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Spring 2012 Issue 04 Free

Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

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Issue 4 – Spring 2012. World’s first barefoot & minimalist running magazine, written by barefoot runners, for barefoot runners. Lots of running and health related features and info. IN THIS ISSUE: The truth about exercise, a yogi’s perspective on barefoot running, the implications of a vegetarian diet, focus piece on the “Barefoot Professor” Daniel Howell, VO2 Max explained, how to tie a huarache, a review of the Ken Bob Saxton’s book on barefoot running – plus the usual round up of the latest scientific studies, regular articles and blogs.

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Page 1: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Spring

2012

Issue 04

Free

Page 2: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

P a g e 2 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Running and Biomechanics

Specialists

Workshops and individual tuition to

help improve running performance

and reduce injury.

Visit the website or contact us for

more details.

www.barefootrunninguk.com

[email protected]

0845 226 7302

Page 3: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Spring is in the air and it is probably our

favourite time of year for barefoot running. It

brings with it longer days, warmer (hopefully!)

weather and is representative of new

beginnings so it’s perfect for those thinking

about taking the barefoot running plunge.

Along this vein, we’ve made some changes

to the magazine and given it a name:

“Barefoot Running Magazine”! We toyed

with clever plays on words but decided that

simple is best – a bit like barefoot running.

The magazine has more content and a more

sophisticated layout (David’s been working

hard on this) and we are delighted to have

contributions from several new writers,

including yoga expert Emma Spencer-

Goodier, nutrition guru Leigh Rogers and

creator of The Invisible Shoe, Steven Sashen.

The wonderful Scott Hadley has once again

offered us his educated insights into injury;

many of you will be able to relate to his piece

“The Runner’s Triad” on page 24.

Other exciting news is that our book will

shortly be available for pre-order with the

launch due at the end of April/beginning of

May. Check out our feature in the BFRUK

supplement for more details.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we’d

like to take this opportunity to express our

deepest sympathy to the family and friends

of legendary ultrarunner and dedicated

supporter of the Raramuri, Micah True, who

sadly passed away earlier this month. Many

of you will know him as Caballo Blanco (The

White Horse) whose vivid, genuine and honest

character helped Chris McDougall’s Born to

Run become such a success and whose

tireless work improved – and will continue to

improve – the lives of the Tarahumara. He

made a significant, lasting impression on the

running world and will not be forgotten.

“Easy, light, smooth” (Caballo Blanco) – keep

on running everyone!

All the best force

Anna & David force

How to contact us TRC Publishing Limited

21 Lyric Mews,

Silverdale,

London

SE26 4TD

United Kingdom

email: [email protected]

website: www.bfrm.co.uk

tel: +44 (0) 845 226 7304

Overseas

+44 (0) 208 659 0269

Cover Picture:

Run Strong • Run Free:

An introduction to the science

and art of barefoot running by

Anna Toombs & David

Robinson

Photographer Michael Molloy

Anna Toombs

Movement therapist,

running coach & author

[email protected]

David Robinson

Movement therapist, sports

performance specialist &

author

[email protected]

Scott Hadley PhD

Doctor of anatomy & cell

biology

[email protected]

Meet the team...

TRC Publishing

21 Lyric Mews,

Silverdale,

London

SE26 4TD

United Kingdom

The health and fitness information presented in

this magazine is intended as an educational

resource and is not intended as a substitute for

medical advice. Consult your doctor before

attempting any of the exercises in this magazine

or any other exercise programme, particularly if

you are pregnant, elderly or have chronic or

recurring medical conditions. Do not attempt

any of the exercises while under the influence

of alcohol or drugs. Discontinue any exercise

that causes you pain or discomfort and consult

a medical expert. Neither the author of the

information nor the producer nor the distributors

make any warranty of any kind in regard to the

content of the information presented in this

magazine.

Leigh Rogers

Holistic Sports Nutritionist,

Health & Wellness coach

[email protected]

Michael Bartley

Sports massage therapist &

running coach

[email protected]

Steven Sashen

Creator of the Invisible Shoe,

sprinter.

www.invisibleshoe.com

Emma Spencer-Goodier

Yoga Alliance Senior

Instructor

www.emmabradingyoga.com

Guest writers

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 3

bfrm.co.uk

Find us at

bfrm.co.uk/facebook

Page 4: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

International News

National news 40

On track 49

International news 56

Try this at home

Spine mobility

46

Write back at you Steven Sashen questions the

questionable lawsuit against

Vibram

50

Try this at home

The Squat jump

42

How to: Tie a Huarache

44

Yoga Barefoot Running - The footfall

of a yogi.

4

The Green Room Barefoot running - the footfall

of a yogi

36

Main feature The truth about exercise?

6

In focus Daniel Howell: The barefoot

professor

10

David’s lab

VO2 Max explained 14

Book review Ken Bob Saxton: Barefoot

Running - Step by Step

20

Injury corner

The Runner’s Triad

24

Technical tip

Running uphill

30

Nutritional nugget

Is a vegetarian diet a good

option for runners?

32

P a g e 4 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 5: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Backchat David Robinson’s latest

59

The Season in pictures The Asics Uksem debate

4

Clubhouse calendar

Events and workshops etc.

8

What’s on Out in the barefoot world

10

Clubhouse calendar

Events and workshops etc.

14

Clubhouse events BFRUK’s latest

16

Minimal review results Out-of-the-box trail test results

58

Anna’s pause for thought Some thoughts on injury

12

Caught in the web Internet snippets

9

Outside the lab Other peoples’ labs

18

Season in pictures A showcase of what you

have been up to

22

What’s new Products worth a look

27

Events Stuff that’s going on

29

Questions & answers Your questions answered

34

It’s your letters Let us know your stories and

thoughts

54

Minimal review The Vibram FiveFingers Sprint

57

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 5

Page 6: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Main feature The truth about exercise?

Some of you may have watched

the recent Horizon programme

which explored some of the

latest ideas surrounding the

benefits (or lack of) of

moderate, regular exercise.

If you missed it, here’s a quick

summary: a journalist (Michael

Mosley) was recruited to

investigate a new theory that,

with 3 minutes of intense

exercise per week, most

individuals can achieve

similar (or better) health gains

compared to the government

guidelines of 150 minutes a

week of moderate intensity

exercise or 75 minutes a week

of vigorous exercise. Mosley

undertook a 4 week programme

of HIT (High Intensity Training)

and achieved an overall 23%

improvement based on his

body’s tolerance and reaction

to glucose, measured by his

consumption of a glass of sugar

water and subsequent blood

tests.

It was also found, however,

that Mosley’s VO2 Max (the

body’s ability to utilize oxygen –

see David’s Science Lab on

page 14) remained the same,

right at the bottom of the “very

below average” scale. It was

therefore concluded that Mosley

is what is known as an exercise

“non-responder”, meaning that

whatever he tries, he’ll never

really achieve any benefits from

exercise.

There were several pertinent

points raised in the programme

and some useful advice, but

I have a feeling that, unless

you’re qualified to filter out the

truth from the ideals of over-

zealous scientists, you might

have come away from this

broadcast with a very distorted

view of exercise.

The programme began with

Mosley’s visit to Loughborough

University where he met with one

of our Olympic 110m hurdles

hopefuls, Will Sharman. Mosley

had already mentioned that he

was a non-exerciser and known

as a “toffee”, in other words

he appears to be thin on the

outside but he’s “fat” on the

inside. He demonstrated his

lack of fitness within the first five

minutes by pulling a hamstring

muscle 3 strides into a warm

up with Sharman. This section of

the programme introduced the

often misconstrued relationship

between calorie intake and

exercise, demonstrating that, if

running at a speed of 6mph, one

would need to run for 55 minutes

just to burn off a cappuccino,

muffin and banana. This was

quite a key point: so many

exercisers hoping to lose weight

eat far more than they need

to and often end up putting

weight on.

I am generally quite “anti-

science” in that I find lab studies

where variables are often

questionable and conditions are

very artificial (such as measuring

someone’s VO2 Max by making

them cycle on a stationary bike

with a mask and nose peg)

sometimes need to be taken

with a pinch of salt. However,

science can also be very

useful when visible results are

Testing the number of calories burnt in one minute - just 16!

P a g e 6 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 7: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

regular gym goer and Mosley.

Not surprisingly, the waitress was

constantly active through her

entire working shift, the author

demonstrated periods of no

activity with short bursts of high

intensity movement and

Mosley’s activity was virtually

non-existent. He therefore

decided to consciously try and

be more active, just walking

more and leaving his desk to

speak to people rather than

email them and managed to

burn an extra 500 calories in

one day!

This was one of the main points

that Levine was making – that

with a little effort, a lot can be

achieved. One of my clients

pointed out that it is easier to

adopt that “move more”

attitude once you’ve lost weight

as you feel less lethargic, but

even a little movement initially

is better than none. When

suggesting people incorporate

more walking into their day,

Levine insisted that there is no

need to walk especially fast, but

just to “get off your backside

and do it!” Brilliant and yet

Mosley undertook a genetic test.

He also followed the exercise

programme that Prof. Timmins

recommends. He doesn’t

believe in long periods of

exercise, but short – extremely

short – bursts of vigorous activity.

Mosley was therefore asked to

cycle as fast and as hard as

possible for 20 seconds, then

rest, before repeating it two

more times. He had to do this

3 times a week for a month – a

mere 12 minutes of exercise in

total. “Sounds too good to be

true”, he said.

Soon after he embarked on

this challenge, Mosley met with

obesity expert Dr James Levine,

whose ideas, refreshingly, were

both sound and achievable.

He introduced Mosley to his

concept of NEAT – Non Exercise

Activity Thermogenesis. In

layman’s terms, this basically

means fidgeting. Indeed, Levine

had developed some “fidget

pants” which can be used to

monitor somebody’s NEAT.

Three people were tested for

24 hours whilst wearing these

pants: a waitress, an author and

produced that people can

relate to. The next section of

the programme was a great

example: Mosley’s blood fat

was measured before and after

a (delicious looking) fry-up. The

measurement was repeated,

but with Mosley taking a 90

minute walk the evening before

the fry-up. The results showed

a significant reduction in the

amount of fat circulating in

Mosley’s blood, due to an

enzyme that is produced during

exercise that leads to better

efficiency in dealing with fat

intake. This fat was visible in a

test tube which definitely made

it more tangible.

I remember the days when

people used to go out, post-

meal, to “walk off their dinner”.

And this is a good reason to

re-establish the tradition.

After this section, however, the

programme began to go slightly

pear-shaped (no reference to

body shape intended). A Prof.

J. Timmins was introduced,

around whose theory the

programme was based. Timmins

explained that people react

differently to exercise and some

people seem to gain more

benefits than others. This, in

my experience, is true. He

also claimed that he could

identify those who would not

respond well to exercise by

looking at their genes. He

believes that a huge 20% of

the population are “non-

responders”. This did not sit

well with me. Yes, some

people find it more difficult to

exercise but they should not

be discouraged from doing it.

We are designed to move,

hence our intricate network of

bones and soft tissues. To label

somebody a “non-responder” is

a misleading and very negative

message.

Measuring VO2 Max

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 7

Page 8: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

simple advice.

At the end of the programme,

Mosley went back for more tests

– the same ones he undertook

prior to his HIT 3 minutes a week

experiment. At this point in the

programme, I already knew

that whatever the results, I

would be disregarding them.

No one can produce plausible

results when they’re asked to

follow an exercise programme

and then say, “whilst I’m at it,

I’ll change some other aspects

of my lifestyle too”. There is a

reason for controlled conditions

in experiments, which is why I

would have found the report

more enlightening if the rest of

Mosley’s life had been kept

constant, instead of him

undertaking more NEAT at the

same time as following the HIT

programme. It would also have

been useful if he’d maintained

a monitored, uniform diet for

those four weeks.

Anyway, as I stated at the

beginning of this article, at the

end of the 4 weeks, Mosley’s

body was dealing with glucose

a lot more efficiently, which

may have had something – or

absolutely nothing – to do with

his 3 minutes of exercise a week.

His VO2 Max had remained

the same, something Timmins

gleefully explained that he had

predicted right from the start

due to the results of the genetic

test. No one seemed to notice

the fact that Mosley’s vigorous

exercise was of an anaerobic

nature (meaning “without

oxygen”) so one would not

expect any improvement in his

body’s use of oxygen!

Mosley did report, however, that

during the VO2 Max test he felt

that he wasn’t working as hard

as the previous test and was

able to cycle for longer….there

was no explanation given for

this however.

The conclusion of the

programme was given to

Timmins to explain. He again

made the valid point that

individuals respond differently

to exercise. Alas, he also

reiterated his view that some

people are non-responders

and wouldn’t respond well to

any exercise. He also claimed

that there is no need to spend

much time exercising, saying

that his experiments prove that

just 3 minutes a week is ample

time to improve fitness.

Mosley concluded that: “most

people don’t enjoy the gym or

running” (er, I beg to differ!) but

that they might just manage 3

minutes a week – indeed, he

said he would be continuing

this practice for the foreseeable

future.

I have several thoughts, the first

(which David pointed out) being

that fitness was never really

defined in the programme.

Our own definition is always

that fitness is a readiness for

whatever life throws at you on

Michael Mosley powering

through his thrice weekly

one minute of exercise

a daily basis. This includes

endurance (keeping going all

day), speed (running for the

bus), balance (reaching on

tiptoes to the top shelf for the

biscuit tin [smiley face]), co-

ordination (multitasking when

you’re late for work, toast in one

hand, hairbrush in the other),

etc. Would 3 minutes a week

on an exercise bike improve

any of these? Highly unlikely.

What if you’re training for an

event? Many people feel a

great sense of achievement

and community when they

complete a 5km “Race for Life”

in aid of cancer research. I

know of numerous individuals

who’ve taken up yoga or Pilates

and improved their posture and

hence eliminated their back

pain.

Yes, everybody should move

more and as Levine said, they

don’t have to struggle and

sweat, they just need to be a bit

less lazy. No one should expect

the same outcome from exercise

as the next person. If you’re five

feet tall with an apple shape,

you will never look like a super

model.

Sadly, the overall impression of

this programme, or at least the

message it seemed to send,

was that scientists are actively

searching for ways that you can

have your cake and eat it.

Exercise is such a miserable past

time, let’s see how we can cut

corners and move even less.

Sorry, but you can’t outsmart

nature. We’re human beings

whose very existence relies on

movement. I vote we stop

demonizing exercise and

embrace it for a healthier,

happier nation!

P a g e 8 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 9: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Caught in the web Internet snippets

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 9

In May 2008 before his 47th birthday Roger

decided to change his life for the better.

Aided by his very supportive wife, Mary, and

his good friend and trainer Rick, Roger took

on the challenge of completing the Boston

Marathon. It had been a dream of his ever

since, at the age of seven, he watched his

father finish the race in1968.

Driven by this memory and his efforts to raise

money for, and awareness of, Cystic Fibrosis

- a disease from which his niece Julia suffers -

his journey starts with just 10 yards of walking.

This inspirational video is well worth watching

and if you’d like to read more or make a

donation to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF),

please visit: www.rfme.com To view follow this link below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja9BFx5Mhqo

David really enjoyed this one - can you spot him by

the lamppost on the left?

Found on

For thoughts on barefoot

running and general

health, visit Anna Toombs’s

blog:

www.barefootrunninguk.blogspot.co.uk

Page 10: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

a world where everyone is

barefoot most of the time,

because it’s healthier from a

biomechanical point of view

as well as improving general

well-being. He refuses to

go into restaurants or other

establishments that try to force

him to put on shoes and feels

that a certain “anti-barefoot”

culture has developed as a

result of the association

between bare feet and the

hippy movement of the

seventies.

