Snell speaks about myriad items, all of which resonate with the patient and experimental runner.

“It’s a relatively simple formula,” says Snell. “Develop endurance as early as possible. Developing endurance is difficult and time consuming. Developing speed is a relatively short process with a fairly strong genetic component.

“Try and understand the need for adequate recovery,” he says, “a balance between hard training and recuperation. That’s part of the art [of coaching/training]. I still have the thought that the science of training comes primarily from the trial and error of coaches.

There is brilliance in his logical and exploratory type of training and current research.

Check out Peter Snell’s books, which are next on my reading list: Use it or Lose It, Peter Snell: From Olympian to Scientist, No Bugles, No Drums. The only problem seems to be getting a hold of them for a reasonable price for review.

Source: Flickr (hardloperhans)

What can be done to improve your running? Many things involve significant effort and investment: interval workouts, tempo workouts, high(er) mileage, better nutrion, and recruiting a coach.

Sometimes we just look for something simple and easily understood to improve ourselves. If that’s you, here’s what you should consider.

1. Consistency

If there was only one thing you could pick to become a better runner, pick this! Running consistency is crucial.

How do you achieve running consistency? Run more often. Instead of running 8 miles 3 days a week, try running 4 miles 6 times a week.

We start to lose our fitness after 2 days off from running. It only gets worse each subsequent day you take off.

Instead of battling regression of progress with runs, provide your body with a steady stream of runs from which it can recover and steadily improve.

Think of it like this: if you were trying to fill a large container of water, one bucket at a time, would you rather have a big heavy bucket, but there is a hole in the container — or would you prefer a smaller bucket and a container which doesn’t leak?

I’ll take the smaller bucket. Easier trips and no waste!

If you’re already consistent with your running schedule, you still have room for improvement. Run doubles (running twice a day) if you can, even if one run is just 2 miles. This gives your body twice as many opportunities per day to heal.

2. Recovery

Recovery Food. After a run, you should plan to consume carbohydrates and protein as soon as possible, ideally within 30-45 minutes. Muscles rely on carbs for fuel. They rely on protein w/the carbs to stimulate faster glycogen replacement and optimize muscular repair.

You can get very specific with that grams of carbs and protein you should consume based on your weight and effort, however it’s best to start simple. If you’re not used to eating after a run, start by just having a healthy snack after the run which you know has carbs and protein in it.

If you want to dig deeper into nutrion, check out Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. This is a comprehensive guide on sports and food.

Recovery Duration. If you’re beating your body up through quality workouts, you need to ensure proper recovery time between the quality bouts.

If you still feel sore or tired going into a scheduled “hard” workout, make it an easy day. You may not gain anything by forcing yourself through a mediocre workout but you risk quite a bit.

Take an extra easy day and let your body rebuild — after all, you get better at running when you heal, not when you break down.

3. Strides, added at the end of an easy run

Pick it up ( 1 mile to 5k pace) at the end of an easy run by running 4-8 quick strides, 30-45 seconds each. Make sure you jog easily between each stride to recovery fully.

Strides help keep the fast twitch fibers recruited even when you’re in a regimen of running easy every day. Strides also improve your running efficiency and form by stretching out your stride length.

As you run, focus on turning your legs over quickly (do not overstride), feeling relaxed (don’t clench your whole body like you’re going to impact a brick wall), and standing tall (you shouldn’t be hunched over).

4. 180 Steps Per Minute

Keep your stride rate at approximately 180 steps per minute. This is a simple method to determine if you are turning over your legs too slowly.

Regardless of how fast or slow you are running, you should be taking approximately 180 steps per minute. It is your stride length that should change, not the number of steps you’re taking for a given set of time.

To check, keep track of how many times your right foot hits the ground in a 30 second period and multiply it by two. If you’re not in the 85-90 range your leg turnover is too slow and you should improve it.

5. Mix up the surfaces you run on.

If you usually pound the pavement, find your way to a trail, if for only part of your run.

Do you insist on always seeing the forest surrounding you while you run? Try running on the roads to your favorite trail spot.

