Wearing shoes again

So after the Half I did what I always do after a race- I completely stop running.  I can see I improve over the months & years but I would probably improve a lot faster if I didn't lose all motivation to run every few months. I ran 8 miles a few weeks ago and 3 miles today.

The 8-miler a few weeks ago ended in quite literally, bloody disaster.  I ran on a really rough trail (cheap and seal asphalt) after having done little barefoot running in the month or so before that.... because I ended up running my 16-miler and half in Merrell Trail Gloves and what do you KNOW when you don't condition your soles you can get blisters when you run 8 miles on rough surfaces.  I looked like an idiot hobbling, whining, EXTREMELY slowly for the last 2 miles to the end of the trail after I totally thrashed my soles.  Some other British runners who my running partner and I had passed even got to see my shame and suggest, "Maybe wear some trainers next time?" Yes.  Probably next time I will wear some "trainers".  I wanted to yell at them that I had run nearly twice this distance with no pain before but its useless... but once you're the insane barefoot runner who runs until her feet are slinging blood splatters all over your ankles there isn't much you can say.

You see, I've only been running for a few years. I am by no means a running expert.  I started running in Vibram Fivefinger Sprints with the Couch to 5k program in March 2011... by the time I was running ten miles I had some pain in the tops of my feet (where the straps were) so I took my shoes off.  It felt great.  I learned about barefoot running and decided to see how far I could take it.  In August 2011 I started building up to 3-4 miles and I had blisters. I read about form... a million things... high cadence, soft feet, relaxed legs, lean forward, etc... and it got better.  I could run 6-10 miles easily barefoot for a couple of years. I stopped wearing shoes.  I still got injured.  A few times I bloodied my big toes and though about putting shoes back on but even the minimalist Vibrams weren't as comfortable as being barefoot.  Even my everyday walking around shoes became uncomfortable... anything with a structured sole or the slightest heel was uncomfortable.  It wasn't that big of a deal.  I wore ballet flats and flip-flops and continued to run barefoot.

I also continued to have bad experiences.  My first half marathon was a trail race.  Filled with sticks and tiny rocks and root and slabs of rocks and more roots.  By mile 9 my feet were bruised to hell and I put on my Vibram Bikilas to finish.  It was not a fun race.  I decided to at least wear minimal shoes for trails longer than 10ks.  Trails weren't always miserable barefoot- mud and soft pine needles on dirt are actually quite wonderful to run on barefoot.  I broke in minimal shoes on the road and started running more 50% shoes and 50% barefoot.  My last half was in shoes and it felt great, physically.  I don't think they are quite the right shoes (Merrell Trail Gloves) because they give me achilles pain I don't have when barefoot but I also don't have to constantly be looking out for surface dangers that I would need to be wary of when barefoot.  I ran my 3 miler today in Vibram Bikilas and it felt pretty good.

I feel like the barefoot running community is not as upfront about the injuries that come along with it.  Sure, you probably won't have shin splints or as many knee problems and for me it was the most comfortable way to run for a long time.  But after the blister fiasco from the 8 mile run a few weeks ago I have to wonder if I'm just trading some injuries for others.  I think I will probably always do some mileage barefoot because I still enjoy it but my running goals aren't based around that anymore.  I want to go farther and faster.  I am about to start training for my first marathon- Big Sur 2014.  I'm sure I could do it barefoot; I think I might have a little more fun and achieve loftier speed goals if I put some (minimalist) shoes on. So that's what I'm doing for now.

Skirt 'n Dirt 10k Race Report

This Saturday I ran a really fun trail race called the Skirt 'n Dirt Trail Run in Redwood Regional Park in Oakland, CA.  I ran the 10k distance but there was also a 25k and 50k distance.  I was running with my good friend Liane, it was her first 10k and she did GREAT! It was an all-women's race with a companion race called Stud 'n Mud that ran with us but it was mostly women.  The race organizer, Inside Trail Racing was awesome and I would highly recommend any races organized by them for several reasons:

1) The trail markers were vandalized and volunteers got up super early to fix this so we could have a safe and fun race.  What nice people, right? 

2) They had lightly flavored or unflavored electrolyte drinks instead of Gatorade. They also had plenty of yummy snacks.

3) SWAG. I got a hat, a shirt, a wine glass (right?) and medal. For a 10k this is pretty awesome bang for your registration buck. 

The race is in the Oakland Hills which I have run before during my half-marathon last year during the Cinderella Trail Run.   They are absolutely beautiful trails and also have plenty of rocks that make barefooting not the most fun. So, I strapped on my Vibram Fivefinger Bikilas and intending to enjoy the scenery of towering Redwoods instead of picking my way around rocks on the trail. The Bikilas worked well enough except for a weird bruising in the joint of one of my toes. I'm looking around at other trail shoes without toe pockets.

I arrived a little later than when I had agreed to meet up with my friend so I warmed up running around between the check-in table and the bathrooms before I found her.  We started off at 8:30 am. after the 25k and 50k runners started at 8:00 a.m. This might have been a little late for a summer run but 90% of the run was in delightful heavy shade.  I had checked out the elevation profile and was a little intimidated- it was "only" 850 ft. elevation change for the 10k but 600 of that was in the first 2.5 miles and the 500 ft. climb from mile 1.5-2.5 was... challenging to say the least.  I need to run more hills.

Took a couple of blurry pictures with my phone while catching my breath on the climb. 

However, after that initial beast of a climb it was mostly downhill from there!  It was a pretty small race so I was running alone most of the time with just a couple glimpses of a person in front of and behind me.  There were a lot more roots on this trail than on my other trail runs and that proved to be my quite literal downfall in the last mile of the race.  My right foot caught a root and I went down on my hands and my right knee.  I hopped up and hobbled the rest of the way not sure how bad it was hurt.  The medical technician wrapped it with ice and although I've got a nasty bruise, a swollen knee and a slight limp today it is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I think walking around after the race helped the potential stiffness.

My time was 1:14:06- not a personal best of course but my personal best for 10k was on a flat road and this was a hilly trail so they're really not comparable.  I did come in 3rd in my age group which was my first time placing in a race!  Great race overall and it is getting me pumped for my Fall Halfs! 

Weekly Mileage Ending 8/11/13

8/6- 3 miles in Vibram Fivefinger Bikilas
8/7- 5 miles in VFF Bikilas
8/8- 4 miles in VFF Bikilas
8/10-3 miles barefoot
8/11- 10 miles barefoot

Total: 25 miles (12 in Bikilas, 13 barefoot)

I guess this week was a little bit of an experiment to see if I could easily switch between minimalist shoes and barefoot.  My arches were still tender and bruised in the beginning of the week from the Sibley Volcanic Preserve trail run so I used the Bikilas until they were mostly healed.  The collar of the shoes are a little tight, I'm not sure if that will stretch out and be more comfortable because I've put less than 50 miles on those shoes in the year or so I've had them.  Going back to a cushioned shoe, even a minimally cushioned one like the Bikila, allows me to run faster, easier and fly down hills.  It also makes my ankles hurt a little more than barefoot running and I've been having twinges in my right knee this week.  I think I'll definitely still use the Bikilas on technical trails and when I want to keep my mileage up but my soles are bruise or injured.  However, running 10 miles barefoot this week in Golden Gate Park felt a lot better than the short runs I've been doing in shoes.  Next week is Week 1 of my Half-Marathon Training plan.  I'm shooting for at least the ZombieRunner Halloween Half on November 2, but also probably the San Jose Rock N Roll Half (that will be a "training run" for ZombieRunner) and possibly the Berkeley Half before I start my training for Big Sur.