Merrill Naked Foot 5K

We are not alone! I’m in Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, for the Merrill Naked Foot 5K and never have I seen so many people barefoot! It’s wonderful! Add to us barefooters all the minimalists wandering around and I’d say we’re in the majority of the crowd of folks here. There are some regular shod-heads here to run too, but for once, they are in the minority, and I’m not sure if it’s my imagination, or wishful thinking, but they seem to be feeling the ‘odd people out,’ looking around at all of us thinking, ‘Hm, maybe there is something this barefoot thing.

I would not have driven and hour and a half, and stayed in a $120/night Radisson Hotel, for just a regular 5K, but for this I felt obligated to come. And, not just obligated: I wanted to help celebrate barefoot running, and the fact that there are now enough barefooters and minimalists to actually do and even like this. I think having this be ‘just’ a 5K is a good call, since we can have runners from all levels, and no one feels too intimidated.

There are a few booths set up in a vague circle on the grass. The registration booth of course, but then the sponsors, and some massage therapists, just giving away massages. The primary sponsor, of the race, and the series of Naked Foot runs (six in all at various places around the country, is Merrill, a new company to the minimalist scene. Although, at this stage, what company isn’t new? What I like about them is that they seem totally on board with the concept that actual barefoot running is best, but that there are times when a little covering for the feet is good. I don’t have a pair yet, but plan on getting some this fall, for when the harsh Michigan winter starts. What I didn’t know is that Merrill is a local company, so kudos to them!

The gods are here: Jason Robillard, back for a little bit from he and his family’s new gypsy life. I’m hoping he’ll run, but it looks like he’s involved in the organization of the event. Also, Barefoot Ken Bob, originally from Michigan, is here, hawking his new book, Barefoot Running Step By Step. I go over to say hello and thank him again for being so influential in my shift to barefoot running three years ago. the book is fifteen bucks, so I can’t resist and buy a copy. As a bonus, Ken autographs is, with a bonus inky foot stamp. Score!

What’s really nice is to bump into people I know, either from other races, and/or online at the barefootrunners.org website. [Forgive me guys if I’m getting names wrong!]. Here’s Brandon, who ran Burning River in RunAmocs this last summer, and finished, unlike yours truly. His teeth are wired shut, and will be for a while. Apparently, a plate in his jaw broke during the BR! And yesterday he ran the North Country 50 Miler, which he said was harder than the BR, because he couldn’t eat anything, having to go with just fluids. And having the jaw wires rubbing his lips raw. But, he promised to run this with a friend, so is here representing.

Also Ken, from Sterling Heights, who ran the Detroit Half-Marathon last year. Although we never actually saw each other there, we’ve communicated a little online, and both of us plan to do the Detroit Marathon barefoot, at around the same time, so maybe we’ll even get to run together and freak everyone out.

I also get to meet Johnny, from East Lansing, who has brought his whole family, and in fact his son will be running in the kids’ 1K. Meeting all these folks makes me realize how much I’m not reading on the barefootrunners.org site, since I learn that Johnny has an active blog going.

And then there’s El Presidente of the Michigan Chapter, Troy/Smelph, from Kalamazoo, also with kids in tow, or should I say in front, in a double stroller, both konked out, since they got up early this morning to be here. Troy and I ran the Kalamazoo Marathon this Spring, though again, we didn’t actually run into each other, though we’ve communicated online. He’s the one that shares all the secret places on the website that I haven’t explored yet.

First up is the kids’ 1K. there are about 20 who take part, which is awesome. I just never had that kind of exposure to stuff like this when I was that young, though I guess I’m so old that these kinds of events didn’t exist back then. Anyway, Jason R. is the ‘rabbit’ leading them around the course, all on grass, and it’s amazing to see the kids go, just all-out, smiling the whole way.

Next up is the Naked Mile, which actually only has about 10-12 folks. Everyone else is saving themselves for the 5K. It’d actually be nice to run this just as a warm-up. Jason actually runs this one, coming in second I believe. The best, most kick-ass, part is the woman who’s a little overweight, who yes, comes in last, but dammit, she finished. It was obviously a goal for her, and she pushed it at the end. Good for her.

Then the main event! I’ve never run a 5K before, and don’t really know what my strategy is, or should be, besides the fact that I guess I should just go all out sprint, or as close to that as possible, for the whole way, since there ain’t gonna be much time. And yet, I’m not a big sprinter. I’m still not sure if barefooting is even conducive to sprinting. The good news is that most of the course seems to be on grass instead of the bike paths. Or...I think that’s good news. I’ve never run that long on grass either! A bunch of new stuff to try today!

