Saw my Cardiologist today

I see him every year since I started running. Just a checkup but this year it was different, We have talked about my running a lot, he is not a fan due to the “pounding” the joints take. Well, that used to be true anyway.

After my EKG he walked in with a rather somber face and asked if I was getting Dizzy, Passing Out, Chest Pain, Nausea or any other strange symptoms. I said no and he said well your either in really great health or have something seriously wrong with your heart cause I only see this when people are dying. My heart rate on the EKG was 40 BPM. I told him that was normal and he thought it was awesome.

As I left I said, “Well, I suppose I am not dying” he laughed and said no, see you in a year.

Eight years to run 16 Miles

For many, 16 miles is a warm up exercise but for me it has been a challenge and something that has eluded me for years. In 2002 I got the urge to start running again and I still remember that first run of 1 mile, I thought I would die. I think I ran 100 yards, walked some, ran again and eventually finished a mile somewhere around 15 minutes. Heck, I could have walked it faster but I was getting off cigarettes and years of unhealthy living.

Well times change, bodies heal and time rolls on and a few years passed. I was running 3 and 5 mile short runs and trying my hand at some longer weekend runs but every time I started to increase the miles. My first pair of running shoes were New Balance 880s. They were neutral and cushioned and pretty much just another ugly running shoe with no bells, no whistles and no gel pods. I really liked running in them and after two years I decided they needed to be replaced. I took them down to the local Fleet Feet store and said I like these shoes and want something close to them. They laughed and said “Those aren’t running shoes, they are trainers. you need real running shoes? And they proceeded to tell me I pronated and needed a stability and cushioned shoe. They sold me on some Asiics something or others with Gel pods, stiff rubber stability and the first thing I noticed is they had a heel.

I was excited to get out there and blow away my personal record of 10 miles and after a few weeks of breaking in the shoes I went after my record. I broke the record by a whopping mile and was so damn proud of myself and then it started; Leg pain. I had the worst case of shin splints and it just wasn’t going away. I went to the doc and they x-rayed the leg. Nothing seemed too wrong, just some R.I.C.E. and it will get better. After two weeks, I was ready to start again. First a few miles, then a few more and eventually I was back to my 15 miles a week and longest runs of 6 miles and I decide to go for 8 when blammo! Shin pain again.

Well this cycle continued for several years. Spring would arrive and I would start adding miles and by June I was approaching 10 miles then bingo! The legs would fail me or the knees would swell or I would get a calf pain and I was out of commission for another race season. This was ridiculously frustrating. In 2007 someone suggested I try Barefoot running but without any idea what I was doing I just made things worse and gave up. I was able to literally limp through an Army 10 Miler and DNR’d a couple more as well as DNR’d a marathon. I was getting really tired of donating entry fees.

Well speed forward to last year, 2009! Spring arrives and like a fool I decide to start running again. I have maintained a level of fitness throughout the winter and so I start ramping up miles. First some 3 milers, then some 5’s, Soon I am running 8 and 10’s with regularity and things are going well so I go for 12 and although I am getting some pain, I take a light week then shoot for 13. There it is, Pain again. The calf literally feels like it will explode when I run, the muscle feels like it will rip off the bone every step. I back off the miles and take it easy, the Doc puts me in orthotics and matters get worse. Finally the Annapolis 10 miler comes and I am at a loss. I cannot stand the shoes I have, the orthotics make life miserable and so I go and buy a pair of brand new Asiic cumulus and run the race. At the end of the race my legs hurt, I made it but I am not happy. Runners should be happy otherwise, Why Run?

Well, This is the last race I run in non minimalistic shoes. I start researching again barefoot running and minimalist when someone suggests I read Born to Run. Halleluiah, someone validates the way I think and feel and I start running barefoot. Ha Ha! I still remember that first run. I made it maybe 1000 feet and my feet were killing me, I had blisters and couldn’t hardly walk for three days. I started searching the internet and found a few web sites that talked about running barefoot and minimalist shoes. Over the past two years I had read Chi Running and as I started running barefoot I got the POSE Method DVD. Pose helped me see many of the errors in my running style and running barefoot reminded me when I was running incorrectly. Soon I was running 3-4 miles barefoot basically pain free.

Over the winter of 2009-2010 I continued to run either barefoot or in Vibram FiveFinger shoes and was able to maintain a solid 15 miles per week. Once the spring hit I was running hard and increasing my miles. One thing was different though, I wasn’t getting shin, knee and calf pain. In the early days of running barefoot I did get some calf pain as they changed to meet my new running style but now, no pain. I did decide that runs over 6 miles would be run in a minimalist shoe like VFF’s of huaraches and anything under 6 would be barefoot. Soon I was cranking out 6-8 mile runs and feeling great so I started pushing up miles.

