have no choice but to take your time, relax and enjoy the landscape.”

While I wasn't going for a 13 hour run, three miles is not insignificant for me, especially with unproven shoes. The first mile goes down easy, as it should because it is mostly downhill. My legs move easily, but in a completely different way than they ever have before. The length of my stride has shortened considerably, and as a result I am taking more, but quicker steps.

Another form difference I noticed with the barefoot shoes, was the way that my foot struck the ground. In my old shoes, I would plant my heel, the toes would follow and I would drag myself forward. This was not the case at all on this run. My form now became, land on the ball of my foot and toes, and using my calf muscle lower my heel until it brushed the ground, before snapping my foot down to press off the ground with my toes.

In a study done by Harvard University's Skeletal Biology Lab on barefoot running, using this pattern of forefoot strikes not only leads to, “lower impact forces,” but can also lead to, “lower rates of injury.” But in the same study, they also caution to, “stretch your calves and hamstrings carefully and regularly as you make the transition.”

These tidbits of running trivia move through my head as I begin to climb the most brutal hill of the run. It is only about 100 yards long, but it feels like a vertical mile. Here my legs begin to strain and ache with confusion. By the time I reach the top, my muscles are screaming and the time between breaths is becoming shorter. The enjoyable discomfort of running finally sets in and I continue on to the tree at the crossroads that marks my halfway point in the route.