There’s still not enough positive

promotion out there at the

moment to encourage more

people to re-think their beliefs

but this is slowly changing,

thanks to Prof Howell. He is a

wonderful ambassador to have

in the “barefoot corner”

because he argues his points

intelligently, without any

aggression or smugness, but

with an authority that comes

with years of scientific and

anecdotal confirmation.

Hopefully, along with the work

of other great barefoot runners

and walkers, Professor Howell’s

continued efforts to dispel the

myths and prejudices of bare-

footing will slowly change the

perspective of sceptics and we

will begin to see a healthier,

more mobile western world as

a result.

like us in jeans and t-shirt. He just

happened to have no shoes on.

He has a mildness about him

that sharpens to a passionate

intensity when he talks about

one of the subjects closest to his

heart: the health benefits of

running – and living – barefoot.

Professor Howell conducts his

“day job” at Liberty University in

Virginia, where he is Associate

Professor of Biology. As well

as teaching, he carries out

research, and he’s contributed

to many publications and

journals .

However, with the recent

explosion of interest in barefoot

running, Professor Howell’s

knowledge and experience is

now in demand worldwide. He

is regularly invited to speak at

conferences and participate

in discussions relating to the

continual controversy that

surrounds the subject. And

because Professor Howell

isn’t just a scientist relaying

laboratory results, but a real

life example of the merits of

barefooting, he has an even

wider appeal, appearing on

numerous TV and radio

programmes, including the

infamous “Today” Show with

Kathie Lee Gifford!

Professor Howell has run over

2,000 miles barefoot and his

daily life is shoeless, unless he

has no choice but to put

something on his feet. He

doesn’t behave like this to

make a statement about

being different or any desire

to go against the norm. On

the contrary, he’d like to see

In focus Daniel Howell: The barefoot professor

Professor Daniel Howell, nicknamed “The Barefoot

Professor” by his students, is

well-known in the barefoot

running world and indeed, the

barefoot world full stop. This is

because, for the last six years

or so of his life, he has spent

95% of his time barefoot and

has written a book about the

benefits (The Barefoot Book, as

reviewed by Jason Robillard in

the Winter 2011 Issue).

If you haven’t met Professor

Howell or seen any previous

pictures of him, you might have

been wondering what he looks

like. Quite often, the dedicated

barefoot proponents possess

either a wild freedom, wearing

very little clothing, or are

nothing short of biomechanical

machines in streamlined kit

preparing to run their next hard

core ultra marathon.

However, although Professor

Howell is an extremist (by his own

admission), when we met him he

was clean shaven, with normal

length hair, and dressed much

P a g e 1 0 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 11: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

The Loss of Micah True In recognition of legendary ultrarunner Caballo Blanco, The White Horse

In loving memory of

Micah True

Truth is beauty

Beauty is truth

That is all ye really know in life

And all ye need to know

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 1 1

Page 12: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

They both talked with candour

about their crashes but also

about their journeys since then;

about how they've coped with

new thought processes, feelings

and getting back into a car.

One thing in particular that

struck me and started me

thinking was something that

Stirling Moss said. You may or

may not know that he chose

to end his racing career after his

crash, despite having seemingly

to have fully recovered. His

explanation for his retirement

went something like this: "When

I drove before the crash, it was

through pure instinct. I didn't

need to think about it, I just did

it. After the crash, I was still

able to drive fast but I found

that I was consciously having

to process what I was doing.

My driving became calculated

rather than instinctive and it just

didn't feel right" (paraphrasing).

This rung so true with me, having

worked with numerous injured

clients. This is exactly how they

move - they think about their

P a g e 1 2 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

movement first and then control

their body with their brain.

Sometimes, simple movements

such as walking become brain

teasers as back, knee and hip

pain cause them to over-think

something that before their

injury was natural.

In Stirling Moss's case, the reason

for his over-mindfulness in a car

was probably -understandably -

fear of death. For most of my

clients, there are several fear

factors: pain, immobility and

the idea that a wrong move

might create more damage.

Again, this is understandable

but unfortunately this fear can

be detrimental. An injured

individual quickly learns which

movements are uncomfortable

and begins to find ways around

them. If their knee hurts, they

avoid bending it, so if something

is on the floor that needs picking

up, they'll bend their backs

instead. This can fairly swiftly

lead to back pain....so now,

their knees and backs are

suffering so even more work is

given to other areas of the body.

Anna’s pause for thought Some thoughts on injury

BBC presenter Richard Hammond

meets driving ace Sir Stirling Moss

I recently watched a documentary featuring a

conversation between the great

former racing driver, Stirling

Moss, and Richard Hammond,

one of the presenters of BBC

One's "Top Gear".

The reason for getting these

two together was because of

an experience they had in

common: they had both

crashed a car at high speed

and been on the edge of death.

Many of you will remember

hearing the report a year or so

ago that an experiment for Top

Gear in a 200+ mile an hour car

had gone horribly wrong and

that Richard Hammond was in a

coma. You may not remember

so well the crash that landed

Stirling Moss in hospital in a life

threatening condition back in

1962.

The men's conversation was

emotive and almost painfully

honest - I would highly

recommend that you seek it

out on BBC’s iplayer or YouTube.

Sir Stirling Moss being removed from his Lotus wreckage

Page 13: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

So, what's the answer? Ignore

the pain? No. It's there for a

reason. BUT, if it hurts to bend

your knee, you shouldn't avoid

all movement of the joint.

The goal is to maintain and

gradually increase movement

but within your comfort zone.

This slowly helps to restore

mobility but also confidence.

Movement systems such as

Feldenkrais and mine and

David's own movement

therapy aim to restore natural

movement. The word "restore"

is correct. During early child

development, movement

comes naturally as children

play: running, jumping, rolling,

play-fighting. Somewhere in

early adulthood and beyond,

movement becomes unnatural,

as it's no longer the "done" thing

to roll around on the floor, run

really fast or spin around like an

aeroplane for no reason. The

brain imposes restrictions due

to societal "rules". Throw in a

few injuries - sometimes through

trauma or sometimes as a direct

result of moving unnaturally -

and movement becomes even

more distorted. It can come to

feel as though you're not fitting

quite right in your body and so

your brain tries to figure out how

to combat this, which often just

makes things worse!

Instinct rarely comes into the

equation at this point because

it's been lost. This is often the

spiralling pattern that creates

recurring injury. Perhaps this is

why many runners give up

running.

Perhaps this is why barefoot

running has become recognized

as the secret of injury reversal.

Connecting with ground helps

your body's interconnected

parts talk to each other in the

same language again. And

because there's no way you

can do too much too soon, you

stay in that "comfort zone" area

which breeds patience and

confidence. It displaces the

fear too - you're focused on

keeping off the sharp stones

which leaves your knee to find

its own natural way of working.

One thing that Stirling Moss

would also have grappled with

would have been the element

of competition. That pressure

to win that comes with any high

level competition. Runners often

put pressure on themselves but

barefoot running can help

disperse this competitive

element and lead to a more

relaxed attitude towards

running. Stirling Moss certainly

still drives, but for the love of

driving and cars rather than

with the goal of winning a

competition.

Of course, it's better to avoid

injury altogether. I often refer

to the martial arts and I will do

so again here, for the training

philosophy of true martial arts

has not changed in thousands

of years and has not changed

for one simple reason: it works.

One of the many pieces of wise

advice given to David during

his long years of martial arts

practice was this: you should

learn your art so well that you

no longer need to think about

how to do it. In fact, your goal

is almost to forget what you've

learned. The way you maintain

your skill level is through practice

- and not through practising

harder and harder kicks and

punches, but by routinely going

through the basics.

I remember Michael King years

ago during my first Pilates

certification course telling us

about the benefits of returning

to a complete beginner's class

every so often rather than

always striving for bigger and

better. Build and maintain a

strong foundation and the

world of the injury-free is yours!

So, the message here is to not

stop moving when you're injured

but stay within your comfort

zone so that it slowly expands

again to restore you back to

health. Many of Stirling Moss's

peers claimed that he made a

premature decision to give up

racing - maybe if he'd started

again with the basics and

without any pressure, he'd

have found that instinctive

driving talent again.

Who knows?

The devastating

crash on BBC’s

Top Gear, 20th

Sept 2006,

involving Richard

Hammond at a

speed of 288mph

(464 km/h)

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 1 3

The remains of Sir Stirling Moss’s

F1 car

Page 14: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Let’s firstly define what VO2 Max

is.

VO2 Max (also called maximal

oxygen consumption, maximal

oxygen uptake, maximal aerobic

power, aerobic capacity, or

functional aerobic capacity) is

considered by many to be an

accurate measurement of

cardiorespiratory endurance

and aerobic fitness, and an

indicator of longevity, as it is the

highest rate at which oxygen

can be consumed by the body

during exercise or the maximal

oxygen uptake and distribution

that the body can utilize during

physical activity (1).

VO2 Max is usually expressed

relative to bodyweight - as

oxygen (O2) and energy (Joules)

requirements change in relation

to mass - and is measured in milli-

litres (ml) of oxygen consumed

per Kilogram (kg) of body mass

in the specified time lapse of

one minute (min).

On average, women have a

20% lower VO2 Max compared

to their male counterparts(3)

due to differences in body

composition such as heart size

and fat to muscle ratios. A study

by Hutchison, Cureton, Outz &

Wilson (1991) found that, on

average, women have smaller

hearts, which seriously affects

the delivery of oxygen to

operating musculature (4).

Furthermore, Heywood (1996)

found that the average

sedentary female generally has

30% bodily fat relative to body

weight compared with just 16%

in the average sedentary male.

This difference is quite significant

and in fact, if we express VO2

Max only in terms of muscle

mass (fat free) rather than body

weight, then VO2 Max is equal

between both genders (5).

This gives us the following

equation.

VO2 Max = ml/Kg/min

Significant factors such as

age, gender, heredity, body

composition, state of training

and mode of exercise can easily

influence VO2 Max outcome in

healthy adults. In addition, a

number of diseases such as

diabetes, heart disease, cancer,

bone-related diseases (such

as osteoporosis) and chronic

obstructive pulmonary disease

can markedly impair the

outcome of VO2 Max levels.

However, a study by Sjodin and

Svedenhag (1992) followed a

group of adolescent boys for 8

years (approximately from the

age of 12 to 20 years); half

were trained in a standard

manner, while the other half

were left untrained, but active.

On completion they found that,

relative to body weight (kg),

there were no differences in

VO2 Max suggesting that the

training prescribed had no

influence on maximal oxygen

uptake. However, the same

study did find that when VO2

Max was calculated in relation

to body surface area (m2),

then there was a significant

difference between the groups,

and the oxygen uptake had

indeed increased in proportion

to the training stimulus provided (2).

This brings into question the

methods that are used to

measure aerobic capacity.

Take the gender factor for

example.

Welcome to David’s lab

where we take an in depth

look into the science

surrounding health and sport.

David’s lab VO2 Max explained

P a g e 1 4 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

A typical method of testing

VO2 Max

Page 15: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

personal – with genetics being a

significant factor (7) - the starting

point of the individual must also

be taken into account as the

fitter they are, the less potential

there is for an increase. Indeed,

research has found that the

maximal levels of VO2 Max are

generally reached within 8 -18

months of regimented training (6)

calling into question the

possibilities of increasing athletic

performance after this plateau

point has been reached.

To understand why there is

a plateau point in VO2 Max

theorists have come up with

two explanations:

1. The Presentation theory

2. The Utilization theory

The presentation theory suggests

that VO2 Max is restricted not by

how much an individual is able

to inhale or “pump” the oxygen

supply to the active tissue

(cardiorespiratory system), but

instead by the cardiovascular

system and its ability to transport

the required oxygen to the

required tissues. It is maintained

by these theorists that an

increase in blood volume,

increased heart stroke and the

ability to perfuse the blood into

the muscles accounts for the

increase of VO2 Max in training.

The Utilization theory holds that

the limiting of VO2 Max is due

to a lack of sufficient oxidative

enzymes within the body’s power

cells (mitochondria) and an

untrained individual can increase

the number of mitochondria with

training stimulus, which in turn,

allows for better transportation of

oxygen.

Both theories have their merits.

However, Saltin and Rowell’s

studies concluded that the

supply of oxygen was the most

logical restrictor of endurance

performance (8), while other

studies have found little or no

relationship between enzyme

increase and its correlation to

VO2 Max increases (9,10).

So with these theories in mind

it is generally believed that

endurance performance

increases are due to the athlete

being able to perform for

longer periods of time in the

higher bands of their VO2 Max .

General athletic performance

improvements can also be

attributed to increased

anaerobic threshold, increased

athletic economy (usually due

to correct form coaching and

high levels of practice), and

types of training pursued.

Speaking of which, training

stimulus is very important.

Normal resistance style or

intensity enriched anaerobic

training protocols will have little

to no effect on VO2 Max unless

the participant is at a low starting

point to begin with (11). Instead,

considerable amounts of

aerobic training will be required

to reach the upper limits of VO2

Max , but much less training is

required to maintain levels, and

in fact peak aerobic power can

be maintained even if training is

With this knowledge we can

surmise that the accuracy of

VO2 Max , when comparing

individuals, is flawed. We should

therefore be cautious about

making comparisons between

one sportsman’s VO2 Max and

another, as a true comparison

cannot realistically be made.

However, the traditional way

that VO2 Max is calculated

can be useful in charting the

progress of an individual over

a given timeline to predict

their own cardiorespiratory

development, with the aim

of increasing their athletic

performance.

Increasing VO2 Max

Anyone can increase their VO2

Max by simply committing to a

fitness regime of 3 sessions a

week of 30 minute’s continuous

exercise, and research by ML

Pollock (6) found that over a 6

month period it’s possible to

increase ones VO2 Max by an

average of 17.5%, with a range

of participants in his study

achieving benefits from a

relatively modest 4% through

to an amazing 93%.

While the response is extremely

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 1 5

The effects of 40 days bed rest on VO2Max, resulting in a very significant

decrease of around 30 percent.

VO

2 M

ax

Bed rest days

Page 16: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

decreased by two thirds as in

“tapering”- when endurance

athletes reduce training volume

by up to 60% for two to three

weeks prior to competition (12).

Factors that affect VO2 Max

Once VO2 Max limits have

been achieved there are a few

factors that may affect VO2 Max

levels. Firstly there is altitude.

As altitude increases, VO2 Max

decreases, generally 1200+ m

(3940 ft) above sea level, with a

loss of approximately 10% per

1000 m (3280 ft) (13).

This decrease is due mainly to

the lack of available oxygen

that results in a net falling in

inspired oxygen supply to organs

and active tissues (13). The other

major affecter of the VO2 Max

measurement is aging, where

an average rate of 1% per year

or 10% per decade after the

age of 25 is accepted as a

norm.

A large study by A.S Jackson et

al found that the average man

would lose 1.2% per year to a

woman’s 1.7%. However, it’s

worth noting that this loss in VO2

Max may not be due to aging

process per se, but other factors

that accompany aging (14,15).

For example, weight increases

can drastically alter VO2 Max

readings even without any

changes in the level of inspired

oxygen or perfusion into the

active tissues. However, the

most common factor is a

decrease in training stimuli.