Your body adapts well to a single types of terrain. Changing up the terrain can improve your strength and flexibility while reducing the chance of getting injured (as long as you step over that tree root!)

What simple advice do you have for others to improve their running?

This doesn’t just mean I put them on my feet and paraded around like a orange footed elf.  I’ve been running consistently, so I was able to get some mileage on these, while having an immediate comparison point to my typical footwear only a day after.

I took this shoe through the gambit of terrain: from thick mud covered trails to the road.

Below are my thoughts on the shoe from the perspective that the less shoe, the better.

Note: These shoes were provided by Merrell at no cost to me, however there were no stipulations regarding what I can, and can not discuss.

Initial Reaction

When I first put the shoes on (without socks), it felt like putting on a soft slipper. The seams were non-existant and the fabric felt magical. I spent a month or so just using them as a winter shoe for shopping, driving, and walking in non-snowy areas.

The ground feel and fit was much better than the Merrell Trail Glove and the extra warmth captured made them much more enjoyable than a sandal or VFF.  These are great pair of “kicking it around town” shoes.

Trail Running

Since the shoe name has “road” in it, I figured what better place than to take them out on the trails. This, after all, is the only place I’d consider seriously running consistently in a more “built” shoe.

My runs through the technical trails were pleasantly surprising. The shoe has significantly better ground feel than the Trail Glove, while providing just enough protection that my misstep onto a rock provided minimal pain and no bruising. This is exactly what I’m looking for, feedback from my mistake, but still protection against it being something that keeps me off my feet for a few days.

I ran through very hilly areas with embedded rocks, very muddy areas (up to 6″ of mud), and through hard packed snow with minimal slippage and consistent warmth. The shoe stayed out of the way and made me forget I was wearing it, for which I can provide no higher praise.

After the runs, I had no residual pain tied to the shoes use. This tells me that the shoe did not alter my stride in any meaningful way.

Road Running

Despite not having any intention of using these on the roads (I’ll stick with something with a thinner and more flexible sole), I did take two 1 hour runs in the shoes on paved roads and sidewalks.

The result of these two expeditions was an open sore on the insides of both feet just below the ankle. As the shoes bent (I was running much faster than on the trails), they rubbed a small section of my foot raw.

To be fair, this may have been from having the shoes tied too tight, or my skin not being used to running consistently in shoes. If you do decide to wear these on the roads, please be wary of this though.

While running, the shoe felt larger and more cumbersome than I’m used to, but it was light enough that it did not feel like weights on my feet.

If you’re interested in utilizing this shoe for what it was intended, you’re better off reading the reviews of others linked below.

Stubborn and Stupid Product Naming

Nothing to do with the product itself, but once again I have to question Merrell officially naming the product “Barefoot Run Road Glove“. Anyone who thinks that wearing a shoe, any type of shoe, has anything to do with barefoot running is confused, or worse, trying to confuse folks.

Why do companies insist on including “barefoot” in the name of the product? Is it just for SEO purposes, so when someone searches for barefoot running shoes (an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one), their products show up in the front?

Merrell isn’t the only one doing this, but I was hoping they would meet a higher standard.

Final Thoughts

Less is more for any shoe I wear. I want something that serves a specific purpose, be it warmth, slight protection, water proof, etc.

These shoes are enjoyable for cold weather everyday wear and trail running. This is the shoe that I was hoping the Merrell Trail Glove would be.

I don’t need, nor find any benefit to trail lugs on the sole of a shoe. What I want is something which will add a little bit more protection from rocks and low cut saplings. This shoe provides exactly what I’m looking for and I look forward to exploring its use further on the trails.

This is probably the only review you’ll find tell you that this is a wonderful trail shoe — so use your own judgement on what you’re seeking out of the product.

