Osteopathy. Get your body fixed.

I am back to it. And more than happy about it. After many months on and off, after many runs with soles, after many knee issues, wearing a knee cap (that felt good by the way), I am happy to run again, every day, and without any problem. Why and what was the issue? Well, eventually, after so many small knee issues, I decided to see an osteopath. That was amazing! The manipulator immediately identified that the problem was not located on the knee, but in the foot. He unblocked the bones of the foot and asked me to go back to run barefoot immediately. That was great. Remember that I was thinking about surgery, suggested by a few doctors (with title those). It is amazing how some people with legitimity can decide without much thinking some traumatic intervention that would not be needed. I strongly recommend to any one to see alternatives before taking big decisions like this.

Anyway, the point is that I am now back to full running with my 5f's and really happy about it.

On hollidays, I have run more for more than one week every day, alternating between 35' and 65' everyday without any knee problem anymore. The issue was indeed really in the foot and it took very simple manipulation from someone with the right knowledge to notice. Great and running barefoot is really another sensation.

After couple of years, more than three in fact, I am now running regularly fully bf and I estimate that I have eventually done a successfull transition to bf running. In addition to the other advices, 7mm, take it easy, the last and an important one, is also to get your body fixed.

By the way, two aspects I need to mention.
First, I went to see someone formed at the Poyet school. That was important. Loved it, and I strongly recommend it. I don't know if you can find one easily but I really loved it.
Second, I need to mention that he, the manipulator, knew the whole barefoot running trend and was very positive about it. He is a professional and totaly in favor of bf running. This is to counter those legal issue that vibram had recently (see previous posts).

I am thinking about running the Seville marathon barefoot this year. We shall see.

Get your body fixed, keep running.

feels good!

It feels so good.
I just love to run with my 5Fs. They are extremely light, it feels so natural to run. But may be the most important is right after running.
With shoes, I used to feel destroyed, pretty hurt in the lower articulations, knees and hips. General bad feeling all around the body.
With my 5Fs, I just feel good all over. A few hours after the run, I actually feel like I want to go back again. It feels really really good after the run.
I am getting more and more addicted to my 5Fs.
Hope you enjoy them too.

Running for a healthier life

Recent study demonstrate that running regularly has positive effect on your becoming older.
In their study,Ortega et al., Plos One 2014 compared the metabolic effects of running regularly versus walking. They found a positive correlation between mitigation of the age-related deterioration of walking economy. Interestingly, walking for exercise appears to have minimal effect on the same parameters. The authors measured walking economy using expired gas analysis and walking mechanics via ground reaction forces during the last 2 minutes of each 5 minute trial. A a greater metabolic cost (worse economy) compared to young adults is a distinctive characteristic of impaired walking performance among older adults, which itself is a key predictor of morbidity among older adults. This analysis only add to the wealth of other that show the positive effect of moving regularly on life expectancy and quality. Doint exercise lengthen your life, delay dependency arrival. All this translate into an important of economical cost that is not spent by public health system.

Back to running 2014

Back to regular running.
Almost holidays in Belgium. Perfect weather, unlike Sevilla.
Have been running 55' and 65'. No problem. After one week in Germany, where I was swimming and climbing, I am back to running every day. Twice 55' so far, Tuesday, Wednesday. Have been using the knee protection just in case, more prevention than anything else. Alternatively on left and right knee.
I have learned from bare foot running to have shorter but faster strides, but always below the breast. And I do wear bf shoes every day now. Just love my bf shoes.
Another 55' on Thursday. All good.
Friday no time, stayed with children.
65' on Saturday and 63' on Sunday, no problem.

Ran 30' barefoot in Sevilla 09/08/14
Ran 50' barefoot in Menorca 15/08/14

Have been running mostly barefoot ever since then in Sevilla. The weather is now perfect for that.
Run in Tournai, BE 1h, Bruxelles, forest de Soigne 1h, then again in Tournai.

All go so far.

Conclusion I

That's it, I am back from injuries and now I know what and why. The real trick is to run below your body. What I mean is that you don't want your feet to pass in front of your torso. Keep your steps shorts. More rapid if you want but short, below your body.

I am just back from a long knee problems, see some previous posts. But after close to two years of ons and offs, I am now back to long runs. Well, all shod, of course, but I ran twice 90' without any problem. The only trick is to keep your feet below your body, really. I even bought myself one of those knee pads to hold it together. But what really made if for me what to stay with short strides, may be faster, but short. Don't bring your feet in front of you. And land on the heel.