Even elite athletes succumb to

this, as it has been found that

with a decline in training (tested

between the ages of 23 and

50) there was a decline in VO2

Max of up to a staggering 43%

(15% per decade or 1.5% per

year), which in some cases

was greater than the average

untrained subjects during a 30-s sprint

test in a wheelchair ergometer. Eur J

Appl Physiol Occup Physiol.;64(2):158

-164 (1992)

4. Hutchison PL, Cureton KJ, Outz H &

Wilson G. Relationship of cardiac size

to maximal oxygen uptake and body

size in men and women. (1991)

5. Bouchard C, Shephard RJ, Stephens

T, Sutton JR & McPherson BD (Eds.).

Exercise Fitness and Health. (1990)

6. Pollock ML. Quantification of

endurance training programmes.

Exercise and Sport Science Review;

1,155-188. (May 1973)

7. Heywood V. Advanced Fitness

Assessments and Exercise

Prescription: 5th Edition. (2006)

8. Saltin B & Rowell LB. Functional

adaptations to physical activity and

inactivity. Federation proceeding; 39

(5):1506 -13 (Apr 1980)

9. Gollnick PD, Armstrong RB, Saubert

CW 4th, Piehl K & Saltin B. Enzyme

activity and fibre composition in

skeletal muscle of untrained and

trained men, J Appl Physiol Occup

Physiol.;33(3):150-7 (Sept 1972)

10. Costill DL, ThomasR, Robergs RA,

Pascoe D, Lambert C, Barr S & Fink

WJ. Adaptations to swimming

training: influence of training

volum. Med Sci Sport Exerc.; 23

(3):371-7 (Mar 1991)

11. Kraemer WJ, Deschenens MR, Fleck

SJ. Physiological adaptations to

resistance exercise: Implications for

athletic conditioning. Sports Med.; 6

(4):246-56 (Oct 1988)

12. Hickson RC, Foster C, Pollock ML,

Galassi TM & Rich S. Reduced

training intensities and loss of aerobic

power, endurance and cardiac

growth. J Appl Physiol.;58(2):492-9

(Feb 1985)

13. Noakes T. Lore of Running: 4th

Edition. (2002)

14. Jackson AS, Wier LT, Ayers GW, Beard

EF, Stuteville JE & Blair SN. Changes in

aerobic power of women, ages 20-

64 years. Med Sci Sports Exerc.; 28

(7):884-91 (July 1996)

15. Jackson AS, Beard EF, Wier LT, Ross

RM, Stuteville JE & Blair SN. Changes

in aerobic power of men, ages 25-70

years. Med Sci Sports Exerc.; 27

(1):113-20 (Jan 1995)

16. Trappe SW, Costill DL, Vukovich MD,

Jones J & Melham T. Aging among

elite distance runners: a 22 year lon-

gitudinal study. J Appl Physiol.; 80(1)

285-90 (Jan 1996)

population (16).

But there is hope! Master

athletes (35-50 years of age),

who maintained their training

stimulus were found to only lose

5-6% per decade or 0.55 per

year and this correlates to a

decrease of 3.6% over a 25 year

period.

In conclusion

Simply, there is not sufficient

evidence that VO2 Max alone

is an accurate indicator or

predictor of performance.

VO2 Max can be a useful tool

in monitoring one’s own fitness

levels but due to the minuscule

increments that can be gained

after the initial increases it is a

very limited way of charting

progress and in fact, is only a

very small piece in a more

complex picture. However,

VO2 Max measurements are a

good indicator of performance

loss, such as in severe injury or

bed rest and can highlight the

amount of work necessary to

regain one’s aerobic function.

As with most scientific fitness test

components, in isolation VO2

Max provides little information,

but as part of a series of diverse

fitness tests can be a worthwhile

tool.

References

1. Wilmore JH and Costill DL. Physiology

of Sport and Exercise: 3rd Edition.

(2005)

2. Sjodin B, Svedenhag J. Oxygen

uptake during running as related to

body mass in circumpubertal boys: a

longitudinal study. Eur J Appl Physiol

Occup Physiol.;65(2):150-7 (Mar

1992)

3. Veeger H, Lute E, Roeleveld K &

van der Woude L. Differences in

performance between trained and

P a g e 1 6 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 17: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 I s s u e 4 P a g e 1 7

Page 18: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

P a g e 1 8 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Outside the lab Other peoples’ labs

Professor Lieberman, one of the most well-known professors

in the barefoot running world, has produced two new

studies, published in the Journal of Medical Science and

Sports Exercise.

The first study investigated running economy in relation to

footwear in a group of habitual minimalist and barefoot

runners. The results of the study indicated better running

economy for those wearing minimalist shoes or running

barefoot, versus running in cushioned shoes with a definite

heel. Interestingly, the study also included results regarding

foot strike and the runners with a rearfoot strike were more

economical than those with a forefoot strike, going against

the general beliefs associated with forefoot strike and

efficiency. Amby Burfoot also notes that if runners who are

usually barefoot are asked to run in cushioned shoes, they

may run less economically merely because they’re unused

to wearing shoes.

In another study, Lieberman and his team looked at foot

strike and injury rate in a group of 52 cross country runners.

The results showed that in every year, 74% of all the runners experienced moderate or severe injury,

but twice as many repetitive stress injuries were suffered in the group of habitual rearfoot strikers

compared to the forefoot strikers. This is probably the expected result amongst barefoot and

minimalist runners but several well thought of running specialists had their own opinions to add.

Dr Mark Cucuzzella (of The Natural Running Center) is keen

to point out that we shouldn’t just think about foot strike,

reminding us that back in the ‘60’s, runners invariably

landed first on their heel and rolled through their foot but

that because of the nature of the shoes they wore – flat

and thin-soled – there was no tendency to overstride. Dr

Steve Gangemi points out that the issue isn’t necessarily to

do with foot strike but poor mechanics in general resulting

from muscle imbalances that are produced through stress in

the body, whether from shoes, poor diet or other stressors.

Danny Dreyer, founder of ChiRunning, says he sees a lot of

injured runners who have issues with the toe-off phase of the

running gait rather than the landing and that this aspect of

gait is unfortunately largely ignored.

For more info and insights on both these studies, visit:

www. peakperformance.runnersworld.com and

www.naturalrunningcenter.com

Lieberman’s latest

Typical overstriding

Page 19: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 1 9

There has long been debate

about the merits of eating red

meat. Followers of the Paleo

diet will attest to its attributes

and claim that their bodies feel

cleaner and healthier through

mimicking the eating patterns

of our ancestors. However, red

meat is often demonized in the

Press, and has been linked to

various health issues numerous

times.

In the latest research featured

in the Archives of Internal

Medicine, the diets of a large

number of participants were

monitored for over 20 years

and the results indicate that a

daily portion of red meat can

increase your risk of premature

death by 13% and that number

jumps up to 20% in the case of

processed red meat such as

ham and bacon.

Apparently, the risk of cancer,

heart disease and stroke is

increased by red meat and it

is recommended that no more

than 70g is consumed per day.

In fact, if you cut down to 40g

per day your risk decreases

dramatically.

Of course, the other general

rules apply. For example

(surprise surprise) you are likely

to be healthier and therefore

at decreased risk if you beat

more fruit and vegetables.

The other common sense rule

is to eat higher quality red

meat (rather than two for one

packets of processed ham from

low budget supermarkets, for

example).

It seems that the conclusion

drawn by most is the same as it

usually is, i.e. eat a balanced

diet of high quality, natural food

and get plenty of exercise and

fresh air. Simple really!

Heart warming

news

The New Scientist published a

study back in November 2011

revealing results indicating that

saunas can help your heart.

Participants with chronic heart

failure who took five saunas per

week showed improved heart

function and boosted their

exercise endurance.

Other research has shown that

increases in body temperature

brought about through sauna

usage can trigger neurons to

release serotonin, leading to

that feel-good sensation.

Finally a valid excuse for those

who prefer passive heating over

active heating!

Demons in red

meat

Page 20: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

If I had to sum this book up in

one word, that word would be

“delightful”. Ken Bob’s book

(co written by Roy Wallack, a

sportsman and sports writer) is

full of fun, with fantastic photos

of gorgeous landscapes

underneath blue skies and of

course, Ken Bob’s own unique

sense of humour. It is also

packed with advice that can

only come from someone who

really knows his craft – and Ken

Bob does.

The book begins with an outline

of Ken Bob’s own journey

towards barefoot running. In

a nutshell, he found running in

shoes uncomfortable, hobbling

through a marathon with blisters

all over the top and sides of his

feet. However, noticing that

the soles of his feet were still

unmarked by the ordeal, he

had a “light bulb” moment

and has been running barefoot

ever since, completing no less

than 77 unshod marathons and

showing no sign of stopping.

Many of you will have come

Book review Barefoot Running: Step by Step

across Ken Bob’s website

(therunningbarefoot.org) and

will be familiar with his amusing

manner. One of the things I

liked most about the book was

that it was sprinkled with “Ken

Bob-isms” throughout and just

when things were getting a little

in depth and serious, such as

when discussing the technical

issues surrounding good running

form, a Ken Bob-ism would pop

up in quotation marks to lighten

the mood again and make me

smile (“Face the direction you

wish to travel, or you’re likely to

end up someplace else” –

Barefoot Ken Bob-ism #55).

Ken Bob’s method of learning

how to barefoot run follows

what I might call “The Blue

Peter” approach. For those

of you who did not grow up

watching this programme,

much of it was based around

finding what you can in your

immediate environment to

help you with whatever project

you’re currently working on. The

presenters were always teaching

their young, eager viewers how

to make a space ship out of a

toilet roll middle, a washing up

bottle and some sticky back

plastic. Anyway, Ken Bob’s

teaching is this way inclined, in

that it’s based around having

fun and using your intuition.

Although he covers in detail

correct running position and is

adamant about the bending of

the knees, he ultimately believes

that your own two feet are your

best teachers: “If I’d waited for

academic studies, I would

probably not be running at all,

except for a few times a week

at the beach. If I waited for

academic studies, I might not

be eating!” This attitude might

not appeal to those who are

fans of the scientific research

but for me, it makes sense. And

the fun element is refreshing;

even Ken Bob’s running drills

are based on having fun. Drill

number one is called “The

Staggering Drunk” and, rather

than specify a set amount of

repetitions of this exercise that

has you tottering about on

wobbly legs, he tells you to

“repeat until you see a cop

approaching”!

“Face the direction

you wish to travel, or

you’re likely to end up

someplace else” –

Barefoot Ken Bob-ism

#55

Ken Bob, like all good teachers

(in my opinion) is still open to

learning and happily relates how

he has been taught things by

other barefoot runners far less

experienced than him who have

P a g e 2 0 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 21: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

written to him or posted in the

runningbarefoot forum. He has

also found new things out by

attending Pose and ChiRunning

clinics, telling us that he only

learnt about the benefits of the

180+ cadence from Danny

Dreyer (founder of ChiRunning)

in 2004.

The last section of the book is

filled with inspirational stories

about competitive, successful

barefoot runners, such as Zola

Budd and Abebe Bikilla.

Perhaps even more pertinent

are the other tales Ken Bob

includes from “normal” runners

whose running practice has

been transformed by taking

off their shoes. All these put

together would encourage any

runner, or indeed couch potato,

to get outside and discover the

joy themselves.

“If I’d waited for

academic studies, I

would probably not

be running at all,

except for a few times

a week at the beach.

If I waited for

academic studies, I

might not be eating!”

Along with this huge surge of

interest in barefoot running

comes a belief that there is

one correct way to run and

that this is what we should all

strive for. I actually think there’s

more to it than this, and Ken

Bob sums it up well in one of

my favourite sentences in the

book: “You never really get

barefoot technique locked

down, partly because it’s a

matter of responding to so

many variations in terrain and

in your own body, as well as

continuous improvement

from experimenting, getting

feedback from your quality

control inspectors (the soles of

your feet), and playing.”

With this in mind, any “how to”

book should be viewed as a

guide with the understanding

that everyone is different and

that learning from a book is a

one way street. It is always

worth adding to what you learn

from a book by having an

experienced teacher check

out your form, just to make sure

you’re on the right path. Be

aware of where you’re starting

from too; Ken Bob’s book is a

detailed guide to barefoot

running and it is not the purpose

of – or possible for - the book

to be able to account for any

injuries you may have starting

out. Everyone who reads it

will be coming from a slightly

different starting point.

But Ken Bob’s book will certainly

start you off in the best possible

way – he is, after all, The Master!

Barefoot Ken Bob at Golden, Colorado 24th June 2005

Barefoot Running Step by Step:

Barefoot Ken Bob, the Guru of

Shoeless Running, Shares His

Personal Technique for Running

with More Speed, Less Impact,

Fewer Injuries and More Fun

Paperback: £14.99

Kindle edition: £9.33

Publisher: Fair Winds Press (26 May

2011)

Language English

ISBN-10: 1592334652

ISBN-13: 978-1592334650

Book details...

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 2 1

Page 22: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Season in pictures A. A showcase of what you have been up to the past 3 months

P a g e 2 2 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Stephen Fraser

competing in the

Nairn 10k road race

David Robinson

just out and about

in the snow

Barefoot Mecki making

the most of a great

photo opportunity at

the World Stroke Day

fun run

Page 23: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 2 3

Send us

your photos

Let us know what you’ve

been up to - email

[email protected]

Season in pictures A. A showcase of what you have been up to the past 3 months

Photograph by Hans R van der Woude

Steve Goodier

doing some

barefoot Parkour

Alan Thwaits showing

how it’s done at the

19K mark of the

Sarasota, Florida

Half Marathon

Page 24: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Injury corner The Runner’s Triad by Scott Hadley PhD, DPT

run happy and pain-free. Chi

Running, the POSE Method,

Good Form Running, Newton

Running, and of course Barefoot

Running (my personal choice)

have made a lot of headway

in teaching a better way to run.

And a lot of the success of these

methods is due to good press

by Born To Run and some

people who rode the wave of

enthusiasm behind this exciting

new/old way to run.

Entre: the problem.

We still get injured. [Curses]

In fact, injury rates among

runners practicing the above

approaches are not much

different than the general

population of runners. Its

actually getting hard to tell the

difference in my city of Grand

Rapids, Michigan who has

taken the Good Form Running

courses and who hasn’t. Seems

like most people in shoes are

taking shorter strides, leaning

forward from the ankle, landing

on the midfoot, bleh, bleh,

bleh….

But I still see those people in my

clinic. Maybe because Good

Form Running isn’t so good?

And do you know who else I

treat? Barefoot runners. Since

I’m only one of a two barefoot

running doctors in the state

(that I know of), and the other

one works with me at the

Hadley Clinic, barefoot runners

drive from abroad to get some

good treatment from someone

who knows the sport, knows the

science, and won’t tell them to

get orthotics.

But why? I thought barefoot,

minimalist, Chi, etc. were

supposed to help us? Barefoot

running did not cure that IT

band syndrome any better than

a thick, supportive shoe. And

that Achilles tendonitis? Still

there.

“Regardless of having

the best running form

known to modern

mankind, we are still

subject to injury.”

Don’t get me wrong. I think

people DO have a better

chance of not getting injured if

they run with proper barefoot

form. But injuries still happen.

In just the past two weeks I’ve

treated two of the best ultra

runners in West Michigan. One is

a barefoot purist who only wears

these flimsy little moccasins with

a 3 mm Vibram sole (Moc3,

www.softstar.com). He’s such

a barefoot running nerd that

he ran a 50-mile trail ultra last

summer in Moc3s with his jaw

wired shut. Maybe you read

about him in Runner’s World or

saw him on YouTube. Try to

breath, hydrate, and suck gels

like that for 12 hours.

