Claiming that we would be hot yoga-ing 4 times last week was a magnificent example of giving a hostage to fortune. I knew it as I wrote it. It’s why I wrote it. The sentence was tapped out meticulously, and slowly, with my left hand. I was using my right to hold that gun to my own head.
Bang!
We had already missed one scheduled session when M had to visit her parents at short notice, and since she returned, she’s been squirming in agony with acute lower back pain, scuppering plans to return to the studio over the weekend. She’s not in a good way: barely able to move, and being hit by a spasm of pain every few seconds. As I write, it’s been going on for 48 hours. Minor rant: why are doctor’s surgeries open Monday to Friday only? Is it assumed that we are sick only during office hours?
The better news is that I managed a run yesterday evening, at sunset. Just 3.5 miles, but significantly better than my previous few attempts, when I could manage only short bursts of jogging between panting spells of walking. This time I jogged the entire way without any great difficulty, stopping just once to adjust my ipod. For the first time in about 8 months, I arrived back home from a jaunt with a sweat-drenched teeshirt. What a sense of satisfaction this simple, sticky stain induced.
The second notable thing about the run was that I managed nearly all of it without landing on my heels. I’m trying to gradually change my running style to help avoid heel striking, which could well be partly responsible for my calf troubles.
Like many before me, reading the Christopher McDougall book, Born To Run, has made me think again about footwear and gait. His belief, based on Dr Daniel Lieberman’s paper in Nature (see also here) is that modern running shoes with their emphasis on cushioned heels and ‘protection’ has done more harm than good by forcing us to hit the ground heel first, instead of the more natural midfoot/forefoot first. Heel striking bypasses the body’s built-in suspension mechanisms provided by the arch in the foot. McDougall contends that prior to the 1970s, the decade that saw the introduction of specialist, over-padded running shoes, running injuries were virtually unknown. In other words, the shoes were created ostensibly to solve a problem that didn’t even exist. Moreover, use of the shoes has actually created those problems that they then seek to redress. It’s a glorious piece of self-referential irony based, say McDougall and others, on marketing imperatives rather than a genuine desire to insulate the runner from danger. (Or at least, marketing was the initial impulse, from which this monstrous pseudo-science has grown.)
Is this just flavour of the month? Who knows. It has a pleasing ring of authenticity, and provides a satisfying punch to the guts of Nike, Adidas et al, whose ostentatious, pretentious advertising has long been an irritant. The trouble is, moving from heel striking to midfoot is no trivial transaction. Too-much-too-soon is dangerous. The change of gait means a biomechanical change. Stresses shift, and the sudden change in pressure points can create the very strained calf muscles that I’m trying to flee.
So it’s easy does it at the moment. I’ve been barefoot walking around the house and garden a lot over recent weeks. I even invested in a pair of Vibram FiveFingers (VFFs) a while ago, and have been walking round the large playing field at the back on my house, trying to coax corrupted nature back into my body. Last night’s run was in a pair of wicked Asics. It will be a while before I risk road running in VFFs, never mind barefoot.
In the meantime, I have to get M back on her feet or I won’t have a yoga partner. Stretching and core fitness has to plod alongside any attempt to change running style.
9 comments On Footloose and Nikefree
Have you seen a podiatrist about it yet, Andy?
Yeah, I’m not sure if I fancy literal barefoot running but like you, I’m aiming to alter my running style and I think the VFFs can help to encourage me.
That said, as Twitter followers will know, my calf ‘went’ again on Wednesday, 1.5 miles into a run. Same routine – felt like a sprain, but next day it ached a bit, but nothing serious. And today? Completely gone. So it’s not a strain. must be some sort of sudden, severe cramp or seizure that stops me from running, but doesn’t casue permanent damage. I should be grateful that it’s not more incapacitating than it is, but it’s still frustrating. Trying to run midfoot/forefoot probably isn’t helping in the short term as this puts extra stain on the calf.
‘Born to Run’ has a lot to answer for! That reminds me, I must ask SP if he’s done with my copy – I need to revisit some of the technical sections to get my own style back on track.
As in all things running, style and form are unique to each of us. I’m not over zealous about barefoot running; rather I see it as a way to amend my exisitng running style, to allow me to cover greater distances without injury or pain. More than annything I found following some of McDougall’s advice lead to better posture, alleviating lower back pain (on old running bug-bear of mine). The VFFs allow me to assess how my footfall is progressing (or not, as I suspect is the case just at the moment) and to keep my hand (foot) in.
I love the feel of soft turf under my VFFs. There’s nothing quite like it, though I think I’ll restrict my barefoot distance to no more than 8 kilometres for the time being.
Welcome TJ.
It may be just temporary, but dodgy calfs have a habit of reappearing like some weird cousin, when least expected, so be careful. If you’re going to be out of running action for a couple of weeks, try not to raid the beer fridge too often. I do a lot spin classes as non-impact cardiovascular. Other people swim or use an elliptical x-trainer. It’s good to try to do something strenuous that won’t exacerbate it. All too easy to get too laidback about running downtime, as I know to my cost. My weight fluctuates by 30 pounds every year, depending on whether I’m being active or not.
As for the barefoot stuff, if you’ve not already done so, it’s well worth reading the Born To Run book. Entertaining, and gives you plenty to think about.
Hey, thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such good advice. I am hoping my injury is just temporary. However, if the problem persists, I will ask my doctor to recommend a sports doctor. Maybe switching to the barefoot thing will resolve all my issues? or create some new ones!
And here’s a new take on the barefoot movement: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/sep/11/barefoot-walking-holidays-britain
Although I have to say, the commercial rider at the bottom – “Alison O’Neill (015396 20134, shacklabank.co.uk) offers a day’s guided barefoot walk, with half-board accommodation in the shepherd’s hut, from £135 per person” – puts Nike, Adidas etc to shame with its, er, shamelessness. Harry Enfield’s “I saw you coming” character springs to mind.
Highly creditable, EG. Not only a very satisfactory run, reaping the fruits of your recent cardio labours, but a successful adjustment of the running form, which I know is no mean feat.
I think the free-running movement needs a slogan, like “Forefoot running – have you got the balls?”
Personally I’m slightly sceptical of the shoe-manufacturer conspiracy theory, because I can’t help thinking that before cushioned shoes, only natural athletes ran significant distances. The improved technology opened the door to injury-prone, everyday Joes and Joannas like us.
Best wishes to M for a quick recovery – sounds awful. I had a similar thing recently – maybe not as bad – which went astonishingly quickly once the doc dosed me up with horse tranquilisers. I guess you know that the received wisdom these days is, counter-intuitively, keep moving and minimise sitting.
Thanks MLCM – great video featuring the aforementioned Daniel Lieberman from Harvard. Well worth watching.
Not sure if I’ll ever get as far as barefoot road running but I would like to gradually change my running style.
Not a lot new here, but this video shows the logic of barefoot running: http://tinyurl.com/2ekr8ta
However, I gotta say, that guy must be mad to run barefoot in the snow…