So, of course, that's what bf running do for you, it forces you not to land on the heel. Just try it once and you will see. I promise you will not do it twice. However, I already wasted my body quite a lot. I cut my Achilles tendon, twice in fact, and had various knee injuries due to skiing. So I guess that all together that doesn't help with the quite traumatic bf running.

I am not done with bf though. I am actually anxious to leave my soled shoes at home and grab my 5fs. But I will wait a while. I will first do a couple of long runs, coupled with speed training before I go back to bf. I do love it though. But again, you have to take it easy, go slow.

And definitively, keep your feet below your body. Enjoy your next run.

Running in the heat

New job, new city, new running schedule
38 Degres 30'
42 Degres 36'
Back to shoes, not knee pain but knee feeling and no shoes in belgium.
3 more in Belgium, 45, 50, 55.
Now back to the heat, 1h02' at 8am. Not so hot, but already heat.
Now with shoes, better knee, but more general less precise feeling, more disperse. Unclear.

Back to one hour. Feel very good in the legs, in the body in general.
What I will do now is to alternate 1/2h bf with 1h shod.
Knee problem probably due to cut Achilles tendon.
Just ran 30' bf. Feels great.
Went twice to 1h shod, then 30' bf, everyday.
1h shod again. Ok. So far, so good, but beginning to feel the knees. Not sure what to do at that stage. Knee is still not OK, and clearly feeling worst after running bf. In addition, I just started again to play in-line roller hockey. Thus, I will keep the running low for a while.

The dildo works (at least that's what she sais)!

So, after five sessions of dildoing, I can say that my knee is much better.

Apparently, my muscles were too stiff and needed some relaxing and to recover their tonus, responsiveness. Interestingly, this explanation given to my by the practitioner is completely different from the one provided by the doctor, which was that I was getting old and my knee lubricant had lost its fluidity, was becoming more solid.
Whoever is right, I don't care. What I can say is that knee and muscles are much better now. Interestingly, my dildo practitioner also said, that in order to prevent this type of problem, I should stretch more. That is indeed true. I had considerably reduced and even stopped stretching in the last year. I did that because it kind of didn't feel good any more. Now, I can stretch much better. So did I stop because I was stiff or what I stiff because I stopped stretching, I don't know, but it indeed seems to be related.

What I can not believe is that I lost more than a year and 2 half marathon, at least 1 triathlon because of this. If I had gone to see this doctor last year, ...

But you know what it is, you always feel like it will go away alone, that you can do better by yourself, ....

Damn, we should all go to the doctor more often. In fact as soon as you feel something.

Anyway, as a dear friend of mine would say, a little dildoing from time to time can bring big satisfactions in life.

Don't be afraid, try it!

Something in my old knee

So this is it, apparently, according to the doctor, I am getting old. I mean, you know that for a while, I have had knee issues. I finally went to see a doctor, did an MRI, everything. the result is: Nothing. Nothing is wrong with my knee. According to the expert, I am just getting old, and sometimes, with age, the liquid there loose some water and becomes more less fluid, more crystalline and this should be the cause of my problem. He recommends taking it easy and some manipulation, massages and heating-vibrating dildo-looking thing. We will see what it does. First appointment in two weeks.

In the mean time, I have been taking it easy and back to shoes again. It is actually a lot better. I can still feel the knee but it is just a feeling now. In the last 3 weeks, I have been running 32' with shoes at an easy pace, then the directly following day, 27' barefoot at a very easy pace with my daughter (suddenly she want to run too, it was her first time, I went really easy), Next week 55' with shoes easy pace, and yesterday 55' bf at a mean pace. It was ok and the knee old, but muscles are painful today. It is amazing how quickly you loose it, I wasn't even pushing it much yesterday.

Anyway, this is just the situation now, let's see after the dildo-massage.

Keep on running.

Knee cap NMR today

Have not been writing much lately.
I do have a big problem with my knee cap.
Going to NMR today. Sorry about that.

Knee issue again

Back to shoes
1st point, I don't like it. I really miss my 5Fs. Really, you don't the difference if you haven't tried it. I really look forward to each time I go barefoot, not shoes.
On the other side, I still felt a problem on my knee, not so much while running barefoot, but after, specially the day after. So I went back to shoes to see if it makes a difference. And it seems that it does. It seems better now, but may be it is also due to the exercises of active stretching I did after running. I did the same thing with the Achilles tendon. Going up and down on the border of stairs. Feeling that the sensations were similar, I thought about doing similar active stretches with the knee. And it seems that it helps so far. I will see how it develop.
Because of this, I didn't register to the HD/2. Once again. But last year, I register and didn't run. This year, I hope my knee will be OK by then and I could probably find a spare ticket somewhere. If you have one too many, let me know.
Let's see how the knee develops.