I line up towards the beginning. I’m actually not sure if that’s where I should be, since there seems to be a bunch of youths (pronounced ‘yoots’) here, fresh from cross-country running teams. So, I’m not gonna win. This is all about just pushing myself, maybe getting some practice at speed runs (after my sloooow half-marathon last week) and to have fun! To actually run with other barefooters!

We count down, three, two, one, and we’re off! And yep, this is going to be a sprint. Wow, I’m not sure if I can keep this up, I’m already out of breath! Feeling primal though, through the grass, over some roots, and across some branches. How strange to be in grass. What I find happening is that I’m going into shod-mode, with a wider stride, kicking out the legs, because, well, I can. With grass, I can go back to a harder foot strike and have super cushion. Looking around, that seems to be what other barefooters are doing.

We zip out on to a bike path and my stride immediately changes, back to lifting the feet, though lifting them as fast as I can. I still feel like I’m maybe striking a little hard. Probably not a good thing, but for a short race, doable. Interestingly, a fast cadence seems to make leaning forward a little harder. I wonder if I just leaned forward more if I wouldn’t have to have such a high cadence. Not sure. No time to think! Just run!

The route goes between grass and bike path. We cross a wood bridge. Everyone around me seems to have fallen into a regular pace, just under a sprint. Not a lot of jockying for position. Again, I’m just happy to be seeing barefooters ahead of me, and minimalists. Lots of VFFs, and Merrills. I gotta admit, also nice to see barefooters ahead of shod-heads. We’ve got to be making some converts today. There’s no way that the people wearing regular running shoes can say that barefoot running isn’t doable, or isn’t even competitive.

We get to the mid-way point, where we’ll take a long turn around back to the north (I think?). There’s a water station, but no one up front here is going to slow down for any. there’s a sizeable crowd watching here, which I think consists of people who just happen to be in the park. Everyone is smiling, and I think (though again I could be imagining) looking a little amazed at the lack of footwear.

I’m slowing down a little, just unsure of what a proper pace should be. But, other people are slowing down too, though others are staying strong. We’re back on grass, and it’s looking like grass the rest of the way, which is fine, and which again makes me go into longer-stride-mode. As we work are way back, I can see the finish line flags and think, Hm, that was quicker than I thought. But no, we run past the start area, around some baseball fields. There’s a 1 Mile sign, but I’m still a dumb American and can’t figure out how many miles are in 5K. And then there’s a second 1 Mile sign, so who knows? But, do I pace myself? Or should I be stepping things up for a strong finish?

But yep, there are the finish flags again, and we’re actually running to them, so that’s it, that’s my sign to kick out the jams and leave it all out on the course. I start swinging my arms, sprinting as we come around the curve. The guy in front of me hears me coming and that kicks him into overdrive, both of us heading to the woman in the kilt that’s been ahead of us the whole time and the three of us cross at around the same time.

Whew! I shake the guys’ hand and we give each other ‘good jobs.’ Um, maybe I should reword that....Anyways, there’s a steady stream o’ runners coming in behind us, with other little mini-races to the finish line, everyone trying to finish hard. My time: 21:35. Ok, I’ll take that.

I watch the variety of people coming in. Again, barefooters and lots o’ minimalists. One girl comes in, and when I say girl I mean girl: She’s like 9, and I’m right next to her parents, who glowingly say that she PRed, ten seconds faster than her last 5K. So, wow. Amazing.

The most amazing run of the day has to go to Troy. He ran pushing his two children in the stroller, which has got to be a hundred pounds! And over grass! And he’s not even last!

Popsicles for everyone! And then there’s awards for the winners, and a raffle. The overall winner happens to be right next to me. And he ran it barefoot! His first time ever running barefoot! And he actually cut one of his feet somewhere along the line! His time was 19 minutes and some change. I ask him if he’s converted, and he kind of smiles. He’s a young guy, one of those cross country monsters, and he says maybe, that he might buy some Merrills. And, then he wins a Merrill gift certificate in the raffle. I think it’s destiny.

There are supposed to be some more events after the race, like a ‘bare ball’ contest, though no one I ask seems to know what it entails, and no one seems to be signing up for it. Jason gives a short seminar, though I miss most of it, since I want to take advantage of the free massage!