My point? Regardless of having

the best running form known to

modern mankind, we are still

subject to injury.

But one of the most exciting

days of my professional life was

when I discovered why even

the best runners get injured.

One of my favorite books is Born To Run by Christopher

McDougall. Maybe you’ve read

it. It’s a fun read with a great

plot and some interesting ideas.

It started a revolution too. This

book almost single-handedly

popularized the minimalist and

barefoot running movement.

People rushed to buy Vibram

Five Fingers in the hopes that

their running injuries would be

miraculously cured – like

Barefoot Ted, who was cured

of his low back pain by running

barefoot.

Shoe manufacturers eventually

caught on to the movement,

and now just about every major

shoe company has a minimalist

line of shoes to appeal to the

growing demand among

runners.

Some really great running

methods became popular as

runners raced to learn how to

P a g e 2 4 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 25: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Regardless of speed, distance,

size, training, and mental

fortitude, there is one common

feature that limits every runner

and will eventually turn that

runner into a statistic.

No. Not running shoes.

Tight calves. A tight soleus to be

specific. This one muscle is like

the center of the universe when

it comes to running overuse

injuries. Give me 100 runners

with overuse injuries, and I’ll find

a dysfunctional calf in 99 of

them.

But that’s not all. The soleus has

some really key mechanical

roles for attenuating shock. And

it has some critical functions in

activating other muscles by way

of stretch reflexes. So when the

soleus gives out, lots can go

wrong mechanically and

neurologically. And the result is

what I call the Runner’s Triad.

In short, the Runner’s Triad

presents like this:

1. Tight and painful soleus (often

accompanied by the same in

the gastroc, quads, and hip

abductors)

2. Inhibited hip abductors and

extensors

3. Pelvic asymmetry causing a

leg length difference (usually

longer on the side of the pain)

Here is the basic mechanism of

the Runner’s Triad.

1. The soleus is overloaded and

becomes inflexible. It’s a key

muscle for shock absorption,

especially in barefoot and

minimalist runners. When the

soleus gets tight, it loses about

50% of its strength due to

neurological inhibition of its

stretch reflexes (this has

been published in 3 separate

research papers…).

a tight calf, a weak hip, and a

leg length difference, other

muscles start to compensate.

In fact, there are 12 common

compensations for the Runner’s

Triad that I see regularly. I call

them the Dirty Dozen.

The Dirty Dozen running

overuse injuries include things

like plantar fasciitis, Achilles

tendonitis, shin splints, calf

strains, patellofemoral pain, IT

band syndrome, hamstring

strains, several types of hip

pain, and low back pain. Any

of those feel too familiar to you?

But there is hope.

One really cool thing is that

the Dirty Dozen can be avoided

by fixing the Runner’s Triad

before the symptoms appear.

And the Dirty Dozen injuries

can be treated by fixing the

Triad first, and then fixing the

compensation.

So how do you fix and prevent

the Runner’s Triad? Roll your

calves on some HARD cylinder –

like a rolling pin or a steel water

bottle. Foam is too soft. “The

Stick” is too flimsy. You need

to dig deeply into the sore

soleus (which is quite thick and

makes up the bulk of the calf) to

release the tension in the muscle

and fascia. Treating the soleus

REVERSES the Runner’s Triad.

Just a few minutes of rolling the

soleus corrects the pelvic

alignment and restores the

reflexive strength of the hip

and calf.

This is not a massage. This is a

manipulation. Painful. Tedious.

Agonizing. Nauseating. But if

you want to run, you have to

pay your dues. And the soleus

roll is one of them.

Here are some basic instructions

to get you going:

2. The tight soleus also causes

reflexive inhibition of the hip

extensors, which can lose

up to 75% of their strength

when the calf is tight. I’ve

recently submitted a research

paper describing this reflex

and shown how it can be

reversed. In 41 runners, the

average improvement in

hip extensor strength after

5 minutes of soleus

manipulation was 65%.

3. Some subjects showed

two-fold and three-fold

increases in hip strength

after ONE soleus treatment!

4. The tight soleus causes a

reflexive spasm of the

quadratus lumborum in the

lower back. This results in

asymmetry of the pelvis

causing a leg length

difference of up to 2 cm.

So a tight calf causes a weak

calf, a weak hip and a leg

length difference.

That’s it. That’s what is common

in every single overuse running

injury. If there was no traumatic

event like a fall or joint sprain, if

there is no major joint problem

like a meniscus tear, and if there

is no stress fracture, the Runner’s

Triad is the underlying source of

all running pain. Period.

“When the soleus

gives out, lots can go

wrong mechanically

and neurologically.

And the result is what

I call the Runner’s

Triad.”

Over time, the Runner’s Triad

becomes a scaffold upon

which the most common

overuse injuries are built. With

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 2 5

Page 26: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

The method and the images presented here are owned by Scott Hadley, PhD, DPT. Copyright © 2011, Scott Hadley, PhD, DPT.

All rights reserved.

Soleus Rolling

With toes pointed in a relaxed

position, place your calf on a

rolling pin just over the Achilles

Lift your hips and roll from the

heel upward about 2/3 up the

calf.

Roll the midline, the inner side,

and the outer side

When you find a painful area,

spend more time there

Use as much pressure as you

can tolerate and then some

more

To increase pressure, cross

your other leg over the one

you are rolling.

Don’t do this if you have a

history of blood clots in your calf

or a current fracture in the tibia

or fibula.

P a g e 2 6 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Look out for Scott Hadley’s upcoming book this

summer: The Runner’s Triad: prevention and

self-treatment for the Dirty Dozen running injuries.

We’ll keep you posted with information about the

publication date and how you can get your hands

on a copy!

To view similar treatments and explanations of stretch reflexes please visit:

http://www.trekoblog.com/?p=144

Page 27: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

What’s new Products worth a look

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 2 7

Nākd have produced a new range of flavoursome raisins.

Yes, raisins already have a flavour but in terms of tempting

but healthy snacking, these are worth a second look.

They have cola ones, lemon, cherry, orange, tangy lime

and pineapple to choose from. All natural ingredients

and no artificial flavours.

Visit: www.naturalbalancefoods.co.uk to order

some tasty, healthy treats.

This little gadget is like a very sophisticated

pedometer. It not only counts your steps,

but monitors things like climbing stairs,

calories burned and even how much sleep

you’re getting. It clips easily to your clothing

and comes in a range of colours. As is the

standard these days, it also links to your

phone and connects wirelessly to your pc

so it’s easy peasy to monitor your progress.

If you’re into gadgets, check it out:

www.fitbit.com

We love chocolate, so we’re very excited to hear

about Ohso chocolate bars. They’re made from

dark chocolate, so are high in antioxidants and

rich in essential vitamins and minerals. These

chocolate bars also contain around a billion

“good for you” bacteria and are only 72 calories

per bar. Fancy a taste?

Visit: www.ohsolovesyourtummy.com for more info.

Page 28: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

SE20 Cycles

160 Maple Rd London

SE20 8JB 020 8778 2023

Parts & servicing

Race preparation

Modifications

Custom builds

Expert advice from a friendly team

P a g e 2 8 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 29: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 I s s u e 4 P a g e 2 9

Page 30: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Main feature Run Strong • Run Free: An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running

in the book.

We wanted to offer readers

some concrete, yet relatively

simple, information about

human structure and movement

in relation to running. We hear

all the time that barefoot

running is very efficient from a

biomechanical point of view

but it is extremely helpful (if a

little mind-blowing) to find out

exactly why.

We’ve also included a section

on breathing, the mechanics of

which are generally overlooked

but very important. Breathing is

easily compromised through

muscle imbalances and when

you consider the fact that there

are entire books written only

about breathing, you begin

to understand that it’s not just a

case of inhale, exhale, inhale….

etc.

Of course, all readers are

interested in “how” to barefoot

Main feature Run Strong • Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running

10

BFR UK’s news BFRUK’s latest

30

BFR UK’s events Events & workshops

40

BFR UK’s calendar BFRUK’s 2012/13 Year

50

To subscribe:

UK (0845) 226 7302

Overseas +44 (0) 208 659 0269

email:

[email protected]

or visit four website or more

information:

www.barefootrunninguk.com

P a g e 1 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 I s s u e 4

The health and fitness information presented in this magazine

is intended as an educational resource and is not intended as

a substitute for medical advice. Consult your doctor before

attempting any of the exercises in this newsletter or any other

exercise programme, particularly if you are pregnant, elderly or

have chronic or recurring medical conditions. Do not attempt

any of the exercises while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Discontinue any exercise that causes you pain or discomfort and

consult a medical expert. Neither the author of the information

nor the producer nor the distributors make any warranty of any

kind in regard to the content of the information presented in this

newsletter.

Whilst continuing our work with

individual clients and teaching

workshops, we’ve also spent

much of the last year and a

half putting together a book

about barefoot running. When

we were still contemplating

whether or not to do it,

someone warned us that the

actual writing of the book was

only about one third (if that)

of the entire process. At that

point, we couldn’t see past the

daunting vision of sitting down

and producing the thing but

now the writing is complete,

there’s still so much to do!

We discovered years ago that

(thank goodness) we work

quite well as a team. David

is the “science” man with a

very logical brain whilst I tend

to work through feeling and

intuition. This means that,

together, we can tackle the

concept of barefoot running

from all directions, which is

hopefully what we’ve achieved

Find us at

barefootrunninguk.com

barefootrunninguk /

facebook

youtube.com/bfruk

Our photographer,

Mike, getting shots

of David’s feet

to demonstrate

optimum foot

landing

Page 31: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

run. We strongly believe that

it’s impossible to write a book

about barefoot running unless

you do it yourself and have

gained so much more insight

into the practice by spending

many hours investigating it

ourselves. In fact, we were

both recreational runners

already but made the decision

to start completely from scratch

without our shoes, with our first

run being only 400 metres in the

freezing cold one winter! We

discovered that finding optimum

running form is only one part of

what barefoot running is all

about and came to understand

very quickly that each person’s

barefoot running journey is

different. It’s also a process

rather than a “before” (in shoes)

and “after” (without shoes)

scenario. The time we have

spent working on ourselves

and teaching clients with very

different running backgrounds

has provided us with a more

complete understanding of

barefoot running.

There is much discussion in

books and on the internet

about how to develop your

barefoot running. Some people

advocate drills, some say just

run a little more each day,

some say stretch, some say

don’t stretch…. It’s a tricky

one, again because the true

answer is that everybody’s

different. Therefore, within the

book, we’ve included exercises

that we have found useful for

most clients and readers can

follow all of them or pick and

choose the ones that they

discover work for them.

We cover form in detail. We

also address issues that are

particularly pertinent to barefoot

running, such as climate and

terrain. We’ve outlined what

we’ve found to be the most

common mistakes that people

make and dispel some of the

myths, such as the one about

treading in dog poo every five

minutes! (Neither of us ever

have, although we have when

wearing shoes!).

The finished product is something

that will appeal to runners of

all levels and capabilities. It’s

obviously about barefoot

running but any runner will find

it helpful in terms of addressing

their biomechanical issues and

mental approach to running.

We’d like to acknowledge the

help of Mike Molloy, our superb

photographer, who spent time

lying on the freezing ground

in December to get the front

cover shot and who also worked

tirelessly to produce the exercise

shots within the book. We’d

like to also thank our illustrator,

Jo Spaul, who managed to

make sense of our rudimentary

anatomy drawings and create

some fantastic diagrams to

help explain the theory behind

sound running mechanics.

The manuscript is now in the

safe hands of our typesetting/

printing company Headley

Brothers and we’re hoping to

publish in April. We will be

announcing pre-orders as

soon as they’re available and

would be grateful to you all for

helping us spread the word.

S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 I s s u e 4 P a g e 2

The photo on the front cover!

Page 32: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

We are changing the structure

of our workshops slightly,

amalgamating all of the

information into a one day

course that corresponds with

our new book - Run Strong •

Run Free: An introduction to

the science and art of barefoot

Breaking News!

New look

workshop

for 2012

running, which we’ll use as

course material.

We’re planning to take the

course to a number of different

locations throughout the UK

this year in the hope that we

can accommodate as many

interested people as possible.

Check out the calendar to see

when we’re in your area.

If you wish to arrange your own

workshop/talk, please feel free

to call or email us to see if we

can set something up.

Barefoot Running UK news BFRUK’s latest

Michael Bartley

joins the team

We are pleased to announce

that our good friend and

talented sports massage

therapist, Michael Bartley, has

joined the Barefoot Running

UK team. Michael has an

extensive background in the

health and fitness industry as

well as an impressive running

history.

Michael has transitioned to

barefoot and minimalist running

and is enjoying it immensely –

apart from the occasional sore

calf episode! He is based in

Westminster where he carries

out sports massage in two gyms

(one of which he manages)

and he is also available for

some home visits. Feel free to

contact Michael directly for

more information:

[email protected]

Welcome to the team Michael!

BFRUK is going runabout

P a g e 3 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 I s s u e 4

The runs are free of charge

but we will need you to fill out

a health form and return it to

us prior to the run date. We

will be limiting the number of

spaces to 10 and bookings

are on a first come, first

served basis.

We’re looking forward to

meeting more runners through-

out the UK and investigating

new running routes!

As some of you know, we hold

monthly group runs on Clapham

Common. We have decided

to take these group runs further

afield so that we can include

as many areas of the UK as

possible. We will still be holding

some London runs but, as you

will see in the calendar, we’ll

be visiting other areas too.

If you’d like to join one of the

monthly runs, please send us

an email to book your place.

Page 33: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

you a weekend of barefoot

running tuition and yoga classes

on the beautiful Isle of Wight on

8th and 9th September.

We will be posting more details

soon on the website, with info

on what the weekend involves,

how to book and options for

places to stay. In the meantime,

please drop us an email if you’re

interested in attending and

would like to reserve a space:

[email protected]

BFRUK group run

Barefoot Running and Yoga Weekend

We are pleased to be working

in collaboration with Emma

Spencer-Goodier (see her yoga

feature on page 36) to bring

Run Strong • Run Free

one day workshop

Our new course is spread over an

entire day from 9am to 6pm. The

material, as we’ve mentioned, is

based around the content of our

book, due for release very soon.

The course will include:

Anatomy and biomechanics

Optimum running technique

Barefoot running

The influence of weather and

terrain

Injury

Useful drills and exercises

PLUS individual feedback on

your technique.

We like to gear the workshops

towards the attendees so each

one is slightly different. They are

also informal and interactive;

we enjoy discussion and welcome

any fitness/health related

questions.

Please see the calendar for

workshop dates, venues and

details on how to book your

place.

Spaces are limited to 12 people

Check out the website for more

details or feel free to call or

email us.

0845 226 7302

[email protected]

Barefoot Running UK events Events & workshops

S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 I s s u e 4 P a g e 4

We organize monthly group

runs for anybody interested in

barefoot or minimalist running.

The runs are usually between 3

and 5 miles, at around a 10

minute mile pace. They are

useful get-togethers for like-

minded individuals to discuss

their running issues and there

is usually much swapping of

ideas and experiences.

We try to cater for everybody,

so there is sometimes a faster

and slower group with the

option for people to peel off

at appropriate stages when

they’ve had enough!

We try to cater for everybody,

so there is sometimes a faster

and slower group with the

option for people to peel off

at appropriate stages when

they’ve had enough!

Check out the calendar for

group run dates and venues.

Please note that, due to group

numbers and limited time

frame, we cannot provide

individual technique feedback.