Frozen toesII

Whaow, it is cold now in Germany. Snowing too. I just went out. Pretty happy about it. -1 Degrees inside the city, so probably -4/-5 outside of it, where I do most of my running. Completely snow covered floor. Was pretty slippery, and combined it with running on the snow-removed street. I had cold toes during the 5 first minutes, but it quickly warms up with the run.

Went for 16km in 76 minutes. I felt great, really great. I really need to insist on the fact that despite the few issues you might have red, I really enjoy running barefoot. But really really much. It is so much nicer than shod. I haven't run with shoes since 2-3 months and really don't have any will to do so. Even today, with frozen snow covered ground, I went out with my 5F's and felt good about it.

It also seems that the superstition is broken, since I don't feel anything bad after coming back to the blog. Let's hope this will last.

Anyway, even snow covered runs feel great. This week and the next will be work intensive for me, with little time to train, but after that, I will seriously train for the Heidelberg half-marathon. See you there?

Preparing HD half 2013

I have been quite silent in the last months. Kind of superstitiously afraid of posting here that I am fine. Anyway, I though it is time to break this stupid superstition and get on with it.

So, I am back to running at least 2 and sometime 3 times per week, barefoot only and back on hills. I even went back to do some interval trainings on the track. I still have some very faint feelings on both tendon and in the right knee, but nothing worth considering. It will soon be time to register to the HD 1/2 marathon. And to get ready for it.

I hope this year will be it. See you there?

Back to normal? Again? 1st year.

So, long time not written. I actually had some issues, with the Achille tendon and the corresponding knee, the right ones. Similar kind of feelings, not pain, but at certain movements, either a slight pain or a feeling of something there. I took it easy, meaning mainly went flat, massaged both regions and also went back to shoes from time to times. It looks over now. I barely fell the knee when I serach for it and overdo it on purpose.

Two weeks ago I was in Spain for Christmas. I ran every single day, always on 5F'ed, always on flat, alternating 45' and 1h. It felt really good.
Everything is so good that today, I even went back to hills around home. I was feeling very good, good pace and even scored a pretty good time.

So it looks like I am back on track again, I even felt the will to do some intervals next time. The only problem is that it starts being cold in Heidelberg, it even snowed tonight.

Will see how it goes.

Anyway, it is more than a year now that I started running barefoot, or more precisely with 5Fs minimalistic shoes and this blog at the same time. And I want to say that I do love it. It is much more enjoyable. I love running barefoot and hope that I won't have to go back to shoes. I only wish I could have read the kind of advices provided in this blog before I started. So don't forget, 7 mm sole minimum, take it easy, start slow and flat, if you think you are ready, wait another round and think again.

Best wishes and a lot of fun running barefoot.

Brains plus Brawn, or is it?

Yes, I know, long time no news. I have been taking it easy those last days, I had this Achileas tendon pain plus a small one on the knee. I run twice a week, only on flat. It is fine now, the tendon feeling is gone and the knee is only weakly present. Will start running hills again soon.

I wanted to attract your attention to the following conversation with Daniel Lieberman Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University. Prof. Lieberman is the one that did those studies about impact forces while running with shoes or barefoot, very interesting studies that I intended to comment on here, but never found the time. Now, in this conversation, he summarizes and adds his personal view on those analysis and others, and what it means to be a running human. Very very interesting and provides the basis for why we love barefoot running.

I can't resist to give you a few quotes from this very interesting discussion:

"We didn't evolve to wear high-heeled cushioned shoes and crash into the ground. We actually evolved to run lightly and gently, because it hurts to land on the ground the way people do in shoes."

or,

"Our lives are filled with problems like insomnia and constipation that are extremely recent. They're novel, and they're caused by the way in which we misuse our bodies."

or again,

"I would argue that a lot of shoes actually cause people to become injured because they're comfortable."

and eventually, my favorite

"We love comfort, and people make a lot of money selling us comfort, but I would challenge the notion that comfort is usually good for us."

Eventually, he finishes with a conclusion from his recent study that barefoot/forefoot runners have less injury that shod ones. Of course, the running shoe industry would like you to doubt that.