But, we gather as many of the Michigan Chapter barefootrunners.org members as we can for a group photo. Brandon has already left, but we get Eric, Johnny, Troy, me, and Jason. I asked Ken Bob, but there was a mix up and he didn’t make the first photo op, but he joins us for a second one, though by then Jason is busy with organization details. And, I’m sure there were others that we missed. Alas! Would have been a nice recruiting place, maybe to have a BRS table or something. Again, alas.

But, fun! Feels so good knowing I’m not alone. We discuss maybe doing another MI meetup, maybe in Lansing, which seem to be the most convenient. And, I’ll be seeing folks at upcoming races. I encourage anybody going to a race to check the BRS website about meeting people, it’s really a good boost to meet other barefooters. One of the Merrill organizers mentioned that this may have been the biggest gathering of runners out of the six races they organized. I was amazed to hear (from Troy) that Michigan has one of the bigger BRS memberships. Anyways, sorry SayPay, but I think we beat you and the Minnesota folks!

http://johnsbarefootrunningblog.blogspot.com/

www.johnyohe.com

The 'Falling Forward' Technique

Today I ran four hours on the Falling Waters Trail starting in Jackson and going out to Concord and back. A little over ten miles one way, so about twenty-one miles. I didn't mean to go quite so far, since I've signed up for a 50K in two weeks, I thought I'd just go out for three hours. But, the weather was great, a cool day with the sun out, the trees just starting to turn, running by lakes and through forest. At my pre-determined time turn around time, I just thought, 'Aw, what's another half-hour out to Concord?' I was feeling good, in part maybe from having a decent night's sleep, and a breakfast of chia seeds with peach slices and some almonds.

I think though, that I was feeling good because of how fast I was going. Even though I've been running barefoot for over a year now, I'm still experimenting, and my main experiment this summer has been the 'falling forward' technique that Barefoot Ken Bob explained at his seminar in Okemos (see previous post). Jason Robillard also talks about this in his Barefoot Runners Handbook (see another previous post for a review, though he now has a new expanded edition).

I'll back up by giving a brief explanation of the barefoot running stride, at least as I understand it. I am by no means the originator of the idea. Ken Bob and Jason talk about this, and it can be considered common knowledge in the barefoot running scene. Instead of 'pushing off' with the feet, like shod runners do, I've been working on the technique of 'lifting' my foot. It may seem like a matter of semantics, but the effect really does make a difference, and makes for a much softer landing (I can't even call it a foot 'strike' like shod runners use, since my feet land fairly softly). The pace should be fairly quick, and I start off, as recommended by Ken Bob, by just standing in place and lift my feet to a 180/190 pace (about the beat of a fast paced pop song). By concentrating on lifting each foot, the other foot just naturally comes down softly.

Another key point: Keeping my knees bent. After seeing Ken Bob and how low he goes, I try and do something similar. This doesn't initially feel 'natural' but feels more and more so, the more I do it.

After that, the idea is to keep that pace, and just lean your body forward. The feet naturally just move in a forward motion to keep the body upright. They actually make almost a little circle: Once the foot lands, the body is moving, so when the foot is raised, it automatically pulls forward a little as it comes up. With enough lean, and maintaining a good fast lifting pace, the body scoots fairly quickly forward. Seeing Barefoot Ken Bob demonstrate this was amazing. His upper body and torso don't appear to be doing any work at all.

Nevertheless, I've found that, left to myself, when I zone out on a run, I tend to run fairly slowly. When I do do the 'falling forward lean' I've felt that my feet were 'hitting' harder, and that this was hurting my feet. But, as I've been experimenting, I've come to think that it's been more of a question of technique. When I really relax my whole body (easier said than done!) I seem to run fairly quickly. I think the relaxing part is key. If I'm running stiff, with my body tensed, I think THAT actually causes me to 'strike' with my feet rather than lift. As I've been experimenting, I've been able to fall into my groove, when my body feels relaxed, my feet are moving fairly quickly, to the point where I can feel my heart rate go up, which makes me think that leaning forward increases my pace.

Giving a lean still feels a bit unnatural, and I've found that for trail running I run a little slower, in upright position, because I just don't like running that fast over trails with lots of pokey things. But on pavement and cement, when everything is clear, I can go pretty quick. But I do have to concentrate on leaning forward, and it's surprising how much just leaning forward an inch (or so it feels) can change my pace.

