Winter

2012/13

Issue 07

FREE

BREATH: The ins and outs

WATER: Filtering out the truth

Is there a best way to run?

Has the human ‘race’ gone off

Detoxing I0I

The KISS principle

How to contact us

Barefoot Running Magazine

TRC Publishing Limited

21 Lyric Mews,

Silverdale,

London

SE26 4TD

United Kingdom

ISSN 2050-9022

email: info@bfrm.co.uk

website: www.bfrm.co.uk

tel: +44 (0) 845 226 7301

Overseas: +44 (0) 208 659 0269

Cover picture: Bruce Tulloh

Insert picture: Courtesy of Merrell

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.

www.trcpublishinguk.co.uk/bfrm

Find us at:

bfrm.co.uk/facebook

@BareFootRunMag

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

Anna Toombs

Movement therapist, running

coach & author

anna.toombs@bfrm.co.uk

@ToombsAnna

David Robinson

Movement therapist, sports

performance specialist & author

david.robinson@bfrm.co.uk

@barefootdrrob

Dr James Stoxen DC

Chiropractor & President

of Team Doctors

www.teamdoctorsblog.com

Steven Sashen

Creator of the Xero Shoe &

sprinter

steven.sashen@bfrm.co.uk

Leigh Rogers

Holistic sports nutritionist, health

& wellness coach

leigh.rogers@bfrm.co.uk

Dr Stig Walsh

Senior Curator of Vertebrate

Palaeobiology at National

Museums in Edinburgh,

Scotland.

Gareth Underhill

Personal trainer, Sports scientist

(Biomechanist/Physiologist)

gareth.underhill@bfrm.co.uk

Tony Ingram

Registered Physiotherapist.

Primary author of

bboyscience.com

We hope that you have all enjoyed a healthy, active start

to 2013!

We’re very excited to bring you this latest issue of Barefoot

Running Magazine – we can hardly believe we’ve reached

issue 7 already! There’s plenty in here to occupy your tea

break and keep you motivated as we head into the warmer

weather.

We’ve been lucky to have input from some wonderful people

once again: Dr Stig Walsh – barefoot runner and palaeobiologist

– adds some humour to the running and evolution debate,

Canadian physiotherapist, Tony Ingram, talks about a different

perspective on pain and our regular nutrition expert, Leigh

Rogers, puts together some timely advice about detoxing!

Gareth Underhill, biomechanist and owner of ‘Outfit’ Sports

and Fitness store, is a new contributor and offers some

essential guidelines on how to choose the right shoe. David

has been scouring the research on water consumption –

how much is too much? – and we also have the usual news

and reviews (check out our products page because we’re

on the lookout for some

long-term reviewers).

We caught up with our

friend Yanni for some

words of barefoot running

wisdom and if you fancy

a giggle, take a look at

our friend Ricardo’s

thoughts on flip flops!

As always, a big thank

you to all our contributors

and to you, the readers.

Run Strong, Run Free!

Jason Robillard

Founder of Barefoot Running

University, co-founder of

Barefoot Runners Society

& author

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

Ricardo D’Ash

Avid barefoot runner and

co-founder of the Maidstone

Barefoot Dashers

International News National news 56

On track 72

International news 76

A conversation with... Yanni - One of the original

barefoot revolutionists

44

The Green Room Has the human ‘race’ gone off

course?

50

Try this at home Footloose and ankle free!

60

How to: How to choose the correct

minimalist shoe

66

Write back at you Holiday non-celebration

70

Next Issue What’s coming May 2013

95

National news 58

On track 76

International news 78

Main feature Running Show 2012

8

In focus Bruce Tulloh - I’m still running..!

12

David’s lab Filtering out the truth about water

18

Book review Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey

to Ultramarathon Greatness

24

Injury corner Why learn how pain works?

30

Technical tip The ins and outs of breath

34

Nutritional nugget Detoxing 101 for maximum

benefits

38

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

Anna’s pause for thought The KISS principle

16

The Dashing Ricardo Flipped out over flip-flops

48

Sashen speaks Is there a best way to run?

54

Backchat David Robinson’s latest

98

The Season in pictures The Asics Uksem debate

4

Clubhouse calendar 8

It’s your letters Your stories and thoughts

84

The society pages What’s happening within the

Barefoot Runners Society

86

Product reviews B

91

Minimal review results 96

Club Directory Find a club near you

100

Outside the lab Other peoples’ labs

22

Questions & answers Your questions answered

26

Season in pictures A showcase of what you have

been up to

28

Caught in the web Internet snippets

41

Events Stuff that’s going on

42

Assorted goodies Products worth a look

56

What’s on 2013 events and race calendar

72

Barefoot Running UK The latest from Barefoot

Running UK

80

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

Stan in, in his body bag. Stan is the

skeleton we use for teaching and has

become a bit of a mascot for us too.

He is our very skinny, rather silent

travelling companion and he

completed the look of our stand

rather nicely, although we had to

give him a baseball cap to make him

look a little more friendly.

We knew that our presentation would

be in ‘Seminar Theatre Two’. However,

there were a bunch of guys setting

up big screens and rows of chairs

right in the middle of the big hall, in

amongst the stands. This was slightly

disconcerting – our audience could be

huge and we began to feel that we

might be a little exposed, advocating

running barefoot whilst everyone

around us was trying to sell shoes.

So, David went off to find the organizers

and ask them which seminar theatre was number two. As it turned out, the

Main feature

n a cold Friday afternoon at the

end of November, David and I

headed to Esher in Surrey to set

up our Barefoot Running UK stand at

the Running Show.

This was our first event as exhibitors

and we were both extremely nervous

because we were also part of the

seminar programme, presenting a talk

on ‘Making sense of barefoot running’.

As we had envisaged, there were

people already at Sandown Park, the

event venue, setting up their stands

to display their wares – a multitude

of gadgets, gismos and nutritional

concoctions to help you run further

and faster.

We found our stand – K21 – and

unpacked the items we’d ordered

that were thankfully already there:

a book/magazine rack, two stools

and a table. We unravelled our big

banner, complete with photographs

of the two of us braving the cold

weather, running barefoot through

London. We couldn’t quite face

unloading all our books and other bits

just yet, so went off in search of our

friend (and ally!) Tracy Davenport,

from Barefoot Britain. We wandered

up the row of stands and around the

corner and just about spotted Tracy

in amongst a whole garden full of

pink flowers! She’d gone for a ‘British’

theme with her stand and it looked

amazing – we wanted to sit down at

her garden table and enjoy a glass

of Pimms! Tracy would be selling Xero

Shoes at the show, as well as the

relatively new ‘One Moment’ shoes

and a selection of Reflex Nutrition

products.

After a quick chat, Tracy kindly let us

borrow her trolley to bring our boxes in

from the Land Rover (which is working

at the moment – hurrah!) containing

copies of our book. We also wheeled

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

one furthest away was where we’d be

presenting which made us feel a little

better. Claire Townsend, one of the

organizing team, also came and

explained the process regarding our

talk and made us feel more at ease

about how it would piece together on

the day. She said not to worry – that

everyone who came would be there

because they wanted to learn more.

We weren’t quite so sure, having

conjured up several images of shoe

companies throwing rotten vegetables

at us or asking awkward questions!

We were ready for them though it

they chose to come and listen –

we’ve been doing this a long time

and anyone who knows David will

be aware how he loves a debate!

We woke up early on Saturday and

got to Sandown Park at around

8.30am. The show was due to start

at 9.30am so we wandered around

again and ran through our talk for

the umpteenth time. Someone

announced over the loud speaker

that the show was beginning and the

doors opened, allowing in the first few

keen visitors. We were surprised

and pleased to have a visitor to our

stand immediately: she had specific

questions about barefoot running

and wanted to chat with us first.

We began to talk about barefoot

running – answering questions about

the biomechanics, pros and cons,

different types of injury, diet and other

types of exercise and training as plenty

of interested runners came and went.

At about 10.30am or so, our friends

Ricardo and Robin showed up. It was

great to see familiar faces and they

made us feel more relaxed as the

time for our presentation loomed

closer. Ricardo took numerous photos

from different angles as we chatted

with more punters.

We were in the midst of discussion

with some runners when David

Townsend, one of the organizers

arrived and told us, “time to go”.

Our stomachs lurched as we walked

up to the seminar theatre, where there

were already several people sitting

and waiting for our ‘words of wisdom’.

We were given head microphones

which actually helped us feel more

confident – we both used to teach

fitness classes so feel quite at home

with headsets on. At 11.30am we

were given the go ahead to begin

our talk, so off we went. We discussed

foot strike, technique and injury as well

as the mental side of barefoot running.

The talk went much as we’d practised

it and we soon forgot our nerves. As

well as Ricardo D’Ash and Robin

Dearle, there were a few more friendly

faces in the audience too: Ian Hicks

and his family, Chris Fielding and Tracy

who managed to slip away from her

stand to hear some of the talk. There

were some decent questions at the

end (all of which we were able to

answer!) and we finished by inviting

people to come and chat with us at

our stand.

Thank goodness for Ricardo buying

us a coffee, because we didn’t really

get the chance to eat or drink anything

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

all day (save for the few samples we

pinched from the Pulsin’ stand next

door to us, selling delicious raw food

bars). We were overwhelmed by the

huge amount of interest in barefoot

running – so many people have

already tried it whilst others are on

the brink of giving it a go. Quite a

number of people bought copies of

our book and signed up to receive

the Barefoot Running Magazine’.

We were thrilled and exhausted by

the end of the day but eager to

come back on the Sunday and do

it all again.

Before we went home, we joined

some of the other exhibitors and the

organizers in the bar for a drink. We

didn’t get far through the bar before

we bumped into Emma and her

husband. Emma had had a very

successful day teaching yoga as well

as extolling the benefits of yoga for

runners (Emma is an accomplished

barefoot runner herself). We also met

Sam Murphy and her husband who

were at the show to discuss the latest

fitness fads and running trends. There

was a brief moment when we were

all in danger of throwing caution to

the wind and making a night of it,

but thoughts of another long day just

(and only just!) stopped us all in our

tracks and we said our goodbyes

until the next day.

This had been a good decision as

Sunday proved to be just as busy,

with a 10K race held in the morning

in glorious sunshine. We weren’t

nervous at all for our presentation,

which seemed to go very well

again and we spent the whole day

discussing injuries, technique, racing

and all manner of other health and

fitness topics. We managed to drop

in to Tracy’s stand a couple of times

and there was always a great crowd

of people there – luckily she had

enlisted the help of personal trainer

Matt Crane so she was just about

coping with all the runners wanting

Xero Shoes!

We were quite sad to be packing up

at the end of the day. It was a huge

treat for us to be talking freely about

running for two full days and with so

many different people.

There was only one dicey moment

in the whole weekend when, after

finishing our talk, we were walking

past the other seminar theatre at the

same time the presenter was telling

his listeners how, “barefoot runners

forefoot strike and get injured”.

David’s heckles went up as he said

a little too loudly, “I’m a barefoot

runner and I don’t forefoot strike”

and someone near us grinned and

whispered, “fight, fight, fight!” It was

all in good humour though and part

of the joy of the running world is that

people don’t always agree which

promotes discussion, investigation

and self-progression.

The best comment we had at our

stand was, “ah, barefoot running!

Can I see some of the shoes?”

Erm……

If you’ve never attended a running

event like this one, do go if you get

the chance. It’s a great opportunity

to learn and be inspired – as well as

pick up some bargains!

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

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

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

In Focus

ou may be familiar with the

image of Bruce Tulloh as he is

one of those relatively rare

competitive runners of the past who

chose to run most of his races

barefoot. However, aside from

recognizing the photo, you may not

know much about the man himself

and his long, successful running career.

Tulloh was born in Devon in 1935 into

a family full of sportspeople. His

grandfather was an international

tennis player, his aunts and uncles

played various sports and his mother

was a runner in school and never

lost a race.

Tulloh’s own running career was slow

in forming as he was focused as much

on studying and his career as he was

with competition. He ran and raced

at school, winning his first race in 1947,

but after he left school he went into

National Service for two years and

was stationed out in Hong Kong,

working as an artillery surveyor. It

was there that, whilst continuing to

run, he began to follow the Stampfl

(Roger Bannister’s coach) approach

which was largely based around

interval training. He would do a

variety of intense sessions, such as

4 x 1500m on one day, 8 x 800 on

another and a long run on Sundays.

As a result of following this training

regime, he was able to improve his

race times and compete in the

Hong Kong National championships.

Once he returned to England, he

saw his times improve yet again, now

that he was back in a more forgiving

climate. He went to Southampton

University to study biology and

continued to run, becoming a

member of their successful running

squad.

It was whilst at University that Tulloh

realized the benefits of running

barefoot. Having grown up in Devon,

he had already experienced barefoot

running on the sand and grass. He

was also familiar with the training

ideas of Percy Cerruty, an advocate

of barefoot running and of following

a basic, simple lifestyle, or going back

to nature. During a training session

at the University, Tulloh and his squad

were running on a new cinder track

and their times over a mile were

recorded. Tulloh was disappointed

with his result (something like 4:20; his

fastest time over a mile is 3:59.3) and

decided to try again without his shoes

on. Whilst the track was quite abrasive

on his feet which were

bottom of shoes, rather than the actual

running itself.

In fact, when asked about injury, Tulloh

has some sensible and wise opinions.

He has experienced relatively little

injury throughout his running career

(and at age 77 he is still running and

walking every day) and attributes

this to the fact that his training

comprised of high intensity sessions

but low mileage. At university, he

was running between 30 and 40 miles

per week without much other training.

He also feels as though he was built

to run, being very light with a slight

frame.

One other important point is that,

during his running career, he didn’t

unaccustomed to a hard, rough

surface, he managed a much faster

time and from then on competed

barefoot whenever possible, always

making the decision according to the

state of the track on which he was to

race. In an interview with Alastair

Aitken (www.highgateharriers.org.uk)

on running barefoot, he explained, “It

was just lighter in weight. You feel freer

and easier. Run with better action”.

He sometimes wore tape on his toes to

protect them, but for most of his races

he was barefoot. His running style is

much like that of other elite runners –

plenty of hip mobility and full stride,

quick cadence and a significant elbow

bend. He said that often on the track,

injuries were due to the spikes on the

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

was his run from Los Angeles to New

York (3,000 miles) in 1969. He saw the

record for this run in the Guinness

Book of Records and thought, “73

days? That seems easy, I could beat

that”! He managed to get sponsorship

for the challenge and was able to

take his family with him. It didn’t start

well – he passed out after two hours

of running from the pain of the cramp

in his legs. His wife was dubious as to

whether he should carry on but his

matter-of-fact attitude prevailed

and he merely asked for, “a salt tablet

and some water” before moving on

again. He also developed significant

pain and swelling in his Achilles

tendons but again, instead of giving

up, he strapped his ankles, bought

some boots and set off again at

walking pace. He walked for three

days (up to thirty miles on the third day)

before bringing the running back into

his routine, wearing trainers for running

and alternating that with walking in

the boots. At the end of the journey,

he’d averaged 48 miles per day and

beaten the record by 8 days!

In an interview with Martin Yelling,

owner and host of Marathontalk.com,

he was asked what his thoughts were

about the recent boom in barefoot

running. His belief is that there has

been a huge increase in interest in

running generally, even though many

people aren’t built for it. He thinks

that heavier people maybe shouldn’t

run and need extra protection/

cushioning as a result. He does point

out that with the thicker shoes, the

runner is elevated off the ground

which makes them more unstable

and therefore susceptible to problems.

He doesn’t necessarily think that

running completely barefoot is the

key – it’s more about the lightness of

the shoe, i.e. the thinner and lighter it

is, the easier it is to run.

And what’s his running secret? He

attributes his success and running

ability to several factors. His build,

the low mileage and a bit of good,

old-fashioned luck were essential

elements. He also believes a runner

requires enthusiasm but also the ability

to know when to ease off. A runner

also needs a basic desire to run – to

be able to find enjoyment in it.

He says that some people marvel at

the sacrifices he’s made. In other

words, they think he’s missed out on

the drinking, partying, rich food, etc.

However, he doesn’t feel any sense

of loss for these things at all. His logic

is very sensible: if you enjoy running,

do what you need to do to be able

to keep enjoying it for as long as you

can. And that means looking after

your body.

Tulloh is currently writing a book about

fitness for people over 60. He jokingly

says he might give it the title: ‘Live

Longer, Live Better: How to avoid

dying for as long as possible”! More

seriously though, his philosophy is that

the earlier in your life you start looking

after your health, the longer you’ll live

and the more healthy you’ll be.

He is a true inspiration, telling it like it

is with no frills and gimmicks. Check

out his interview with Martin Yelling

(still available on the website:

www.marathontalk.com) and see

his impressive list of books, available

to buy in various places, at

www.tullohbooks.com

Sources 1. www.tullohbooks.com

2. www.highgateharriers.org.uk

3. www.sporting-heroes.net

4. www.englandathletics.org

5. www.marathontalk.com

6. www.wikipedia.org

7. Tulloh, B. Natural Fitness: A revolutionary fitness

programme;1976

make money out of running. After

completing his degree at Southampton

and a subsequent diploma at

Cambridge University, he got a full

time job. He had neither the time nor

the money to go out or eat and drink

to excess. He would go to work, come

home, run then go to bed! He believes

that nowadays there is almost too

much complication surrounding

athletes and their training. They

have stretching plans, high mileage

targets and pressure to perform with

sponsorship deals at stake. He reckons

that people in general spend “too

much time poncing about in the gym”

whereas all his training had to be

quick and effective, squeezed in with

his work and home life. He has written

many books, including one called

‘Natural Fitness’ and strongly believes

that part of the problem with sports,

performance and general health is

the increased affluence of our society

which gives us too much choice and

offers too many temptations. He is a

man who says it like it is: in his book

he suggests that, “The fat man is a

symbol of the surplus society”.

Tulloh either won a national title or

set a new national record every year

of his running career. His biggest

achievement though was winning

gold in the 5,000 metres at the

European Championships in 1962.

The reason he gives for this is that it

takes so much planning, dedication,

thought and preparation to perform

at your best on one particular day in

one particular race. It’s actually

extremely difficult to coordinate all the

necessary parts of the winning recipe,

which is evident in the performances

of numerous athletes who are on top

form but are not able to be victorious

on race day.

Another of Tulloh’s great achievements

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

Available direct from www.trcpublishinguk.com

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

A comprehensive guide into the ‘why’

and ‘how’ of barefoot running.

The book explains the theory behind

running barefoot as well as providing

practical advice, drills and exercises

to help readers improve their running

technique.

Although the emphasis is on barefoot

running, this book is useful for any level

of runner, whether barefoot or not.

Available direct from www.trcpublishinguk.com

sofa.

After much thought and discussion

over the years, I am almost entirely

(grammatically incorrect, I know)

convinced that mental attitude is

more relevant to injury prevention than

training or technique. Every injury story

I hear contains a phrase in it somewhere

along the lines of, “I felt a pain but

decided to keep going”, or, “I felt tired

and knew I should take a rest day but”

Injuries are so often a result of making

the wrong decision, rather than there

being something fundamentally wrong

with technique. That being said, there

are always several contributing factors

to injury but the mind and the body

are inextricably linked so that one will

continuously affect the other.

This is what formed the basis of my

thought processes as I ran today. Some

people are natural thinkers and some

are more inclined to just ‘do’. I was

reminded of the phrase that popped

up regularly in Scott Jurek’s book,

“Sometimes you just do things”. This

is what Scott’s father would tell him if

he asked too many questions. In other

words, he was saying, “Stop thinking

esterday we went for a group

run with a couple of friends.

Unfortunately, our PC completely

crashed the night before, so we were

late in meeting them due to the fact

that David was frantically trying to

relocate files and reload programmes

all through the night.

However, despite us being 15 minutes

late, our friends weren’t getting

agitated and looking at their watches.

In fact, although they’d never met,

they found each other at the meeting

place and were happily chatting

when we eventually turned up. One

of them, Ricardo, never seems to bat

an eyelid about anything – he is a

genuine, placid man. He’s also taken

to barefoot running like a duck to

water, with nothing but positive

experiences as he gradually runs

further and faster but without any

pressure to do so.