Back to 5Fs

That's it, went back to barefoot. Very easy pace, 41' only. I turned around as soon as I felt something on the Achilles tendon. It is fine, doesn't hurt, but I didn't want to take any risk and have done so. Tendons are fine now, although I have some sensations in both, giving myself some preventive massages though. It is weird, I have a friend having had the same thing or may be worst but he was running with shoes, never ran barefoot. On the other side, we use to do a lot of uphill running too, so this is most likely the reason.

Let's see how it evolves while cooling down. Will now intend to increase the pace and the distance, no hills before a while though.

Anyone out there having had the same experience in the Achilles tendon with hills or barefoot, or both? Leave a message.

Have just been running again 3 days later with shoes, Wednesday. Increased the pace, 67' on flat. Absolutely no pain in the tendons, but weak feelings. I am also giving me preventive massage once or twice a day. Feeling good now, ready to go back barefoot and slowly increase the pace and distance. That was just a test run to see if shoes are OK. There is thus definitively something between shoes and hills that act similarly on the Achilles tendon. Take it easy on the hills if you are starting to run barefoot.

Went again 3 days later, Saturday, not long, not strong, 47' only but with 5Fs. Felt very good, nothing at all in the tendons, looks like I am well on my way to recovery. No hills, or shoes on hills. Didn't want to overdone it because tomorrow Monday, I am going back up the hill to a classical run with my ex-colleagues. Will go up the hills again, so will do it with shoes. I don't feel like I am ready to do hills without shoes just yet. I will keep you informed on Monday.

That is it, have ran back with my ex-colleagues up the hills. The Monday recovery tract. Did it in just below one hour, 59'30'', not the best time, but it was good to see that I don't have Achilles tendon problem anymore, with shoes though. Felt fine yesterday and fine today. Discussing with them it seems that this is a fairly common problem with runners, kind of blood cloth accumulating in the tendon. Mine seems fine now. Still giving me some weak and sparse massage though. Anyway, running back up the hill was good.  I confirm, hills with shoes, barefoot on flat, that seems to be the trick, at least for the first year of 5Fs running.

Shoes and flat

Just ran 45' with shoes on flat, very easy pace. No sensations at the Achilles tendon during the run. Now that it is cooling down, I begin to feel a very light sensation, nothing worth worrying. But still something. However, as expected, much better on flat. Will keep running with shoes on flat for a while. Then introduce some 5Fs, slowly, easy. Indeed, confirmed, went again 4 days later, 60' with shoes on totally flat track. No problem at all, absolutely no feelings in the Achilles tendon. Thus it was clearly due to the combination of barefoot and hills. I was extremely tired while running, went slow, but the important bit is that I had no feelings at all in the tendon. Next, I will slowly go back to 5Fs, first on flat and introduce hills very very slowly. Important lesson here, barefoot + hills is not good, you have to take it easy on this too. Went again 3 days later, slowly increasing the pace and the length, introducing some hills. 66', first half with my daughter following on bike, easy pace with some sprint between us. Second half alone and faster pace. No problem on the Achilles tendon. It was thus indeed the hills the problem. Next time, will go barefoot, easy and flat. Keep on running.

Got it now

Went back to run this morning. It wasn't so great, I slightly feel something in the Achilles tendons again, in both. Nothing painful, but worrying.

The good news is that I know what is the problem now.

The problems are the hills, at least the up part. Going down is fine. And it make sense. Because of the inclinations, the Achilles tendons are slightly more stretched than normal. In addition, you are going up, so you pull more on an already overstretched tendons. The results is slight deterioration of your tendons. So, a new recommendation, don't go up hill at the beginning. Down hill is file, if you can do only that.

I will try this new trick next week, choosing another path to go same length but only on flat.

Now that I realized this, it all start to make sense. Actually, I started having this problem when I thought I had done it and was ready. I then started on my usual but demanding hilly path, and that's when the Achilles tendons started to complain. Did I mention already that I completely tore apart my right Achilles tendon some five years ago. Interestingly, the right is not worst than the left now. I have the same issue on both sides. But make sense, I though I was ready, started on hills, putting more pressure on already overstretched tendons. They didn't like it. I had similar issues when I started too early to put more pressure on my legs by starting too early to make fast sessions. Again, tendons complained.

It looks like I am having a lot of problems with my 5Fs shoes, but in fact, we are making a lot of progress. And all the problems I have had in the past are slowly getting solved. So I am confident that I should soon be able to enjoy long injury-free barefoot runs. It feels so much better with my 5Fs.