As my mind wanders and I go into my zone, my natural inclination is to lean back, torso straight, and this does feel good, and gives me a slow mellow run. So, the longer the run, the harder it is to stay concentrating on leaning forward. But I think I'm getting better. My evidence: Last time I ran out to Concord and back, it took me 4.5 hours. This time, while really working on the falling-forward technique, I did it in four hours on the dot. There are other factors, surely, but I really feel I upped my speed considerably, without feeling that much more exhausted. Since the feet are, ideally, lifting up at the same rate, torso straight or leaning forward, I should be technically expending the same amount of energy. But like I said, if my heart rate goes up when 'falling forward,' that sounds like I am actually running at a faster pace.

It's seems odd that I have such a hard time relaxing while running, and having to concentrate on relaxing seems almost like a type of oxymoron, but my hope is that, as I continue to practice, my relaxed, leaning forward zone, will come easier.

Just another reminder that, at least running barefoot, every run is still an experiment, still a new experience. That's why I like it!

Coming soon: My Woodstock 50K experience!

Pics from the Ken Bob workshop

Ken Bob talking to the group


Me and the legendary Barefoot Ken Bob!



Ken Bob talking to the group



Ken Bob talking, Sidetracks owner on far left



The lovely Jen and Ken Bob


Jen, Ken Bob, and I

Pics courtesy of Jen!

Ken Bob workshop, Okemos MI: a review

Barefoot Ken Bob's Barefoot Running Workshop
@Playmakers
June 25th, 2010 Okemos, MI
A Review

My friend Jen and I drove up from Ann Arbor, and we got caught in a mysterious and vague traffic jam, causing us to be a little late, twenty minutes or so, but we weren't even the last to arrive. After pulling into the parking lot, we followed the first barefoot people we saw, around the side of the building where, voilà, there was a whole gaggle of barefoot people. That in itself was nice to see.

There seemed to be around thirty people, a good mix of men and women. Almost everybody over thirty, more around my age (early 40s), and, I'm happy to say, a few older gentlemen. Old dogs learning new tricks!

And there was the legendary Barefoot Ken Bob! He would stand out in any crowd with his long salt and pepper hair pulled back in a ponytail (he and I were the only longhairs) and his signature beard down to his chest. He was already into his spiel, though later when he re-capped what he'd gone over, it seemed we hadn't missed anything. The whole time he was there he never stopped smiling, and was so enthusiastic about barefoot running he seemed to want to talk as fast as possible to share everything he could. As he spoke, he used lots of little side-anecdotes to help illustrate points, and occasionally started running around the little parking lot area we were in to give physical demonstrations.

Unfortunately, the owner of Playmakers, perhaps trying to sincerely help Ken Bob stay focused, kept interrupting more and more, until finally he was running around trying to demonstrate his technique as well. After a while, he was interrupting Ken Bob mid-sentence, which I found aggravating. Apparently though, this talk from Ken Bob was part of a series of workshops on barefoot running that the owner had been hosting, and other people there seemed ok with him kind of taking charge, though after a while he was actually contradicting Ken Bob on running technique, particularly on how much a runner should bend their knees. I finally figured out his intention, or agenda, when he said, and I quote, that “barefoot running is a tool” to help people run better in shoes. He doesn't want people to run barefoot, he wants them to buy his VFFs and/or regular shoes.

Ken Bob for the most part was very deferential, perhaps too much, and he kept smiling, and listening patiently while the owner spoke, though at the end, while still smiling, Ken Bob seemed to start disagreeing with some of the owner's statements. For example, the owner brought up how his company donates shoes to people in Kenya, saying that when he had asked them if they wanted shoes, they said yes. Ken bob pointed out, correctly in my opinion, that often people from underprivileged countries want whatever people from rich countries have, if only as a status symbol, meaning that they may have wanted those just because they saw all the rich Americans wearing them. But, as soon as Ken bob started to make that argument, the owner cut him off.

Another moment where Ken Bob seemed to grow frustrated was when the owner started having us do some short running exercises on the side street we were on, which, also in my opinion, didn't seem to do much, mainly because we were only “running” about 100 feet. But it was the fact that the owner kind of took over the workshop at that point, and started giving instructions, while Ken Bob kind of stood off to the side and watched. After one little 'run,' Ken Bob offered up that he had some exercises of his won we might try, but he was ignored.