For more information, join us on

facebook or drop us an email:

[email protected]

Page 34: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

P a g e 5 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 I s s u e 4

Barefoot Running UK calendar BFRUK’s 2012/13 Year

May 2012

June 2012

July 2012

Saturday 4th

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Clapham Common , London

The Bandstand

August 2012

Saturday 12th

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Clapham Common , London

The Bandstand

Saturday 2nd

BFR UK Group Run

11.00 am

Cambridge

(Location TBC)

Saturday 19th

Run Strong•Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running.

A running workshop based on our

book with the same title

Bacon’s College - London

Here is a layout of our plans

for the coming year. For

more information, please

visit the website or drop us

an email or phone call with

your questions.

Saturday 30th

Run Strong•Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running.

A running workshop based on our

book with the same title

Romsey Mill Centre - Cambridge

Saturday 18th

Run Strong•Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running.

A running workshop based on our

book with the same title

York (Location TBC)

Sunday 19th

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

York

(Location TBC)

Saturday 7th

BFR UK Group Run

11.00 am

Brighton, Sussex

(Location TBC)

Saturday 28th

Run Strong•Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running.

A running workshop based on our

book with the same title

Brighton, Sussex (Location TBC)

Bespoke talks & workshops

If you would like to organize

your own talk/workshop for your

running club, please call or

email us to set something up.

Bookings

All the workshops are available for

booking online so please visit the

website. If you’d like to attend a

workshop but can’t make any of

the dates, please email us as

we’ll be adding more dates and

venues according to demand.

BFR UK Group Run

All club runs are between 2 and 5

miles, around 10 minute per mile

pace.

Any footwear is fine!

Please email us prior to a run if

you’re planning to attend.

[email protected]

Page 35: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 I s s u e 4 P a g e 6

September 2012

October 2012

November 2012

December 2012

January 2013

8/9th

Barefoot Running

and Yoga Weekend

A complementary mix of mind/

body exercise and tuition.

Isle of Wight - St Helens

Saturday 13th

Run Strong•Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running.

A running workshop based on our

book with the same title

Liverpool - Location TBC

Saturday 3rd

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Blackheath, London

The Royal Observatory

Saturday 1st

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

St James Park, London

The Tea Rooms

Sunday 14th

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Liverpool

(Location TBC)

Saturday 1st

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Clapham Common , London

The Bandstand

Saturday 5th

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Clapham Common , London

The Bandstand

Saturday 29th

Run Strong•Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running.

A running workshop based on our

book with the same title

Bacon’s College - London

Saturday 17th

Run Strong•Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running.

A running workshop based on our

book with the same title

Bacon’s College - London

February 2013

Saturday 2nd

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Blackheath, London

The Royal Observatory

Saturday 16th

Run Strong•Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running.

A running workshop based on our

book with the same title

Bacon’s College - London

March 2013

Saturday 2nd

BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Hyde Park, London

The Italian Gardens

Saturday 16th

Run Strong•Run Free:

An introduction to the science and

art of barefoot running.

A running workshop based on our

book with the same title

Location TBC

Page 36: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Run Strong • Run Free: An introduction to the science and art of

barefoot running workshop

[email protected] tel: 0845 226 7302 www.barefootrunninguk.com

Is your running disrupted by:

Recurring injuries?

Niggling pains?

An awkward/uncomfortable running gait?

Do you feel that something is missing?

Join us on our one day workshop to discover how to improve your running

form for a more comfortable ride!

Total Cost: £90.00

For more information or to book your place please visit our website

Various dates and locations - see website for details

We will be covering:

Misconceptions of barefoot running

How to get started

Human Anatomy & biomechanics

Types of breathing

Optimum alignment in relation to running

Optimum running technique

Injuries

Barefoot running and its role in achieving balanced

movement and improved performance

Concepts/myths/opinions surrounding “minimalist”

shoes

Different terrains/weather and the accompanying

challenges

Useful drills and exercises

PLUS individual feedback on your technique

Limited spaces available

based on our

book with the

same title

Page 37: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Run Strong • Run Free: An introduction to the science and art of

barefoot running workshop

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 2 9

Events Stuff that’s going on

This is a series of events brought

to you by the Research Councils

UK initiative, in partnership with

Royal Institution, the Department

for Innovation and Skills, The

Institute of Engineering and

Technology and PODIUM (the

Further and Higher Education

Unit for the 2012 Games).

There are several sessions

happening in the first half of this

year that will debate the latest

in sports research in a number of different fields. Those that might be of particular interest to our

readers are:

Behind Triathlon – Leeds, Tuesday 27th March

Behind Athletics – Sheffield, Thursday 26th April

Behind Cycling – Glasgow, Thursday 19th July

Cutting Edge 2012: The Research Behind Sport

International Barefoot Running Day (IBRD)

On Sunday 6th May, a group of barefoot and

minimalist runners will gather together in Stanmer

Park in Brighton to run either a 1km or 5km race in

celebration of the International Barefoot Running

Day.

As the name suggests, a similar scenario will be

happening in many other places all over the world

at the same time, in association with The Barefoot

Runners Society (www.thebarefootrunners.org)

who created the concept.

If you’d like to be part of this celebration, please

visit: www.fastandfresh.co.uk where you will find

information about how to enter and other details

provided by Martyn Candler, the President of the

UK Chapter of The Barefoot Runners Society.

There’s also a little video clip of last year’s event.

Fingers crossed for good weather! Stanmer Park, Brighton

Page 38: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

your calf muscles to allow your

heels to touch down, as they

would on flat ground. The

point at which you make that

switch will depend on your

ability and personal preference,

but be aware that if you’re

incorporating a variety of hills

into your training and racing,

you’ll need to learn both. Also

be aware of the extra demands

steeper hills place on your calf

muscles and build gradually,

starting with shorter hills and

fewer reps (if you’re only doing

a hill session) and see how your

calves feel the next day.

“What can you do if a part of it

is uphill? You can't work out

another route. You've just got

to run the one they give you.

But they tell me London is a

nice course. Even the cobbles,

I hope, are not very much of

a problem for me.”

Haile Gebrselassie

Some people hate hill running,

some people love it. Most

runners know, however, that

running hills can help build

strength and endurance and

it’s good preparation for races

with an undulating course.

Running hills in shoes is markedly

different from scaling them

barefoot. It’s hard to avoid the

fact that the soles of your feet

will suffer slightly more on hilly

terrain than on the flat. Also, it

feels different mechanically,

without having a wedged heel

as part of your landing.

Here are some pointers to

help you develop your uphill

technique. As always, personal

preference comes into play

and each individual will

ultimately find their own

best style.

Technical tip Running uphill

Foot strike

When there is only a slight

gradient, it’s often easier to

find good running form than

on the flat, particularly if you’re

someone who tends to find it

difficult to tuck your pelvis and

bring your knees far enough

forward. However, steeper

hills are a bit trickier and can

require a different foot strike.

If you like to punish yourself with

hills, you have probably sought

out some almost vertical bad

boys. Tough challenges like this

will bring you right up onto the

ball of your foot and work your

calf muscles hard. This is also

where you might be more

aware of the surface beneath

the soles of your feet, especially

if it’s rough terrain.

On more gentle gradients,

some of you will still want to

stay up on the balls of your

feet. Others of you will have

the flexibility and elasticity in

P a g e 3 0 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Focusing into the hill to maintain alignment

Page 39: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Arms power forward and back like a sprinter

your feet to shut out the view

of how much further you have

to go! Both of these will affect

the alignment at your neck

and therefore the alignment of

your entire spine. Think about

how you run on the flat: with

your gaze level, your pelvis

slightly tucked under and

your chin subtly drawn in so

that your head is balanced on

top of your spine rather than

poking forwards and your seat

is underneath you. Try to keep

this alignment, rather than

allowing your neck and lower

back to hyperextend. This

will result in your gaze being

directed into the hill, rather

than at the ground or towards

the top of the hill. Again, this will

help with efficiency and better

overall mechanics.

Next Issue:

We’ll tell you how to get down

the hill!

Legs

Running up hills is when you can

really get to grips with driving

your knees. Try to keep your

seat tucked underneath you

and power forwards with your

knees, pulling your feet up

towards your bottom using

the strength of your hamstring

muscles.

Arms

Much of the information you

find on the net regarding

technique is focused around

running longer, relatively slower

distances, so the advice is

usually to keep your arms

relaxed and not allow them

to interfere with your leg

movement. On hills, your arms

can help you power upwards.

You may find it useful to work

your arms as though you’re

sprinting, i.e. bringing them

forwards and upwards with a

90 degree angle at the elbow

and then bringing them back

and letting them straighten

out behind you more.

The tendency when you’re

trying to “lift” yourself up a hill is

to lift your shoulders. This won’t

do much good; in fact, it will

probably be detrimental. One

of the golden rules, wherever

your running, is to remain

relaxed, so drop your shoulders

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 3 1

The revolutionizing running coach

and guru Percy Cerutty and Herb

Elliott training on sand dunes.

away from your ears and make

sure you maintain a regular

breathing rhythm.

Cadence

Aim for shorter strides as you

run up hill – this should happen

naturally as it’s very difficult to

over stride, particularly if the

gradient is steep. Try not to let

your foot turnover slow down –

maintain a 180+ cadence if

you can. All of this will help

your efficiency up the hill,

keeping your feet beneath

your centre of gravity.

Spinal alignment

When you’re heading up a

steep hill, it’s tempting to

either focus on the top of it for

inspiration or to look down at

Page 40: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

By Leigh Rogers

Holistic Sports Nutritionist, Health and

Wellness Coach

More and more people are

becoming aware of the positive

effects their diet can have on

performance and are looking

for ways to fine tune what they

eat in order to have the greatest

impact on their energy, strength

and recovery.

Take for example the recently

crowned number 1 tennis

player, Djokovic. What does

he attribute his fantastic rise

through the ranks of elite tennis

player to- a change in diet

and the removal of gluten. For

many athletes they are well

aware of the importance of a

healthy and balanced diet

and the benefits it can have

on performance, but what

does this mean for those not

surrounded by personal sports

nutritionists and advisers?

What exactly should we be

But is a vegetarian or vegan diet

a healthy choice for runners?

Yes it can be if managed

correctly.

Protein intake is often the

biggest concern for vegetarians,

particularly for endurance

athletes as it is vital for rebuilding

and repairing lean muscle mass.

It is true that the most abundant

sources of complete proteins

(ones that contain all 9 essential

amino acids that the body can't

make itself) are meat, chicken

and other animal products, but

they are not the only sources.

Plant based options include

quinoa- a nutrient dense protein

grain from Peru , buckwheat

and hemp seed, often used as

a protein source in smoothies or

sprinkled on salads. Interestingly

one cup of cooked quinoa

provides about 18 grams of

protein. Pulses, nuts, seeds and

nut butters are also great

sources of protein. Simply

making sure you are eating a

varied diet containing a range

of the above, throughout the

day, will ensure you create a

balanced amino acid profile.

While protein is used to repair

and rebuild, carbohydrates

are the fuel for the body. Our

bodies can use fat and protein

but they are not the most

efficient or "cleanest" source

as protein can create toxins

when burned. The best source

is complex carbohydrates such

as unrefined whole grains like

brown rice, legumes (beans,

lentils), fibre-rich vegetables,

fruit, nuts and seeds as they

are lower on the Glycemic

thinking of when it comes to

preparing our bodies for

exercise? Often people can

become consumed with

ensuring their carb to protein

ratios are correct or making

sure their fat intake is sufficient.

While this is important, it's just

as important as the quality

and source of these nutrients.

The aim of any athlete should

be to reduce the nutritional

stress load that is put on their

bodies by eating a nutrient

dense, alkalising and well

balanced meal.

For barefoot runners, having

actual physical contact with

mother nature can often

provide a more grounding and

balanced effect on both the

body and mind. Too often our

soles never touch the ground

we walk on and this chosen

way of running, more in tune

with nature, can sometimes

lead people to consider a

more vegetarian or vegan diet.

P a g e 3 2 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Nutritional nugget

Is a vegetarian diet a good option for runners?

Page 41: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

and work stress.

Eliminating animal products

that are typically acid

forming in the body has

profound health effects.

For those wishing to optimise

performance, improve sleep,

avoid diseases (like cancer

and osteoporosis), increase

energy and lose weight, i.e.

reduce the internal stress on

their body, an alkalising diet

is way more beneficial. By

eliminating meat in the diet

and eating more alkaline

green vegetables, almonds,

quinoa and millet you are

helping to greatly reduce

acidity in the body.

Finally, plant based diets can

also be lower in saturated fat

due to less animal products.

A few things vegetarians do

need to be extra vigilant

about are key nutrients like iron,

calcium and b12. While they

are more readily available to

meat eaters, plant based

sources are more bio-available

than those derived from animal

products, which means your

body can absorb them more

easily. Without B12, the body

can't convert fats and proteins

into energy, a transformation

critical to a runner's perform-

ance. Leafy greens and sesame

seeds are great sources of

calcium, while iron can be

obtained from pumpkin seeds

and b12 from nutritional yeast

(delicious and tastes cheesy)

and miso.

So yes, vegetarians and vegans

can fuel their bodies correctly

with only plant based foods.

Just remember to keep it varied,

keep it unrefined and keep it

fresh. The more unprocessed

foods you consume, the less

stress you are placing on your

body and the better the

environment you are creating

for peak performance.

Index and provide sustained

and long-lasting energy.

Vegetarians need to make

sure they are also getting

adequate amounts of good,

healthy fats such as unrefined,

cold pressed olive oil, almonds,

and avocados as these are not

only beneficial for lubrication

and protecting the joints but

also to absorb the fat soluble

vitamins A,E,D,K. Often on a

vegetarian diet you need to

particularly ensure you are

getting enough essential fatty

acids (omega 3 and 6). Without

omega-3, there's an increased

risk of inflammation, muscle

soreness and lowered immunity.

Great sources are nuts,

(walnuts), seeds (hemp, flax,

pumpkin, chia) and plant

based oils.

Vegetarians, or even vegans,

can still get the necessary

macro and micro nutrients

their bodies need and

research has shown there is

no significant difference

between a vegetarian and

non-vegetarian athlete.

There are also loads of physical

benefits for the athlete on this

type of diet:

Nutrient dense plant foods

are generally digested

much quicker in your system,

reducing the amount of

energy expended to break

them down, leaving more

reserves for exercise.

A healthy vegetarian diet

that includes an array of

fresh fruit and vegetables

will contain loads more

antioxidants, excellent for

boosting energy levels and

speeding recovery times.

More importantly they

reduce free radicals in the

body that are caused by

environmental pollutants

me organic is

a holistic health

and wellness

business based

in Richmond.

We focus on

transforming

the health and

fitness of our clients through 1to1

nutrition programmes, personal

training, cycling coaching, health

workshops and more.

Contact us for your FREE session and

receive 15% off all our programmes

for all Barefoot Running Magazine

readers. Plus 10% off all workshops,

using code: barefoot12. Visit

www.meorganic.co.uk for more info.

About Leigh

Leigh is a qualified Holistic Sports

Nutritionist, Health and Wellness

Coach. Having overcome her

own health issues by making

diet and lifestyle changes, she

now teaches others how to do

the same. Based in Richmond

(London, UK) she works with

individual clients as well as

leading a variety of inspirational

cooking workshops.

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 3 3

Page 42: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Hi I have been running regularly

since 2003 completing the

London marathon and various

half marathons. Last November

I suffered from a bulging disc

in my lower back and have run

very little since and only on a

treadmill. I have been very

interested in barefoot running

and wondered whether the

reduced impact would be

better for my back? I would

be very keen to hear your

thoughts. Also when will you

know the dates of your next

workshops ?

