First Run in my Vibram Five Fingers KSOs

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 22:35:00 GMT

I just got back from my first run in my new Vibram Five Fingers KSOs that I got for Christmas. To call them a minimalist running shoe would be an understatement. They are essentially a rubber sole strapped to your foot by way of neoprene, nylon, and velcro. I was first kind of intrigued on the theory of them after seeing this review on wired.com over the summer. In fact, if you don't know anything about the Vibram Five Fingers, go watch that 2 minute video to see where I am coming from.

As that video explains, traditional running shoes encourage us to run in a pattern that our bodies weren't designed for. The big heals typically cause us to follow a heal-to-toe pattern where the heal - and subsequently your leg - end up taking the shock of each step. Barefoot runners do not run like this, but instead land more on the ball of the foot, allowing the foot and leg to work together to become a shock absorber. A lot of studies suggest that the latter approach leads to less of the common injuries associated with running, such as shin splints, calf strain, and plantar fasciitis.

Over the summer, I began developing a calf strain injury that I simply couldn't shake. It started when one day I was feeling great and decided to tack on 2 miles to my regular run. From that day on, my legs absolutely lit up with pain when I would try to run. Eventually I just took a month off of running an began easing myself back in following the Couch To 5K running program, building up to a longer run. While that approach has worked, I still feel a constant tinge in my left leg when I run where I feel like I am almost on the verge of hurting it again.

The more that I read about the Vibram Five Fingers and the more reviews that I read from people that have used them, I wondered if they might actually offer me a solution for not only avoiding injury, but getting stronger, and running more like I was designed to run from the beginning!

For Christmas, after hearing me talk about them again and again, my wife surprised me with a pair of the black KSOs (Keep Stuff Out), which are an improvement on the original design in that they come a bit higher on the foot to keep dirt and stuff out from the foot. And today ( December 26th ) I went for my first run.

I was a little bit apprehensive to be honest. I had heard a number of people say that it works your legs in a different fashion - most notably your calves - so start by doing shorter runs and working your way up to longer runs over time. I have had such great results with the Couch To 5K program, both with my introduction into running, and in my calf strain recovery, that I decided to invoke it yet again and start with Week 1 of the program. This is essentially 9 sets of 60 second run/90 second walk. Given my running speed that equates to a little less than a mile of actually running, and in hindsight, I feel that I could have definitely pushed a lot harder than that.

It was such a cool experience! I absolutely loved everything about it. On one hand, I could feel little things - even the cracks in the sidewalk - but not so much that it created pain or was any kind of interference. It just made me feel more in tune with my scene. I found that I had to take slightly shorter steps in an effort to make my foot land where I needed it to, but it became natural in mere moments. On the 1 mile track that I run there are a couple of steep hills and I found myself digging in on these hills to tackle them rather than feeling dread as I saw them approaching. There is something about the whole experience that felt very liberating, and gave me almost a primal, tribal pleasure as I kept thinking about the fact that this is how man has run for millenia!

Aside from the mental feeling, I got finished and realized that not a single thought went to my legs. Over the past 6 months or so, they haven't been far from the front of my mind when I ran as I kept wondering when I was going to push them too far and tweak them again. I got home and felt completely exhilarated. My legs feel great, and I am looking forward to my next run!

Grand Canyon... It's on!

Mon, 11 Jul 2005 05:00:00 GMT

My father and I decided that this was the year that we would hike the North Rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I know this seems crazy, but it is actually a paperwork challenge to be able to hike the Grand Canyon. There is an application process in which you have to fax your request in the 1st day of the month 6 months before the intended date of your trip with a detailed itinerary, including where you will be sleeping and when. We sent faxed our paperwork in and held our breath on the 1st of April, 6 months before we hoped to go in September. After no word for a month we finally contacted them, only to find out that we had been rejected. Discouraged, but not beaten, we laid out the calendar to see if there was another time that would work. We decided that November would be acceptable, albeit a little colder. It should be in the 60s in the bottom of the canyon though where we will spend the majority of our time. Once again, we laid out our itinerary and faxed in on July 1. My dad received a letter today dated July 6, 2005 telling him that they were sorry, but they were unable to accept out application. He spent a good hour walking around the house cussing and feeling terribly disappointed. A bit later my mom noticed there was another letter from the Grand Canyon dated July 7, 2005.

Dear Mr. Shuck, we have accepted your request to hike the Grand Canyon on the dates of November 1, 2 and 3, 2005. Enlcosed are your passes, which you will need to affix to your backpack and carry with you in the canyon. There is no need to stop by the back country headquarters before departing on the trail.

So in 3.5 months, I will be taking this in....

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First Run in my Vibram Five Fingers KSOs

Grand Canyon... It's on!