Ignoring all the advice that many (but not all) physiotherapists have given me throughout the years, I decided to try non-orthotic barefoot running. The decision came out of frustration from the return of some slight pain in my shins after two weeks of increased running and I have been here, done that. I know the only way to get rid of it involves rest and icing my shins using a large block of ice from an old butter container that I keep in the freezer and then starting again before I get more pain somewhere down the road (literally). This has been the cycle since I was 18, when I'm convinced that a mixture of the Mardyke's concrete astroturf, new hockey shoes, then end of my growth spurt and Asics first ever Kayanos (which were very heavy) caused my splints. As I always say "you can manage them, but never get rid of them".
With this decision and knowing I have no intention of running down a road with nothing on my feet, it meant only one thing...Five Fingers. So in I went to John Buckley's and tried to try on a pair. I felt sorry for the sales guy as it took me nearly 25 minutes to get one on and I couldn't even get the other one on. I told him to go for his lunch and come back to me, but he declined! Eventually I got them on (after 50 minutes) and walked around a bit and jogged in the shop. I bought them and left expecting to be clamped with a parking fine.
It took me only 20 minutes to get them on when I got back to the office and I kept them on for the day. To say that they feel weird is an understatement, like gloves that pull your toes apart. The first thing I noticed is how they force you to walk on the balls of your feet, as opposed to on the heels and when I jogged around a little, it was the same thing. Bizarre to say the least.
So on to my first run - I thought better of running more than 3 miles, as the advice is to build up slowly, maybe a mile at a time. I drove to the pitch in Glanmire and off I went. The difference in running style was immediate - no cushioning means you can't land on the heels and have to run more upright with a straighter back and there was no weight in them at all. I still had some pain in my shins, but it was a different pain, almost the sort of pain you get from trying something new, and it was the same for my calves. No pain in the soles of my feet and I felt I was running reasonably efficiently. The only other issue was a slight chaffing at the back of the ankles, but it's not a worry, I'm sure my ankles will get used to it.
The last thing I need is to find a method of training with them - do you run in them all the time?; alternate them with my normal runner?; wear my orthotics in my normal shoes?; do core exercises to help my running style? I'm not finding much online but I'll keep searching.
Was going to add in a crap joke here about giving my old runners the finger (get it? rubbish I know), but I can't see myself running over rocky ground in the fingers, let alone the desert. Will do a trial run in Youghal over the next week or so. Daycent ba!
No comments:
Post a Comment