What others have to say

• Jesse
• Maple Grove Barefoot Guy
• Jason Robillard

For the Spec Hungry

UPPER / LINING
• Synthetic leather and breathable air mesh upper
• TPU overlays secure the foot
• Fused rubber toe bumper provides durability and protection
• Synthetic leather rear foot sling provides ultimate stability
• Internal support construction secures the midfoot for optimal fit and support
• Integrated microfiber footbed treated with aegis antimicrobial solution resists odor

MIDSOLE / OUTSOLE
• 4 mm compression molded EVA midsole cushions
• 0mm ball to heel drop
• Vibram Road Glove Sole / TC-1 Rubber

I’m constantly trying to evaluate, assess and discuss the options for running that we have.

Source: flickr - doegox

Winter means many different things, to many different people. To me, it means snow, ice, and a windchill up to -15F (-26C). Based on your locale, you will have to adjust things to fit your needs. I have written at length about barefoot winter running advice, options, clothing, and experience.

The reoccurring question is, “Can I run barefoot in the winter?”

The answer, which rears its head for most running related questions, is “it depends on…”.

Your body.

It’s important to tell yourself that just because someone else can run barefoot in the snow, doesn’t mean you’re capable of it.

Once you’re done with that thought, remind yourself that the human body is capable of amazing, and often mind baffling feats.We are each an experiment of one. Set your mind right, so you’re able to experiment with your body correctly.

Your environment.

There are four key factors which will impact your ability to run in the snow: snowfall, temperature, windchill, and the road salt situation.

Snowfall is important to consider because running in snow above your ankles will have a drastically different feel and impact on your body heat than running with the snow solely beneath your soles.

Temperature and windchill both affect the duration of the time you can experiment before you reach a dangerous situation.

Road Salt can cause all sorts of problems. If your neighbors salt the sidewalks you may find them painful to traverse. Even more problematic is the effect of the salt. Water that would have normally been ice, or remained snow is now a liquid whose temperature is below freezing. Stepping in a road “puddle” or getting your feet wet with this below freezing mixture can accelerate foot damage.

Your ability, and desire, to adapt slowly.

Just as learning to run barefoot took patience, learning to run barefoot in the snow will take a similar patience. The risk of too much, too soon though is vastly different.

In the warmer months, you find yourself with blisters or cuts. In the winter, you will find yourself with frostbite.Be sure you learn the warning signs so that you can take corrective action immediately.

Don’t let barefoot run scare you though, just be safe — try it, experiment and see what works for you. I’d love to hear about your experiences, both success and failures. It helps me learn more.

Just remember: always have a backup plan to prevent frostbite and don’t push it!

Resources for learning more:

• Frostbite. Know what it looks like, what it feels like, and how to heal it if you find yourself with it.
• Barefoot Rick’s Winter Running Diary and Discussion. You’ll find 5 years worth of anecdotal information and his discussion with the NY Times.
• Additional guide and thoughts from the MapleGrove barefoot guy.

I’m intrigued to see how these compare to the Bikila’s, which are my primary minimalist shoe at the moment.

Performance on Trails

As expected, this isn’t an ideal trail shoe.  The lack of protection limits the shoe to non-technical or minimally-technical trail running.  Trail traction is better than KSOs, but not nearly as good and pretty much anything else.  The shoe does work pretty well on solid cambered rock where traction is critical.

I’m particularly concerned about how they perform on the trails. Not the technical trails, but just the run of the mill mud/woodchip/off roading. The Bikila’s have little to no traction.

At this point VFF has so many different types of shoes that they are muddying up their product lines. How is this better than any of their other offerings? Hopefully we find out that they’ve taken away from the Bikila, while keeping the seamless inside.

Has anyone had the good fortune of trying these out yet?

I was never a runner. Oh, I tried. I can think of a half a dozen times between 1980 and 2007 where I would head out the door and try to put in a couple of miles.

Never could do it. Never liked it. I’d get about a half a mile out and think, Okay, this is NOT fun.

On the other hand, I was a sprinter.

Up until the time I was 16, I was the fastest person I knew. Then everyone got taller than me and my attention turned full-time to gymnastics (which worked out well; I was an All-American).

So, cut to 2007, when my friend David joined me for brunch, ecstatic, “I just won my first 5k!” and I congratulated him and told him my story of unsuccessful attempts and jogging.