I'd actually expected that we would all take a longer run together, based on descriptions of other Ken Bob workshops I'd read, but no. And, after the 'exercises,' the question about injuries came up. One of the things Ken Bob said was about how how he'd helped a friend of his cure his plantar fasciitus just by bending his knees more at work. The owner of Playmakers then told a doozie: That “going barefoot can actually aggravate plantar fasciitus.” That's where I wanted to say, 'you don't know what you're talking about,' but I held my tongue, merely shaking my head and mouthing 'No.' He saw me and quickly changed the subject.

One final weirdness: the first part of the workshop took place outside the store, from 6:30-8:00, then there was a “Q&A” session scheduled for in the store, after it was officially closed. Jen and I were some of the first inside, since many of the groups went to their cars to put on shoes (?!). When we walked inside, an older male employee (of course), saw us come in, saw our barefoot, and started to freak out, beginning to tell us we couldn't be in the store without shoes, until another woman that came in with us gently chastised him: “Oh come now, you're not really going to have a barefoot running workshop then tell us we need shoes, are you?”

There was no Q&A session. In fact, that would have been impossible with a group since the store has a huge river/waterfall burbling away in back. When I saw that the employees behind the register weren't leaving, I realized we weren't supposed to have a Q&A—The thirty of us were supposed to shop. Oddly, most of the people in the group seemed into that, and dispersed around the store, though maybe they were just waiting for instructions that never came. But a handful of us hung around Ken Bob, who graciously listened to questions and continued to chat, until the owner took him aside and (seemingly) tried to keep him from everyone. Jen and I went after him anyway and got our pics taken with Ken Bob, and left.

The most informative part of the workshop was just watching Ken Bob actually run. I wish there had been a way for him to run for a longer period of time, like in a long circle, to be able to observe him even more, but here are my impressions: First, the guy is fast. His legs pump fast, but the rest of his body, upper torso and arms, just stays steady and level. Second, he keeps his legs bent, like really super bent. Third, his feet stay right under him, and lift up and behind, bending from the knee. He does not take long strides at all. His strides are super short. Just quick.

Here's what I remember about he said, with some commentary:
Keep your legs bent. The rougher the terrain, the more you should bend them.
Do NOT run on the balls of your feet. This causes stress on the heel and calves. Likewise, do NOT 'push off' with the balls of the feet or toes. BF running is all about just lifting the feet up.
Land, for the most part, with the whole foot. In fact, bending the knees makes running on the balls of the feet almost impossible
The metronome pace you should shoot for is 180. (In his book, The Barefoot Running Handbook, Jason Robillard gives the helpful advice that the song “Turning Japanese” is at a 180 pace. Now I sing that chorus to myself all the time)
When running to a cadence, LIFT your feet on the 'downbeat.' If we 'strike' on the downbeat, we have a tendency to strike harder.
In fact, he emphasized over and over how important LIFTING the feet is, to always be thinking of lifting the feet rather thinking of bringing them down.
Take faster steps (ie the 180 two-step), but to make them shorter. He quoted Caballo Blanco: “When given the choice between taking one step or two, take three.”
He also discussed the idea of “falling forward” and letting our weight work for us. But, to lean from the hips rather than farther up the torso. Keep the head level. Easier to do going downhill, but the same principle applies running on level ground.

Personal reflection
The big revelation for me was the bending of the knees. I'd actually originally done this when I first started running barefoot, but then read a couple posts on Ken Bob's Yahoo! Group that said this wasn't necessary, so, like a doofus, because not bending the knees seemed easier (and it's on the Internet! It must be true!) I believed them.

Also, again because of a few posts I read, I started to run on the balls of my feet last Fall, and developed some kind of fasciitus pain in the Winter and Spring. So, now I'm going back to bent knees, as bent as I can get them. Seeing Barefoot Ken Bob, the Guru of Barefoot Running, in action, was way more informative than any discussion group or book. I highly recommend seeing a real BF runner in action.

The highlight of the night as actually after the workshop, when Jen suggested we go for an evening run around the MSU campus, our old stomping grounds. Perfect weather, the campus mostly deserted and quiet on a Friday night. We got to try out Ken Bob's techniques immediately. I concentrated on keeping my knees bent, and keeping the “Turning Japanese” cadence, with small steps. We ran about 45 minutes, and felt like we could've kept going, but opted to go get Sir Pizza. I was worried I might have 'TMTSed' with that funny pain I've been having, but the next day my foot felt fine. Thank you Barefoot Ken Bob!

Link to Barefoot Ken Bob's website, therunningbarefoot.com
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