I often say that people who seem to

be able to take or leave running are

the ones who make more progress

than those who absolutely must run but

find themselves injured 50% of the time,

confined to non-running misery on the

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

about things too much and just get

on with it”. I have a propensity to

over-think things. It’s naturally in me

to do so and this is what guided me

towards studying psychology at

university and later, working with

clients for whom the psychological

element of their issue (whether

struggling with weight management

or dealing with chronic pain) has

become more dominant than the

original or initiating physical one.

In many ways, this is a good thing.

It helps me to empathize with my

clients; I can feel what they’re

feeling which allows me to create

strategies for improving their health

and lifestyle approaches. On the

downside, it’s also made me an

even deeper thinker – and combined

with learning more about how the

human body and mind work on a

daily basis, I find myself over-thinking

problems A LOT!

This includes my own running form.

When I was running in my twenties,

I was aware of how my body was

moving and feeling but was as

focused on other thoughts – work,

relationships, etc. Now I’m much

more in tune with my mechanics

and how my body should be

moving – perhaps a little too much!

A very well respected osteopath

named Leon Chaitow once said that

if you have a pain or injury, your body

just needs a couple of therapeutic

interventions to promote the body’s

own self- healing processes. He

warned against interfering too much

– it can make matters worse.

I believe it’s the same with movement

and running. We are all so absorbed

in executing the perfect running

mechanics that we will inevitably fail.

Our bodies are saying, “For heaven’s

sake, stop interfering and let me do

my thing!” I’ve lately been trying to

think less as I run and it seems to be

beneficial. Often it’s useful just to

focus on breathing, rather than

specific elements of running form.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t be

aware of how you’re running – it’s

easy to get lazy and slip back into

bad habits.

But, as David learnt in the martial

arts world, it’s best to use the ‘KISS’

principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid. If

you can just go out and run, like we

did yesterday, with no particular

plans for a route or speed, or a fixed

method of going about it, it becomes

easier. And more enjoyable.

If you find that you’re inclined to

over-think your technique, just try

being more matter-of-fact about your

next run. Rather than anticipating

how cold your feet might be, how the

ground will feel, whether you’ll have

enough energy, whether you’ve

eaten the right food, how long you

might run for or how fast, just go out

and run. Let your body do the work

and give your mind a bit of a rest

and see how it feels.

This is one of the things I love about

barefoot running: its simplicity. No

gadgets, time limits, restraints – just

running.

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

“David learnt in the

martial arts world,

it’s best to use the

‘KISS’ principle: Keep

It Simple, Stupid. “

Supported by:

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

David’s laboratory

Filtering out the truth about water

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

Well, it’s dependent on several

factors: body composition,

athleticism, duration/type of

exercise, ambient temperature...

and so on. For the purposes of

this article we will use an average

adult (70kg in weight) with an

average exercise pattern and

who lives in a moderate ambient

temperature. It is considered that

this individual will lose one to one

and a half litres of fluid per day,

around 650 - 850ml, through

breathing and sweating and 350 -

650ml through urination, equating

to four to six average glasses.

However, these figures will rise if

they partake in exercise.

Exercising muscle is considered to

generate 20% more heat than that

of an inactive muscle, meaning

that our average test subject (the

70Kg adult) will expect to lose

approximately one extra litre of

fluid per hour of exercise, equating

to 4 glasses. So in a typical day,

including 1 hour’s exercise, it is

possible for our individual to lose

about two to two and a half litres

of fluid or an equivalent eight to

ten glasses.

However, we must take into

consideration that drinking pure

water is not usually the only source

of fluid and that an average diet

can provide well over one litre of

fluid through the intake of foods

such as fruits, vegetables, milk,

fruit juices and

Some people collapse because

of it, as happens quite frequently

in the marathon.” This opinion is

supported by Dr Martin and his

colleagues at Georgia State

University, who examined the

causes of illness in runners since

1985 and found 70 causes of

Hyponatraemia - far more than

those suffering from dehydration.

Of course experts are not calling

for radical restrictions or bans on

workout fluids, but they do feel

that the certain myths concerning

fluid consumption should be put

to rest. Louise Sutton, a sport

dietician and lecturer in health

and exercise science at Leeds

Metropolitan University, recorded

that, “It’s a common myth that

we can’t drink too much water.

In fact, it’s relatively easy to

overindulge in water consumption.”

Indeed in some cases, runners are

under the impression that the lack

of energy during exercise is due to

dehydration and therefore drink

more, but actually it can be due

to having water intoxication

syndrome when the loading of

additional fluid creates more issues,

such as those which have led to

USA Track and Field (the governing

body for the athletes and running in

America) to urge anyone who

partakes in regular cardio-respiratory

exercise not to indulge in excessive

amounts of water due to the

implications and health risks

attached.

So what is the correct amount? The

general belief, or should I say myth,

is that we should drink two

litres (or eight glasses)

of water per day but

is this correct?

hen we think about sports

nutrition we usually conjure

up images of complex protein

shakes or well packaged energy

bars, but whatever we envisage,

it’s not generally water.

Water is often overlooked and

taken for granted, possibly due

to its abundance and its

association with natural health

and vitality. But, should we

consider the implications of our

water consumption the next time

we head out for a run around

the block with a two litre bottle

in our hands?

We all know how essential water

is for life. After all, it makes up

approximately 70% of our body’s

weight (8.4 stone of water in a 12

stone adult), acts as an essential

coolant within the body, helping

to regulate internal temperatures

and aids in the transportation of

essential elements throughout the

body’s matrix. However, scientists

are now voicing their concerns that

we are consuming too much at

the detriment of our health and

are calling for recommendations

to be laid out.

Dr David Martin, an exercise

physiologist at Georgia State

University USA, whose study focused

on the drinking habits of runners,

believes that recommendations

are well overdue. “We are very

worried about the increasing

group of people who are taking

up running for the first time and

hold the party line ‘make sure you

drink, you can’t drink too much,

remember to carry water with you

or you’ll get dehydrated. Oh! And,

don’t worry about the heat, just

drink more!’ But that’s wrong,

wrong, wrong!”

Experts here in Britain agree with

their American counterparts.

Dr Dan Tunstall–Pedoe of St

Bartholomew’s Hospital, London

and medical director of the

London marathon for over 27

years, went on record with,

“Drinking water at every

opportunity can create many

serious problems such as water

intoxication or Hyponatraemia.

That’s a metabolic condition

in which there is not enough

sodium and other bodily salts

or electrolytes in the blood

which will cause dizziness and

even respiratory problems.

Table 1: Examples of the water content of some foods according to the British

Nutrition Foundation.

tea/coffee (see table 1, page 20).

This fluid intake will go much of the

way to meeting the test subject’s

- and our - daily requirements,

making drinking too much quite

easy. ”Even a baked potato is

75% water,” says nutrition professor

Susan Barr of the University of British

Columbia, who sat on a Canadian-

U.S.A. committee that looked at

fluid intake. "There's nothing

magical about water from a glass

of water as opposed to water from

food or any other beverage.”

So where does this myth originate?

When asked, senior nutrition

scientist Gail Goldberg said, “There

is a perception generated, for

example by newspapers and

magazine articles, that all of our

fluid requirements have to come

from water. This is simply untrue."

While author, Speros Tsindos of

the department of dietetics and

human nutrition at La Trobe

University in Victoria, Australia,

suggests that, “The two litre of

water a day recommendation

was driven by vested interests

rather than health. Thirty years

ago you didn’t see a plastic

water bottle anywhere, now they

appear as fashion accessories.

As tokens of instant gratification

and symbolism, the very bottle

itself is seen as cool and hip.”

Dr. Heinz Valtin of Dartmouth

Medical School also put these

recommendations to the test

and found them to be more

urban myth than medical dogma

and lacking in scientific basis. So

it seems that this eight x eight oz

recommendations have no scientific

basis and this is unsurprising.

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

an urban myth. In fact, there's no

evidence you need to drink more

water than what thirst dictates."

This leads onto another potential

myth that you may have heard: that

the thirst mechanism is inadequate

and that once you’re thirsty, it’s

already too late. So, is this yet

another urban/marketing myth or

does it hold water? Leslie Bonci, R.D.,

director of sports nutrition at the

Pittsburgh University Medical Centre

has the notion that, "Exercise blunts

your thirst mechanism, and you lose

fluid so rapidly that the brain can't

respond in time." I personally

question this as I don’t believe that

a creature could have evolved

over millions of years of hardship

without an effective thirst

mechanism.

It is thought that the theory came

from a study (titled: Voluntary

dehydration in man) by John

Greenleaf in1965, where he

examined four well-trained men

to discover how much water they

would ingest during exercise within

a hot environment. Allowing them

to drink when thirsty, Greenleaf

found that they were unable to

replace 100% of their body weight

losses and the study therefore

concluded that the thirst mechanism

was not sufficient for regulating

hydration.

However, using body weight as

a measure has been shown to have

its flaws. Ross Tucker Ph.D. and

Jonathan Dugas Ph.D. director of

Food source Content

Apples (100g) 84.5ml

Grapes (100g) 81.8ml

Milk (1 pint/568.27ml) 531.8ml

Broccoli (85g) 77.43ml

Sweet corn (85g) 59.42ml

Tomato soup (220ml) 185.24ml

Cup of white tea/coffee (240ml) 238ml

% Body Weight Lost Symptoms

0.5 Thirst

2 Stronger thirst, discomfort, appetite loss

3 Dry mouth, reduced urine

4 Increased effort, flushed skin, impatience, apathy

5 Difficulty concentrating

6 Impaired temperature regulation

8 Dizziness, laboured breathing, confusion

10 Spasticity, imbalance, swollen tongue, delirium

11 Kidney failure, circulatory insufficiency

Table 2: Effects of dehydration.

What is surprising is that, despite

any conclusive evidence that we

need to drink so much, sales in 2010

of bottled water amounted to over

£1 billion ($1.58 billion), with over

150 individual products lines sold

in the United Kingdom alone!

Please forgive the pun, but it

seems that this marketing myth

has muddied the waters somewhat.

And the answer to the amount

of consumption needed is quite

simple. We need to trust our thirst

mechanism as Dr. Stanley Goldfarb

of the University of Pennsylvania in

Philadelphia explains, “Despite the

common notion that it's important

to drink eight glasses of eight

ounces of water a day, there’s

no evidence that benefits health in

any real way and it really represents

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

consequently always find themselves

thirsty as they have altered their

body’s processes. The opposite

may happen too, i.e. an endurance

athlete may well be able to train

their body to ignore the first signs of

dehydration, which isn’t necessarily

healthy either!

Having spent some time reading

and researching the topic, I’ve

reached these conclusions: humans

have a very sensitive, in-built sense

when it comes to the necessity of

consuming fluid, and thirst is a deep

rooted, natural physiological desire

for water. After all, where would the

human race be if we waited until

we had dangerously low fluid levels

before hunting out water in the

plains of Africa 50,000 years ago!

The point is to be sensible about

fluid intake and general nourishment.

If your diet is full of plenty of fresh

fruit and vegetables it will run more

efficiently than if you consume

processed, unnatural foods. Your

body’s fluid and electrolyte levels

are affected by your diet so this

really should be something to

consider. Listen to your body and

your thirst as well as following a

progressive endurance programme

– your body won’t adapt well if

you suddenly go from running a 10k

to running a 50k ultra. Experiment

– find out what works for you in terms

of fluid and food. Some people use

gels successfully whilst others prefer

jelly beans and bananas.

Lastly, be aware of your surroundings.

If you’re out running in the middle

of nowhere, then it’s safest to know

where you can get fluid if you need

it. Your body will also have different

requirements according to the

temperature and climate.

Ultimately, listen to your own

personal needs rather than to

questionable studies that are

often funded by drinks companies!

References:

American Journal of Cllinical Nutrition, 48:

1023-1033 1988

Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2002

Nov;283(5):R993-1004

Almond CS, Shin AY, Fortescue EB, et al.

N. Engl. J. Med. 2005;352:1550-1556.

Hyponatremia among runners in the

Boston Marathon.

Australian and New Zealand Journal of

Public Health, June 2010

Berning J R. & Nelson Steen S. Nutrition For

Sport & Exercise (2nd edition); 1998

Dunham W. Reuters US Edition. Research

debunks health value of guzzling water;

Apr 2, 2008

Egan G, Silk T, Zamarripa F,et al. PNAS.

2003;100:15241-15246. Neural correlates of

the emergence of consciousness of thirst.

Greenberg A, Verbalis JG. Kidney Int.

2006;69:2124-2130. Vasopressin receptor

antagonists.

Kent M. Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science &

Medicine (2nd Edition); 1998

McKinley MJ, Johnson AK. News Physiol. Sci.

2004;19:1-6. The physiological regulation of

thirst and fluid intake.

Noakes T MD. Lore of Running (2nd Edition);

2002

Parsons LM, Denton D, Egan G, et al.

PNAS.2000;97:2332-2336. Neuroimaging

evidence implicating cerebellum in support

of sensory/cognitive processes associated

with thirst.

Rambali P. Barefoot Runner: The life of mara-

thon champion Abebe Bikila; 2006

Stedman’s Medical Dictionary (27th Edition);

2000

Stricker EM, Sved AF. Nutrition. 2000;

16:821-826. Thirst.

Tucker R Ph.D. & Dugas J Ph.D. Science of

sport; 2010

of Clinical Development of The

Vitality Group recently performed

a study where their volunteer cycled

for just over two hours, during which

time he lost 300g of carbohydrate

and fat while drinking when thirsty.

The subject’s total body weight loss

was 1kg, yet 300g (30%) of that

weight loss (or as we are led to

believe ‘dehydration’) was not due

to water loss but represented the

calorie expenditure the subject had

burnt. Tucker and Dugas concluded

that the weight loss method

overestimates ‘dehydration’ by 30%

due to the lack of consideration of

fuel that has been burned during

the exercise.

They go on to suggest that

electrolyte balance is of more

concern than body weight. They,

and others, explain that as you

exercise, your body adapts by

secreting an anti-diuretic hormone

(ADH) that inhibits the loss of water

through urine. This hormone is

released into the system when bodily

fluid becomes too concentrated

and even when the levels increase

only marginally, this also sets the

thirst mechanism in place. This

knowledge is what helped launch

the now vast range of ‘isotonic’

drinks. Those of you who are

seasoned endurance athletes

probably know how to make your

own – usually a mix of orange juice,

water and a little bit of salt!

If a person has access to fluid,

they are quite unlikely to become

dangerously dehydrated. Take a

look at table two, outlining the

various symptoms of fluid depletion

and you can see that the thirst

mechanism kicks in well before

there is any danger of becoming

dehydrated.

It is extremely important for

endurance athletes exercising for

long periods to understand their

own bodily needs for fluids and fuel.

This is a very individual experience.

For example, back in the 1950’s

Kenyan athletes were found to be

better equipped at storing water

than their Scandinavian counterparts,

simply because they have adapted

for running long distances in hot

climates with less access to water.

Your own body will adapt too.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear

to be any clear evidence yet, but

I have clients who have read that

they should drink lots of water and

Unsurprisingly, the results varied

greatly depending on age, gender,

employment status, etc.

Women were generally more

optimistic, believing that they stop

feeling young at 42 compared

to men, who start feeling old at 38!

Women also perceive ‘old age’

beginning at 60 whereas for men,

it’s aged 58.

Those who were unemployed and

did not own their own home also

felt older earlier than those with

jobs and their own place to live.

The study certainly highlights how

perceptions of age vary according

to circumstances but ultimately, we

should all be focusing on living our

lives rather than obsessing with the

numbers!

esearch commissioned by the

UK’s Department for Work

and Pensions has found that

the average Briton (based on

interviews with 2,162 participants)

believes that ‘old age’ is precisely

at 59 years, 2 months and 2 weeks.

The interviews were conducted

with people of both genders and

all ages from 16 upwards.

P a g e 2 2 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 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

© 1991 Paul Lamond Games Limited

recent study (published here: PLoS ONE 8(1): e52548. doi:10.1371/

journal.pone.005254) investigated footstrike in habitually unshod

adults from Northern Kenya.

19 males and 19 females took part in the study which was designed

to look at the tendency for barefooters to land on their midfoot or

forefoot but also find out if and how this changes according to

speed.

In previous studies (most notably those of Professor Daniel

Lieberman), midfoot and forefoot striking appear to dominate in

habitually barefoot runners and results in lower impact forces

through the body. In this latest experiment, however, the runners,

who were asked initially to run at a comfortable endurance speed

(which inevitably varied between individuals), tended to favour a

rearfoot strike. They were also examined running at faster speeds,

when midfoot and forefoot striking began to take the place of

rearfoot striking.

The researchers offered a number of conclusions to their findings.

They note that the runners studied by Professor Lieberman were

running consistently higher mileage than their Northern Kenyan

counterparts, so perhaps they had learned to land more towards

the midfoot to reduce applied forces. They also highlight that there

was quite a lot of variation in what each subject considered to be

‘a comfortable endurance speed’ so the findings couldn’t be put

purely down to pace alone.

Ultimately, as many already suspect, there are many factors that

contribute to an individual’s particular landing preference and

further research will continue to enlighten us – or at least, open up

more questions!

© 2012 TRC Publishing UK Limited

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

SOPHIE WALKER

Published by Piatkus on 4th October 2012

£13.99 Trade Paperback

'Very powerful, very moving, and an important contribution to better understanding of a much misunderstood condition'

Alastair Campbell

‘This is a book about Asperger's Syndrome and a book about running, but it's so much more than that. It's at heart a love story, testament to the power of a parent's fierce devotion to their child. Any parent will see in it something of themselves’

Gaby Hinsliff, journalist and author of Half a Wife

When Sophie Walker's daughter Grace was finally diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, Sophie was close to falling apart. Daily difficulties fitting in at school, left bright, artistic Grace frustrated and Sophie feeling teary, sleepless and depressed.

Feeling overwhelmed by life, and fighting off a prescription for anti-depressants, Sophie determined to stop neglecting her physical and mental wellbeing and decided to go for a run. She soon found release in running and set herself the challenge of completing the London Marathon to raise awareness of Asperger’s and to make herself strong enough to support her beloved, courageous child. In running she found the strength to battle for Grace’s education, happiness and future as well as the strength to overcome her own depression.

A beautifully written and extraordinary frank account which charts the highs and lows of raising a child with Asperger’s and the challenge of becoming a long distance runner. The book began life as the popular blog Grace Under Pressure which had an amazing response from readers and was promoted by Mumsnet and the National Autistic Society and has scores of loyal readers.

Sophie Walker has worked as a journalist for Reuters news agency for fourteen years, reporting news around the globe. She has written about oil, trade and politics in Washington and has been foreign correspondent in the UK, travelling to Iraq and Afghanistan with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

She was selected as Ambassador for the National Autistic Society’s new Autism Action Network in October 2011

Sophie completed the London Marathon on behalf of the National Autistic Society, raising £4,000, and has signed up for next year’s too. She has also appeared recently on both the BBC and Channel Four discussing the governments proposed changes to the special education needs system.

ost of you will be familiar with the

name Scott Jurek due to the part

he plays in Chris McDougall’s Born

to Run. If you’re a more serious

runner and are au fait with the world

of ultramarathons, you will know he’s

one of the most famous and revered

ultrarunners in the last twenty years or

so.

The title of his book implies that he’ll

be talking about eating and running.

He’s notorious for his running feats

fuelled by a vegan diet, so one

assumes he’ll explain what he eats

and his training regime. If that’s

what you’re expecting, then you’re

in for an overwhelming surprise.

The book is really about Scott’s

journey; an almost – at times – heart

wrenching account of his life so far,

with running at the very centre. He

begins by describing his childhood

and family set up and how this

formed the basis for his urge to run

and his interest in wholesome food.

As Scott’s story progresses, he appears

to be searching for the reasons why

he runs. Sometimes, there’s a sense

of running towards something,

sometimes running away and often,

both. The book is written in such a

way that you experience his transition

with him – running begins as more of

a competition, something more

superficial, but his appreciation of

running deepens as the book unfolds,

teaching him, challenging him and

at one point, completely eluding him.