“Oh,” he chirped, “You should just go back to sprinting. They have Masters Track & Field.”

WHAT?

David explained that, totally unknown to me, was a running subculture of masters athletes, aged 35+, and an international competitive track & field circuit.

I could barely contain my excitement as I scrawled down the number of a local coach that David knew.

Now let’s spring forward 2 years.

I’d connected with the coach, started training, loved competing, and was doing okay. I’d dropped 16 pounds without trying, I was loving the camaraderie of other older athletes (almost everyone I trained with had a medal from some Masters world championship race), and I was totally engaged with figuring out how to train an aging — at this point, 47 year old — body.

And I was almost always injured. I don’t think I had more than a 2 week stretch where I didn’t have some pull, tear, twinge or other injury in my glutes, hips, hamstrings, or calves that would sideline me for a couple of weeks.

That’s when my training partner Simon, handed me a copy of Born To Run and suggested I take up barefoot running.

Needless to say, I inhaled the book — it’s a great read whether you’re a runner or not — and then I got online and searched for more info about barefoot running. It just happened that Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee, the authors of Barefoot Running, not only lived nearby, but were giving a workshop that weekend. So, off I went for my first barefoot run.

We did a bunch of drills and then took a slow barefoot run on the Boulder Creek Path. I found it fascinating, but at the end of the mile or so that we ran I said to Michael, “This isn’t my thing. I’m a sprinter. I don’t want to do long, slow running.”

“Why don’t you think of it as an off-season calf workout?” he replied.

That got me to come back the next week, which turned out to be the second most important run of my life.

See, that week, I was so fascinated by the sensations of running barefoot, by trying to find ways to run lighter and easier, by the changes in my stride that different arm angles or core tightness made… that I had no idea I ran over 5k! Me. A sprinter. 5k!

And while running 3 times farther than I’d ever run before was important, the more important part of my 2nd most important run is what happened next: I got a big blister on the ball of my left foot.

What made this so pivotal is that I instantly realized, “Well, I’m clearly doing something different with my left leg… the one that I injure 90% of the time!”

That realization is what got me to my third barefoot run, the most important one of my life.

It was a week later and I wasn’t fully healed. So I figured I’d go out and try to find a way to run that didn’t hurt my blistered foot. After all, I thought, if I could stop doing with my left leg the thing that caused the blister, I should be able to run with it hurting.

“I’ll just give it 10 minutes,” I thought, “and if it still hurts by then, I’ll stop.”

The first 9 minutes were hell. No matter what I did, I was rubbing raw skin on cement. Not fun. The whole time, I’m wondering, “How can I stop doing with my left leg what I’m already not doing with my right?”

And at the 9:30 mark, something changed. Suddenly, I was running easily, pain-free, and faster. I felt light. I wasn’t bouncing up and down. I was running.

Only after a couple months did I realize that the change was that I stopped overstriding — reaching out with my foot — and I stopped pulling and pushing on the ground with my feet, instead I was placing and lifting them.

At the end of that same couple of months, I noticed two other things: 1) all my injuries were healed, and ; 2) my life-long flat feet had started to change shape and develop arches!

By this point I was totally sold on the barefoot idea and I wanted to spend as much time barefoot as I could. I had tried on the Vibram FiveFingers a few times since I had gotten back into track, but they never fit me. Inspired by Born To Run, I gathered the materials to make some huaraches running sandals.

I made about 20 pairs for the local runners and then Michael Sandler said, “You should do this as a business. I’m writing a book and if you had a website, I’d put you in it.” Hmmm…

I pitched this idea to my wife, who totally shot it down. So, I waited until she went to bed… and built a website ;-)

We launched www.invisibleshoe.com on November 23, 2009, selling our high-tech upgrade of the Tarahumara huaraches. Since then, we’ve sold over 11,000 pairs to people from 65 countries, aged 6-86. And it’s been so gratifying to be part of other people making the minimalist move.