First I tried a few 10 mile runs. There was no pain except maybe a little calf soreness, to be expected, then I went for a 12 and again, I felt great. Two weeks ago I headed down to the C&O canal towpath and decided that I would run out 7 miles and back for 14. Worse comes to worse I could walk out. Again, I finished and there was no pain. I was tired but I didn’t feel like I just ran 14 miles. Then I decided to go for a new Scooter record and on Sunday July 11th 2010 I started down the towpath with 16 miles in my sites. After 3 solid hours of running and some seriously sore feet I arrived back at the Violet’s Lock parking lot with no shin pain, no knee pain, some slightly sore ankles and a big smile on my face.

So it took me nearly 8 years to run 16 miles but I did it and from what I can tell, there are many more miles to come. If all goes well. I will get a marathon distance under my belt this year and maybe even a 30 miler.
Here I am at the end of my 16 mile run!

Going Paleo or going nuts!

Upfront warning! Prepare for a Scooter Rant!

Definition from Paleodiet Site

“Paleo is a simple dietary lifestyle that is based on foods being either in or out. In are the Paleolithic Era foods that we ate prior to agriculture and animal husbandry (meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruit, berries, mushrooms, etc.). Out are Neolithic Era foods that result from agriculture or animal husbandry (grains, dairy, beans/legumes, potatoes, sugar and fake foods). “

I can certainly see where most grains may be out but seriously, grains are seeds and my guess is that monkey man ate anything he could get in his mouth that didn’t kill him/her. If the Paleo Man found a potato does anyone really think he would toss it because it wasn’t on his list of approved foods? Sugars are out but there are literally hundreds of sugary foods this early man would have eaten. Sugar cane, Banana stocks, Coconuts etc. and would this pre modern human turn down a nice wild sweet pea? Seriously? They would have ate it for the energy value in a split second. I’d bet my life on it. I mean seriously, and in a joking manor, these people watched a white hard thing come out of a birds butt and they ate it. They would eat anything that didn’t kill them. I am not sure what the difference is between meats pre animal husbandry and post animal husbandry but my guess is that if you’re eating beef of any kind the rules are violated. However, beef came from someplace so somewhere some place Paleolithic hunter-gatherers ate a cow.

Second, anyone have a clue what the life expectancy of the Paleo man was? It was short probably from injury and just plain hardship i suppose. Paleolithic hunter-gatherers would, in my estimation, do anything to make life easier. That is why we evolved. If they had the option of smashing open a walnut or getting into an almond vs. the simplicity of eating a pea pod or a potato, I can almost guess where they would go for food.

I can see excluding foods that are created that didn’t exist in nature, they are unnatural. And I can see eliminating grains to some extent but tender green wheat might have been valid food item. If I were a paleo era dude and I found a corn stock, which we know existed back then, I’d eat it raw right off the stock. I can’t imagine a world where they wouldn’t eat it and any scientist that says they wouldn’t is blinded by his own research. The oldest South American cultures ate roots and corn. There are several roots that are all over the world that are genetically traced back to South America. If they had it available, they would eat it.

These fad diets never cease to amaze me. Paleo is really the next generation of Atkins and South beach, just a slightly healthier version.

And now I see people talking on the Google Groups about how to take a bath Paleo style. How do I shave my legs, what do I use in place of soap. OK people, throw out the houses, clothes, toilet paper, toothbrushes and grow some balls. Go Paleo full out! I really hope they don’t come over my house after a run if they go on a soap strike. Enough of my rant but everywhere I go I see some post on this diet.

Paleolithic Mammoth Farmer

Posterior Tibial Tendinitis – Massage and Stretch

My Buddy Oso Polar posted this on the Runners world barefoot running board. Having dealt with Posterior Tibial Tendinitis from running barefoot and doing to much to soon TMTS, I thought this was a great massage and stretching exercise for the Posterior Tibial Tendon. Even though I am basically back to normal, I still massage the muscles and tendons after a long Barefoot run and it feels wonderful.

Sit in a chair and place the ankle of the leg to be massaged on the opposite knee. You’ll be looking right at the medial side of the shin – and post tib. (All of the following assumes you’re massaging your left leg.) Place the thumb of your right hand right behind the shin bone, down by the ankle. The thumb is placed along the bone – so it’s pointing up toward the knee. The fingers of the right hand will wrap around the front of the shin. Now place the left thumb on top of the right thumb. Wrap the left hand fingers around the front of the shin. Start making small circles with your foot. You’ll see post tib contract and relax. Push your thumbs deeply/firmly into the flesh and, while making slow circles with your foot, slide your thumbs up toward the knee. You’ll hopefully be massaging that muscle and releasing any of the restricting fascia that could be inhibiting the muscle movement.

via Runners World – barefoot running – posterior tibial tendinitis.