Scott describes several races and

tells of practicalities such as

preparation and the correct fuelling.

As the reader, you will feel his pain

as he runs a number of gruelling

races, one with a broken toe and

another with a broken ankle! You

begin to understand that running

technique and the right food are

only part of the recipe for an

ultrarunner; natural talent is a real

bonus (Scott’s best friend Dusty

can run like the wind, even with a

penchant for alcohol and drugs)

and mental strength is essential.

At some points the book is quite dark

as Scott bravely reveals his demons

in a frank, yet poetic manner. There’s

a sense of desperation at one point

when he loses a number of people

close to him and running no longer

fills the void or answers his questions.

The book is not miserable, however.

In fact, there’s a sense of hopefulness

and a pure love for running that

streams throughout and the allure of

running will beckon even the most

reluctant reader. In fact, I’d defy

anyone reading the book not to want

to sign up for an ultra before they’ve

finished it!

There are recipes at the end of each

chapter, all vegan and seemingly

delicious. There’s also an index of

the recipes at the end so that you

Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to

Ultramarathon Greatness By Scott

Durek with Steve Friedman

Paperback: £17.99

272 pages

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Language English

ISBN-13: 978-1408833384

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

Book details...

Book review Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek

can look up your favourites.

This book is a must-read for every runner

and aspiring runner. If you don’t run

already, it will awaken in you the desire

to feel what Scott feels when he runs.

It’s in all of us and Scott relates it

beautifully in this wonderful book.

Read it soon!

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

Limited spaces at World Heritage sites

Hi Stephen

I’ve added you to our subscriber

list.

You should really try a bit of

barefoot running to give you a

better feel for what you’re aiming

for. It’s much more difficult to run

with good form in conventional

running shoes as the weight

hinders a quick cadence and

the raised heel gets in the way.

Essentially where you’re going

wrong though is trying to land

on a specific part of your foot.

Instead, just try to focus on the

shorter stride and quicker

cadence. Also, think of leading

with your knees. All of these will

cause your foot to land beneath

you, rather than out in front,

which should naturally eliminate

any heel striking.

We’ve written a book about

barefoot running which contains

a lot of detail about general

running mechanics – the book

is available here:

www.trcpublishinguk.com

Hope this helps!

Hello

Hope all is well, I need some

advice please. I had to stop

all training in the last week of

October and first week of

November due to work

commitments. I did a drills

session last week and finished

it off with 2 x five minute

barefoot runs. I have now got

tight calves again and have had

to start stretching them twice a

day. Should I continue with the

drills and drop the running for

a while?

glad to hear you’re on the road

to recovery.

There is always a lot of focus

on ‘core strength’ with people

who’ve suffered a disc prolapse

as sometimes certain muscles can

‘switch off’ due to pain, or at least

the stabilizing mechanism within

the body can become altered

and muscles don’t work as they

should. The goal is to teach the

soft tissues to work and move in

a supportive but fluid way, so in

terms of core strength, it’s about

getting the muscles to actually

work properly in isolation but,

as soon as possible, adding

in increasing complexity to

movement and making sure

the muscles continue to work

in a functional manner. The

way that you move is key

and running is just part of the

general aim of moving well

(with control and fluidity). The

disc prolapse was likely caused

by some movement/stability

issue in the first place.

Let’s set up a consultation and

go from there!

Please subscribe me! Also I'm just

learning about better running

form and while still wearing my

running shoes I'm trying to shorten

my stride and land on my mid-foot.

I've done a couple of 5K runs like

this and have got quite sore shins!

I don't think I'm ready to quit

my shoes just yet, but is it normal

to feel shin-splits while transitioning

to a better technique?

Any thoughts gratefully received!

Stephen, via email

Send your running questions to

Anna & David and they will

endeavour to answer them for

you: letters@bfrm.co.uk

Hi, I am based in Bromley in London.

I am recovering from a slipped disc

(L5) in my back and looking to start

exercising again. I have been

encouraged by my consultant to

dramatically improve my core

strength to protect my back and

learn how to exercise whilst looking

after my back. He particularly

emphasized learning to run properly

in a way that won’t cause injury

(as I had IT band issues before).

Having been a keen sports person

before the injury I am eager to

get exercising again but don’t

want any more pain/injuries and

want to start off doing things the

correct way! I was interested in

your services as you specialize in

both running and recovery from

back injuries/core strength. Look

forward to hearing from you.

Rhonda, London

Hi there,

Many thanks for your email and

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

A prolapsed disc, also known as a slipped or herniated disc, is

where one of the discs in the spine bulges or ruptures (in the

case of rupture, the fluid inside leaks out).

This can cause back pain as well as pain in other areas of the body.

The sciatic nerve is often affected in disc prolapse cases. It is the

longest nerve in the body and runs from the back of the pelvis,

through the buttocks, down both legs to the feet.

If pressure is placed on the sciatic nerve it can cause:

a lasting, aching pain

numbness

a tingling sensation in one or both legs

Qu

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the amount and frequency for

a while.

It’s always difficult to give

completely sound advice only

knowing part of the picture

but hopefully this helps a bit!

Hi,

I've signed up for a half marathon,

It’s a trail half marathon going

across Salisbury Plain and ending

at Stonehenge. It's mostly gravel

tracks that are normally closed to

the public as the army use it for

training. Do you think it is possible

to complete this barefoot? l keep

reading stories where people say

they ran a marathon barefoot

only to say later they wore minimal

shoes! I can run 7 miles now across

similar trails and I'm reasonably

confident, but I would really value

your opinion whether this is

possible?

Ian, Wiltshire

Hello Ian

It sounds like it’ll be a lovely race

with some great scenery. The

answer to your question about

whether it’s possible to run a half

marathon or marathon completely

barefoot, is a definite yes. It has

been done many a time. However,

the real question is whether you can

do it and that is something you must

answer yourself, after being very

honest about how your body is

feeling and adapting to barefoot

running.

From what I know about your

barefoot running ‘journey’, you seem

to have taken to it well. You’ve had

a few niggles but everything feels

pretty sound. I also know you’ve

been training off-road, which is

another important aspect here; if

you’d been training on smooth

roads and then wanted to enter this

race, I would advise you against it

because uneven, rough terrain – if

you’re not used to it – can radically

change your form.

I would keep going how you are,

only adding mileage when it feels

right and see how you feel as it gets

close to race time. You don’t want

to be adding more mileage than

you should, just because you’re

trying to achieve it by a set date.

I would assume that your goal is

just to complete the half, rather

than aim for a particular time?

One of the things that will add risk

to injury is trying to go too fast, but

I think you know enough about it

now to be aware of the speed

factor!

If you feel ok for the race and

decide to do it, you could ask one

of your family members to meet

you somewhere en route with

some shoes, just in case your form

is suffering with the ground texture.

Or you could carry them with you,

but this is a pain and not the best

idea if you’re not used to carrying

them.

So, I don’t see any reason why you

shouldn’t do the race, but your

body will ultimately tell you whether

or not you’re ready. A couple of

other things to think about: I know

you don’t usually run in big groups,

so it’s worth finding out how many

other runners there are. It can be

difficult negotiating terrain when

you can’t see far enough in front

of you. It might be worth seeing if

you can enter a shorter race (5 or

10k) just to get a feel for what it’s

like to run in a bigger group. The

time of day affects some people

too, so if the race it is at a different

time to when you normally run, try

changing your schedule so you can

do some runs at the same time of

day as the race. The adrenaline

will quite likely give you an extra

boost, as well as the spirit in the air

that comes with big groups running

together.

All the best with it and hope the

running continues to go well. Keep

us posted!

Also, before my enforced stop, I

was doing the drills twice a week

alongside my kettle-bells training,

this left me pretty tired. Is it okay

to do the drills once a week for a

while?

Thanks in advance.

Matthew, London

Hi there

It sounds as though you may have

done a little too much having had

the two weeks off.

It might be an idea to do the drills

on different days to your runs. So,

when you go for a run, just make

sure you loosen up beforehand

and do the double and single heel

bounces.

Also, when you do the drills, make

sure you have 30-60 rest in between

each set of drills. You can reduce

the number of repetitions for a

while too.

Were your calves feeling ok

before you had to take the

time off? What do you mean

by ‘tired’? Sore muscles,

general fatigue?

What were you doing in the two

weeks off? If you were unusually

active OR inactive, this will have

contributed to the calf tightness.

Ultimately, try and listen to what

your body is trying to tell you. If

you do the drills and your calves

are just getting tighter, something

needs to change, whether it’s

your technique or just reducing

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

Shin splints may refer to a number

of lower leg complaints and injuries.

In most cases, shin splints refer to

the pain that results from overload

on the tissues that connect muscles

to the shin bone (tibia).

They also may come from the small

bone of the lower leg and ankle,

called the fibula. The medical term

for shin splints is Medial Tibial Stress

Syndrome.

The

late

st Na

tion

al n

ew

s Qu

estio

ns &

an

swe

rs

Magda Kowalka

& friend braving

the cold in Poland

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

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

Lou Rantin of

Ontario, Canada

on the Runner’s

Life 2012 Xmas

Fun Run

Ian and Ricardo

running at Moat

Park as part of

the Maidstone

Barefoot Dashers

Left to right: David,

Tracy, Anna, Stephen

and Olly at Clapham

Common just as the

weather began turning

chilly!

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

Ian and the Wiltshire Barefoot

Runners (left is Steve in the cap,

Simon with the beard and Ian

in the blue top, below with

Daniel, Ian’s son) tackling some

serious hills!

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

Injury Corner Why Learn How Pain Works? – Seriously Useful Science! By Tony Ingram

ain is a frequent topic on this site.

Some of you may wonder why.

Why should you read this stuff,

what does it matter to you?

In my opinion, if you’re going to

learn about injury prevention and

recovery, or even health and fitness

in general, learning how pain works

should be considered fundamental

knowledge.

Plus, it’s just really super duper mega

interesting.

But if you really need to be convinced,

read this:

Why learn about pain?

You’ve felt pain before, haven’t you?

Perhaps you’re exceptionally lucky.

Maybe you don’t even feel pain

(actually, that’s not a good thing). 1

Or maybe the only pain you’ve

ever experienced was the one time

you stubbed your toe on the kitchen

table. What an awful day! Once it

was all over, hopefully you treated

yourself to something nice, and it’s

never crossed your mind since.

If you’re like most people, however,

you’re a little more familiar with

pain.

As kids, scrapes, bruises and boo-

boos were a small price to pay

for playing outside. If you’re an

active individual, you’ve definitely

experienced some muscle soreness.

If not, it’s probably in your best

interest to stop reading this and

go outside for some fresh air and

exercise.

Most active people have

experienced at least one minor

injury in their life – like a sprained

ankle, or a pulled muscle. And

unless you have an exceptionally

cold heart, you’ve probably

experienced some emotional

pain as well. Yeah yeah, you’re

too cool to have your heart

broken… right.

If there is one thing everyone has

in common, it’s that we’ve all

experienced pain at some point.

This common experience can differ

in many ways, varying by cause,

type, location, severity, how long it

lasts, and more. It’s almost always

different and it’s hard to define…

but you know it when you feel it!

All of us?

Yup, it’s pretty common. It’s one

of the main reasons people go to

a doctor 2,3, and statistics show

that up to 80% of the adult U.S.

population will have low back

pain at some point in their life! 4

Pain is usually temporary. It could

last seconds, days, or weeks.

Eventually it stops with or without

any help. But sometimes, the pain

doesn’t go away. In fact, about

one in three people have chronic

pain lasting six months or longer. 5,6

Even if you’re one of the lucky

people who don’t have persistent

pain, it still affects you. It’s estimated

that chronic pain costs the U.S.

about $635 billion every year in

medical costs and time off work. 7

Ouch! (no pun intended).

What should we do?

Everywhere you look, people are

making big promises. Perhaps it’s

a ground-breaking discovery, or

maybe a secret of the ancients.

Most of the time, these miracle

cures are completely bogus, or

an elaborate placebo at best.

Unfortunately, when people are

in pain, they are far more likely to

fall for it.

The truth is – despite its enormous

impact on all of us – a reliable

“cure” for pain has yet to be found.

This is true for both ‘acute’ (new)

as well as ‘chronic’ (lasting greater

than 3 months) pain, despite the

amazing progress of medical science.

In fact, the science of pain is only

beginning to make sense. Due to

some very exciting scientific progress

in such fields as neuroscience and

biochemistry, our understanding

of pain has increased dramatically

over the last few decades.

It turns out that pain is not just a

simple signal from damaged tissues

letting you know about an injury.

And when it doesn’t go away, it’s

not because an injury hasn’t

healed, or because something is

out of place, or because it’s “all in

your head”. Many theories about

how pain should be treated have

been debunked (or at least seriously

questioned), and have been

replaced by more promising ideas.

Unfortunately, many people –

even healthcare workers – are

unaware of this new research.

Learn about it!

If there is new research out there

about what does and does not work,

it’s obviously something people

should be aware of! But the benefits

go beyond simply being informed…

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

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

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

References:

1. Nagasako EM, Oaklander AL, Dworkin RH.

Congenital insensitivity to pain: an update. Pain.

2003 Feb;101(3):213-9. Review. PubMed PMID:

12583863.

2. Mäntyselkä P, Kumpusalo E, Ahonen R,

Kumpusalo A, Kauhanen J, Viinamäki H,

Halonen P, Takala J. Pain as a reason to

visit the doctor: a study in Finnish primary

health care. Pain. 2001 Jan;89(2-3):175-80.

PubMed PMID: 11166473

3. Hart LG, Deyo RA, Cherkin DC. Physician

office visits for low back pain. Frequency,

clinical evaluation, and treatment patterns

from a U.S. national survey. Spine (Phila Pa 1976).

1995 Jan 1;20(1):11-9. PubMed PMID: 7709270

4. Frymoyer JW. Back pain and sciatica. N

Engl J Med. 1988 Feb 4;318(5):291-300.

Review. PubMed PMID: 2961994

5. Johannes CB, Le TK, Zhou X, Johnston JA,

Dworkin RH. The prevalence of chronic pain in

United States adults: results of an Internet-based

survey. J Pain. 2010 Nov;11(11):1230-9. Epub 2010

Aug 25. PubMed PMID: 20797916

6. Ospina M, Harstall C. (2003) Prevalence of

chronic pain: an overview, Health Technology

Assessment 28 Series A, Alberta Heritage

Foundation for Medical Research, Edmonton,

Alberta.

7. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on

Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education.

Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for

Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and

Research. Washington (DC): National Academies

Press (US); 2011. PubMed PMID: 22553896

8. Louw A, Diener I, Butler DS, & Puentedura EJ

(2011). The effect of neuroscience education

on pain, disability, anxiety, and stress in chronic

musculoskeletal pain. Archives of physical

medicine and rehabilitation, 92 (12), 2041-56

PMID: 22133255

9. George SZ, Childs JD, Teyhen DS, Wu SS,

Wright AC, Dugan JL, Robinson ME. Brief

psychosocial education, not core stabilization,

reduced incidence of low back pain: results

from the Prevention of Low Back Pain in the

Military (POLM) cluster randomized trial. BMC

Med. 2011 Nov 29;9:128. PubMed PMID:

22126534; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3286400

Research also tells us that learning

some of this pain science (how pain

“works”) can actually decrease

pain, and may even help prevent

it! 8, 9 In fact, pain education is now

considered a legitimate treatment

for persistent pain.

It doesn’t matter if you’re not dealing

with pain right now – learning this

stuff is useful. At the very least, you’ll

learn some interesting science about

the brain, and a lot of weird things

about your body will make more

sense. But if you are dealing with

pain right now, this information can

save you a lot of money, and may

finally lead you in the right direction.

So get learning!

In summary

Learn about pain because:

If you’re not in pain right now,

you might be soon (sorry to

jinx you).

If you work with people who are

in pain (therapists), or people who

might develop pain (trainers),

then you should probably know

what you’re talking about.

Persistent or “chronic” pain is

a big deal, and a drain on the

economy.

Just like all health and fitness

information, there’s a lot of

garbage out there.

Pain science is actually, like,

super duper mega interesting.

Seriously.

Learning about pain can actually re-

duce and prevent pain!

There’s probably a lot more reasons

than that, but we’ll keep this short.

Want to get started? Check out the

Pain Education section of this site!

Tony Ingram is a physical therapist

and dancer, currently living in

St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.

He loves science, because it’s

awesome.

Specifically, he’s super interested

in the science of human movement,

and how it relates to our physical,

mental, social, and cultural well-

being. That interest started with

dancing and led to a career in

physical therapy.

Registered Physiotherapist.

Primary author of bboyscience.com.

Director at Concrete Roots Productions.

Member of bboy dance crews: Koala

Corp and East Rock Crew.

Education:

M.Sc. Kinesiology (Exercise Physiology)

Memorial University of Newfoundland.

M.Sc. Physiotherapy - Dalhousie

University

B.Sc. Behavioural Neuroscience -

Memorial University of Newfoundland.

www.bboyscience.com

Send us your letters for a chance to win a copy of:

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

barefoot running.

We’ll pick our favourite for the winner!

email: letters@bfrm.co.uk

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

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

Functional Footwear

Fitness Equipment

London City’s First Specialist Health and Fitness Shop

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

Technical tip The ins and outs of breath by Anna Toombs

why, although it’s something

that’s taken for granted so we

don’t really consider it on a regular

basis. The human body needs

oxygen to survive; oxygen is part

of the chemical reaction that

occurs when glucose is broken

down to release and provide

energy. If oxygen is in short supply,

the body doesn’t function as well

as it should. Therefore, having

access to ample amounts of

oxygen means more efficient,

more comfortable running.

The trouble is that the body is

slightly off sometimes when it

comes to instinct. Think about

what you do when you’re sitting

in traffic and late for a meeting,

or on the sofa watching a scary

film. Do maintain nice long, slow

exhales or do you draw your

breath in and hold it? For most

(if not all) it’s the latter. Regular

breathing is the first thing that

seems to go out of the window

in a stressful situation – which is

fine if it’s resolvable in a few

seconds (turn the TV off or hide

behind the sofa) but if you’re

running a bit too fast and

stressing your body but still have

several miles to go, something

has got to give. Your heart

beats faster, your alignment

falters, limbs begin to hurt and

you long to get home and

collapse in a heap.

Shallow, quick breaths are

associated with panic whereas

long, slow breaths equal calmness and

tranquillity. You may think

that being calm and serene

t’s interesting that in so many

disciplines, breath control

plays an integral part in the

system. In Pilates and yoga, for

instance, the inhale and exhale

are specified as part of each

movement. In the martial arts,

there is emphasis on exhaling

as you punch or kick to maximize

your energy and make you

‘denser’.

Conversely, when runners run,

many of them will just allow

their breathing to happen whilst

focusing on other things, such

as their posture or cadence.

However, it can be extremely

useful to incorporate breath

control into your running training,

as well as practising it when

you’re not running.

One particular type of breathing,

often referred to as ‘nose’ or

‘nasal’ breathing, is becoming

more popular in the running

world. It basically means

breathing through your nose

rather than through your mouth.

Why would I want to do that?

You may ask. It’ll make me run

slower! Well, for some people,

this has been the key to improving

aerobic fitness as well as reducing

the likelihood of injury (see

Alan Thwaits great blog:

barefootjourney.org and also:

nomeatathlete.com/breathing

-when-running/).

Think about what happens when

you run and start to push your limits.

What’s the first thing that changes?

Your breathing pattern. Your breath

becomes quicker and often more

shallow, you begin to inhale and

exhale through your mouth and if

you continue to force the pace,

you’ll start to snatch breaths as

your form begins to diminish. How

many runners do you pass who

seem to be breathing that way

throughout their entire run,

habitually fighting for breath

but not getting anywhere?

We all know breathing is essential

for staying alive. We also know

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

can’t translate into running,

but you’d be wrong! In fact,

if you can manage to control

your breathing, you’ll achieve

a much smoother, more

enjoyable ride.

So, how do you improve your

breathing quality and breath

control? Well, there are several

ways. Both Pilates and yoga

are beneficial for promoting

deeper breathing and better

use of the muscles associated

with breathing as well as freeing

up the ribcage. Pilates breathing

focuses on lateral breaths, getting

movement into the sides and

back of your ribcage, whilst yogic

breathing promotes using the

lower lobes of the lungs and has

more relaxing qualities (see our

chapter on breathing in our book).