Since switching to barefoot, I’ve been uninjured for 2.5 years. I’m a Masters All-American sprinter in the 45-49 year old age group. I can’t wait until I turn 50 next year and have an age advantage (for a few months, at least).

About me

I’m 27 years old, 5’11”, around 170lbs, and fairly fit. I have always disliked shoes (all shoes trap heat and moisture in a way I find uncomfortable), and I ran barefoot quite often throughout my youth. I’ve also always lived in shoes-off households, so I spent much of every day barefoot even before changing my outside footwear. My previous outside footwear included Chuck Taylors and today’s conventional tennis shoes.

I changed my shoe preferences two years ago because it fit with my general health philosophy (i.e., evolved mechanics are probably best), not because I was experiencing any kind of pain. Also, I was blessed with an uncanny ability to not give a fuck, which helps when starting out barefoot running.

In the last two years, I have spent an embarrassing amount of money on minimalist shoes. I have VFFs, Vivo Barefoots, Unshoes, and Softstars: i.e., minimalist all-stars.

My story

The exact timeline is fuzzy because it’s been a while.

Months 1-6

Relatively soon after I changed my shoe preferences, my problems began. The first thing was plantar fasciitis in the left mid-foot. It was mild at first, but gradually got to the point where every step was painful. I figured too-much-too-soon, switched back to regular shoes until the pain went away, and eased back into minimalist shoes/barefoot . I also went to a doctor who suggested I perform a variety of stretches and exercises: a regime I complied with. That took about 2 months, but once I finished the slow transition, the PF didn’t come back, so I was pleased.

Months 6-12

I noticed calluses building up in my right forefoot. This didn’t bother me for the first 4 months, but after a while, I noticed the underlying bone was very sore. This blossomed into metatarsalgia, and my arches started to fall. It seemed like what I was experiencing matched up with Morton’s foot-type issues, so I tried putting a Morton’s pad into my shoes. This didn’t really do anything, so I went to a podiatrist for the first time. He wanted me to wear $400 orthotics. My response: “LOL NO. Barefoot, barefoot, etc.,” so nothing came of this visit.

Months 12-18

By this point, every step I took with my right foot was painful; my second metatarsal had “dropped,” and it was like I was walking on a stone. Running was completely out of the question, and I just wanted some relief. I tried fancy insoles for a month or so, and those did nothing. My plantar fasciitis came back in my left foot, and I started having top-of-the-foot pain. The latter developed into a visible bump as the tendon over that metatarsal became increasingly inflamed.

I started practicing a number of foot exercises, foam/ball rolling in the hopes that they would help. I still do all of those (because, hey, who knows), but they didn’t resolve my pain.

Months 18-22

This is where I tried toe-spreaders and had real relief for the first time. My plantar fasciitis went away, along with the top-of-the-foot pain. The pain from metatarsalgia greatly decreased, but remained, as did the calluses and the small bump. After easing into them, I wore the toe-spreaders religiously 24-7 in wide shoes for about a month. I could walk comfortably as long I wore them, and I was thankful for the relief.

Months 22-24

Then the metatarsalgia pain started coming back in force, leaving me pretty exasperated. One day in Costco, I saw a pair of arch supports  for $9. I bought them because I had already spent so much money on shoes and other curatives that I figured it didn’t matter. I put them into my Vivo Aquas and started wearing them around. Within three days, my feet were completely pain-free.

It’s now a month later, and I don’t have any calluses, my metatarsal is back in place, and the bump on top of my foot is gone.

Leftovers

My own feelings about this experience are pretty complex. I invested a lot both emotionally and economically into BR. I can’t say for sure that switching to “barefoot” caused my problems. After all, it could have been part of aging, etc. Given my relatively young age, overall health, and the sequence of events, however, I do think it’s more likely than not that the switch did cause my issues.  And that bothers me.

I’m sharing this story because I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did. Scientific and anecdotal evidence suggests barefoot is good.  It works for a lot of people. But, if it’s not working for you and you’ve given it a fair shot, I suggest trying something else. After two years, all I care about is that I can walk pain-free and run again.