Barefoot Interval training

I have found that Interval training / Hill Speed Work required a completely different method. In high school I was a sprinter. My events were 100 Meter and 100 Meter hurdles. All power came from the hips and legs and was transferred to the ground through the feet pushing off and driving into the ground with every ounce of energy. Barefoot, this would be a difficult task as it would shred the balls of the feet. Some form of protection is required.

Sprinting barefoot requires a much more refined approach. In my experiments I found that a gradual acceleration, straight and aligned body posture with the weight moving through the center of the body, forward knee thrusts engaging the hip flexors, solid arm swings with thrusting back motion, exaggerated lean from the ankles without a bending at the hips and a very solid mid to forefoot plant followed immediately by a strong pull are essential. Any attempt to push off barefoot ends in hot spots and torn skin. Gravity is used to accelerate the body but to increase the speed, a forward drive of the knees and a strong swing of the arms can help increase acceleration without increasing the force exerted on the foot. As you begin to accelerate and decelerate, Do so slowly as to not create accelerating and braking forces on the foot. This is a critical time in sprinting barefoot and avoiding injuries

I like intervals on hills mainly for the added intensity but it also creates a situation where it is very hard to run in bad form. To climb a hill you need a high knee step and an exaggerated knee thrust as well as a forward lean from the ankles.

I included this picture because I love the alignment through the entire body.

via Barefoot Interval training | Barefoot Runners Society.

How running changed taking off the shoes and going barefoot

This pretty much sums it up

Positive side effects of BF Running

• My balance improved, Core work helped there too
• Chronic Shin Splints went away after 7 years steady
• Calf trigger points have disappeared, better hydration may be helping as is foam roller
• Knee pain is gone. Have bad knees, meniscus tears. No pain now
• I smile when I run
• My form has dramatically improved. I am a puller not a pusher
• Oddly, my shoulders don't hurt after long runs. Probably form related
• My heart rate during running is 20 beats lower than when I wore shoes. Could be I run more now.
• Having the time of my life

Negative side effects of BF Running

• Ankles are still adjusting. Posterior Tibial Tendon still inflames occasionally but getting better. Too much too soon did some insult that is not clearing quickly
• People think I am weird, but I guess that was pre-existing

AKA Scooter- The Barefoot Buddha

via Have a medical condition or running-related injury that somehow cleared up when ditching the shoes? Please share! | Barefoot Runners Society.

About my barefoot running to an old friend

Preface: An old friend asked me about my barefoot running and I responded to him and thought the response would fit nicely here.

Here is a follow up on your question about me running barefoot.  I started running again back in 2002 or so and had quite a struggle. I was horribly out of shape and had smoked for a large portion of my adult life. I started small and was able to work up to 3 miles a few times a week and settled for that until I met a friend that had run 40+ marathons and talked me into training for one. As I started increasing miles, I started getting more and more injuries. Shin splints were so bad that I couldn’t even walk at times, Knee pain, plantar fasciitis, calf pain where the soleus connects to the bone, hip and back problems.  Basically I was a train wreck.

This breakdown would happen every year as I ramped up my mileage and every year I would reach a point that meant taking off a few months to recover right around marathon season. I had a few years where I could do a few 10 milers but that was all I could muster before the injuries started. Last year I had had enough. The 2009 season was awesome for me because I had worked my mileage to 18 miles when I was slammed with pain again and training was shut down. I went through tons of PT and the therapist started me on some barefoot exercises. A friend told me to try running barefoot about the same time. I was skeptical since I had tried it once before and ended up having massive calf pain.

I started out small since I was in the middle of injuries but I wanted to run and keep the cardio I had in hopes of catching a late season race. After a few weeks of runs ½ mile at a time I bumped up to a mile, then 2 then 3 and soon was running 5 miles. The pain moved from shin splints to calf pain so I had to really monitor that but as the calf muscles strengthened, I started getting better and as we headed into winter I was running 5-6 miles 3-4 times a week completely barefoot and many of those runs were on trails and asphalt. My arches are nice and solid now and everything seems to be well. I still have some ankle issues but I am working through them and getting stronger.

There are no guarantees that as I ramp up mileage in the 2010 season I won’t get injuries but there are many things I am changing. Running barefoot or at least minimal wear like Vibram Five Fingers is the goal along with lots of trail running mixed in with my street beatings. I’ll see how it goes.

As for barefoot and Plantar Fasciitis, I have met many people through various groups that swear they got over PF simply by slowly strengthening the foot with barefoot runs on grassy surfaces. Many College coaches are now doing barefoot training for athletes. I prefer not to run on grass. It seems every time I do I step on something that was left there. On the asphalt, sidewalks and trails, I seem to have better luck. Maybe you could try a few short runs a week just to start building up foot muscle and see how that works over time. Running barefoot isn’t for everyone but it seems to work well for me.

Maybe this summer I can get out that way and can go for a run and get a garlic burger and laugh about old times.

What I saw and what I see

What I should See

Bad Eye Morning 1/4/2010

What I am seeing today 1/5/2010