It’s important to practise both

types and you can do it anywhere,

any time. In both types, be more

aware of the exhale. You can’t

take a deep breath in if your

lungs are still full of air! When

you’re running, this is also useful,

i.e. if you feel you’re struggling

for breath, do two or three

significant inhale-exhale cycles

– focusing on a long exhale –

and it will help to bring your

breathing back into a rhythm.

You can also try nose breathing,

as mentioned earlier. Whilst

you’re out on a run, try inhaling

and exhaling through your nose.

You’ll probably find it pretty

tough and will need to slow

your pace. It’s a bit like barefoot

running in this respect – it initially

forces you to slow down. It’ll

make you aware of how much

you usually push yourself and

can be quite an eye-opener.

There are many runners who

incorporate an ‘easy’ run into

their schedule but enjoy pushing

the limits so much that the easy

run becomes just another tempo

run! Next time you’ve planned

an easy run, try just breathing

through your nose and it will

lead to a pace that’s naturally

comfortable – and easy! – for

you.

When you’ve tried this a few

times, you can start to play

around with the rhythm.

Hopefully you run at a steady

160-180 cadence, so try

breathing in for 2 steps, out for

2. Or try 3 and 3. You might

even want to extend the

exhale and try a 2 and 4 inhale

/exhale pattern. As a variation

that’s slightly easier, you can

also try breathing in through

your nose and out through your

mouth and progress towards

complete nose breathing. It’s

quite an individual preference

and the rule, as with barefoot

running, is to experiment and

find your own formula.

As referenced above, Matt

Frazier (www.nomeatathlete.

com) has been experimenting

with nose breathing and slowing

his breathing rate from around

30 breaths per minute down to

around 12. He’s noticed a

significant change in his heart

rate, maintaining it at about

120bpm when in previous,

similar circumstances (terrain,

music, etc.) it would elevate

above 140bpm.

A word of caution: if you’re not

used to taking deep breaths,

it can make you feel quite

lightheaded at first. It may also

cause discomfort if you begin

using previously under-used

muscles and do too much too

soon.

So, as with barefoot running,

patience and listening to your

body are wise rules to follow.

If you take the time to experiment

with this, you will undoubtedly

discover a new element to your

running and enjoy it even more.

Have fun!

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

magnesium citrate) included, which

should be ideally between 2-

4:1 calcium to magnesium. This is

known to play an important role in

skeletal maintenance, but more

importantly is essential for cellular en-

ergy and optimal muscle function. Con-

sumption of dairy protein powders will

help to boost calcium content but is

often otherwise easily attainable

through natural diet.

Vitamin K-2 (MK7), more readily ab-

sorbed than MK4 and has a longer

half life, is also highly recommended as

it is only found in trace quantities in

foods. It has a number of impor-

tant key functions such as prevent-

ing a build up of plaque within the arter-

ies therefore preventing some

forms of cardiovascular disease.

At the same time it removes any

excess calcium in the blood and de-

posits it into bones.

Look out for products which contain

ingredients such as

become depleted leaving you run

down and susceptible to illness or injury.

So, it is with this in mind that I’ll recom-

mend a few basics.

A good multivitamin geared towards

an active lifestyle, but remem-

ber that not all multivitamins

are created equal. Active individuals

simply have different needs be-

cause in order for us to perform

at our best it is imperative

for us to have the correct nutrition; even

slight deficiencies can cause us

to under perform. Most multi

vitamins available in the market today

have scientifically researched

levels of ingredients based on the RDA,

so any bought from a reputable

manufacturer should be of a decent

standard as long as they contain at

least the RDA of the follow-

ing vitamins B1, B2, B3, B12, C, D and

Folic Acid.

Ratios of calcium and

magnesium (preferably the more

bioavailable form of

Bioperine (or piperine extract – a form

of black pepper which aids absorp-

tion).

Omega 3, one of the most widely used

supplements in the

UK today. Most of us are aware that we

should be taking it for the numerous

health benefits it offers. But it is impor-

tant to know what you are looking for

in a supplement and in this case, don't

just go for any old fish oils. It simply isn't

necessary to supplement with Omega

6's and 9's as they are much more

readily abundant in other foods,

so it really is just the Omega 3 you need

to look for. Then it is important to check

the information on the label as there

are a variety of kinds out there which all

offer varying levels of health bene-

fits. What you are looking for here is the

EPA and DHA content, ideally between

500-1000 mg per day. These have been

proven to be the most effective

forms of Omega 3 for improving heart,

brain and immune function as well as

being known to work as an anti-

inflammatory.

In addition to this it is also impor-

tant to know the purity in terms of

heavy metal contamination.

What this means is that some of the

waters in the world are subject to high

levels of contaminants such as mercury

and other toxins and it is this

which is the other variable you

can encounter. Naturally we all

know that heavy metals are toxic and

should not be consumed, so it

is important that the fish are

sourced from declared clean water

sources. If you are unsure contact the

manufacturer who should be able to

provide you with this information

and even a copy of the certifica-

tion which will come with each batch.

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

P a g e 3 8 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 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 Detoxing 101 for maximum benefits by Leigh Rogers

anuary, the month everyone

earmarks to start the obligatory

New Year detox. In our practice

we see so many of our clients ready

to start the year off a little healthier

than they left the previous one,

especially after all the festive

season silliness.

But how good are detoxes really?

Well it depends on how you define

a detox. Of course cutting out

alcohol, sugar, wheat and dairy

and only consuming veggie

juices is going to help alleviate

some of the stresses on your body,

but it’s not going to make a huge

impact if it’s only for 2-3 days

before you bounce back to your

previous diet. We believe a

better approach is to minimise

these foods in your diet instead

and adopt a more long term

approach to detoxing.

So many people don’t realise how

“toxic” they are already and that a

few simple dietary changes could

help alleviate a number of common

issues such as fatigue, muscle and

joint aches, headaches, multiple

digestive problems such as

constipation, gas and bloating

and various skin complaints.

Our bodies have a detoxifying

system in place, namely the skin,

lungs, kidney, colon and liver. If too

much waste builds up, our bodies

struggle to eliminate it and we

generally get sick. Many serious

diseases are related to toxicity in

the body such as Alzheimer’s,

Rheumatoid Arthritis and

Fibromyalgia.

Your key focus should therefore

be learning how to improve the

detoxification process in your body

and at the same time, reducing

the toxic load over the long term.

So what is the toxic load? This is

basically a build-up of stressors on

the body that are not necessarily

only due to food. Environmental

factors can also play a huge part

in contributing to internal issues. It

may be a result of many years of

exposure to poor diet, heavy metals

(amalgam fillings contain mercury)

and pesticides, moulds, unnecessary

medications, stress ( emotional

stresses such as anger, jealousy,

loneliness), food allergies, etc. We

can live with this for years without

realizing what state our bodies are

in and rather like the cup runneth

over, our bodies may be processing

and detoxifying fine until one more

stressor hits us and the cup over

flows.

Each individual has their own

biochemical make-up so what

may be high levels of toxic stress

for one person may not have that

big an impact on another. This is

one of our key philosophies - bio

individuality; what works for one

person may not work for someone

else. You need to get in touch

with your health and learn to listen

to your own body a lot closer.

So down to the nitty gritty and

detoxifying the body. What should

you be doing to improve the overall

health of your detoxification system?

Understand what the specific toxins

are for you: is it environmental, diet

or emotional. How about your job,

is it causing huge amounts of

unnecessary stress with little

enjoyment in return? What about

your diet- are you a sugar junkie

that needs your next fix to keep

you going through the day? Really

get to grips with what is adding

unnecessary toxic load on your

body and put an action plan in

place to start reducing or limiting

your exposure.

Analyse your gut health: Be aware

of your digestion and start to focus

on what foods don’t do so well with

you. What makes you feel bloated,

gassy or uncomfortable? One

recommendation is to start with

the top 3 foods you eat the most.

See if eliminating one of those at

a time from your diet makes any

difference. Try two weeks with

each food and be particularly

aware of any issues when you

reintroduce it back. Most people

without knowing it generally feel

better off wheat. Think about it,

in the average diet you are eating

it at almost every meal, toast or

cereal for breakfast, sandwich for

lunch and pasta for dinner. Try

removing it for two weeks and see

if you notice any difference. Make

sure you are strict and read all the

food labels, especially processed

foods or sauces, as these generally

contain gluten which is the protein

in wheat. Worst case you have

had two weeks of eating more fruit

and veg to fill you up instead.

Finally, exercise: One area that so

many people don’t put enough

emphasis on. You can eat a well-

balanced and healthy diet but

unless you are active on a regular

basis you won’t gain the benefits

of true health. Exercise is a great

way to improve circulation, remove

toxins through sweating, increase

energy levels and reduce stress.

But what does this mean in terms

of practical day to day living?

1. Drink water and lots of it. At least

8 glasses a day to flush out the

kidneys. Start each morning off

with a warm mug of lemon water.

Great for alkalising and detoxing.

2. Try and eat organic where you

can but especially animal protein.

Grass fed and free range should

be your key decision influencer

when buying meat.

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

why not reduce your coffee intake

by one each day for the first week

and build from there. Switch out

your rice for brown rice and give

quinoa a try. Or simply change

that afternoon chocolate to a

handful of almonds.

We recommend you try

incorporating each of these

suggestions into your daily routine

instead of simply doing your short

term detox this year and we are

confident you will be feeling heaps

better by the time 2014 comes

around.

If you have any questions or feel you

need more support in giving your

health a kick start this year, please

contact us on info@meorganic.co.uk.

We have all the tools and tips to

support you in creating a healthier,

more energised lifestyle. Plus

for all Barefoot Running Magazine

readers we will be offering a FREE

45 minute Breakthrough session on

SKYPE plus 10% off our programmes

if booked in the month of February.

To stay updated with tips, recipes and

health news, like us on Facebook.

www.facebook.com/#!/meorganic?

fref=ts

3. Up your intake of fresh fruit and

vegetables. Each plate should

have multiple colours on it,

especially green leafy vegetables

like kale, spinach and collards.

Often the most forgotten, yet the

most nutritious vegetable group.

4. Garlic and onions are great in

aiding detoxification too so add

some to your cooking on a regular

basis.

5. Make sure exercise is a regular

part of your weekly routine. Aim

for 4-5 sessions a week and make

sure it’s a combination of stretching,

cardio and weight training as each

one offers its own benefits.

6. Eliminate anything starting with

‘white’. White bread, white sugar,

white pasta. These foods have

zero nutritional value and often

are the cause of most dietary

issues. Instead, go for healthier

options such as quinoa, brown

rice and millet.

7. Avoid any unnecessary stimulants

like caffeine an nicotine as much

as possible. Also, limit your intake

of alcohol. As you know, a social

glass of wine actually has

significant beneficial properties.

It’s the binge drinking 3-4 nights a

week that our livers do not favour.

8. Make sure you are regular. If

you are not going to the toilet

everyday try adding more fibre

into your diet. Ground flax seed

is a great one for sprinkling on

smoothies, soups and salads for

an extra dose of gut cleansing

fibre.

9. For that extra kick, try and take

a sauna or steam bath a few

times a month or for a great

home remedy, soak in an Epsom

salts bath. Not only great for tired

muscles but a strong detoxifier

too. Add in dry body brushing,

particularly over the lymph

nodes for an extra detoxifying

ritual. Remember, your skin is an

organ of detoxification too and

brushing those dead skin cells

away helps keep the toxic load

down.

10. Finally, find at least 30 minutes

EVERY day to simply relax. A

deep and genuine half hour for

you to simply rest and recharge.

All these are actionable changes

that can be made, as long as you

start small. We focus on making

long term lifestyle changes that last

and that make a difference one

step at a time. So to get started

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

me organic is a holistic health and wellness

business based in Richmond, London. 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 10% 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.

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

www.caughtintheweb.com/winter2012/13/page40

Caught in the web

hese three day events, organized by Balanced Body, will be taking

place all over the US as well as one in London, UK.

They are a fantastic opportunity for any level of Pilates enthusiast,

whether teacher or student, to learn from experienced teachers

and progress their own practice.

There will be small classes with plenty of equipment to try out, as well as

the chance to buy discounted equipment that has been used at each

conference.

The course dates and venues are as follows:

Atlanta, Georgia – 1-3 February Phoenix, Arizona – 5-7 April

London, UK – 26-28 April Denver, Colorado – 12-14 July

Washington, DC – 16-18 August Chicago, Illinois – 27-29 September

Visit the website for details and bookings: www.pilates.com

he legacy of Micah True ‘The

White Horse’ will continue as

the legendary 50 mile race

will again take place this year

on Sunday 3rd March 2013.

The route winds through the

Copper Canyon in Mexico, with

local Tarahumara runners taking

part as well as keen ultrarunners

from the rest of the world.

This event is all about giving

back to the Raramuri people,

helping them to sustain their

independent community and

pure, simple lifestyles.

This year there is also a children’s

race taking place on Saturday

2nd and all runners who complete

the course will receive a medal

and T-shirt. The course is around

3km and has been called: ‘Corrida

de Los Caballitos’, meaning ‘Run

of the little horses’.

There is plenty of information and

interesting stories, photos, etc. on

the website: www.ultracb.com

n the world of elite sport, there are many

names and faces behind the champions

that ultimately deliver the goods. This

conference is aimed at anyone who is

involved in a team of people working

towards sporting success and there will be

useful input from coaches at the highest

level as well as from athletes themselves.

The conference takes place on 21st and

22nd March at the National Football Centre,

St George’s Park and includes a guided tour

of the facility.

For more information, visit:

www.mdtconference2013.co.uk

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

Ev

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t’s

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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 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 4 3

Stu

ff tha

t’s go

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Ev

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his race will be taking place in Ireland on 16th and 17th February.

The race route is the 26.2 mile distance that’s run every December

at the same place, except that this time, after doing the marathon

on the Saturday, you have to do it all again on the Sunday!

The route is a scenic one and the sea is visible throughout the race,

save a few miles at the beginning and the end.

The race organizers describe it as, “A unique opportunity to truly ‘find

yourself’ and test your endurance.

The entries for this year’s race are now closed but next year’s registration

opens at the end of February and places get booked up fast, so be

ready to enter and be equally ready to train hard!

More details at: www.clonakiltyback2backmarathons.com

his annual event will be held

on 9th and 10th February in

Canberra, Australia, to mark

the 50 year anniversary of SMA

(Sports Medicine Australia).

The two day conference, taking

place at Australian Institute of

Sport, will cover a whole range

of topics ranging from specific

training protocols for athletes

through to more general health

topics relevant to public health

and well-being.

The keynote speaker is Professor

Karim Khan, sports physician and

editor of The British Journal of

Sports Medicine.

For bookings and further details,

visit: www.actconferenceblog.com

nly the brave survive’ is the motto – or warning! – for this extreme

event. It takes place on Saturday 9th March in Redhill and you

can choose either the 5k or 10k race.

This is one of those fun yet challenging events that seem to have particular

appeal to barefoot runners! The race will see you crawling through mud

under barbed wire, climbing over walls and carrying tyres on your back as

you struggle through bogs and test your endurance to the limits.

You are told to ‘expect the unexpected’ which sounds daunting, but all

photos of previous runners show them with big smiles on their faces, having

had a lot of fun and feeling smug at what they’ve achieved!

For more information and to sign up, visit: www.back2thetrenches.co.uk

A conversation with… One of the original barefoot revolutionists Yanni Papastavrou

How long have you been running

barefoot and what led you towards

it in the first place?

I first thought about running barefoot

in the autumn of 2004 in my early 30’s.

In the previous year, I had decided

to run a half marathon, wearing the

best training shoes I could afford,

that were specifically fitted for me

in a running shop and matched to

my style of running. Before that

I was very sedentary despite really

enjoying sport at school. Anyhow,

the challenge of running a half

marathon was a new adventure:

I had a specific goal to aim for

and therefore had to plan carefully

to reach the required level of

endurance to get there. I found a

beginners training plan and dutifully

followed it. Initially, I could not run

for more than few hundred yards

without feeling out of breath,

despite running slowly. But as the

weeks passed, I noticed that I

could run a few miles comfortably

without feeling winded. My first

big breakthrough was having the

experience of running along at

“steady state” pace - one that

felt comfortable and possible to

continue without any need for

stopping. Everything progressed

well during the initial part of my

training, I was building up my

stamina, fitness and also

losing weight. Then, as the weeks

went on, I found I had intense

pains in my knees whenever I

did a long run of more than 7

miles. The pain was so bad that

I could not continue running and

sometimes had to walk home.

The pain would linger for several

days afterwards, making going

down stairs almost impossible. But

I was determined to complete

the training to be able to run for

13.1 miles, so I visited a sports

physiotherapist. She treated my

acute pain - and diagnosed it as

ITB syndrome - a very common

overuse injury for runners. I tried

doing the stretching exercises

that she recommended, but it

didn’t help much. I tried strapping

my knee too, and again, this

didn’t help much. I managed to

complete my training through

gritted teeth by running only once

per week and taking painkillers in

order to complete the Half Marathon

that I had entered: it was a matter

of foolish personal pride. The rest

of the week, I cross trained in the

gym in order to build the necessary

ack when many of you had yet

to even hear about the

benefits of barefoot running,

Yanni Papastavrou was already

on his way to injury-free running

after making the leap and

shedding his shoes.

Indeed, Yanni was amongst the

‘first wave’ of barefoot running

enthusiasts; the UK version of

Barefoot Ted and Barefoot Rick

from the States. He’s met them

both and can be seen later in this

piece with Barefoot Rick, having

just raced together in bare feet.

As a scientist, Yanni approached

his new venture with plenty of

research, patience and carefully

monitored progress, easing off

when necessary. He doesn’t tend

to shout about his achievements,

but he can happily run a marathon

barefoot, including the Snowdon

marathon in snow!

We met up with Yanni a few years

ago to discuss barefoot running

and our aspirations for making it

more accessible to runners and

Yanni was fully supportive of our

project. We caught up again

with him recently to put these

questions to him and hope that

you find some interesting tips

and inspiration from his honest,

well-explained answers.

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

endurance using other forms of

exercise that didn’t injure me.

Once I completed that half

marathon I decided simply that

running was not for me. I wondered

why so many people continue to

run through the pain, as I did - and

this seemed perfectly normal to

them: in numerous articles people

speak of “punishing” themselves or

of “suffering” and so on - a punitive

mindset that taken too far seems

an unhealthy approach to me -

both physically and psychologically.

There are certainly instances in life

where suffering is inevitable, so it

seems like a form of insanity to

actively seek it!

Basically, I figured that I was not

designed for running.

So I decided to quit running and

take up cycling to keep in shape.

After a few weeks, I began to miss

running and started to do some

research on running related injuries.

I came across “Running fast and

injury free”; a book by a post

WW2 British Olympic runner called

Gordon Pirie. I was fascinated by

how dismissive he was about

modern running shoes. In it, he

advocates racing flats and running

barefoot as a training exercise.

He also spoke about running form

and advised working on this before

building up either distance or speed.

This was contrary to everything I’d

known or had thought about until

then about running. I became

fascinated by barefoot running in

principle in the autumn of 2004,

reading as much as I could,

particularly Ken Bob Saxton’s

informative website and the

Running Barefoot Yahoo discussion

forum where much useful advice

could be found. Since December

2004 I've been running barefoot

and haven't looked back!

How long do you think it took you

to adapt and what obstacles did

you tackle along the way?

For me there were several stages

of adaptation. The initial thing I

noticed in the autumn of 2004 was

that I had hypersensitive feet. Even

walking along a concrete path

with very little in the way of small

stones and other debris seemed

extremely difficult. I would practice

walking outside in such places

barefoot just to get used to this

best part of a year for my body to

adjust to. Whilst this transitional

phase was frustrating at the time,

it is now long forgotten.

What benefits have you experienced?

Are they purely physical or have

you noticed a change in your mental

approach to running?

All measurable aspects of my

running improved: both my speed

and endurance. Barefoot running

simply enabled me to be able to

put in the required training to run

huge distances. I had found a way

of running without being injured.