(Sarah, Surrey). a

Hi Sarah

Thanks for your email and sorry

to hear you haven’t been able

to run for a while.

Usually a bulging disc is the

outcome of some spinal

deviation which means there is

more pressure or force going

through that particular area.

Certainly if you run with better

Thank you for the e-magazine -

still a lot of debate! I took my

running shoes and socks off this

morning - don't know why. It

was a brilliant blue sky but white

frost and iced puddles, I don't

like the thought of being cold.

Amazing! My feet were toastie!

The road is tarmaced but I live

in very rural Northumberland so

it is a very rough surface. I need

to learn to run light for sure! I do

want to ask a question though.

I have not had a very good

prognosis on my ankle which I

broke in a fairly comprehensive

way nearly 2 years ago to the

day. I was trying Chi Running,

which has helped me but I can't

bend my ankle to 'lean' perhaps

the way I should. When I bend

my knees it tends to be from my

ankle but is barefoot running

more about bending the knees

in a squat position? If that makes

sense?

(Beth, Northumberland)

Hi Beth

It’s certainly harder to run

barefoot in rural areas, the roads

tend to be less well-maintained

which can make for rough,

uneven surfaces. Mind you,

there’s some pretty rough stuff

here in London too. Good for

challenging your feet!

Your ankle will probably always

be a weak area with perhaps

less range of movement than

your other ankle. The human

body is wonderfully adaptive

though so if you progress slowly,

it’ll give your body the time it

needs to adjust. Barefoot is

better and wearing slim, flexible

P a g e 3 4 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Questions & answers Your questions answered

technique it’ll be better for

your back and going barefoot

is the best way to find your

own optimum running form.

However, you probably need

to do some other tailored

exercise to improve your overall

movement and alignment,

although I assume you’ve been

seeing a physio?

Barefoot running isn’t a magic

cure for injury but it will: make

you re-assess your attitude to

running (you’ll be more relaxed

about it), slowly begin to

awaken/stretch and strengthen

your calves (tight calves lacking

in elasticity often go hand in

hand with lower back problems),

make you more aware of your

body and how you’re moving

and make your body move

biomechanically correctly.

The shorter answer is yes (!) but

it takes time to adjust and you

will need to be aware of general

movement issues that may need

addressing.

Our next Foundation & Principles

workshop is in London on 14th

and 15th April. We’re currently

trying to source other venues

outside London. Whereabouts

are you based? We’re also

compiling lists of people who

are interested in the workshops

and noting where they are in the

UK so we can visit the areas

where we’re needed most!

We have a book coming out in

April which will offer a lot of

guidance too.

All the best

Anna & David

Send your running questions

to Anna & David and they will

endeavour to answer them

for you: [email protected]

Page 43: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

technique without seeing you.

Finally, take a look at Pose

running if you haven’t already

(www.posetech.com). This is

close to how people run when

they’re barefoot, although it is

a MUST that the heel does

contact the ground (pose

technique can sometimes

encourage people to stay too

far forward on the front of their

foot).

Hope this helps – best of luck!

Anna & David

Hi. I'm interested in this as I used

to run a lot, landing primarily

on the ball of my feet as I

have always had short Achilles

tendons. Then I was told to learn

to heel strike and seem to have

had more injuries. Would like to

look at barefoot running, but I

cannot squat down on my heels

- only on the balls of my feet.

Some literature says I must be

able to heel squat before taking

up barefoot running. Could you

offer advice? Many thanks.

(Ed, London)

Hi Ed

Thanks for your email.

Barefoot running (completely

bare, not with “barefoot shoes”)

is certainly the easiest way to

find the technique which works

best for you, although it’s a very

gradual process. I can’t really

make any judgements on your

current movement/running form

without seeing you. There may

be issues with your movement

that are causing the shortness

in your Achilles tendons. It may

be the lower calf rather than

the Achilles.....it could be a

number of things really!

You could probably begin

barefoot running now but you

probably need to be doing

other exercises alongside to

help iron out any imbalances.

If you’re based in London, I

would suggest you book a

session with us so we can start

you off on the right foot (so to

speak). If not, just start very

slowly and listen to your body.

Patience is the key – if you try

and do too much, you’ll get

injured.

Heel striking is not the answer.

Neither is striking with the ball of

your foot. Your mechanics will

be most efficient with a mid foot

strike which means the middle of

the foot lands first, followed very

swiftly by the heel. Usually the

foot strike sorts itself out once

you’ve sorted out what’s going

wrong with the rest of the body.

Best of luck!

Anna & David

shoes when you’re not running is

also a good idea.

Leaning Vs upright can be quite

an individual choice. We tend

to advocate running completely

upright but with the slight tuck

of the pelvis recommended in

ChiRunning. This still requires

quite a significant bend at the

ankle. I’m not quite sure what

you mean by “squat position”

but to me, squat position is

sitting back towards the heels

with the torso angles forwards,

which is definitely not what

you’re looking for.

We’re looking at doing some

more workshops around the

UK this year and have had

some interest from the North

East so we hope to teach up

there at some point. We also

put together online training

packages for people who

can’t make the workshops, so

let me know if you might be

interested in that. It would

involve you sending us footage

of you running as it’s very

difficult to comment on your

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 3 5

Danny Dreyer demonstrating the ChiRunning form

Page 44: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

was all very well being able to

wrap myself inside out and back

to front, but I should be able to

run for the bus if required. In

March last year Born to Run was

plucked from the shelf and

devoured - a convert was born.

Bare feet make perfect sense

to a yogi - we understand

that whole foot/body/earth

connection, and although we

never refer to proprioception

we are unwittingly fine tuning

our balance by grounding and

feeling mindfully through the

feet. My expensive trainers have

gathered dust ever since.

The transition wasn’t to be all

plain sailing. Parkrun was my

first extended attempt, 5km

round Medina Seaclose Park

with half the running community

of the Isle of Wight. Ego played

it’s part; I’d been moving up the

ranks each week, and although

not a real contender I had

enjoyed a few weeks in the top

5 women - in retrospect, I think

all the great and the good were

training for the Island Games,

but at the time I didn’t know

that. We started, and off I

popped, light as a marshmallow

on my speedy feet. Memories of

childhood sprints came flooding

back, inspiring my limbs as I

fancied my chances with the

club runners. One km in and all

was well, two km in and there

began a hither before unknown

tightening sensation in my calves

and 500m later the pain and

cramping had me limping to the

side.

It took a good number of weeks

to repair the damage done in

2.5km! Luckily I have my Yoga

First Aid kit. Downward facing

P a g e 3 6 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

dog is a fantastic yoga posture

for runners, especially those

in the throws of Barefoot

Exuberance Syndrome with tight

calves and tender Achilles. The

inverted ‘v’ shape, lengthens

through the calves and

hamstrings, decompresses the

spine and lower back and opens

shoulders that can become tight

and uncomfortable. It has

proved to be a very useful

tool in the early stages of my

transition and if you do nothing

else, I highly recommend adding

this to your stretching portfolio.

The stretching and strengthening

possibilities of yoga are enor-

mous, but essentially for runners

it is a case of balancing and

strengthening the imbalances

that your running creates in hips,

inner quads and your core.

With my first excursion without

my shoes, I had begun to under-

stand that this was going to be a

long game of patience and I

was to be very glad of my yoga

mat.

Back to the books, I may well

have been born to run, but

somewhere between birth and

41yrs old I’d forgotten how to.

Barefoot Ken Bob put me right,

in his book Barefoot Running

Step by Step. Cadence, stride

length, bent knee and foot lift

became my mantras, as I had

to consciously move away from

a long heavy stride. I took Bob’s

advice and stopped running

where it’s too easy not to

genuinely feel the terrain, taking

to the tracks and footpaths

during the summer. I became

totally absorbed in the whole

mechanics of my body,

forgetting to dread the hills, my

iPod became an unwanted

The Green Room Barefoot running - the footfall of a yogi

The word ‘yoga’ means path; a path that takes you on a

spiritual journey back to your

true nature, back to yourself.

Kicking off my shoes and running

was a revealing and delightful

journey; naked feet through

the dew drenched grass and

puddles unlocked my inner

child and revealed my natural

running form. Barefooting has

been for me as much of a yoga

experience as any found on my

mat, however I do remain very

grateful for the conditioning

that my mat practice has given

my body and I am convinced

that it has made my transition

out of shoes far quicker and

less painful than I could have

expected otherwise.

Eighteen months ago, after over

a dozen years of developing

a serious yoga practice and

business, I became curious

about running. Everyone

seems to be doing it; my kids,

my husband, the dog, the

neighbours, even the large

elderly ladies of our village! It’s

free, it’s private, it’s social, it’s

as goal driven as I want it to be,

and it would seem that we are

indeed designed to enjoy it. It

Page 45: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

distraction and I found myself

taking longer and longer routes

as I enjoyed myself more and

more. A lot less huffing and

puffing was happening and a

lot more delight was being

experienced.

There is a direct relationship

between how you breath and

how you feel, and yoga has

a number of great breath

control techniques known as

pranayama. These improve

your sense of well- being, but

will also dramatically increase

your VO2Max capacity.

Cardiorespiratory health is

commonly tracked using

VO2Max. As the intensity of

exercise increases, the body

consumes more oxygen, until it

plateaus and can consume no

more, regardless of how much

more you raise the intensity. This

plateau is your VO2Max. Tests

have shown that regular yoga

and pranayama increased

the readings of participants by

between 7% & 10%. Admittedly

my aerobic fitness levels would

be improved by my running,

shod or barefoot, but whatever

the means, the result meant

that as my breathing came

under control I could now

focus completely on the

biomechanics of my running

and suddenly this total, barely

broken concentration was

beginning to feel like a very

intense meditation. I can

also breath a sense of softness

into my body which is great

when you find yourself on an

unexpectedly stoney track,

keeping me as relaxed as

possible and not building any

unnecessary tension into my

stride.

A guiding principle behind a

yoga practice is Ahimsa, or

‘non- hurting’, which from a

physical perspective, translates

as listening to your body and

never forcing it. Pain in or near

joints is telling you to stop before

you do any more damage. This

has been an important guide in

my barefoot running. Your feet

and body are very quick to tell

you if you’re doing something

wrong, but are you listening?

There is also the issue of the

discomfort of change and

transforming the musculature

of your body which is a different

call than that of damaging

yourself and it can be very

hard sometimes to distinguish

between the two. My ankles

proved to be a major area of

change as they learnt to

support each footfall. They

were sometimes really stiff and

tender. I have found that one

legged balancing work is really

useful in encouraging this

strengthening. Even simple tree

work with your eyes closed really

begins to key into the balancing

effects of proprioception,

strengthening ankles, hips and

core. Stretching through the

ankles and plantar fascia

regularly, with lotus and hero

work have kept them mobile

as my muscles have developed.

The ego will often push us further

than our intuition is telling us

is wise, and a regular yoga

practice will help to give you

an insight into what’s motivating

your decision making. In my

case, so convinced by the

benefits of barefooting, I am

often consumed by an

evangelical zeal to prove to

the running community it’s

advantages, when other factors

are indicating otherwise. My

husband, a keen club runner

and barefoot enthusiast,

struggles to admit that when

stretching himself for a PB he

inevitably looses his form and

ultimately great sections of his

feet as a result. He has often

sacrificed skin rather than time -

doing the barefoot cause little

favours.

Temperature has proved to

be an important consideration.

Having worked so hard and

carefully to become comfort-

able in our naked feet, it can

feel like a step backwards to slip

into our shoes at the first chilly

day, however, cold unfeeling

feet are prone to real damage;

that precious feedback we

have been nurturing is lost and

technique becomes sloppy.

The result can be heel striking,

deep blisters and frost nip.

Recognizing this, I asked for and

received a pair of Vibram Five-

Fingers for my birthday in the

Autumn. These have been an

invaluable training tool during

the cold months and I am

grateful for them. I often find

that once my legs and feet

are up to temperature after a

couple of miles, I can slip them

off and continue comfortably.

Even on chilly days, the sun on

the tarmac lifts the temperature

enough not to need them, but

having the option has kept my

feet safe.

Traditionally yoga is always

taught and practitioners

expect to use the expertise of

a teacher. Despite the fact

that fewer people participate

in yoga than running, 15.8

million: 36 million, the financial

outlay for the yoga practitioner

is over twice that of the runner,

due mostly to tuition expenses,

$5.7 billion: $2.3 billion. (2009,

Running USA and 2008 Yoga

in America Survey) So who

teaches us to run? We strap

on a pair of trainers, or in our

case throw them off, and head

off and limp back in. Few of

us invest in actual running

assessment and guidance, other

than to purchase Runners World.

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 3 7

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P a g e 3 8 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Toombs of Barefoot Running UK

last time I was in London. She

videoed me, assessed my gait

and brought to my attention a

number of factors I needed to

work on, also sharing with me

some drills that I use as my warm

up now. This was the final

launching pad for my barefoot

running.

I run now barefoot and fancy

the New Forest in March and

the Brighton Marathon in April.

My yoga keeps me grounded,

supple and safe, my running

brings me joy. I share the

benefits of yoga with runners

in specialist workshops around

the south coast, and I am

convinced that barefooting is

simply a moving expression of

yoga.

free and love the childish

freedom it unlocks. I can run

for miles now on almost any

track or road, with the new

friends I have made along the

way, or very happily by myself.

I thoroughly enjoy the races,

racing no-one but my own

capacity for pain free running

and together hubby and I did

the Great South Run and we

are training for 20 miles round

Downward Dog Tree

Pose

Hero

Pose

Half

Lotus

Emma demonstrating some yoga poses to promote balance and flexibility:

Page 47: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 3 9

Exercise and Movement Therapy is about re-educating your body to move as it was

designed to move. It’s about releasing your body from restrictions that result from

past injuries, emotional issues, tension and stress. Imagine how a dancer moves; with

elegance, grace and control. Using physical exercises, visualisation and breathing

techniques, Exercise and Movement Therapy teaches you to move naturally, with

more agility, balance and coordination.

We use variations of this technique with all of our clients – everyone benefits, whether

they are sports people, people in pain or those who just generally would like to feel

better. Rather than traditional “gym” training where movements are very one

dimensional, we teach you more natural, spiralling movements, often put together

into sequences to encourage whole body, multi-directional movement patterns,

similar to how you move through your daily life.

Website: www.trbalance.com tel: 0845 226 7303 email: [email protected]

Page 48: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

BISHOP’S WEEK OF HELL

National news The latest national news

On 23rd March, Frank Skinner

(UK comedian) faced his fear

of water in aid of charity and

swam 25m without stopping.

There is already footage of his

feat on YouTube with some

very uplifting comments, as

well as some downright nasty

ones. Everyone has their own

mountain to climb and this was

Frank’s. We’ve worked with

individuals who see a 5km run

as an ultra-marathon.

It’s about having the strength

and courage to beat your

demons and our hats go off to

Frank for completing his own

“marathon” challenge.

A Liverpool comedian undertook a

gruelling “week of hell” at the beginning

of March in aid of Sport Relief. John

Bishop, 45, began in Paris, cycling a

mammoth 185 miles to Calais before

rowing across the channel to Dover,

along with his celebrity support team:

Davina McCall, Denise Lewis and

Andrew Flintoff. He then completed

3 marathons, with huge support from

more celebrities and the public, to

finish in one piece (just!) on 2nd March

in Trafalgar Square.

So far, he’s raised in excess of £1.6 million

($2.5 million) and donations continue to

roll in.