For now, I’m still using the arch supports in case the soft tissue hasn’t completely healed yet. I’m hoping I can eventually take the supports out and my feet will be able to function naturally one day.

Source: Flickr

Starting next week, I’d like to open up the blog to anyone interested in telling their barefoot or minimalist running success or failure story (or at least the story so far!).

Here are some areas I’d love hear you write about:

1. How did you get started? What triggered your interest?
2. What injuries, or other set backs have you faced?
3. Have you experience ridicule from others? How have you dealt with it?
4. What do you run in, barefoot or other footwear? How has you choice changed as you’ve experimented?
5. If you live in a colder climate, how do you deal with running in the winter?

Don’t feel like you need to talk about anything listed above, these are just things I’m interested in hearing more about from likeminded folks.

I’ll gladly proof the article for you, link to your site, or a site of your choosing, and make sure it’s clear exactly who wrote the post. I won’t publish the article until you’ve had a chance to review it on the site.

If you’re interested, get in touch with me at rob@shodless.com.

Source: flickr - beatkueng

There are defeats more triumphant than victories.

~Michel de Montaigne

There are many things you just won’t learn until you’ve gone and screwed up. This is why it’s so important to experiment and determine what works well for you.

It’s also prudent to remember that as time passes, what once worked well for you may no longer fit the bill. What better way to experiment than to make mistakes?

(1) Overtrain. Push yourself point the past of no return. Run too often, too far, and too fast to see what happens to you. Maybe nothing will happen and you’ll have learned something, or more likely you’ll understand what it’s like to overtrain.

Notice your desire to get out and run is dampened. Feel your muscles in a constant state of flux. Experience the nagging injury that you never let heal.  Your joints, bones, and limbs hurt. You keep getting sick. 

If you push yourself too far, you’ll begin to understand where your line is, and what it feels like as you cross it. With that knowledge you will be better prepared to respond to future tussles with that overtraining line.

(2) Push through the pain. When you feel a sharp pain, keep running, see if you can push through the pain. Maybe you’ll be able to, or more likely you’ll pull up limp with an injury.

If you’ve hurt yourself running before, you’ll do everything in your power to stop that from happening again. Perspective on the pain will help guide your actions.

Understanding your pain, specifically what type of pain your experiencing is crucial to running. Knowing when to pack it in and when to push through will keep you healthier and more injury free.

(3) Give up. You’re 2/3 of  the way through a tempo run and it hurts, you want to stop.

Quit, stop running, give up and walk.

See what happens to your mind when you give up. Do you feel guilty for your actions? Do you feel like you’ve cheated yourself out of a quality experience?

How does your body feel after you’ve stopped? Do you think you could have kept going or were you really at the point where you would have simply thrown up on yourself?

Perspective on giving in will make you stronger when the feeling arises again. You’ll remember what it’s like to give up and fight it.

(4) Use what works for others. You’re reading advice here, and most likely elsewhere on the web, in books, from elites, from your buddy, and perhaps many other places.

Everyone has a story about drills, workouts, food, race tactics, etc. which have brought them superb results. Copy them exactly and expect the same results — after all they did it and it worked.

Get baffled when you don’t get the same effect. Why is that? Why was someone else able to do something which had no effect for you? Was it because you’re a different person than they are?

(5) Race over your head. Try to run a marathon on very little training. Or a half marathon.

Sure you’ve only ever run a 5k at a local race, but how much longer is a half marathon anyway? Just sign up for a race, do what you can, and get your butt on the starting line for the run.

You’ll be surprised what your body is capable of.

If you can’t convince yourself to go that crazy, then go out hard in a local 5k — faster than you’d think sane and hang on. You’ll most likely wish you went slower, but what if you finish? What if you learn you’re capable of more than your expectations?

Go ahead and fail already.

Your fear of failure may be the biggest opponent you’ll face on your road to learning to run well. Don’t be afraid to flame out, as long as you learn. You may just stumble on something which truly resonates with you.

Now is a great time to become more of an expert on you.