And it is by running long distances

that one builds large aerobic

capacity.

and also spent as much time as

possible at home barefoot. This

hypersensitivity phase lasted a short

while, perhaps a few weeks.

But the great thing about barefoot

running is the huge extra amount

of sensory information available

when you run that can act as

feedback to help you run more

gently - feet have an incredible

number of nerve endings to help

us feel and interact in real-time to

help us with our running form. It

has been said that they are our

two best coaches, so better not

keep them shut in the dark!

When I first ran barefoot, I wanted

to examine my running form. So

I went to the park and took off my

shoes and tried running. Bang Bang

Bang! I was slamming down heel

first. If I put the flat of my hand

firmly on the top of my head, I could

literally feel the shock waves pulsing

right through my skeleton! So I tried

running as lightly as possible barefoot,

landing on the forefoot and lifting

my feet up. I could manage this

for only a couple of minutes per

session initially, since my calves/feet

etc were so poorly conditioned.

However, but after two months of

gradual build-up I could run up

to 10 miles by this new method.

I sometimes felt the odd pains in

my feet - particularly on the tops

of my feet and I would be careful

not to overdo it, since I realised

that I could create stress fractures

in my weakened feet that had

only just been liberated from a

lifetime of being inside a cast.

I did have to be very patient during

this period, since I didn’t want to

exchange one set of injuries for

another. I had to focus a lot on

form at this point. I initially had

some blood blisters on my toes, so

had to curl them up slightly in the

manner that one would do to do

a martial art kick. A major problem

I had after about three months

was with my Achilles tendon, that

became sore and I had to be

patient for quite a few months to

allow the whole structure - calf and

Achilles - to adapt gradually to

running barefoot. I also noticed

some pains in my hips caused by

running with my feet being splayed

out: I learned that good form for

me involved running with my feet

as close to being parallel as possible.

All these adaptations took the

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 4 5

I was able to run distances that were

unthinkable when I used to run with

shoes, including several marathons.

After running my first Marathon, I felt

so good I and went for a short run

the following day to unwind! I also

noticed a difference in the level

of enjoyment - a sense of liberation -

when I run barefoot. I could describe

it as the “holiday feeling” you get at

the beginning of a holiday when

you arrive at the beach and take

off your shoes and head for the sea.

We lay aside the cares of the world.

Well, even after a hard day’s work,

when I set off home-bound for a run

and take my first few steps, I often

get that same “holiday feeling”.

It has been an interesting and

questioning journey and one that

has enabled me to ponder certain

aspects of what it means to be

human; particularly since I tend to

live in a somewhat abstract world

in my work as a scientist, doing

something that educates me in

a different way is fascinating. Of

course, education means much

more to me than learning - it once

meant “to bring out” - so in that

sense, for me, it has been a form

of fulfilment. And therefore satisfying!

That it runs so contrary to common

consumerism that says that fulfilment

is just around the corner, embodied

in our next purchase is particularly

appealing to me.

Is all your running done barefoot or

do you sometimes wear shoes?

I mostly wear footwear when

it gets cold. I have a pair of

neoprene surfing socks for this

purpose, and have owned them

for 8 years without wearing them

through. They cost me around £10.

So I guess I probably don’t tend

to use them much. I sometimes

wear them when I am running in

areas I am not familiar with or

when I am running in town and

wish to blend in with the crowd.

Certainly there are times when

I seek moments of solitude in

London, this great City I live in,

to run in the desert, in some

figurative sense.

What sort of mileage do you cover

and what’s your running schedule

like?

My mileage depends a lot on if I

am training for a specific event

and also on other factors in life.

I tend to train in cycles leading up

to specific events. When training

for a Marathon, I don’t think I’ve

ever done much more than 50 miles

per week. I find also that I cannot

consider my running in isolation - that

endurance is also connected to all

other aspects of our life and in our

relationship to work, family and

loved ones.

Do you do any other types of

exercise? What does running bring

you that other forms of exercise

don’t?

I enjoy playing sports such as

squash, football, Frisbee and so

on but life being as hectic as it is,

I rarely find the time for it. I’ve

P a g e 4 6 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

the health benefits, it is nice to see

the change in people’s perception.

When you turn up to a race

barefoot, people are less likely

to react and say: “You must be

insane!”. These days people are

more informed and curious, asking

things like “Well done! How long

did it take you to learn?”.

Specifically, I have thought about

the wider uses for minimalist

footwear. I wonder if such footwear

could improve the balance of the

elderly, for example, thereby

minimising the likelihood of them

injuring themselves through falls.

I hope that research is done by

health professionals in how footwear

affects posture and balance. So

I hope this “boom” can somehow

filter down and help some of our

frailest and least mobile members

of society.

What’s your opinion about ‘minimalist’

shoes?

I only wear shoes when I’m not

running and have worn minimalist

shoes for many years. I find

traditional shoes uncomfortable

and cumbersome. In my opinion

and the contours of my own life

experience, there are many times

when shoes are very important -

both from a physical point of view -

to keep warm, for example - and

from a cultural point of view - shoes

have meaning and significance

that differs according to contexts

and it seems to me an example

of human creativity.

However, the various kinds of

“barefoot” running shoes such as

Vibram Five Fingers and so on do

strike me as being an overpriced

gimmick. I think they combine the

worst of both worlds - they mask

tactile feedback (required for

good running form) but don’t

offer any form of cushioning to

protect - at least in principle -

the wearer from their poor running

form. For people who wish to

push the envelope and run ultra

distances beyond 50 miles or on

terrains that are more challenging

to the barefoot runner such as fell

running, where there are many

small jagged rocks that would be

impractical to navigate barefoot,

they are probably useful. It’s the

difference between cost and

value, I think I was once focussed

too much on the former.

Lastly, what advice would you give

to someone just starting out with

barefoot running?

It is so hard to give specific advice

since we are all so different. But

I have noticed that many people

who like running tend to be very

target orientated. For some, it can

be very difficult to renegotiate

one’s targets right back to square

one, particularly if the previous

targets were very high. For a

person used to running many miles,

it can be extremely challenging

to reconcile that basically, a part

of your body has been bound up for

years, underused, underdeveloped,

weakened and essentially a

destabilising foundation of your

whole structure. So you have to

bear in mind that if it took you several

years to acquire a good level of

fitness, then it does seem reasonable

to suggest that when you start out

with running barefoot, then to take

the long-term view and expect

that for many months, you will be

building up again from scratch.

I often hear people say things like

“I have entered a marathon in 4

months time and keep getting

injured when I run beyond 10 miles.

Is there time for me to switch to

running barefoot to solve my injury

problem?”. Such pressurised,

goal orientated thinking will be

counterproductive: I think it a bad

idea to presuppose how long the

adaption would take place. My

suggestion would be to take a

complete break and start from

scratch. The specific advice I’d say

would be to “Listen to your body”.

How we learn to do this and what

advice we take from it is uniquely

personal. It does help to gain

wisdom from others, for example,

through the Yahoo barefoot

running group. And, enjoy!

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 4 7

always enjoyed cycling, since I

grew up in Cambridge, the city

of bikes. For me, running seems

to be the most complete form of

exercise in a way that cycling is

not. I have found that if I am in

good shape achieved through

running, then I can perform well

and cycle long distances on a

bicycle at reasonable speed.

But I do not find the converse

is true for me. For a change,

I sometimes cycle to work for a

few months to have a break

from running. I aim to have the

equivalent exercise by cycling

to work. After these breaks from

running, despite putting in a similar

effort in terms of training, I find that

my running endurance has rapidly

diminished and I have to build up

again, almost from scratch, which

I found a little surprising initially.

Having been running barefoot for

such a long time, do you feel that

you still need to focus on your form

or does it come to you completely

naturally?

I find that my form has settled

but I still work on it periodically.

Keeping my spine stretched

vertically upright. Looking towards

the horizon. Picking up my feet.

Feet parallel. Gentle steps. It’s a

form of active meditation on the

run to keep perfecting it. I still have

to remind myself of form. When I

come back to running after a

period of cycling, I sometimes find

my running form has gone to pot.

However, I do find it soon returns

swiftly, since it has been practiced

over the years. I suppose it is rather

like playing a musical instrument: if

you become accomplished as a

player and proficient in the technique

at some point in your life, then you

still have to work on it to remain on

top of things. And if you have a

break from playing, your technique,

coordination and so on will become

worse and it can take some practice

to get back up to speed again.

Again, having been in the world of

barefoot running some years prior to

the ‘boom’, what’s your opinion on

how it’s developing?

Now that so many runners have

heard of barefoot running and

have at least some indication of

hat a lot of flip flops! What

can I say, there are 30 pairs

in this picture (yes, count

them and spot the duplicate and

fairly well hidden pair!). Literally

within half an hour of having the

picture taken I found another 4

pairs at the back of the cupboard

that I had over looked - 34!

I have been called the ‘Imelda

Marcos’ of flip flop collections

many a time - I suppose I can

see a slight correlation here

although Marcos had well in

excess of 2,900 pairs of shoes in

comparison. Perhaps one day my

current simple collection of 34 pairs

of flip flops will find themselves

alongside the 765 pairs of Marcos’

shoes in Marikina’s shoe museum!

It’s certainly not an FFF (flip flop

fetish) although some of you out

there with narrow minds might

disagree. That’s your choice -

that’s nice!

I have been buying flip flops in

their droves for years. I love the

feel of flip flops with toe posts

P a g e 4 8 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

end of season sale, 5 Euros for a

pair of very light and soft spongy

comfortable flip flops. What colour

to choose? Red, green, blue?

Sod it, buy the lot. They are easy

to co-ordinate with different

clothes, colours and styles and

of course the main aim is being

almost barefoot and keeping

your feet cool and not being

squashed in a rigid shoe. Of

course a big benefit of having a

reasonable number of flip flops

is they don’t lose their shape

so quick and become imprinted

with your foot prints and look

cleaner longer (and for a big

footer like me you can also use

them as bats if you have a ball.

Me and the kids have used flip

flops on the beach many a time

and had a bloody good laugh

doing so).

Interestingly enough when I

climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for

charity back in January 2005, there

were some porters who literally ran,

yes ran, up the mountain carrying

baskets on their heads in flip flops.

We are talking very rough paths,

rocks and extremely uneven

surfaces and not once did I see

a porter in flip flops trip, fall or

have a cut foot. I take my hat

off to them. I have tried running

in flip flops and believe you me,

if you haven’t tried it, it can be

quite hazardous (barefoot every

time when possible).

So I appreciate wearing flip flops

is not being totally barefoot and

is not everyone’s cup of tea but it

is close and for someone like me

who prefers to live barefoot as

much as possible as it feels great,

these are a good compromise.

As Lady Gaga sings in her hit,

You and I: “Sit right down where

you belong, in the corner of the

bar with your flip flops on” (okay,

I changed high heels to flip flops

<LOL>).

Ricardo

P.S. I have been looking for an

orange pair of flip flops, size 12

but still finding this difficult so if

anyone can help please send to:

PO BOX FF12

County Orange

(can’t stand the other type).

They are generally so comfortable

and they come in different weights

and most importantly many

different designs. I love Havana’s

but at the right time. They are

heavy in comparison to other

more spongy varieties and made

of solid quality rubber which is

why they won’t change shape.

However, barefooters will relate

too, I have to be in the mood to

wear these due to weight and

feel which in a way couldn’t be

any further from that barefoot

feeling.

I certainly wouldn’t wear these

if I wanted something really light

on my feet for example. Surprisingly

some of the best flip flops I have

bought are like £4 a pair from high

street shops (just be aware of the

really cheap type with the rubber

that feels tacky as these have a

habit of cutting the skin between

your toes where they rub bad).

Why do I have so many pairs

of flip flops? Well as I mentioned

above there are many types of

flip flops, of which many are so

reasonably priced, so I tend to

see a pair I like and well, just buy

them. Oops, collection has gone

up again [smiley face].

Magaluf was a classic example:

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 4 9

low amplitude spring system; a

proprioceptive system better than

any traction control or ABS sensor

and a remarkably efficient air-intake

system. The only thing that seems

to be lacking for long distance

travel without having to carry food

around is a large enough fuel tank,

as any ‘bonked’ marathon runner

will know well. This does make me

suspect the proponents of the

palaeo-diet might have a point

that we are better adapted to a

protein and fat metabolism than

to burning primarily carbohydrates.

When I took that second look at

my puny, white and overly

sensitive feet it all suddenly made

sense; we are well adapted, but

not to the world we have created

for ourselves. Nietzsche is credited

with having said that what does

not kill us makes us strong. I would

probably add the proviso that it

stands a better than average

chance of crippling us too!

However, he did have a point in

that the more we remove hardship,

the more we support and make

things easy, the weaker we get.

For instance, we simply aren’t

adapted to sit down all day or

change, but only when enough

people engage in an activity for

it to no longer seem strange. In

a sense, these attitudes actually

evolve over time.

As a vertebrate palaeobiologist,

evolution is a concept that lies

at the heart of much of what I do.

It is also an important concept to

the barefoot running movement,

where the idea that technology

cannot improve what nature

has already provided us through

evolution is central to our philosophy.

Nonetheless, even as a researcher

in evolutionary theory, in the past

I have been guilty of thinking of

the human foot as a bit of a lame

(pun intended) design – too many

bones, not enough heel cushioning.

This viewpoint seems to be pretty

common among people who

habitually wear shoes and cannot

conceive of their feet ever being

capable of running on smooth

concrete, let alone sharp gravel,

and it must partly account for that

shocked ‘Look’ we get.

Chris McDougall’s Born to Run

made me look at the human body

in a different light. Rather than

being poorly adapted for bipedal

locomotion, we’re actually

supremely well adapted for it.

Using a motor vehicle-like analogy,

everything is there – power from

large and powerful muscles that

also hold complex joints such as

the knee stable; an efficient

cooling system courtesy of large

areas of naked skin with plenty

of sweat glands; legs and feet

that form a complex energy-saving

useum folk are a pretty odd

bunch, all things considered.

Having been reasonably odd

all my life I fit right in working in

such an institution. Nonetheless,

there’s ‘odd’ and there’s ‘odd’,

and walking around without

shoes even away from public

areas is possibly one barefoot

step too far on the oddity scale.

Most colleagues humour me, but

I still get ‘The Look’ from time to

time. Anyone running barefoot

will be well acquainted with

‘The Look’. It normally starts with

the sort of shocked expression one

might show to someone intent on

carrying a loaded crossbow down

Kensington High Street, then as

the shock melts it’s replaced by

disbelief – the kind of look normally

reserved for someone who wraps

their head in aluminium foil to

keep space-alien brain-control

signals out. ‘The Look’ is just one

of those occupational hazards.

As the barefoot revolution

gathers pace (and certainly

cadence!) it seems that a

growing number of runners are

opting to wear minimalist shoes

rather than to get their sweaty

feet out in the fresh air. I can’t

help wondering whether this is

because few of us are brave

enough to challenge established

cultural attitudes – ‘The Look’

can be very discouraging,

and may be as much of a

psychological barrier to ditching

the shoes as the perceived risk

of landing on something sharp.

However, cultural attitudes are

never static; they can and do

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

“what does not kill

us makes us strong.

I would probably add

the proviso that it

stands a better than

average chance of

crippling us too!”

The Green Room Has the human ‘race’ gone off course? By Dr Stig Walsh

to be carried around in vehicles.

After all, a car is basically a comfy

chair on wheels with something

other than the passenger to

provide propulsion. Our bodies

are adapted to take a beating,

so it’s little wonder muscle

imbalances and joint problems

arise if those stresses are removed.

I find it fascinating that these

weaknesses are often blamed

on evolution rather than our

unnatural environment. There

does seem to be a deep-seated

idea that humans are somehow

incompletely evolved, or not

properly thought through in some

way. I have often heard the

notion that our descent from the

trees was so recent that we

haven’t quite adapted to walking

upright. Those who promote this

idea also often point out that

our feet are little use for gripping

branches, meaning that one

environmental adaptation was

lost without others being fully

developed for the new posture.

This is clearly nonsense. Animals

do often show evidence of

previous adaptations that are no

longer of use, such as atrophied

wings (e.g., in the ostrich) or digits

(e.g., the dewclaw of a dog),

but they always possess enough

adaptation to a particular

environment to survive. There

are no halfway houses in

evolution, it either works or it’s

a gonner.

This ‘unevolved’ idea contrasts

strongly with the other deep-

seated view that is frequently

found alongside it, and that is

that humans are actually more

evolved than the rest of the

animal kingdom. This view

partly stems from the belief

that the size of our brain and

our intelligence sets us apart

from the rest of the animals.

Because of this, most features

to have been regarded as

separating us from non-human

animals have been behaviour -

and intelligence-related, such

as spoken language, self-

recognition, and the manufacture,

use and carrying around of tools.

However, as we spend more time

observing animals in the wild it

is becoming apparent that these

characteristics are less unique

than once thought. For instance,

magpies have demonstrated

self-recognition in experiments

using mirrors, chimpanzees use

tools, and some species of crows

actually manufacture, use and

carry tools with them. How long

will it be before we recognise

auditory signals in other species

as forms of non-human language?

The idea that humans are ‘more

evolved’ is also a result of a

commonly held view that

evolution is some kind of process

of perfection that ultimately

culminates in the genesis of a

superior species. This is actually

a misconception. When Darwin

wrote On the Origin of Species

the prevailing view was that

humans occupied a position

on a natural ladder-like scale

somewhere south of the Angels

and a long way south of God.

Even after the work of Darwin

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

“I’ve always liked

the Barefoot Runner’s

Society’s slogan,

‘Changing the

world one odd look

at a time’”

Dr Stig Walsh is Senior Curator

of Vertebrate Palaeobiology

at National Museums Scotland

in Edinburgh. His research

investigates the evolution of

the central nervous system

in fossil animals, a branch of

palaeontology called

‘palaeoneurology’. Stig’s

palaeoneurology research

uses X-ray micro computed

tomographic analysis to peer

inside fossil skulls to reconstruct

the external shape of the brain.

He is specifically interested in

determining how the brain

and senses of modern birds

have evolved from their

theropod dinosaur ancestors.

Contrary to popular belief, the

brain of living bird species is

neither small nor stupid, and

many avian species show levels

of intelligence that match and

exceed those of most mammals.

The last common ancestor of

birds and mammals probably

lived around 330 million years

ago, so the structure of the

avian brain is different to that

of mammals. Because the

level of bird intelligence in

some species is close to that

of living primates, the evolution

of the bird brain makes an

interesting case study with

which to compare the

evolution of our own hominid

brains and senses.

These views and misconceptions

about evolution, and human

evolution in particular, are

essentially pervasive cultural

attitudes similar to the one

that elicits ‘The Look’ when we

run barefoot. I would like to

see them change, and I believe

that the barefoot movement

can help to make that happen.

I’ve always liked the Barefoot

Runner’s Society’s slogan,

‘Changing the world one odd

look at a time’ because it sums

up our task so well. Those outings

of ‘The Look’ do gradually alter

the cultural attitude that shoes

are a prerequisite for running,

and by so doing help to change

the assumption that humans

are in some way not fully evolved.

Likewise, recognising that modern

humans are essentially running

apes not so dissimilar to early

representatives of our genus

brings us closer to the rest of the

animal kingdom, challenging

the attitude that modern humans

represent the pinnacle of

evolution. As our cultural attitudes

continue to evolve, perhaps we

can guide the human race back

to a more natural course.

and other great evolutionary

thinkers, there remained a

tendency to refer to other

animals as being ‘higher’ or

‘lower’, and this view appears

to have stuck as a cultural

attitude.

Today in palaeontology and

zoology we tend to use the

words ‘primitive’ and ‘derived’,

with no implied sense of one

being superior to the other.

Derived characteristics are

thought to arise in order to

make an organism better

suited (i.e., fitter) for a particular

environmental niche, and they

don’t necessarily have to be

more specialised. For instance,

pigeons in Trafalgar Square can

fly, but their extinct relative, the

dodo, lost that ability because

its island habitat made flight

unnecessary for finding food or

avoiding predators. It instead

evolved better adaptations to

life on the ground (e.g., a

stouter set of legs and pelvis)

while its wings became smaller

– all of which we would regard

as derived characteristics

compared with those of its

relatives in ‘The Smoke’. There

seems no reason for the species

not to have been around

today had hungry sailors not

arrived in the 17th century

looking for a takeaway.