To find out more visit: www.sportrelief.com

Skinner conquers his fear of water for Sport Relief

P a g e 4 0 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 49: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Jonathan Manning, Outdoor Fitness Editor

Welcome to Outdoor Fitness, Britain's first magazine dedicated to helping you get fit, stay fit and train for awesome events, all in the great outdoors. We've nothing against gyms but given the choice of a gentle breeze or stale air con, birdsong or MTV we'd much rather be out in nature's gym. We'll show you how to train more efficiently and enjoyably to get fitter, faster and stronger, and we'll inspire you to focus your fitness on tackling the most exciting, adventurous and life-affirming challenges around. We've assembled a first class team of professional coaches to share their expertise so you can make the most of the training time you have available, whatever your ambitions. And we'll explore in depth the physiological to give you a complete understanding of how to beat your current personal bests. So whether you're setting out to run your first 10km or you're a veteran ultra-runner, whether you're dipping your toe in open water swimming or you're an experienced triathlete, whether you're looking to lose weight on your ride to work or you're a competitive club cyclist, each issue of Outdoor Fitness will be rammed with cutting-edge tips, advice and authoritative gear tests to take your fitness to the next level. On this journey together we'll also introduce inspirational athletes and adventurers who dig deep into their souls to push back the boundaries of human experience. And we'll have a whole heap of fun along the way. So whatever your goals, Outdoor Fitness will help you get out, get fitter and live more. Best wishes

GET OUT

GET FITTER

LIVE MORE

Page 50: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

People often associate “springy- ness”

and power with sprinting. In fact,

distance runners require that same

soft tissue elasticity and reaction

speed in order to achieve optimum

running efficiency. Unfortunately

though, many runners don’t train this

aspect of their movement potential

which can result in heavy footfalls, a

slow cadence and susceptibility to

injury.

There are numerous ways to train your

body to improve its elastic strength,

but the squat jump is a sound base

from which to start.

Outlined here are a couple of options

you can try with the basic squat jump

and once you feel comfortable with

these you can begin to play around

with depth, direction and add-ons.

Basic Squat Jump

Start with your feet hip distance

apart and feet facing either directly

forwards or slightly out to the sides.

Bend your knees, sitting back towards

your heels and bring your arms down

by your sides to prepare for launch

(fig.1).

Swing your arms through and up,

springing up off the ground at the

same time (fig.2). When you first

start, keep the jump small but as you

improve, make the jump bigger and

more explosive.

As you come back down towards the

ground, lower your arms and prepare

to bend your knees as you land (fig.3).

As you reach the ground, you’ll

naturally land on the balls of your feet

first, followed closely by your heels.

Lower your arms back down to your

sides as you slow down and stop in a

stable, bent-knee position (fig.4).

Try this at home The Squat Jump

Once you’ve mastered

jumping straight up, you

can practise jumping

forwards or to the side.

fig.2

fig.1

fig.3

fig.4

P a g e 4 2 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Try to take off and land

from both feet equally,

rather than favouring

one side. Aim for 10

repetitions, 1-3 sets.

Page 51: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 4 3

Depth Jump

This is more demanding on your body, so make

sure you’re comfortable with the basic squat

jump before you move on to this variation.

Stand on a small log or similar and begin in the

same position as the basic squat jump (fig.5).

Jump off the log (think “off” rather than “up”

when you first start) from both feet equally and

as you land, allow yourself to decelerate into a

squat position with your arms in front (fig.6).

When you land, make sure your feet are hip

distance apart, facing forward or slightly out, with

equal weight on both feet. Aim for 10 repetitions,

1-3 sets.

As you become more experienced, you can

progress to jumping onto the log, or even

sideways off/sideways on. You can also increase

the height from which you jump.

fig.5

fig.6

fig.7

Make sure you begin on a low

surface, no higher than half

way up your shin. Also, make

sure your landing surface is

clear and relatively even.

You can progress to higher

heights and more challenging

surfaces as you practise and

gain confidence.

As always, listen to your body!

Try to achieve a stable and balanced

landing position (fig.7)

Page 52: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

How to:

Tie a huarache sandal

Start with the straps partially adjusted so

that your foot will fit nicely into the sandal

before tightening. Snug, but not too tight..

1

3

Now it is time to start the first wrap

around the ankle. Once again snug, but

not too tight. Depending on how much

strap you have, you will be making

several revolutions around your ankle.

4

Getting a feel for just how snug is right is one

of the arts of wearing huaraches. Practice

makes perfect.

Try to keep the wrap slightly above the

ankle bone and work up, keeping the strap

untwisted.

P a g e 4 4 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

2

Next, you want to

adjust all the straps

so that they are

snug on the foot.

Start at the strap

that comes over

the top of the foot,

then the heel strap,

then the side..

There are a number of Huarache sandals on offer out there. One of the most popular is the series of

“Luna” sandals created and produced by the infamous Barefoot Ted.

Here he is showing you how to tie one of his original Lunas (taken from his website: www.lunasandals.com)

Page 53: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 4 5

5 6

Keep wrapping around the ankle until you

have about 8 inches of strap left. You are

going to push the end of the strap under

the strap that is coming across your foot.

After you push it under, pull it back. It is

now going to go up and over.

Now bring the strap over the top of

the down-coming strap.

With the eyehole just below your

thumb, place a loop through it and

tighten.

7

Page 54: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

P a g e 4 6 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Make a loop with the end of the strap and

insert it into the eyehole.

Now by pushing down from the top and

slightly pulling from the side, tighten the

slip-knot.

8

Here's what you do if you have only

a little strap left. It does not make a

slip-knot (the slip-knot being easier

to undo), but it is effective.

You do the same thing as with the

longer strap going under the strap that

runs across the top of the foot and

pulling back.

This time, instead of a loop, you just

make a knot. Finished.

9

Luna Sandal Company

1108 19th Ave E.

Suite B, Seattle,

WA 98112

206-395-8238

www.lunasandals.com

The finished product after the final tightening

and adjustments.

Page 55: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Luna Sandal Company 1108 19th Ave E. Suite B, Seattle, WA 98112 | 206-395-8238

www.lunasandals.com

$85.00 plus shipping

The Equus 2mm premium shell cordovan upper

and 2mm Vibram rubber sole with

the new elasticized leather

laces.

The “Rolls-Royce” of huaraches.

No more

tender feet

on those long

rocky trails.

The ATS

Combining the 8mm or 10mm

Leadville Vibram sole with a

non-slip footbed on top.

Perfectly designed for wet,

muddy and rugged conditions.

$124.95 plus shipping

Page 56: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

RUNBARE is a barefoot

wellness school devoted

to inspiring runners and

non-runners alike to run

and walk barefoot for a

better, healthier injury

free lifestyle.

www.runbare.com

Please

don’t

just walk

by

We’d love you to get involved so if you have any comments, suggestions or want to contribute in any way please get in touch.

Email: [email protected] Tel: 020 7697 0088.

Our aim is to promote all things natural in running – body movement, core stability, breathing technique as well as a natural and healthy lifestyle, general wellness and enjoyment of life. It's also about sharing experiences with like-minded people and learning from each other.

P a g e 4 8 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

raw food

superfoods & supplements

events

get fresh! magazine

educational

cleansing & detoxification

kitchen equipment

skin & hair care

innertalk mind training

Page 57: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Some of you will wonder about the relevance

of motor racing in a running magazine, but

we always like to recognize dedicated sports-

people and Jenson Button certainly deserves

this recognition. Formula 1 drivers require a

phenomenal level of fitness and Button is

renowned for his regular participation in

triathlons, the training for these helping him

to maintain his endurance and dominance

in the vast majority of his races.

We wish him all the best in this year’s F1, as

well as in any triathlons he’s planning to race!

UKA Indoor

Athletics

Championships

record medal

haul for

Team GB

Also bringing home a gold

medal in the long jump was

Yamilé Aldama, with an

impressive 14.82 metres.

Team GB also achieved several

silver and bronze medals, with

Jessica Ennis (Pentathlon)

coming second to Ukrainian

rival Natalia Dobrynska and the

men’s 4x400m team coming in

just behind the USA to win

silver in a time of 3:04.72.

All in all, Great Britain came

second in the medals table,

with congratulations to the USA

who won an amazing 10 gold

medals! Keep it up Team GB

and best of luck to all the

athletes worldwide in their

training and preparation for

the 2012 Olympics.

March saw the UKA Indoor

Athletics Championships taking

place in Turkey. Team GB did

very well, bringing home several

medals. Our women’s 4x400m

relay team were victorious,

winning gold in a time of

3:28.76. In the winning team

were: Shana Cox, Nicola

Sanders, Christine Ohuruogo

and Perri Shakes-Drayton.

Well done ladies!

Women’s 4x400m relay team after winning gold. From left to right: Perri

Shakes-Drayton, Shana Cox, Nicola Sanders and Christine Ohuruogo.

On track News from the sporting arena

Button wins first GP race of the season

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 4 9

Page 58: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Write back at you Steven Sashen questions the questionable lawsuit against Vibram

of the big shoe companies pull

out a “lightweight” sneaker (6-

12 ounces) with an inch of heel

lift, massive toe spring, and a

healthy dose of foam padding,

and claimed it was “just like

barefoot.” And here I sit with a

3.4 ounce, 4mm thick piece of

flexible rubber, thinking, “Uh…

really?”

Perhaps this case, or merely the

conversation around it, will add

a much-needed dose of clarity.

Quick aside: Let me play

Uri Geller and give you my

prediction about the outcome

of this case: a semi- expensive

settlement (which, for all I know

is the reason the suit was filed in

the first place).

Okay, onto the case.

In essence this case is similar to

those against Skechers Shape-

ups (ongoing) and Reebok

“toning shoes” (Reebok settled

for $25 million), where the

plaintiffs argued that there was

no scientific basis for certain

claims that the shoe companies

were making, that they

sometimes inaccurately stated

there was such a scientific basis,

and that they enticed customers

to pay a premium for the

product based on the idea that

they (the customers) would get

various claimed benefits.

This suit describes how Vibram

has claimed that running in

VFFs will provide the following

benefits:

Improved foot health

Reduced risk of injury

Strengthened muscles in feet

Vibram’s marketing strategy under scrutiny

BIG news in the barefoot

running shoe world today.

Vibram has been named as

the defendant in a class action

lawsuit seeking $5,000,000 in

damages for the use of

deceptive statements about

the health benefits of Vibram

FiveFingers.

Is there anything to the case?

Well, I’m not a lawyer, and I

don’t play one on TV.

But I read the case (case

1:12-cv-10513-DPW, United

States District Court for the

District of Massachusetts), and

have some thoughts (and I’m

looking forward to yours).

My first few thoughts, having

nothing to do with the merits of

the case, are:

a) I like Vibram. Even though

the products don’t work for me,

and as you know I’ve teased

them (about smell and the

primate styling), if it weren’t

for them, I wouldn’t be here.

The popularity of FiveFingers

and their marketing in the last

few years has lifted the tide of

the entire barefoot/minimalist

footwear market, and I’ve been

a beneficiary. A year and a

half ago, I said to Vibram CEO

Tony Post, “Thanks for doing the

heavy lifting!”

b) This case could be the best

thing that happens to the

barefoot/minimalist shoe world,

regardless of the outcome.

How? Because it could help

clear up the way language is

used in marketing minimalist

products, change unrealistic

expectations of certain

customers, and inspire even

more research into the benefits

(or lack thereof) of various

“barefoot inspired” products.

It’s no secret that I’ve had my

hackles raised when any number

P a g e 5 0 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Page 59: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

and lower legs

Stimulated neural function

improving balance, agility

and range of motion

Improved spine alignment

Improved posture

Reduced lower back pain

Improved proprioception and

body awareness

Here as well, the plaintiffs say

there is no scientific backing

for these claims; that claims

there is are untrue; that if any

of the claims are true there’s

no evidence that VFFs do

these any better than regular

running shoes and, therefore;

these claims are fraudulent and

deceptive and that Vibram has

profited by enticing customers

to pay a premium price to

receive benefits that Vibram

cannot reliably deliver.

The case adds that Vibram’s

fundamental claim - that VFFs

simulate being barefoot - has

no proof to support it, either. In

fact, the action quotes the ACE

study which showed that runners

in Vibrams pronate more than

when they’re barefoot as an

example of how that claim is

false.

Now, I can guess what many

of you are thinking: How is

this different than my box of

Cheerios, that says “supports

colon health” or my vitamin that

says “promotes strong bones”?

Good question.

In the food and supplement

world, those kinds of claims

are called “structure/function

claims.” The FDA uses very

specific language to tell

companies how to use very

non-specific language about

their products. The law is

designed, at one level, to

prevent supplement and food

companies from making “drug-

like” claims, like “cures cancer

AND baldness.” On the other

hand, it allows companies to

make it sound like taking 3

Mega-Ultra-Men’s Formula

capsules every day will make

you healthy, wealthy, and able

to bend steel with your mind.

I think it’s a poorly designed

law (sponsored by congress-

people who, wouldn’t you

know it, come from states with

a lot of nutritional supplement

companies), but it is a law and

it does have specific guidelines

and rules.

I don’t know if there’s something

similar for footwear. But few

would argue that if you make a

specific claim, you have to be

able to back it up.

Looking back at the claims

Vibram makes, I’m sure you

can see that some of these

are testable, and others have

a “keeps your colon happy”

flavour. Some have a bit

of both: Stimulates Neural

Function… a bit vague, but

no real problem. “Improves

balance and agility”… well

that’s testable and I’m not sure

there’s an independent study

to back that up.

“Reduced risk of injury” and

“strengthened muscles” seem

testable. “Improve foot health”

and “promote spine alignment”

are more like what you see on

the bottle of every supplement

at Whole Foods.

I’ll admit that I take issue with

one claim Vibram makes,

mentioned elsewhere in the

complaint: “No footwear

comes closer to recreating this

natural sensation than Vibram

FiveFingers.” Even though

I’m 100% convinced that

Invisible Shoes give a better

approximation of barefoot

than anything else out there,

including VFFs, I don’t have the

science to prove my case and

so I can’t state it as a fact.

I’ll also admit that it’s tricky

to talk about any product

without getting close to the line

between something obvious-

but-vague, like “can align your

spine” (clearly, going to a

zero-drop shoe changes your

posture), and something

scientifically testable like

“strengthens your feet.” It gets

especially hard when you

have hundreds of testimonials

from people talking about

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 5 1

Reebok’s Easytone “toning shoe” that cost them $25 million in settlements

Page 60: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

strengthening their feet,

improving their posture, running

pain-free, developing arches,

and dozens of other reports

that are anecdotal and not

scientific.

Interestingly, while the plaintiffs

argue that there are no studies

to support Vibram’s claims, they

present no science to dispute

them either. The suit spends

many pages saying, basically,

“Vibrams cause injuries,” yet

they offer none of the double

blind, placebo-controlled

studies they expect of Vibram

to prove so. Instead, they rely

on the same anecdotal

“evidence” that they criticize

Vibram for using. They quote

a story in which a podiatrist

says that 85% of her patients

get injured trying to transition

to minimalist shoes.

