A Passion for Running

I’ve been getting comments from people like April Anne and Jon wondering where the stronger pull is – with pose or barefoot running, and whether I plan on doing any barefoot racing.

Overall, I suppose the answer to the first question is that my focus all along has been to improve my running form and to use whatever means I can to achieve that goal.

I found barefoot running first and was intrigued by the promise of stronger, more agile feet. Then, the pose method caught my interest promising a low-impact, efficient style of running. Both “tools” promised fewer injuries – if done properly.

Neither tool has dissappointed me. What’s more, the two have really gone hand-in-hand helping me correct my running form. The pose method suggests doing barefoot running to improve one’s foot strength and agility, whereas well known barefoot runner’s like Ken Bob Saxton and Rick Roeber endorse the pose method as a form that is gentle for people wanting to run barefoot. My own experience is consistent with these thoughts. The tools are complimentary.

However, I’ll now make the distinction that I see barefoot running as a tool for attaining good form whereas I see the pose method as a system for doing so – a system that includes barefoot running in it’s arsenal of tools. Bottom line? I think you can probably become a better runner by doing some barefoot running, but I think you can become a much better runner by learning the pose method. Finally, I think you’ll learn the pose method faster by doing some of it in your bare feet.

So will I race barefoot? You betcha! I’d for sure like to do a 5k in my barefeet and then…who knows?

Why would I do it? Because it would be fun and, if I’m being honest, the ego would get a kick out of being the center of attention. But the bigger reason I’d do it would be to spread the gospel – to get the word out that runner’s have an alternative to running with poor form in heavy, structure-laden shoes.

Even though I’d love to do some barefoot racing, my perception is that doing so will not be as fast as racing in my Puma H-Streets. Why? Because my experience has been that although barefoot running gives you instant feedback with the ground, there is some sacrifice in terms of springiness/elasticity/bounce in one’s step. I could be wrong about this but so far the stats I’ve read of runners PRs before and after switching to running barefoot seem to support my perception.

So, although I look forward to racing barefoot, I think my faster times will not be attained racing barefoot. They’ll be rewarding experiences – just maybe not the same kind of reward as getting a true PR. That’s kinda cool now that I think about it since I’m now realizing I’ll have more reasons to race than I’ve had in the past!

Those are my thoughts at the moment. I’m interested to see if they’ll change as I gain experience.

I went for another run yesterday. This time I tried for a little more speed and was instantly reminded that I’m not very fit!

I’m guessing I did most of it at about an 8:30 min/mile pace. However, I did push it for one marked kilometer which I ran in 5 minutes even – an 8 min/mile pace. I’m not sure how to evaluate that kilometer since it occurred right after a couple of challenging hills. I guess I’m ok with it. How do you say? Meh?

Overall I was happy with the run but, as I said above, was reminded how unfit I am by having to take several walk breaks.

Oh well. This too shall pass…

There’s a line from Star Trek: Generations where Whoopi Goldberg’s character Guinan describes what it’s like to be inside the Nexus.

It was like being inside…joy. As if joy was a real thing that I could wrap around myself. I’ve never been so content.

I’m sure you’ll have no problem guessing where I’m about to go with this, but I’m going there just the same.

Running is my Nexus. It’s the place where I feel joy. The place where time stands still and the place where I am most content.

But it’s also a place I’ve missed and longed for since I began this quest to restructure my running form. Actually, now that I think about it, I’ve been away from my Nexus for much longer than that. The beginning of my quest, and the end of what anyone would call a consistent running schedule, really started when I became injured during my last marathon this past October.

The last several months have been difficult. Let me tell ya, watching my running fitness slip has sucked balls. It also sucked because I’d lost my primary stress management tool so not only did I feel gross physically, I also felt like crap mentally.

But there is a happy ending. As I discovered over this past week or so, I can finally run again and can do so for kilometers at a time without any pain whatsoever!

I’m inside joy.

I had a great run today at lunch!

The plan was to do the 7k loop I did last week with fewer walk breaks (I took 8 last week). As I was changing, Michael grabbed my shoe off the floor and exclaimed, “what in the heck kinda runners are those?!”.

I had just finished explaining about the Puma H-Streets when another fellow said, “Aren’t you the guy doing the barefoot running?”. It was really weird, but after a few moments there were a half-dozen guys all listening intently to me talking about barefoot running and the pose method. I got really excited about the conversation because a couple of them mentioned reading articles about both topics in Runner’s World magazine and all of them seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.

At the end of the conversation, Nick walked in and asked if he could join my run. I said “of course, as long as you know I’m still officially ‘practicing’ to run”. That didn’t seem to bother him, and I acquired a tag-along.

You know what? I rocked! And the pose rocked! We did the run at roughly a 9:00 minute/mile pace during which I noticed some cool stuff:

1-My feet were very silent compared to his. This was a surprise since I’ve only run by myself and with Aaron since the clinic in L.A. and I simply wasn’t expecting there to be such a big difference!
2-My cadence was twice as fast as his, and yet
3-My breathing was under very good control.

And I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Nick mentioned I looked and sounded “fit”. His statement floored me since I know I’m not fit. Seeing as I’m not fit why would I seem to be? I think the answer is that when I run in pose, I expend way less energy than I used to. I’m light on my feet and because I spend very little time on the ground, I don’t have to work as hard and that keeps my heart rate lower.

Other good stuff? Well first, I only took four walk breaks – four less than last week. Second, we ran 8k – one kilometer more than I’d planned. And third, I did the last 5k barefoot on some pretty rough asphalt pave paths. I have to admit feeling a bit challenged with the last kilometer or so and my feet were somewhat swollen afterward. However, I had no blisters or chafing and the swelling disappeared after only a couple of hours.

Best of all though is that I wasn’t tired after the run. Not tired at all. I really felt like I could have gone much further today. I should qualify that – I’d had enough barefoot running (my feet were burning) but I think if I’d have put my shoes back on, I could have run another 5k in form.

Woohoo! Knock on wood I think I’m back!