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

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

1. Not enough research to

explore the various aspects

of the question

2. Poorly designed research

I can’t say much about #1 other

than to hope that more research is

done. But if more research is done

poorly, then what’s the point.

So what makes some of the running

research, especially the studies

that examine barefoot running,

so poor?

A number of factors:

1. Bad cohort (the people in the

study). Many of the studies

solicit “barefoot runners” who’ve

never actually run with barefeet.

They may have spent some time

in Vibram Fivefingers or, worse, in

Nike Free…but wearing those is

not the same as being barefoot

he barefoot running boom has

heated up a debate about

the best way to run.

Barefoot? Shoes? Barefoot shoes?

Midfoot strike, heel strike, forefoot

strike?

Recently in New York Times Online,

Gina Kolata (whose writing and

name I adore) goes after this

question.

Really, you can stop reading after

the first sentence of the 2nd

paragraph… and since that’s

the most important sentence,

I’ll just quote it here:

Most of the scientific research is

just inadequate to answer these

questions.

The reasons that the research is

inadequate are two-fold:

(as many readers of this article

can attest). Many of the studies

have too few runners. Many of

the studies have runners that are,

say, between the ages of 18-22

and on the college cross-country

team (they’re not typical runners).

And if the number of runners in

the test is small enough, it may

be hard to extrapolate from

their results.

2. Missing factors. Many of

the studies will look at one

aspect of gait and ignore

many others, and then try to

conclude something about

running mechanics. Rodger

Kram’s recent study on

cushioning, for example,

doesn’t look at foot placement

(overstriding or not), doesn’t

consider weight (which can

effect the value of cushioning),

type of cushioning, etc. I’m

not saying that it’s even possible

Minimalist shoes • Supplements • Books • Huarache kits • Vitamins

www.barefootbritain.co.uk P a g e 5 4 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

to design a study that accounts

for all these factors, but when

you isolate things too much,

it’s hard to draw a useful

conclusion… though everyone

around you will draw it and

then fight to the death

defending or attacking it.

2. Arbitrary variables. Many

studies are done with runners

on treadmills running at a fixed

pace. The obvious question:

Is running on a treadmill identical

to running on a track? Not in

my experience. Also, is, say,

5 minute/mile pace my usual

pace? We know that if you

increase your cadence without

increasing your speed, you can

reduce force on your body and

decrease the amount of time

you spend on the ground… so

by controlling one variable, you

could be affecting the results of

the study.

Suffice it to say, I’m always glad when

the media talk about running, and

barefoot running in particular. But I

find it unsatisfying when they merely

regurgitate the “results” of a study

without telling the reader whether

the study is worth considering in

the first place.

Then there’s the straw man

problem, which is when you

make up a person (complete

with opinions) and then argue

with that fictional person.

There’s a lot of that going on.

Many barefoot writers (including

myself, Pete Larson, Bill Katovsky,

Mark Cucuzzella) have noticed

that individual differences may

be more important than “one

right way” to do things, and that

it’s hard to get useful data by

looking at genetic freaks (like

Olympians). Yet the media

loves to present these studies,

and studies of studies, as if

there’s no reasonable thinking

on either side of the fence.

Not true.

Again, as the article said up

top: Most of the scientific

research is just inadequate to

answer these questions.

Let’s hope that changes.

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

Minimalist shoes • Supplements • Books • Huarache kits • Vitamins

www.barefootbritain.co.uk

Assorted goodies Products worth a look

P a g e 5 6 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 5 7

1. Oakley glasses are synonymous with quality

and performance and this latest design is another

great example. They include the Switchlock™

technology which allows for easy lens changing

and the frames are super-light, yet durable, with

a comfortable, secure grip that helps them stay

put even when you’re sweating it out on the

toughest run. There is optimum clarity across the

entire lens with ample UV protection and a shape

that provides maximum vision alongside protection

from the wind and rain. For more information,

visit: www.uk.oakley.com

2. This little hydration pack is very handy for those

long runs. It fits four small bottles to spread the load

and they snap easily in and out of their pods. There

is also room for keys, cell phone and an energy bar

– all in one little package. For more information and

other products, visit: www.camelbak.com

3. Running skirts are becoming more and more

popular amongst the running community. This

one is geared towards the ‘busy’ woman who

doesn’t necessarily set aside time to ‘go for a run’

but includes it seamlessly into the rest of her day.

It includes inbuilt, no-chafing shorts so you can

do just about anything in it: running, Pilates,

Yoga, dance....you name it. It looks fantastic too!

Available from www.skirtsports.com

4. Pulsin produce a whole range of healthy

food, including these great little snack bars.

They come in 8 different flavours, our favourite

being the ‘Raw Choc Brownie’, about which

Pulsin say, “we rebuilt the brownie concept

by introducing healthy ingredients.” At 200

(delicious) calories, the bars: are vegan –

have no added sugar – are dairy free – are

gluten free – have no trans fats – are non

GMO. Visit: www.pulsin.co.uk for more info.

5. These are the ultimate gloves for fitness

enthusiasts tackling their chosen sport in the

extreme cold. They offer great freedom of

movement without compromising on insulation

and have a four-way stretch for a comfortable,

snug fit. They have silicone grips on the fingers

and palms, meaning that you can use even

the smallest touch screen device without

exposing your hands to the cold. With an

understated design and without any frills,

they will just get the job done well!

Available from www.uk.thenorthface.com

P a g e 5 8 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Na

tio

na

l n

ew

s

Th

e la

test

na

tio

na

l n

ew

s

it looks as though this may be the

case. The area used to have a

variety of surfaces and was popular

with runners who used to love the

challenge of the hills. At the moment,

the park is now a flat, muddy and

desolate place, currently closed to

the public.

The Games Organizers, Locog, are

being blamed for not employing

enough staff to enable the re-laying

ondoners, particularly those who

used to frequent Greenwich Park

to run, walk their dogs or just chill

out, are rather angry.

The park was used for the Equestrian

events of the 2012 Olympics, despite

appeals against the disruption and

modification to the park.

There were concerns that the park

would be changed permanently and

Understaffed and over-stretched:

An investigation by the Care

Quality Commission has found

that 17 UK hospitals are

understaffed and not able to

meet the needs of their patients.

Courtesy of News Shopper

of the grass before the Winter (the

promise was to have it returned to

its original state by December 2012).

It now looks as though the Park will

not re-open until summer.

Locog are reassuring the public

that the park will be returned to its

former glory and any delay is due to

the poor weather and concerns not

to rush the transformation which may

lead to mistakes being made.

London has been announced as

host for 2017 IPC Athletics World

Championships This event will take

place one month before the IAAF

World Athletics Championships,

also being held in London at the

Olympic Stadium.

P a g e 5 8 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

s obesity becomes more of a problem

globally than malnutrition, Shadow

Health Secretary Andy Burnham is

calling for legal limits on fat, sugar and

salt in food.

At the moment, there has been increased

encouragement for manufacturers to

display more clearly the quantities of

the above in their products but this

does not appear to be having any

impact on the levels of obesity in the

UK, where one third of children are

either overweight or obese by the time

the leave primary school.

Mr Burnham proposes that there are

legal limits of fat, sugar and salt in foods,

particularly those aimed at children.

He does not deny the essential input

required by parents but believes the

government has a responsibility to

intervene, both to improve the health

of the nation as well as reduce the

impact on the NHS.

The

late

st Na

tion

al n

ew

s Na

tion

al n

ew

s

on Valley Stadium in Sheffield

is under threat of closure as

Sheffield City Council considers

various options to cut their yearly

budget by a whopping £50 million.

The 25,000 seat stadium is like a

second home to Olympian,

Jessica Ennis, who attended her

first summer athletics camp there

aged 10 and has continued to

train there throughout her career.

Closure of the stadium would be

a big disappointment to the

community, especially considering

the fact that the number of children

who’ve joined the City of Sheffield

Athletics Club has doubled since

the 2012 Olympics.

The decision regarding the fate of

the stadium will be made in March.

Let’s hope yet another part of the

‘Olympic legacy’ is not destroyed

along with the hopes of young,

potential, future champions.

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 5 9

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

restricted in heeled shoes, you’re

limiting the benefits and progress of

your running. This also applies to

your level of daily activity; you might

religiously run for 40 minutes, 3 times

per week, but if you sit at a desk at

work all day and travel significant

distances sitting down, you’re still

limiting your potential. So, assess

your daily activity and pinpoint

areas where you could increase it.

Think about your everyday footwear

too; if you can wear a flexible, flat,

light shoe during the day, this will

make a huge difference. If your

boss won’t allow it – have a word!

As mentioned, calf muscles can

be tight, so releasing the soft tissue

of the calf complex will help. You

can use a foam roller or rolling pin

to do this, as many of you probably

already do. It’s a simple and

effective method (unless you have

the luxury of regular massages).

Remember that everything in the

body is linked, so it’s also worth

spending time releasing the soles

of your feet which again, is very

simple, if rather uncomfortable.

Use a tennis ball to begin with

and progress to a hockey ball

and golf ball.

i.e. too much sitting and not enough

daily activity, plus the so-called

‘technological advances’ that

allow us to be lazy (cars, washing

machines, dishwashers, etc.).

This ankle stiffness is not only

relevant at the ankle; it will have

an adverse effect on the entire

body. As the whole body is an

interconnected unit, tight calf

muscles (which will inhibit dorsi-

flexion) are often accompanied

by tight quadriceps /hip flexor

muscles and a tight lower back.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that

you can always blame your

ankles for these other restricted

areas, but a restorative programme

should include exercises that

improve your range of movement

at your ankle joints and by freeing

up your ankles, you may well

notice improvements elsewhere

in your body.

So, the big question is: how do I

improve my ankle mobility? Well,

there are a number of specific

exercises that help and we’ll come

to some of those shortly. As always

though, you need to think more

globally as well. For example, if

you’ve taken the decision to run

barefoot, that’s great, but if the

rest of the time your feet are

s barefoot or minimalist runners, if

you previously ran in conventional

trainers, you will no doubt have

experienced some discomfort in your

calves, ankles, and feet as your body

adjusted to the change in

mechanics.

In traditional shoes, which invariably

have a heel, your calves are placed

in a shortened position and the joints

of your feet are restricted. In a shoe

with a heel (which includes most

trainers), your ankle is placed in a

position that is known as ‘plantar-

flexion’ (pointing the toes) and over

time this restricts the opposing

movement, known as ‘dorsiflexion’

(heel down and toes up). When this

plantarflexion/dorsiflexion movement

range is decreased, it leads to a

compensatory increase in the

rolling inwards or outwards capacity

of the foot at the ankle joint (known

as eversion and inversion respectively).

This is partly why many people suffer

ankle sprains when running in trainers,

because their natural flexibility has

been ‘skewed’, along with the fact

that the ankle takes more of a hit

if you stumble because the foot is

unable to sufficiently play its

stabilizing role.

Another contributing factor to ankle

stiffness is the modern way of living,

Calf rollering

Place your lower leg onto

the foam roller or rolling

pin, foot relaxed. Lift

yourself up, using the

other leg for support,

and roll you lower leg up

and down on the roller,

allowing it to turn in and

out to reach the entire

calf complex. You may

want to hold position on

particularly tender spots,

allowing the discomfort

to decrease by 75%

before you move on to

the next one. You can

also cross the other leg

on top for increased

pressure and deeper

work.

Start with one leg first.

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

Foot and ankle mobility exercises

These can be done almost anywhere and are extremely useful for maintaining healthy movement.

Sitting with your legs out in front of you, point and flex your feet, trying to increase the range of motion gradually with

each repetition. Then alternate pointing with one foot whilst flexing with the other (to challenge your coordination a

little). Then take rotate your ankles in circles, doing 10 in one direction and 10 in the other

You could also do this standing, focusing on one foot at a time and holding it slightly off the floor to do the exercises

Foot rollering

Standing up, place one foot onto the ball, controlling

the amount of weight you put through the ball using your

standing leg. Roll your entire foot on the ball, stopping and

holding position at particularly sore spots and waiting for the

discomfort to subside by at least 75% as the tissues release.

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

Toe splaying – alternate

spreading your toes as far

apart as you can with

squeezing them together

as tight as you can.

Repeat 10 times on

each foot – it’s harder

than you might think

but improves with

practice

Heel bounces – with your knees bent and holding onto something for

support, do tiny, quick bounces allowing your heels to just kiss the floor

each time. You’ll find that this gradually loosens your calves and ankles

and improves the ‘spring’. A good one to do prior to a run. You can

also do this one leg at a time which is harder so progress to single leg

only when you’re ready. Repeat until you feel a sufficient release –

usually after around 20 or 30 bounces

Foot doming – similar to the above exercise, but

keeping your toes straight so that the bend comes

at the point where your toes join your foot. This is

like a cupping motion. Repeat 10 times on each foot

and again, you may experience cramp to begin with

Toe scrunches – standing up and focusing on one foot at

a time, bend your toes and ‘scrunch’ them underneath your

foot, then release them. Repeat this movement about 10

times. Warning: you may get cramp in your foot if you’ve not

done this one before!

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

P a g e 6 4 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Tribesman’s stretch™ – you can either begin standing or on

the floor but your aim is to get into the position in the picture,

which shows a deep squat with the heels on the floor. This is

quite difficult and you may want to hold a weight in front of

you to help with balance. You can also try it on a step or

curb, so that your toes can hang off the edge. Try sitting in

this position several times a day. It’s a very natural position

and something you see kids doing all the time, but many

people lose the ability – basically because they stop doing it!

Finally, if you don’t find any improvement doing these exercises, seek out

an experienced body worker who may be able to initiate a release which

you can then continue to work on yourself.

Calf raises on step – with the balls of your

feet on a step and holding onto something for

balance, raise up as high as you can keeping

your feet and ankles straight (rather than

letting them kick out at an angle) then lower

down, allowing your heel to drop below the

step height. Your focus is to achieve as full

a range of motion as possible, without forcing

it. You can progress this exercise by working

one leg at a time

Images taken from: Run Strong, Run Free: An introduction to the science and art of barefoot running by Anna Toombs and

David Robinson. The book contains a full exercise programme for runners to improve mobility, strength, stability and flexibility.

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

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: info@trbalance.com

How to:

Choose the correct minimalist shoe

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

How to

have a confession to make; I’m

pretty geeky! It doesn’t matter

what I’m looking to do or looking

to buy, I’m guaranteed to research

it to death. This is partly a desire to

make the best possible choice, but

also because I’m so indecisive.

Let me save you from my plight

and share with you what I know.

As a bit of background, I’m a

personal trainer, sports scientist

(biomechanist/physiologist), and

most recently a sports shop owner.

As such, I’m hoping that you can

take on my advice safe in the

knowledge that I’m fairly well placed

to give it. That being said, it’s always

wise to question, and no one knows

your body like you do, so if any

advice you hear doesn’t resonate

with you or seems plain wrong,

don’t disregard your own common

sense for someone else’s “expertise”!

I am not someone who considers

myself a runner. I do run regularly,

I have run a marathon, but it was

never one of my main focuses as

I have always enjoyed all sports.

However, I now live in a beautiful

part of the country and I’m

beginning to understand the simple

pleasure of running and of exploring

whilst doing it. I previously was a

typical bounding runner, making

full use of my long leg length.

I was told many years ago, during

a biomechanics lab session how

bad my technique was and why.

My change was driven by wanting

to improve performance and

make running easier. I’ve always

liked practising skills, and I saw run

training the same way.

How far down the route to truly

barefooting is optimum varies for

each person. Most of us can

associate with the pleasurable

sensation of running barefoot on

the beach, but not as many see

the appeal in winter frost or snow.

So do you want a shoe to keep

you warm? Do you want the

increased levels of sensation

and feedback, or do you want to

take advantage of the improved

mechanics and injury prevention

often talked about when referring

to minimalism?

Selecting the shoe:

First of all, I cannot recommend

highly enough going and trying

a variety of shoes on. If you are

going to be spending any amount

of time in your chosen shoe, the

primary concern is comfort. If it’s

not comfortable for you then

nothing else matters. Nothing.

I can’t emphasise that enough!

Generally speaking minimalist

footwear is very light and very

flexible, so there isn’t really a

“breaking in” period. If they are

not immediately comfortable ditch

them! The other reason that you

absolutely must try these shoes

on is that they tend to bend and

flex with the foot and it’s therefore

imperative that you get the absolute

best fit. As always, brands vary in

their sizing and as an example I

take a half size smaller in many

Inov8’s, a half size bigger in

Where to start:

My first piece of advice is to really

distill what it is you want your

minimalist footwear to do for you.

Only once you have that answer

can you start to choose a shoe that

matches your need. I know this

sounds obvious, but it’s often

bypassed and it’s very difficult to

be truly self critical of your current

abilities. I know as I’ve done it

myself. It’s human nature to want

the best, but the best is subjective,

and what the elite runner’s review

in Runner’s World said was that

person’s perspective based on

their own wants and needs.

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 6 7

P a g e 6 8 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Merrell’s and pretty much spot on

my size in Vibram FiveFingers.

I also know through experience

that this pattern isn’t the same

for everyone.

What about transitioning?

You may be delving into this for

the first time and looking for a

“transition” shoe, which you’ve

heard is a good idea. The concept

of a transition shoe is an interesting

one for me. What does that mean?

I’m not sure I know! The shoes in

this category are normally still

fairly well cushioned with smaller

differentials in forefoot/rearfoot

height than seen in a typical run

shoe.

It’s why this should be deemed

a good transition that I find

contentious. For some people it

means they can start developing

a more efficient forefoot/midfoot

running gait whilst retaining some

of the comfort levels they are

used to and incrementally

changing the range of motion

at the ankle. Is this a good thing?

Maybe, for some. Vague I know!

The people that I see this being

most useful for are runners who

are looking to become “minimalist”

whilst maintaining a high volume of

training miles. If this is you, Inov8

F-Lites and Merrell Bare Access

are worth a look amongst the

minimalist brands, as are any

racing flat from the traditional

run shoe companies (they are

very, very similar!).

In my opinion the best transition

shoe is one you can wear all day

– literally. VivoBarefoot do a great

range of lifestyle shoes for any

occasion. By wearing them all

day, you’ll allow your feet to

adapt to the increased ankle

range of motion and allow the

foot to strengthen and become

more flexible without subjecting

them to the higher impacts of

running. If you are unsure whether

or not to start a minimalist or

“barefoot” journey, this is the

best way in bar none.

If you are like me and willing to

take the time out to learn running

as a new skill and build your

training volume steadily, I see

no reason why you need to go

for a transitioning shoe, dive

straight in!

Some non-negotiables,

whatever the shoe:

Wiggle your toes! They

should be able to move

fairly unrestricted. If you

are in a traditionally shaped

shoe with a sole and upper,

the toe box should be wide

and roomy to facilitate this,

if you’re in a FiveFinger or

other close fitting shoe, they

should fit closely and not

fold awkwardly or restrict

toe movement. This is very

important in running as your

toes and forefoot splay on

impact as a mechanism

for dissipating force.

Move around forwards,

backwards and side-to-side.

Your foot should not move

around inside the shoe. If it

is try retensioning the laces

or strapping and do it again.

If you are still moving around

in the shoe it’s too big, try

the next size down.

Talking of strapping, this is

what stops your foot shunting

around inside the shoe,

however you may find some

designs restrict your natural

movement. Experiment with

different styles and models

and if at all unsure I’d steer

clear. You ideally don’t want

to be aware of the strapping,

or even the shoe, around your

foot.

I hope this helps to empower you

in choosing the shoe that’s right

for you. I know I haven’t provided

many specifics, but everyone

is different and so are their

requirements. If you stick with

the “non-negotiables” feel free

to apply your own sense after

that! As a parting shot, it’s also

worth noting that shoes without

cushioning don’t have a “lifespan”.

You’ll want to replace them once

you’ve put a hole in them! That

can only be an added bonus

surely?