Interesting, since I went back to shoes, lower back pain while sitting at my desk have come back. This was one of the reasons, probably the main, for my willingness to go barefoot. Clearly shod running is not good for the back and the joints. So I really want to be able to go back to barefoot since it clearly improves a lot my daily condition, specially with work. However, you have to be careful during the transition to barefoot.

Stay tuned for more advices.

Back to shoes

Haaiie! Achilles tendon hurt!

Last week before taking the plane to go on holidays, I ran 1h08 at a good pace to relax the legs before a short flight. The day after, both Achilles tendons did hurt. Not much but enough to be disturbing. I was giving myself massages of the tendons for two days. After a week of rest, it is ok, but there is clearly something there that I don't like. And it is related to barefoot running. I went running again today, 58' with shoes. No pain at all, even after cooling down. So there is definitively linked to barefoot running. I might not be as ready as I expected to be.

The running was great. I love to run, with or without shoes. But it is nicer, more enjoyable without.

What I will do now is to go back to shoes, and only run barefoot every other time. We will see how it develop and if I start again dropping the shoes more often.

Seems like going barefoot is not so easy eventually. Well, that's the point of this blog. If it was easy, it won't be needed.

Keep tuned.

Another recovery?

Recovery almost completed, I ran 65' completely barefoot at a normal pace, followed 2 days after by a short easy pace run of 30'. No feelings in the ankle. Happy to be back on 5Fs.
Will attempt a classical run tomorrow Saturday followed by a run in the woods, in my old work place two days after on Monday. Let's see how what happens. I hope to be able to run Craichgau in a bit more than a month. Training won't have been optimal, so I don't expect to finish it below the 90' mark this time, but let's see if I can finish it on 5Fs.

Saturday morning, just ran my classical 13km at a good pace, in 60'. Happy. And running feels good again. I am back on track.
Monday, back to my old working place, up the hill, ran the classical Monday track in a good time, just 59', when the usual challenge is to do it below the hour, usually around 58' with a best time of 56'. So 59' is ok, not excellent, but good enough. All 5Fs, of course. And now, 4 hours after it, it feels good, so I think I am completely recovered now.

On Thursday, I went back again to my ex-working place. I ran the classical most difficult track, the famous Koenigsthul. 15Km going up and down the hill above the city. Difficult, long, high climb. I almost hit my personal best, and certainly a very good mark in 66'45''. Just below 67'. We use to consider normal to do it below 70', and a good time below 68. But 66'45 is certainly very good. Meaning I indeed recovered. Now I need to increase the weekly mileage.

Back to training then.

Back to big cushion shoes

I know, long time not written. This was due to two main points. First I was extremely frustrated not to have taken part to the HD half-marathon due to injury. Second, I hurt myself again. Well, not exactly hurt, didn't hurt, feeling in the back of the Achileas' tendon. Probably due to the fact that I was so excited that I overdid it when not totally recovered from the injury. At some point, I was running 3 to 4 times a week more than 1 hour each sometimes, 2 days in a row.

So I stopped completely running for two weeks, and now back to big cushion shoes. I don't know if my feeling in the tendon is due to the barefoot running, but it is clear that barefoot, your tendon is more solicited which is why in recovery mode, I went back to running shoes. 

This is the occasion to be back to the old 'shoe feeling and compare the two.

First, I don't enjoy it. I feel the difference. Much more traumatic, more difficult and less enjoyable. I really don't like anymore to run with shoes. Running barefoot is so different. So much more sensation, just this sensation of lightness at your feet instead of having to drag to big heavy shoes. Then the sensation of the ground, and all its irregularities. And then the impact, or the lack of, the absorption of the impact by your feet. Amazing.

Second, I feel the difference in the posture too. It is clear that with shoes, my strike has the tendency to be heel first, my shoulders moving backwards, if I don't pay attention to it. May be that is my default running posture that I learned by all those years with shoes. I have to pay attention to push my shoulders forwards and lend on the middle of the foot. I know some runners that are just natural middle or even front foot runners. May be the related injuries are different too.

Anyway, this problem is getting better, I am resting, running less, only once a week, now back to one hour, but I was down of that before.  I will take it easy with shoes until it disappear but I really hope to very soon, I'll be able to go back barefoot. The difference is so amazing. And if everything goes well, I hope to be able to run the craichgau half marathon. Of course, the real challenge would be to do it below 90'. Cheers