Barefoot Running Drills: Q&A
Recently I’ve been working on relearning to run. The process is intended to address some chronic injuries I’ve been getting, and hopefully reverse the damage I’ve caused due to my original running style. The primary focus has been to teach me to run with a mid foot strike instead of a heel strike. I’ve been doing several drills and making some progress. Here’s a recent exchange with my Physical Therapist about my barefoot running drills:
Dear PT:
I’ve been doing the following drills, with the following results:
- Barefoot running - I like this drill alot. I have to admit I have gotten a couple blisters, but I can really feel the ground, and it gives me confidence than I am landing in the right place… at least I think I’m landing in the right place. I ran about .5 miles in my first track session at shoreline, then on sunday I ran about 1 mile actually on the BG trail. I was wearing my socks, but really it felt very comfortable running on the trail with no shoes. Then I ran about .75 miles at the track at Roosevelt HS last night. Blisters are my only complaint.
- Rubber band - I really don’t like this drill. The band pulls my hair (I’ve tried wearing longer socks). But more importantly I feel like I’m going to fall over. Can I stop with this drill?
- The Pony/One legged - I hope I’m getting the hang of this… I worked on this at both track sessions I did.
- Cadence 180 - I think I’m getting this down… I am considering making my self a 190 cadence and trying to switch to that.
Results… my lower calves are really feeling it. I guess that’s good. But I am having confidence that I’m doing well.
Is there anyway for me to better know if I’m landing in the right place on my foot? I can tell from my socks where I’m landing. It’s mostly on the pads of my feet behind the toes, on the edge of where my arch starts. Is that correct?
-Brad
——————————————————
Hey Brad,
Yeah I really like the barefoot work myself, but be very careful with overdoing it. You might like this product; http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/ . I have a pair of these and really enjoy them, did a 3 mile run my first time with them, which turned out to be a bit too much, but really like them.
You can stop doing the band drill, or just to a little bit of it, it’s meant to teach you what it feels like to put your foot down earlier and not overstride.
We’ll recheck the Pony drill, and we’ll start some Cadence Intervals next time too.
I expect to have the calves work harder, but listen to them and be careful not to strain them. If you are running too far forward on your toes you will really increase the strain on your calf. I remember that your heels were hanging too high sometimes when you were jogging in the clinic, so let the heel touch down (after the midfoot), but keep the impact at a minimum.
From your description it sounds like you are landing in the right spot. We will recheck it.
-Your PT
As I mentioned in my note to my PT, my biggest complaint is my calves. They are really beeing activated in a different way. Hopefully, it’s not because I’m “hanging my heels too high”… This is my biggest concern at this point. I am looking forward to getting some more direct coaching on my landing, foot strike, and heel placement.
The good news is, I got another massage today, and my therapist spent probably 30 minutes on my calves. So hopefully everything will be adjusting into it’s new role.
As for these five fingers “barefooters”… Oh my god! They look Awesome… I have to order a pair immediately!
Filed under: Barefoot running, Run, chirunning, massage, pose running, running drills |
Digg! this story.
|
Leave a Comment
14 Comments: :
Barefoot Running Drills: Q&A
March 15th, 2008 10:01 am
Brad Hefta-Gaub says:
By the way, I just called the local retailer and discovered that they do have this shoe in stock possibly in my “size”… so I will be heading down there today to try them on and if they fit, purchase a pair! Yee Haw!
March 15th, 2008 11:52 am
garyd says:
Brad. This is an interesting post and I will be interested to see how well you like the shoes. I looked at the website and they look neat, and I’d be interested in buying a pair just because.
I’ve never been a big believer in the pose/chi/mid foot idea, but primarily because it seems like as many of the people that show it is beneficial there is the other side. That being said, I’ve tried doing running drills on the grass just to see how my feet would react and get my feet used to not having all kinds of support. I didn’t stick with it long enough to know if it changed anything.
Hopefully you’ll continue to post this process (I believe you’ve been talking about working with the PT.)
March 15th, 2008 1:37 pm
msosa57 says:
Thanks for showing interest. There is a triathlon in Sacramento in July. It is a shorter distance then a normal sprint. It is a 200 yard swim, 6 mile bike ride, and a 1 mile run. It problably sounds lame to most people, but I think it will be a good dstance for myself a beginner. One of my co-workers did his first triathlon last summer and it was a normal sprint distance. He said it was pretty tough and that this one would be perfect for me. Do you have any workout specific programs that I could do to get ready for July? Thanks again.
March 15th, 2008 3:13 pm
Lacey says:
Cool post! There is actually a guy around here called “Barefoot Rick” who does all his running barefoot. No socks even, and he does in fact go out in the snow and ice as well! Anyway, good luck with relearning to run! I bet we could all benefit from some of these drills.