Gareth is a Sport Science graduate

with 14 years of experience in the

health, fitness and wellbeing

industries. In that time he has

worked as an exercise physiologist

for BUPA, a wellbeing consultant

to Sussex Police and many years

of personal training and class

instruction both privately and at

top health club chains such as

David Lloyd and Nuffield Health.

Currently finishing off his masters

degree in biomechanics his areas

of expertise are postural analysis

and chronic injury rehabilitation,

exercise for illness, sports specific

training and strength and

conditioning.

“I’m really interested in how we

change our behaviours to achieve

our goals. I’m like everyone, and

I really struggle to be virtuous much

of the time. If you want to succeed

it’s about finding what works for you

and what you enjoy. If you pit your

willpower against temptation, you’ll

always lose out. Find what you

enjoy and stick at it, because life’s

too short for anything else. You

should think of exercise as medicine,

it is specifically prescribed to provide

specific results, you want the

minimum effective dose. Outside

of that we should engage in as

much fun and recreation as we can.

Embrace your inner child!”

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 6 5

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

info@barefootrunninguk.com

0845 226 7302

e rarely celebrate holidays.

There, I said it. It’s Christmas

day and our plans consist of

going to a local park, hanging out,

maybe hit the hot tub later. Have

a glass or two of wine.

In short, today is no different than

any other day.

We weren’t always holiday non-

celebrators. Early in our relation-

ship, Shelly and I enthusiastically

celebrated holidays. We put up

the Christmas tree, exchanged

presents, and attended Christmas

parties. We did the same for

Easter, Independence Day, and

Thanksgiving.

Eventually things began to change,

though. On the surface, it would

seem we lost our “holiday spirit.”

In reality, the opposite occurred.

We started questioning the logic

of changing our behaviours a

few days each year.

Why should we only eat turkey and

mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving?

Why should we only feel compelled

to give during the holiday season?

Why should we only dress up in goofy

(or slutty) costumes on Hallow’s Eve?

Why should we reserve overt

affection and romantic gestures

It’s common for people to ask

“What did you do for [insert holiday

here]?” The answer is tough

because the real answer is usually

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

That answer then requires an

explanation of the philosophy

behind our non-celebration. I

haven’t found a diplomatic way

of describing the non-celebration

without making it offensive to those

that DO celebrate any particular

holiday. Others typically don’t

believe that I really don’t care if

they celebrate a holiday or not…

I’m not silently judging their

decisions. Our decisions don’t

make us somehow superior, just

different. Just because it works

for us doesn’t mean it would

work for all.

Anyway, I’m curious about other

people’s take on any holiday. Are

there others that don’t celebrate

holidays? I’m sure all of us have

some holidays we don’t celebrate.

I don’t recall seeing too many

people buying Arbor Day

decorations. I’m more curious

about the big holidays.

Jason Robillard

www.barefootrunninguniversity.com

for Valentine’s Day?

That thought process slowly eroded

our desire to participate in holiday

celebrations. Eventually we

generalized this idea to every

aspect of our lives. Why reserve

travel and adventure to a finite two

week vacation period? That’s the

idea that led us to quit our jobs and

take the path we’re on right now.

Gift-giving underwent a similar

erosion. Historically, humans gave

gifts to each other for a variety of

reasons. Reciprocity builds society,

after all. However, two points made

gift-giving undesirable.

First, gifts just add to the material

crap we worked hard to eliminate.

We don’t need another toaster, flat

screen TV, or Clapper. Adding more

crap isn’t going to improve our lives

in a meaningful way.

Second, gift-giving is often attached

to deeper feelings. People often

give gifts as a means of showing

affection. That’s not a bad thing.

However, that idea gets severely

warped. The actual gift is usually

used as an indicator of the level of

love or friendship of the relationship.

Our solution- we rarely give each

other gifts. Or greeting cards.

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

Write back at you Holiday non-celebration: A tough concept to describe by Jason Robillard

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 6 7

Original Barefootware

A high-tech upgrade of the Tarahumara

huaraches.

As almost barefoot feel with protection. It's so light you hardly feel it.

- Los Angeles Times

Winner

"Best Huaraches Sandals" - 2011 Grovie Awards

The Barefoot... PLUS! sandal for running, walking, hiking, yoga, gym-going, and fun! Feel The World TM!

"Best of test 2011" Barefoot Running Magazine

Enjoy the fun and freedom of natural barefoot

movement, with protection, style… and a

5,000 mile warranty.

Prices start at $19.95 USD

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

What’s On

Sunday 24th Heartbreaker Run Festival Fordingbridge, Hampshire www.racenewforest.co.uk

Saturday 23rd TuffMan Trail Run Pippingford Park, E. Sussex www.humanrace.co.uk

Saturday 16-17th Clonakilty Back 2 Back Marathon West County Cork, Ireland

Sunday 17th Barcelona Half Marathon Barcelona, Spain www.barcelona.de

Sunday 24th Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan www.tokyo42195.org

Sunday 24th The Beast Melton Mowbray, LE14 3PF www.thebeastrun.co.uk

Sunday 17th Rock ‘n’ Roll Nice du Carnaval Nice, France www.fr.competitor.com/nice

Sunday 17th Brighton Half Marathon Brighton, East Sussex www.brightonhalfmarathon.com

Sunday 17th Hagg Lake Mud Run Forest Grove, Oregon. USA www.haggmud.com

Saturday 16th Hog Wild Mud Run Tampa, Florida. USA www.hogwildmudrun.com

Sunday 17th Valentines 10k Chessington, Surrey www.26point2.co.uk

Sunday 24th Land Rover Malta Marathon & ½ Mdina, Malta www.maltamarathon.com

Sunday 3rd BFR UK Group Run Moat Park, Maidstone See page 81 for more information

Saturday 9th Run Strong • Run Free workshop Bacon’s College, London See page 81 for more information

Sunday 10th Milton Keynes Half Marathon Buckinghamshire www.mkhalf.co.uk

Sunday 10th Brutal 10 Windmill Hill, near Frimley www.brutalrun.co.uk

Sunday 24th Hastings Half Marathon East Sussex www.hastings-half.co.uk

Sunday 3rd Eastbourne Half Marathon East Sussex www.eastbournehalf.co.uk

Friday 1-3rd Triathlon Show Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey www.triathlonshow.co.uk

Sunday 3rd Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon Northamptonshire www.adidashalfmarathon.com

Sunday 17th Fleet Half Marathon Hampshire www.fleethalfmarathon.com

Sunday 17th Mizuno Reading Half Marathon Green Park, Reading www.readinghalfmarathon.com

Sunday 17th Wild Warrior Obstacle Race Wild Park, Derbyshire www.xrunner.co.uk

Sunday 3rd Copper Canyon Ultra Urique, Chihuahua, Mexico www.ultracb.com

www.clonakiltyback2backmarathons.com

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

Saturday 6th BFR UK Group Run Richmond Park, London See page 81 for more information

Sunday 14th Rock ‘n’ Roll Edinburgh ½ Marathon Edinburgh, Scotland www.uk.competitor.com/edinburgh

Saturday 20th Run Strong • Run Free workshop Brighton, Sussex See page 81 for more information

Sunday 14th Brighton Marathon Brighton, East Sussex www.brightonmarathon.co.uk

Friday 5-15th Marathon des Sables Sahara Desert, Morocco www.marathondessables.co.uk

Monday 15th Boston Marathon Boston, Massachusetts www.baa.org

Saturday 27th Lost Worlds 50/100K Tuscany Crossing, Italy www.lostworldracing.com

Sunday 28th Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid Maratón & Half Madrid, Ireland www.es.competitor.com/madrid

Sunday 5th Bristol 10K Bristol, United Kingdom www.runbristol.com

Friday 31st Jungle Marathon - Vietnam Dong Hoi, Vietnam www.junglemarathon.com

Sunday 5th International Barefoot Running Day www.thebarefootrunners.org

Monday 6th Deep Riverrock Marathon Belfast City, United Kingdom www.belfastcitymarathon.com

Sunday 5th Richmond Park Marathon Richmond Park, London www.richmondparkmarathon.co.uk

Sunday 26th EMF Edinburgh Half Marathon Scotland www.edinburgh-marathon.com

Sunday 26th BUPA Great Manchester Run (10K) Manchester City Centre www.greatrun.org

Sunday 5th Richmond Half Marathon Richmond, Surrey www.ranelagh-harriers.com

Saturday 18-19th Triathlon Show North Bolton, Lancashire www.triathlonshow.co.uk

Saturday 1st BFR UK Group Run The City of London See page 81 for more information

Saturday 29th Water Wipeout Obstacle Race Nottingham www.xrunner.co.uk

Saturday 1st Tillingham Valley Rockabilly Nr Rye, East Sussex www.nice-work.org.uk

Saturday 16th Estes Park Marathon Estes Park, Colorado www.epmarathon.org

Sunday 23rd BFR UK Group Run Edinburgh, Scotland See page 81 for more information

Saturday 5th Rock ‘n’ Roll Oslo Half Marathon Oslo, Norway www.no.competitor.com/oslo

Saturday 22-23rd Trans Pennine Challenge (100k) Manchester - Sheffield www.transpenninechallenge.com

Monday 24th Midnight Sun Half Marathon Reykjavik, Iceland www.all-iceland.co.uk

Saturday 29th Clif Bar 10 Peaks - The Lakes Brecon Beacons www.10peaks.com

Saturday 22nd Run Strong • Run Free workshop Edinburgh, Scotland See page 81 for more information

Saturday 11th Lost Worlds 50/100K Ladonia Crossing, Sweden www.lostworldracing.com

Saturday 4th Lost Worlds 50/100K Causeway Crossing, Ireland www.lostworldracing.com

Sunday 7th Marathon de Paris Paris, France www.parismarathon.com

Sunday 21st Virgin London Marathon www.virginlondonmarathon.com

Saturday 22-23rd The Wall Ultra Run Carlisle - Gateshead www.thewallrun.com

Saturday 25-26th London 2 Brighton Challenge(100K) www.london2brightonchallenge.com

Friday 5-7th Balanced Body Pilates on Tour Phoenix, Arizona www.pilates.com

Friday 26-28th Balanced Body Pilates on Tour London, United Kingdom www.pilates.com

Wednesday 12th Marathon des Sables 2014 Registration www.marathondessables.co.uk

P a g e 7 4 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Saturday 3rd Inca Trail Marathon Machu Picchu, Peru www.andesadventures.com

Sunday 11th BFR UK Group Run Sheffield, Location TBC See page 81 for more information

Saturday 17-18th Leadville Trail 100 Run Colorado, USA www.leadvilleraceseries.com

Monday 5th Rock ‘n’ Roll Dublin Half Marathon Dublin, Ireland www.ie.competitor.com/dublin

Sunday 25th London Spartan Sprint Pippingford, East Sussex www.spartanrace.com

Friday 9th Swiss Irontrail Graubünden, Switzerland www.irontrail.ch

Sunday 18th Kimbolton Castle 10k Cambridgeshire www.nicetri.co.uk

Saturday 24th Reykjavik Marathon Reykjavik, Iceland www.marathon.is

Sunday 4th Brisbane Running Festival Brisbane, Australia www.brisbanemarathon.com

Saturday 13-18th Transrockies Run Buena Vista, Colorado www.transrockies-run.com

Saturday 7th BFR UK Group Run Brighton, East Sussex See page 81 for more information

Saturday 28th Run Strong • Run Free workshop Bath, Somerset See page 81 for more information

Sunday 29th BUPA Great Yorkshire Run Sheffield City Centre www.greatrun.org

Sunday 29th Baxters Loch Ness Marathon Scotland www.lochnessmarathon.com

Saturday 7th Mattoni Prague Grand Prix Old Town Square, Prague www.praguemarathon.com

Sunday 22th Rock ‘n’ Roll de Montréal Marathon Montreal, Canada www.ca.competitor.com/montreal

Sunday 29th BFR UK Group Run Bath, Somerset See page 81 for more information

Saturday 21st Great Gorilla Run London, United Kingdom www.greatgorillarun.org

Sunday 8th KamiKaze. The Banzai Challenge Mapperton, Dorset www.votwo.co.uk

Saturday 27th Australian Outback Marathon Yulara, Australia www.australianoutbackmarathon.com

Saturday 13-14th Race to the Stones Oxfordshire www.recatothestones.com

Sunday 14th Surrey Badger Half Denbies Estate, Dorking www.eventstolive.co.uk

Thursday 4th Sandy 10 Bedfordshire www.biggleswadeac.org.uk

Saturday 6-7th Gold Coast Airport Marathon www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au

Sunday 21st USN Eton Dorney Triathlons Eton College, Windsor www.votwo.co.uk

Sunday 14th The British 10K London Run London City www.thebritish10klondon.co.uk

Saturday 27th La 6000D Savoie, France www.la6000d.com

Monday 1-5th Northwest Passage Marathon & Ultra Nunavut, Canada www.arcticwatch.ca

Saturday 20th BFR UK Group Run King’s Parade, Cambridge See page 81 for more information

Saturday 10th Run Strong • Run Free workshop Sheffield, Location TBC See page 81 for more information

Monday 15th Badwater 135 Death Valley, California www.badwater.com

Saturday 14-15th Thames Path Challenge (100k) Putney - Henley (London) www.thamespathchallenge.com

Saturday 14-15th BUPA Great North Run Gateshead, Newcastle www.greatrun.org

Friday 12-14th Balanced Body Pilates on Tour Denver, Colorado www.pilates.com

Friday 27-29th Balanced Body Pilates on Tour Chicago, Illinois www.pilates.com

Friday 16-18th Balanced Body Pilates on Tour Washington, DC www.pilates.com

Gold Coast, Australia

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 7 5

Saturday 5th BFR UK Group Run East London See page 81 for more information

Sunday 27th Steeplechase Norwich, Norfolk www.muckyraces.co.uk

Sunday 6th Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run Glasgow, Lanarkshire www.runglasgow.org

Monday 28th Dublin Marathon Dublin, Ireland www.dublinmarathon.ie

Saturday 19th Run Richmond Riverside 10K London www.thefixevents.com

Sunday 13th GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon Victoria, British Columbia www.runvictoriamarathon.com

Sunday 6h Royal Parks Half Marathon Hyde Park, London www.royalparkshalf.com

Sunday 20th BUPA Great Birmingham Run Birmingham City Centre www.greatrun.org

Thursday 3 -12th UVU Jungle Marathon Brazil www.junglemarathon.com

Sunday 6th Rock ‘n’ Roll Lisbon Marathon & ½ Lisbon, Portugal www.pt.competitor.com/portugal

Sunday 6th MBNA Chester Marathon City of Chester www.chestermarathon.co.uk

Saturday 16th Anthem Richmond Marathon Richmond, Virginia www.richmondmarathon.com

Sunday 24th Norwich Half Marathon Norwich, Norfolk www.cityofnorwichhalfmarathon.com

Saturday 9th London Spartan Beast Pippingford, East Sussex www.spartanrace.com

Sunday 3rd ING New York Marathon New York, USA www www.ingnycmarathon.org

Saturday 2nd BFR UK Group Run Clapham Common, London See page 81 for more information

Saturday 30th 24 Ore Del Sol Palermo, Sicily www.asdmol.it

Monday 18th Conwy Half Marathon Conwy Quayside, Wales www.runwales.com

Saturday 23-24th The Running Show Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey www.therunningshow.co.uk

Saturday 20th Antarctic Ice Marathon Ellsworth Mountains www.icemarathon.com

Saturday 20th Antarctic Ice Marathon Ellsworth Mountains www.icemarathon.com

Thursday 26th Sønndersø Rundt Vaerloese, Denmark www.puls96.dk

Saturday 7th Winter Sun 10K Moab, Utah, USA www.moabhalfmarathon.com

Thursday 26th Cockleroy Chaser Cockleroy, West Lothian www.lothianrunningclub.co.uk

Sunday 1st Grim Challenge (2 Day) Aldershot, Hampshire www.grimchallenge.co.uk

Thursday 19th Patagonia Running Adventure Patagonia, Chile www.andesadventures.com

Saturday 14th DAM Jingle Bell 10K/5K Dash Orinda, California www.wolfpackevents.com

Saturday 14th Santa’s Scamper Calne, Wiltshire www.calneleisure.co.uk

Sunday 8th BCS Marathon and Half Marathon College Station , Texas www.bcsmarathon.com

Saturday 7th Aspen PE City Marathon Port Elizabeth, South Africa www.crusaders-athletic-club.com

Thursday 19th Urban Jungle Mdina 2 Spinola Mdina, Malta www.maltamarathon.com

Sunday 8th Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon San Antonio , Texas www.runrocknrollcompetitor.com

Saturday 9th Run Strong • Run Free workshop Bacon’s College, London See page 81 for more information

Saturday 7th BFR UK Group Run Clapham Common, London See page 81 for more information

Sunday 3rd Lancaster Half Marathon City of Lancaster www.shoestringresults.com

Saturday 26-27th BUPA Great South Run Southsea, Portsmouth www.greatrun.org

P a g e 7 6 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

On

tra

ck

N

ew

s fr

om

th

e s

po

rtin

g a

ren

a

third place when one considers the

rest of the contenders – many would

be expecting Mo Farah to be in the

top three with everybody the world

over knowing how to do the ‘Mobot’.

Andy has worked extremely hard

however and brought home Olympic

Gold as well as winning the 2012 US

Open Tournament.

The Duchess of Cambridge presented

the awards, either having overcome

her extreme early-pregnancy sickness,

or bravely ignoring it as she stood on

stage and chatted further backstage.

Sebastian Coe was presented with

a lifetime achievement award,

presented by David Beckham, in

recognition of his achievements in

competitive sport as well as organizing

such a memorable 2012 Olympics.

he annual Sports Personality of the

Year awards took place on Sunday

16th December, with an incredibly

talented line-up of possible winners

(see right).

If the award truly goes to the greatest

personality, Bradley Wiggins was a

deserved winner. He made us all

laugh with his controversial yet honest

speeches after his victories in this year’s

Tour de France and after winning

Olympic Gold.

Jessica Ennis (who has also recently

had a book published) came second,

although this came in recognition of

her amazing first place and gold

medal in the tough sport that is the

heptathlon.

Andy Murray was perhaps a surprise

BBC Sports Personality of the Year

2012 shortlist.

From top left: Boxer Nicola Adams,

sailor Ben Ainslie and heptathlete

Jessica Ennis

Row two: Cyclist Sarah Storey,

wheelchair athlete David Weir

and golfer Rory McIlroy

Row three: Runner Mo Farah,

rower Katherine Grainger and

cyclist Sir Chris Hoy

Final row: Swimmer Ellie Simmonds,

tennis player Andy Murray and

cyclist Bradley Wiggins

he sporting world, particularly the cycling

world, is still reeling from the latest

developments in the controversy that

surrounds renowned cyclist, Lance Armstrong

and the allegations about his use of blood

doping throughout his career.

In a recent, emotional interview with Oprah

Winfrey, Armstrong attributed his final decision

to ‘come clean’ to the discomfort and

awkward position that his children are in.

He had heard that his 13 year old son, Luke,

had been defending him at school and via

social media and felt that he could no longer

continue with his current status regarding his

drug use.

For the most part, his fellow athletes are not

sympathetic and the general public are

finding it difficult to forgive what seems to

be an entire sporting lifetime of lies. Armstrong

still has his fans and admirers, mostly due to

his successful battle against cancer and his

subsequent work to help other sufferers.

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

Hole in one! Irish golfer, Rory McIlroy, looks

set to be the new face of

Nike with a ten year deal

worth a staggering £156m!

2020 Olympic bids have begun. Bids have begun for the role of host

country for the 2020 Olympics.

The current favourite is Tokyo which

narrowly missed out on hosting the

2016 Games.

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o Farah, British athlete and winner of the 5,000m and 10,000

Olympic gold medals in London this year, was detained

for questioning at US customs in December when he was

on his way home to visit his family for Christmas.

Farah, who makes his home in Portland, Oregon, was stopped

by officials because of his Somali origin and even showing

them his two gold medals did nothing to convince them that

he was not a suspicious foreigner.

