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Category: Trail Race

Correct barefoot running form – avoiding top of the foot pain and tendinitis

Published by Patrick Durante on February 7, 2011

First let me tell you my story with barefoot running. I attempted to migrate to minimalist shoes twice and failed. The first time I was a victim of the too much too soon. I didn’t limit my mileage and started off running 5-6 miles. As a result, I had pain on the top of my foot. I don’t know if it was a mild stress fracture or just tendinitis. It’s not like I’m unaccustomed to running in minamalist shoes! I have been using racing flat for several years, why was this transition so difficult for me??? I have run two marathons and done plenty of trail running, I’m a strong runner. Right?!? WRONG. I was in so much pain that I actually put the five finger shoes away and was unsure if they would ever see the light of day. The issue was my form but I’m getting to that.

The second time was after I purchased a pair of the Mizuno Wave Universe 3s.

This is an incredible shoe, it’s actually lighter than the vibram KSO. My thought was that it was the perfect blend of a racing flat and a minimalist shoe. Since they were like a racing flat only lighter I shouldn’t need to worry about hurting myself, right? WRONG AGAIN!! These shoes have a very low heel and I still didn’t adjust my form to absorb the shock. Just like the first time, I was struck with pain. It was the same location, on the top of my left foot, right below the toes. I couldn’t believe it, what was I doing wrong?

The Answer!
This video opened my eyes to some of the issues.

Practice these exercises and take note of your form. If you have access to a treadmill, try completely removing your shoes, and go for a brief run. I was still pushing off with my forefoot, and I wasn’t lifting my knees. Another common mistake of runners new to barefoot is trying to run on the forefoot only. It’s a combination of both forefoot and mid-foot that helps absorb the impact. You need to LIFT YOUR KNEES, not push off your forefoot. This was the big mistake I was making. You need to bend your knees, but not too much. Like he says in the video it’s 50% elasticity and 50% muscle action. The combination of poor posture and too long of a stride also wasn’t helping my cause. You need to increase the amount of steps you take as you transition. This was also very different than traditional shod running. With this new information in mind, I’m now working on the problems that caused injuries. My hope is that, with this next season of running, I’ll increase my efficiency and prevent injury all while enjoying my fun minimalist shoes. That’s what I hope at least… I’m still dealing with some calf soreness as I change my form, but I’m taking it slow this time.

Post in the comments your experience with barefoot running. Let me know anything you’ve done to help the transition.

Oktober Lauf Fest – Half Marathon Trail Run

Oktober Lauf Fest – Half Marathon Trail Run

Published by Patrick Durante on December 16, 2010

I had my first major accomplishment this year, besides breaking my PR for the 5K, I finished 3rd overall in a race. That race was the Oktober Lauf Fest at Pennypack park. I had signed up for the Oktober Lauf Fest, mostly because I thought this race would be similar to the Sloppy Cuckoo which I had a great time running. See I’ve been on the hunt for as many trail runs as I can find in the Philadelphia area. Trail running has become my new love interest. The sloppy cuckoo was 11 miles trail and 2 miles paved bike path. I was expecting the Oktober Lauf Fest to be a similar type of race, it’s my fault for not reading the course description well enough. Regardless, this ended up being without a doubt the most unique race/run experience I have had to date.

I started off changing my normal plan of attack, instead of trying to sprint ahead of the pack. I let a large herd of people get in front of me, physiologically the feeling of passing people is better then getting passed. Going out slower helped me not get overly excited and I ended up pacing myself properly. The course ended up mostly being run on cinder/loose gravel, but it was a relatively flat course. I was able to catch up to the majority of people in front of me.  Passing several groups I finally ended up running with two guys for the majority of the race (Paul Peters and Chris Roberts) . I had headphones on so I didn’t talk to them, not like I would be able to hold much of a conversation running a 6:20 – 6:30 pace. So around the 7 mile mark I pulled off my headphones and asked “Do you know how many people are ahead of us”? There response was “two – and one of them is a girl”.  It was at this point that a new motivation swept over me, realizing that I was fighting for 3rd place overall. I knew at this point I had to do everything I could to hold this position. I stayed directly behind one of the two guys, pacing him as best as I could and just conserving my energy. Having never been in a situation like this I didn’t know what to do, at what point should I make a break for it. My legs felt good, I wasn’t short of breath and didn’t feel like I was giving it everything. I had to make a decision as to what would be the best time to actually push it. Keeping a careful eye on my Garmin GPS watch, I could see we were closing in on the finish. I started to run directly next to the person I was pacing (Paul Peters).  Then with a mile a half left I started to push ahead to see if he would keep the pace. I started to maintain a slight lead. It was when I had only a quarter of a mile left I turned to an all out sprint. I took 3rd place overall, and 2nd place male.

This is why I like the smaller local races, not only are they cheaper, but they provide a different level of excitement over the larger races. They also provide better food and have a more personal feel.  Yes, I know, it’s not that large of a race and that’s why you did so well. Regardless there was still 164 people, and I still ended up running a 1:26:34 for a half marathon. I will never forget this race. A big thank you to the race director and everyone who helped put this race together.

The prize for 3rd place overall was a German cuckoo clock.

Please check out more of their races at http://www.uberendurancesports.com/