March 15th, 2008 3:49 pm
Brad Hefta-Gaub says:
I bought the new barefoot shoes! They are definitley different. I am eager to test them out… but it raining today, and I’m not quite ready to get them muddy.
I should take them to my next track session.
March 16th, 2008 10:25 am
Bill Anders says:
I’ve been eyeing the Vibrams for quite a while now, but without a local retailer, I’m leery of ordering them. I definitely want to check the fit first, mainly because my feet are so wide.
But I love the style. That’s why I’m a big fan of my Injinji’s too.
March 16th, 2008 12:23 pm
Lisa Sabin says:
Those shoes are pretty wild looking! I’ll bet they are comfortable though. Can you tell me more about the rubber band drill?
March 16th, 2008 8:18 pm
adarian says:
If you calves are hurting you then you are basically doing toe lifts as you run, not really the most efficient way to run.
Best drills for learning good foot strike are, Marching drill, A skips and B skips along with regular skipping.
March 16th, 2008 8:25 pm
adarian says:
Also you will notice in the video that I posted a while back, that I am running barefoot on the treadmill. I spend a lot of time running barefoot on the treadmill.
March 16th, 2008 8:59 pm
Brad Hefta-Gaub says:
Thanks for the note Adarian… I’m working on it… Today I ran 1 mile on the track using my new “Barefooters” and I think I did much better.
March 17th, 2008 10:16 am
Sean says:
Brad, have you looked at the POSE technique of running? http://www.posetech.com A couple of the guys from our local ultra running group swear by this. Some of those guys clock some incredible mileage and say they have not had injuries since switching to the method. I’ve been practicing it myself and I have to admit that it takes getting used to, but my IT band problems have basically gone away. It’s harder on the calves and hamstrings, but definetly easier on the joints. I seem to have some of the same problems you have so it’s looks like we’re going through the same thing.
March 17th, 2008 10:51 am
Brad Hefta-Gaub says:
Sean,
Although I haven’t specifically tired the POSE technique… the philosophy behind the style my PT/coach is trying to have me relearn is very similar. Although there might be some small differences, the basics of Pose, ChiRunning, and many of the ideas that Adarian is talking about all come from the same basic stucture…. or at least that’s what my PT is telling me.
Anyway, I’ll check out the pose info and talk to me PT (I have an appointment tomorrow)… maybe there’s some drills there that will help me relearn to run.
-Brad
March 17th, 2008 4:56 pm
adarian says:
They do come from the basic structure of controlling or eliminating vertical lift. The one thing that I stress that will eliminate most problems is have to active feet.. That way no matter how you land or where you land the impact is not as great on the knee and hip joints, Shoes are made to assist with rolling from the back or mid foot region to to your toes. Even when you land heel first(due to the design of running shoes) if your feet are actively moving backwards as your hips move forward the impact is severely lessen as you roll from the back of the foot to the front of he foot. The easiest way to have active feet is to have active hands and elbows. Most runners are long jumpers and don’t know it. In long jumping when it is time to jump, the arms provide the a great amount of vertical lift due to them blocking(coming to a severe and sudden halt of movement) the same thing happens while running, just not as severe and sudden stoppage, the arms provide lift for you to go vertical.
In pose and chi they have other ways they try and reduce or eliminate the vertical lift., by taking shorter strides and or by changing posture or both. That is why you will hear me say it not your technique that is causing problems but your actions. What are your arms doing, what are your feet doing?
I don’t want to eliminate vertical lift, I want to control it, as I want to go faster I need more vertical lift, as I go slower I need less vertical lift. Some runners have the same amount of vertical lift no matter what speed they run. What also adds to vertical lift, running off of the tip of your toes or rolling from the ball of your foot to your toes or doing toe raises as you run.
I just did a clinic this weekend on using the treadmill to improve running actions. Most people where surprise that I held on while doing the part of the demo, but when I let go they saw that I was able to continue with the same leg actions at the same speed without missing a beat. Then when I ran on the ground they saw that nothing had changed form when I was on the treadmill. Even when we stacked the video and played it back there was no noticeable difference between what I did on the treadmill and what I did on the ground.
They also discovered that running and holding on was no easier,based on RPE than not holding on. They all agreed that they put in more of an effort holding on because they could move their feet faster. Keep in mind this demo was down on a motorized treadmill with the treadmill motor off and also with and without a special resistance harness.
March 18th, 2008 10:25 am
oboehoss says:
Very cool!! I had no idea that running barefoot would be recommended - but this all makes sense. Thanks for the info!