I’ve taken the logic of those

types of claims to task before,

but here’s the Readers Digest

version:

a) I’ll pay $100 if the podiatrist

has actually kept statistics to

back up the 85% claim

b) If she’s discussing existing

patients, we’re talking about

people who, by definition,

already had foot problems

before they decided to try

something minimalist

c) She will never see patients,

or non-patients, who make the

transition without any need for

medical care, so even if the

85% number were true, it has no

relationship to the percentage

of people, in total, who have

problems

d) It does not separate out

people who went barefoot, in

VFFs, in Nike Frees or any other

of the myriad footwear options

e) It does not account for

whether the patients simply

over trained

f) I’ll pay another $100 if she

checked to see if form was the

problem, not footwear

g) How soon we forget that

doctors made these same

claims, and errors, 40 years ago

when padded running shoes

became the rage

h) And, most importantly, since

surveys have shown that 80% of

marathoners get injured every

year… the statistic is totally

meaningless!

The claim also takes Vibram to

task for charging a premium

price based on the idea that

customers are enticed to pay

more to get the promised

benefits. And while VFFs are

undeniably pricey, they’re no

more extravagantly priced than

many high-performance shoes,

or any motion-stabilizing shoes

(seriously, $275 for the New

Balance 2040?!).

While the lawsuit criticizes

Vibram for saying, without any

science to back it up, that

Fivefingers are essentially the

same as barefoot, some of the

arguments of this case require

accepting the position that VFFs

are the same as barefoot. The

claim quotes the American

Podiatric Medical Association

which says there isn’t enough

research to know what the

long-and short-term effects of

barefoot running are. Okay,

but since your argument is that

VFFs aren’t barefoot, then

some comment about whether

barefoot running is good or bad

is moot.

When I first read the claim, one

thing stuck out in my mind

above all others. The plaintiffs

claim that Vibram created

FiveFingers in 2006 to capitalize

on the barefoot running trend.

History wasn’t my best subject

in high school, but I know that:

a) Vibram didn’t design the

FiveFingers as a running shoe

b) The barefoot running boom

started in 2009

But, if you’ve been around the

minimalist world for any amount

of time, you’ll know there are a

LOT of other companies who’ve

made some or all of the same

claims that are described in the

suit.

Not a big point, I’ll admit, but

if they missed something as

simple as that, it gives me

pause. Another thought that

keeps popping up:

Why Vibram? Some of the

comments on Facebook and

Twitter suggest that this case is

completely without merit. Given

everything above, I disagree.

The question “Why Vibram?”

also prompts us to look at the

bigger picture. And by

“bigger,” I mean, “the rest of

the running shoe world,” not

just the minimalist “barefoot”

shoe world.

Leaving out the “toning shoe”

lawsuits, we know that running

shoe companies have been

making many of these same

P a g e 5 2 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

“’traditional running

shoe’ companies - I put it

in quotes to highlight how

funny it is that many

people call them

‘traditional’ when

they’ve only been

around for 40 years”

Page 61: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Original Barefootware A high-tech upgrade of the Tarahumara huaraches.

www.invisibleshoe.com

behaviour similar to the

tobacco companies: selling a

product that they know causes

problems.

Why do they get a free ride?

I wonder if this is a situation

like when a bunch of cars are

all speeding and only one

gets pulled over… or is it a

foreshadowing of future events

where the whole industry -

minimalist and non-minimalist -

is subject to actual scrutiny and

as a result, is held to a higher

advertising standard than they

have been so far.

Some say this looks like a case

that’s more about 5 law firms

making money than it is about

whether Vibram has scientific

proof of their claims. I don’t

know. Frankly, if it were, I’m

surprised the suit is only asking

for $5,000,000. Even if money

is the motivator that doesn’t

mean there’s no “there”

there in some of the plaintiffs

arguments.

I know that there are many

companies much larger than

mine who are waiting to see

how this plays out with the

anticipation a runner feels in

between “On your marks!”

and “GO!” Or maybe with the

sphincter tightening that comes

with opening your front door

and hearing, “We’re from 60

Minutes and we’d like to talk to

you.”

What do you think?

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B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 5 3

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claims for decades without a

hitch. As Phil Maffetone pointed

out on Zero-Drop.com, running

shoe companies aren’t required

to demonstrate the same level

of safety as ice-packs. In fact,

unlike Vibram where there

aren’t studies proving or

disproving whether they

“reduce injuries”, studies have

existed for 60 years showing

how padded running shoes can

be injurious.

While Vibram may have made

claims without proof, it seems

that “traditional running shoe”

companies (I put it in quotes to

highlight how funny it is that

many people call them

“traditional” when they’ve

only been around for 40 years)

may have been engaged in

Page 62: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

It’s your letters Let us know your stories and thoughts

P a g e 5 4 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

some of the guys at the club,

although I only run without

footwear when out alone, I

often get strange looks by other

runners and hill walkers…

Working on a North Sea oil rig

(rota – 2 weeks on, 3 weeks off)

is great for the time off. But I am

restricted to a treadmill at work,

and it took me quite a while to

move from ‘five fingers’ to

barefoot on them after suffering

lots of blisters and calf pain from

trying to do too much. I guess I

learned the hard way, but I’m

fine with it now and believe the

transition is complete and I feel

great.

When I am home I usually run

at least 3 times a week totally

barefoot for between 7 and 12

miles on the hills, and carry fell

shoes in my backpack for

emergencies, but I have never

needed them.

I sometimes miss the company

I get from running with the

fell club, but I don’t think there

is anyone else in my area

interested or doing it, unless you

know different, because I would

love to run with others.

Please keep up the great work

you are doing with the website,

and I wish you every success,

as I’m sure it will grow.

Take care and enjoy your

running.

Kind Regards

Barefoot Gary Muir

Thanks for subscribing me to

your great online magazine.

I have enjoyed reading the

articles, and people's views

on a subject that when I first

became interested in a few

years ago had very little

information available.

I’m learning all the time from

barefoot running, and found it

quite difficult to transition at first

after a life time use of ‘modern

trainers’. Wish I had done it

years ago, 52 now.

I also run with a fell running club,

and enter the local fell races

when I can (in my fell shoes) as

I do not enjoy road running, I

much prefer the hills and open

moorland of Yorkshire, and

getting dirty.

Known as ‘Barefoot Gary’ by

Page 63: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Thank you for your reply, and

the very excellent magazine.

As a bit of background, I grew

up barefoot in South Africa, and

wore shoes only when I had to,

probably up until age 14. I've

never been a good runner, but

always liked the sensation of it

and still, at age 44, it feels a

very natural thing to do. After

reading Born to Run (my

favourite book) I started

barefoot running last February,

and loved taking my shoes off

and running in mud and all the

other textures. As summer

progressed I got self-conscious

and changed to VivoBarefoot

shoes. I had instruction in Chi

Running over last summer and

stuck with the focuses for a

About 5 years ago I was a

regular (barefoot) customer at

a local restaurant in Lynchburg,

Virginia, USA. Then one day

they turned on me. They

RUDELY told me to put on shoes

or not to come back and they

posted a large hand-made

sign on the door: "Shirts & Shoes

Required, No Exceptions." So I

quit going.

On a whim, I went back a few

nights ago. The sign on the

door had gone so I went in

(...wearing shorts and barefoot).

They seated me and took my

order.

During my dinner the owner

approached me and asked if

everything was okay & said he

appreciated my patronage!

Apparently, the restaurant went

out of business at some point

and then reopened (same

owners). Later, when I paid

for the dinner, the owner again

said he really appreciated my

businesses, reduced the bill

and little, and asked me to

come back again soon.

Wow! What a difference losing

your business can make!

Dr. Daniel Howell

What a difference a

recession makes! Morning, I have been running

barefooted for nearly 2 yrs,

since having so many injuries

wearing trainers I thought I

would try barefoot running and

I LOVE IT....I ran the Great South

Run last October barefooted

(no shoes) in 1hr 55mins.

Hopefully when the weather

changes and starts to warm

up I could start running further

barefooted.

Happy Barefoot Running.

Barefoot Blond

Read about our stateside friends and their amazing adventures at: www.robillardadventures.com

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 5 5

couple of months. I found it

very academic, and a bit

boring, somehow removed from

the fun of running. However,

my distance improved hugely,

and I can run 6 miles quite

comfortably in minimalist shoes.

But I am slow as a snail (11

minute miles).

Recently I have started reading

Ken Bob Saxton's book, and it

makes a huge amount of sense.

He is totally inspiring and it got

me thinking that it would be

good to meet other barefooters

and to have barefoot lessons.

(My idea of a good time is

running and jumping on rocks

on the beach, just playing

around, for an hour or two.)

Best regards,

Nicolene (Peterborough)

And finally, this email in

response for BFR UK’s request

to hire a room for one of their

workshops at Fitzwilliam

College in Cambridge:

Thank you for your enquiry,

I am afraid we cannot accom-

modate this type of event.

The College has strict rules

about use of the grounds and

running would not be looked

upon very kindly by the Fellows

and Students.

Us runners are such trouble

makers after all!

Another success story

Runner in the making!

Page 64: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

The race that was central to Christopher McDougall’s

Born to Run took place again this year on Sunday 4th

March.

There were close to 500 participants running through

the challenging yet stunning setting in the heart of the

Mexican mountains.

As usual, Caballo Blanco was the race organizer

and promoting the importance of community and

enjoyment of running: “We ran in peace together,

dancing in rhythm to the lovely heartbeat of our

Mother Earth; the heartbeat of freedom” (Caballo

Blanco, aka Micah True).

Veteran barefoot runners Barefoot Ted and Patrick

Sweeney were amongst the runners as well as many

native Raramuri. The fastest runners were:

1. Miguel Lara (Copper Canyons)

2. Daniel Uralek (Czech Republic)

3. German Silva (Mexico)

....but Caballo Blanco is keen to point out that: “we are all winners”.

“With the change in journey for Caballo comes new focus for the future of CCUM and Norawas. Stay

tuned. Caballo's vision will not be lost but will be renewed and carried forward within the true spirit of

Korima.”

Search Copper Canyon Ultramarathon on facebook for ongoing details.

P a g e 5 6 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

International news The latest international news

Participants lining up to getting

their race numbers

500 participants take on the Copper Canyons

The passing of Micah True We wrote the article below before we heard the sad news that Micah

True, aka Caballo Blanco, had passed on whilst out for a run in New

Mexico.

We never had the good fortune to meet this great running legend,

apart from in the pages of Born to Run and through his amusing,

insightful and thought-provoking facebook posts.

However, we do know that the Copper Canyon Ultra will always be

his race and his memory will live on through it.

Page 65: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Fit

Build quality

Performance

Barefoot simulation

Price

Overall rating

Styling

Overall We’ve tried several different

minimalist options and do keep coming back to

the sprint as a sound shoe for those occasions

when footwear is required. The sprint has become

a bit of a benchmark for other minimalist running

shoes to live up to as it is popular with a number

of veteran barefoot runners. It is simple and does

the job well.

The FiveFingers sprint was one of the original

versions of this hugely popular brand and is still

one of our favourites today. We decided to

re-visit it and remind ourselves – and you – what

it has to offer.

Styling It’s still one of the quirkiest minimalist

shoes out there and will get you some strange

looks. Although it is available in a relatively subtle

all black model, people often opt for the more

vivid colour schemes, of which there are many!

Fit They’re appearing in more and more shops,

so it’s worth trying them on if possible as the fit

can vary. We’ve found that the KSO model is

roomier compared to the sprints so be aware

of some disparity in sizing between the different

models.

Build quality David has had the same

pair of sprints for four years and they’re still going

strong, bar a slight hole in the second toe upper.

Generally very durable – you can bung them in

the washing machine and just hang them out to

dry. Make sure you use a cool wash though! (40

degrees).

Performance As always, this is a very

personal opinion. We’ve found that once you’ve

developed sound running form, these shoes will

do very little to impede it. They’re extremely light,

flexible and flat.

Barefoot simulation Again, this is very

personal. Some people find the separate toes

quite difficult to adjust to but we’ve found that

they allow your toes to be very flexible and move

individually. A thin sole means quite accurate

feedback too. A thinner sole and less structure

would be even better!

Price This has unfortunately escalated

considerably along with the minimalist running

boom. However, it’s still on a par with the majority

of trainers but more durable and less disruptive

to running technique. On the expensive side

compared to other minimalist shoes.

Minimal review Out-of-the-box review: The Vibram FiveFingers sprint

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 5 7

Page 66: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

P a g e 5 8 S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

11 Artillery Lane, London, E1 7LP www.trainingshoplondon.co.uk

London City’s First Specialist

Health and Fitness Shop

My Foot

Human Foot

Invisible Shoe

Trail Glove

4mm Invisible Shoe

Merrell

KSO

Vivo Barefoot

Minimal review results Out-of-the-box trail test results

Classic Sprint

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Sty

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Fit

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Ove

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Functional Footwear

Fitness Equipment

Supplementation

Vibram FiveFingers

(12/2011)

(06/2011)

(01/2012)

(02/2010)

(01/2009)

Page 67: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)

Backchat Risk

Get inside box and close

up flaps to restrict all light

Jiggle around in box to

bounce and shuffle it over

the edge sending it and

yourself down the staircase

As you can imagine not all the

slides went well, but with trial

and error and a few episodes

that required generous dabs

of TCP antiseptic, I learnt that

some boxes were better than

others and that a large teddy

bear rested on the corner of

the metal telephone hall table

was a valuable addition to my

inventory.

Why I’m bringing this memory

up is because recently (well,

over the last decade) risk has

been slowly removed from

our society. Now, some of you

may think that this is a good

thing – after all we need to

protect ourselves and our

young. But in pursuing this

campaign of a safe utopia we

are, in my opinion, losing the

ability to assess risk and act

appropriately, and in the long

term will create a more

dangerous place to live.

I have lost count of how many

times I have been literally

stopped in the street while

running barefoot, to be warned

about glass, dog poo, catching

a cold, etc.

Now, two things jump into my

mind when this happens;

One: do people not think that

I as an adult (most of the time)

I’m not truly sure what this says

about me but as a child I found

a great deal of pleasure in a

game I invented called “Stairs”.

Now, I need to start by setting

the scene of my early childhood

in the 1970’s where me and my

friends would entertain ourselves

for hours with the most basic

of items found lying around in

the typical 70’s household.

These items could range from a

couple of tin cooking pots and

a wooden spoon, which with a

bit imagination became a drum

kit (to test my mother’s patience

to its maximum) to my favourite:

the good old cardboard box.

These cardboard boxes over my

early years played a significant

role in my playtime adventures,

sometimes being a fortress

defended by my teddy bears

from a horde of imaginary

monsters, or at other times

helping to create suits of

medieval armour wrapped in

my mother’s tin (aluminium)

foil so that me and my friends

could meet in the street and

smash chunks out of each other

with homemade swords and

flails.

Of all the games that were

enhanced by the simple brown

cardboard box, “Stairs” was

the greatest. The basic rules

were as follows:

Locate one large cardboard

box from your parent’s larder

Place said box at the top of

a very steep flight of internal

stairs

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e S p r i n g 2 0 1 2 P a g e 5 9

cannot make an informed

decision to do something

and may have an insight into

something they don’t know

about? Or two: have they not

considered that I might be a

crazy person that should not

be confronted?! Either way,

they have misjudged the

situation!

We should encourage risk and

reward, without it there would

be no planes in the sky or

electricity in our households.

Our great pioneering ancestors

didn’t just sit around in a huddle

worried about germs on their

hands or dog mess on the trails,

they stood and ran from one

side of this amazing world to

another and through their

excited courage, enhanced

the lives of all those who have

come after.

So throw off those shoes and

let’s let the dirt (yes dirt – not

mud) into our sterile lives. I

have and I’m much better

for it.

David Robinson (co-founder of Barefoot Running UK)

Page 68: Barefoot Running Magazine - Issue 4 (Spring 2012)