This is not the first time that US customs have stopped Mo Farah

from entering the country. On his return from Canada with his

valid US resident’s permit, he was refused entry and informed

he was being investigated for being a potential terrorist threat.

Luckily his coach (Alberto Salazar) intervened, contacting a

friend at the FBI to rectify the problem.

Maybe he should employ an entourage to travel with him doing

the ‘Mobot’ and then they might recognize him?!

©Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

P a g e 7 8 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

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his event was created by the legendary Haile Gebrselassie

back in 2001, when 10,000 runners registered to join in the

10km race through the streets of the Ethiopian capital,

Addis Ababa.

It has grown in size and popularity since then and the 2012

November race saw over 36,500 entries. It is an event which

is now spread over several days, with a number of children’s

races held prior to the main event and the atmosphere is

one of celebration, with the children warming up for the

races by dancing to Ethiopian music played from a stage

in the middle of the events field.

The main race draws many international, elite runners and

the female winner of the 2012 race was the Berlin Marathon

2012 victor Aberu Kebede in a time of 33:27. The male

winner, Hagos Gerhiwet, equalled the race record with a

time of 28:37.

For more information, visit the facebook page:

www.facebook.com/GreatEthiopianRun

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 7 9

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n Wednesday 14th November,

Rae Heim completed an

amazing challenge. She

ran from Boston, Massachusetts

to Huntingdon Beach, California

in an incredible 228 days. Not

only that, but she ran the

majority of the route barefoot!

Rae has only been running for

two years but quickly discovered

the merits of barefoot running and

prior to this mammoth distance,

had already completed a half

marathon and two marathons

barefoot.

Rae’s aim was (and is) to raise

money for the charity ‘Soles4souls’

(www.soles4souls.org), which

provides footwear for those in

need of protection for their feet

but do not have the resources

to buy shoes.

The charity helps people the

world over and has distributed

over 19 million pairs of shoes to

those who need them.

Rae’s facebook page has lots

more information about her

journey, including photos, links

to her blog posts and how to

donate. She’s currently raised

over $10,000 for the cause.

Search ‘Rae’s run across America’

on facebook and also visit: www.

raesrunacrossamerica.tumblr.com

A no-nonsense approach has been

taken with overweight police officers

in Indonesia. Any officer weighing

more than 15 stone (100kg) must

carry out a compulsory, twice-

weekly exercise regime.

China is under a foggy haze of pollution

which has reached hazardous levels.

Many people are wearing masks as

they walk the streets and the Chinese

government is being called upon to

take serious action.

hinese children are under pressure

to achieve future Olympic success

after China’s astonishing collection

of medals at the London Olympics.

Children are hand-picked from

around the country to attend

specialist sports schools and begin

their training as early as 4 years old.

The schools are notorious for

following strict, demanding training

regimes for their students, to ensure

the best possible chance of success.

© China Foto Press

We are thoroughly enjoying

teaching the workshops because

they’re different every time.

Barefoot running isn’t a miracle

cure to running woes but is an

incredible catalyst for re-thinking

and re-learning your approach

to your health and your running

practice. Attendees are usually

starting from very different places

so each workshop involves plenty

of discussion and analysis so that

each person understands where

they are at the moment, where

they want to get to and how to

do it.

Barefoot running is a valuable tool

for all levels of runner. It doesn’t

need to be the only way that you

run but it should form at least part

of your training and it needs to be

tackled correctly. This is important

– so many workshop students have

already tried barefoot running but

made some errors that have resulted

in negative experiences. All they

need is some good grounding and

guidance to help them move

forward safely.

The dates and locations of this

year’s workshops can be found on

our website, but please do contact

us with any specific questions.

recent add-on to the other

movement methods that we’ve

been teaching for 15+ years.

David is an accomplished martial

artist, dancer and sports fitness

specialist whilst my teaching is a

diverse mix of traditional, quite

‘hard core’ training at one end of

the spectrum and Pilates, injury

rehab and weight management

at the other.

n 2013, we are continuing to travel

around the UK with our one day

workshop, the basis of which is

formed from our book and the

‘extras’ are layered on top

according to what elements of

health and fitness our students

wish to discuss.

As some of you know, although

we’ve been running barefoot

for several years, it is a relatively

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

Barefoot Running UK The latest from Barefoot Running UK

ur facebook group has reached

250 members and become a

lovely little community of people

who are passionate about their

running and reaping the benefits

of taking off their shoes and running

barefoot.

We have a real mixture of abilities,

ages and running histories, which

makes for great stories which are

not only interesting to hear but also

very helpful to other runners.

It’s a place where runners genuinely

feel that they have support and can

ask any question knowing that several

people will be able to help them with

an answer.

The other thing which we’re very

pleased about is people taking the

initiative to form their own groups

and their own group runs all around

the UK. We receive quite a number

of emails asking us if we know of

barefoot runners in a particular

area and we always direct them

to the facebook group where

they’re bound to find someone.

With this in mind, as the group

continues to grow and other

groups keep sprouting up across

the UK, we’ve decided to

sponsor a ‘Club Directory’ within

Barefoot Running Magazine. This

will include as many barefoot/

minimalist running groups as

possible from not only the UK but

worldwide, so that the network

becomes more solid.

If you have formed such a group

that is free to join (and anybody

can join in if they happen to be

in the area) then please email us

with the info and we’ll try to add

you into the next issue.

Saturday 7th BFR UK Group Run

10.30 am

Clapham Common , London

The Bandstand

Saturday 2nd BFR UK Group Run

11.00 am

West London - Richmond Park

Saturday 9th

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

December 2013

Saturday 6th BFR UK Group Run

11.00 am

West London - Richmond Park

Saturday 1st BFR UK Group Run

11.00 am

London - City - Location TBC

Saturday 22nd

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

Edinburgh, Scotland - Location TBC

Sunday 3rd BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Moat Park, Maidstone , Kent

March 2013

Saturday 20th 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

Unity Studio, Lewes Road

Saturday 9th

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

April 2013

Sunday 5th

International Barefoot Running Day

10.00 am

Brighton, Sussex - Location TBC

May 2013

June 2013

Saturday 23rd BFR UK Group Run

11.00 am

Edinburgh, Scotland - Location TBC

July 2013

Saturday 20th BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

King’s Parade, Cambridge

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

Saturday 10th

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

Sheffield - Location TBC

Sunday 11th BFR UK Group Run

11.00 am

Sheffield - Location TBC

Saturday 7th BFR UK Group Run

11.00 am

Brighton, East 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

Bath, Somerset - Location TBC

Sunday 29th BFR UK Group Run

10.00 am

Bath, Somerset - Location TBC

Saturday 5th BFR UK Group Run

11.00 am

East London - Location TBC

August 2013 November 2013

October 2013

September 2013

y Pilates teaching took a bit of a back seat whilst we focused on the

barefoot running side of things last year but now I’m creating space

to start teaching clients using the Pilates reformer and rehabilitation

frame (see picture), something that has given clients great

results in the past.

If you live in London, do email me about the opportunity

to work on this fantastic piece of kit – it takes Pilates to a

whole new level and is such a useful complement to

running as well as being a tough workout!

On a personal note, my running goes from strength

to strength as I continue to focus, tweak and learn

from my practice. I’m careful to achieve a balance

too and have been doing plenty of

yoga, Pilates and swimming as well

as ‘natural strength training’ outside

in nature!

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

barefootrunninguk.com

Group Run Most club runs are between 5 and 8

miles, around 9 minute per mile pace.

Any footwear is fine!

Please email us prior to a run if you’re

planning to attend.

info@barefootrunninguk.com

UK tel: 0845 226 7302

Overseas tel: +44 (0) 208 659 0269

email:

info@barefootrunninguk.com

website:

www.barefootrunninguk.com

youtube:

youtube.com/bfruk

facebook:

barefootrunninguk/facebook

Bespoke talks and

workshops If you would like to organize your

own talk/workshop for your running

club, please call or email us to set

something up.

Workshop 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.

ay back in 2000, David helped a friend of his, Len Woplin, set up a martial

arts school in South East London. Since then, he’s been a guest Sensei

as the club has developed and new venues and locations have been

added.

In the last few years, Len has expanded his coaching and entered the world

of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) or what it’s known more brutally as: cage fighting.

Last year, he asked David to come on board as Head of Strength and

Conditioning, so each Friday evening sees David at the club, overhauling

the fighter’s current gym programmes and swapping endless barbell curls

and chest presses for more natural, body weight movements. David is also

a kick specialist, so his role includes explaining the importance of flexibility,

reaction speed and utilizing the ground for energy.

Personally, David has been barefoot running in the snow and also getting back

into off-road cycling – the muddier the better!

Thu 13th: 6.30pm - temperature

just above freezing, decide to go

for it with a 20 minute run along

grass at back of flats. Feel absolutely

ridiculous in bare feet with gloves,

and scarf, and woolen hat. Call lift

and nobody in it thank goodness,

feet absolutely freezing and not

yet left the building, toes just about

glued to the floor of lift. Nobody

sees me fortunately and I get on

to the grass which is rock-hard,

but it's dark and nobody can

recognize me. I do my run and

my feet surprisingly warm up a bit.

Manage to get back to the flat

without seeing anyone - I feel so

self-conscious!

Fri 14th: 6.30pm - meeting my

boyfriend at 8.30, but decide to

go for another 20 minute run.

Temperature a bit higher.

Unfortunately lift stops at 3rd floor

and an old woman gets on. She

stares but doesn't say anything,

but I feel myself going scarlet.

Run a disaster - trod in some dog

poo, absolutely disgusting and

feel sick. Clean my feet as best

as I can on grass and return.

Decide never going anywhere

again that's dark - couldn't go

through that again and also think

there could be broken glass.

Sat 15th - depressed, no running.

Sun 16th - 7am - decide to go for

a 2 mile run on pavement while

its still dark, but at least can see

with the street lights. Went slowly

as first time not on sand or grass.

Feet a little bit sore after. However

got my first bit of luck: another

jogger caught up with me and

started all kinds of questions,

though he has agreed to go

running with me on Wednesday

evening in his bare feet.

Hope I've not bored you with all

this - my feet have come through

quite well, but other problems such

as extreme self-consciousness and

selfish dog owners seem to be the

main challenges.

Julia, Scotland

Hi,

I'm Julia, and hope to find out

very soon if I've got a place in

next years London Marathon

through my work.

I am a keen runner and have

done 2 half-marathons and

one marathon before, but in a

moment of madness decided

to run the next one barefoot for

charity. My boyfriend thinks I'm

off my head!

I live in Scotland, but if I am

selected I would like to come

down for a session with you as

am in London fairly often.

I have been running on a

beach a few time since middle

of November, but last week

was first time out of the flat

without shoes and socks, and

although my feet held up well

it was a bit of a disaster as my

diary shows.

Mon 10th: 6.30pm - too cold (-2)

Tue 11th: 6.30pm - too cold (-3)

Wed 12th: 6.30pm - too cold (-2)

Ed-

For your chance to win a copy of

Run Strong • Run Free email us your

letters to letters@bfrm.co.uk

P a g e 8 4 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

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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 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 8 5

Barefoot beach run this morning,

it was 1.5 degrees Centigrade,

20 mph wind gusting to 32, giving

us a minus10 wind chill and light

snow. It was pretty painful on

the feet for the first mile but then

they warmed up or became

numb, not sure which but they

felt better anyway. Not surprisingly

I had the beach to myself.

Loved it!

Gary, via facebook

P a g e 8 4 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

We sell these in our clinic!:

www.naturalfeet.co.uk

The new ultra-lightweight

multi-terrain running shoes giving

maximal proprioceptive sensory

ground feedback, independent

suspension front to back,

excellent off-road toe grip,

pliable self-regenerating soles

with lifetime guarantee.

They are water-proof and

quick drying, made from an

evolutionary fabric which

has been in research and

development for 4 million years.

They are strong yet soft to the

touch, with excellent durability

and amazing adaptability over

uneven terrain. They are the

ultimate technique shoe because

they help you to connect with

the running surface, enhancing

posture, and stimulating muscle

function.

Price= £priceless

Stephen Bloor, via facebook

Kicked off my training for the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14th 2013.

Barefoot of course! Made the Dutch local newspapers.

My goal is to collect as much money as possible for the Dutch cancer

foundation (below is a link where Dutch individuals can donate):

http://www.staoptegenkanker.nl/Rotterdam-Marathon-op-blote-voeten

I’m sure that there are some commercial companies who would like to

sponsor me (t-shirts etc.) Maybe Adidas and Nike will not! [smiley face]

If you have any tips who to contact, that would be great. All proceeds

to KWF (Dutch Cancer Foundation).

Peter Reus, Netherlands

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I have come to crave running

physically, intellectually, emotionally

and even spiritually.

And now, I can’t run. I can’t run,

#1, because I have no energy. It

takes almost all my energy just to

get up, pee, take my vitamins, and

eat. I can’t run, #2, because I have

an enlarged spleen. I am a trail

runner and all it would take is one

wrong slip on the mud and if I hit

my abdomen/rib cage just right,

“pop”– I would rupture my spleen.

Not my idea of a good time. And,

no, I don’t enjoy pavement running,

because it exacerbates most of

my body’s imbalances, whereas

trail running actually decreases

them.

I battled years of back problems

prior to running, and as long as I

run about 15 miles a week, they stay

away. What aggravates them more

than anything is lying in bed longer

than 8 hours a day. Initially, the

mono caused me to sleep all day

and night. Then 12 hours, followed

by an hour or two up, followed by

another 12 hours. Now, I sleep more

like 14 hours, upon which I have to

DRAG myself awake, followed by a

VERY strained and exhaustive 6 hours

up, followed by going right back to

sleep for 14+ hours.

So, I was SHOCKED that my back

did not really start to bother me

until about the 7th day of this

ridiculousness. I have to attribute

this miracle to the balance my

musculoskeletal system had

achieved through running these

prior 18 months. If this illness had

happened to me 2 years ago, I

would have been practically

paralyzed with back pain/tension

by day 3 of this kind of extreme

inactivity. But on the 7th day I

began to panic. My upper back,

o I was diagnosed with

mononucleosis about a

month ago. For those of you

unfamiliar with this virus, it causes a

litany of symptoms -the highlights

of which are low, low, low energy,

an enlarged spleen, and an average

recovery time of SIX weeks. And yes,

it is contagious, and although only

moderately so, the contagious time

is only a guess. Therefore, I will be

missing at least two weeks of work –

as the ramifications of spreading this

around are so much worse than a

cold. I have also been blessed with

itching. I mean, everywhere, all the

time, moderate to extreme – and

nothing I can do about it.

When I am able to stay awake, I

worry all the time about the state

of my body as it relates to my, now,

inability to run. For the last 18 months

I have been running, regularly, and

I have become the strongest and

most agile I have been in my life.

P a g e 8 6 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

The society pages What’s happening within the Barefoot Runners Society

www.blurmediaphotography.com

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 8 7

neck, and hips were starting to

lose control of themselves. I was

starting to lose control of my mind

worrying about what was going

to happen to my body. I was

convinced that the positive effects

of 18 months of running would

reverse in a matter of 2 months and

I would be reduced down to a

slithery glob of painful, lardish,

jello-ish muscles, and ooze onto

the floor.

One thing about running is that…

nothing else is like running. My

body works best with long, slow trail

runs. It takes a long time for my

body to “shake out” and get to a

point, alignment-wise, where it can

then begin to reap the benefits of

the run. I knew that inactivity

would be the death of me, running

or not. I finally concluded the

swimming pool would be the

“safest” place to exercise as it is

difficult to fall when you are already

in the water. So on day 7, I used my

ration of energy for the day, on the

swimming pool. I just did some super

slow laps at first. Then I remembered

I used to “run” in the pool and I

started doing that. I did it with a

twist though, I would run in a circle,

like around and around in one spot.

That way it gave a little “trail” variety

to the running. I walked back and

forth through shallow water. Without

gravity able to do its thing, like in

running, I found that it took a lot

longer to achieve similar results

with regard to my musculoskeletal

alignment. After at least 2 hours, I

felt a distinct improvement. I went

again the next day and again,

about 2 hours was what it took.

So as I am doing the incredibly

slow, careful laps, my body is

repeatedly drawing to my attention

the fact that my upper body sucks.

Yes, it does. I was just thrilled that

running did so many positive things

for the imbalance in my hips –that I

pretty much disregarded my upper

back, shoulders, neck, etc. I’d

occasionally try to add in some

exercises for them but, mainly,

my running kept it tolerable.

From lying on shoulder blades for

so many hours, they are “winging”

out away from my back - which,

in turn, strains my back, neck,

and hips and causes a lot of

trigger points, everywhere. It

takes a full hour of laps, mainly

back-strokes, just to get my

shoulder blades back where

they belong. And it is not until

they are back where they belong

that I can even “begin” to start

to exercise. Once they are

re-positioned, everything feels

better, including my hip alignment.

Then I feel like I am getting better

benefits from running in the water.

So what is the moral of the story?

I dunno. I guess it’s that I have

managed to convince myself that

the results of 18 months of running

is not going to disappear over

the next couple of months. Also,

perhaps this is a wake-up call to

pay more attention to my upper

body. And of course, as always,

it is an exercise in patience, because

now I have to spend TWICE as long

exercising to get similar results. It’s

also a reminder in what priority

exercise should take when push

comes to shove. And this is a HUGE

push and shove situation. Physical

inactivity is the killer of the soul. I

won’t allow my soul to be killed. I

will save my energy for physical

activity, over ANYTHING else! Thank

goodness I even have a few hours

of (albeit low) energy a day to

devote to it. Otherwise, I would

seriously be in the loony bin.

He has written a book about

coping with chronic pain (Cheating

Mother Nature) and is currently

working on a book specifically for

runners, relating to running form

and injury.

Dr Charschan joins a fantastic team

of barefoot friendly doctors in the

‘Ask the docs’ forum, so be sure to

visit that section of the BRS website

to find the answers to your injury

woes.

The Barefoot Runner’s Society

welcomed a new doctor into its

home back in November last year.

His name is Doctor William Charschan

and he is a certified Chiropractic

Sports Physician with well over twenty

year’s experience. He often holds an

official physician position at many

different sporting events and is

Medical Director for USA Track and

Field New Jersey.

fter much debating, to-ing and

fro-ing, International Barefoot

Running Day will be held on

the first Sunday in May (5th May)

as per the last two years. There is

another celebration on the 5th

May, Cinco de Mayo, which was

why some people wanted to

change the date. However, after

a vote and some discussion, it

has been decided that those

celebrating IBRF and Cinco de

Mayo will have double the fun

and a very memorable day!

Bob Nicol (Barefooting Bob) is

coordinating IBRD as part of his

new position as Administrative

Vice President.

f you fancy some company as

you polish off your post-run

beer, check out the Barefoot

Pub forum, where members meet

up to talk about anything and

everything. You can just enjoy

reading the threads or join in if

you’re feeling sociable!

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

It's that time of year again! Time to

start the IBRD Tee Shirt design

contest!

What is your vision of International

Barefoot Running Day? What does

IBRD mean to you? How would you

represent IBRD to the world? If you

can envision it in design, perhaps

you can share it with us.

If you have skills, and we know you

do, please consider putting together

something for the 2013 IBRD T-Shirt

design contest. We will begin

accepting your submissions right

away. We will collect them and

then present them to the BRS

members on February 21. We will

vote on these designs immediately,

and the contest will run until March 7.

We will announce the winner and

then place the winning design in

our Store. There, you will be able to

purchase t-shirts (they have micro

tech shirts too!) and other

merchandise with the winning

design on it. Remember, these

are the official 2013 IBRD t-shirts

and will be worn all over the

world! (These dates are not set

in stone and may be shifted just a

tad one way or another.)

The winner will receive lots of kudos

from their peers and a 2013 IBRD

T-Shirt with their own winning design

on it.

Please email your designs to both

BobNicol@TheBarefootRunners.org and

BarefootTJ@TheBarefootRunners.org.

Thanks!

Let the games begin!

S u m m e r 2 0 1 2 I s s u e 5 P a g e 8 9

P a g e 7 8 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Don’t ju

st w

alk

by

Parts & servicing

Race preparation

Modifications

Custom builds

Expert advice from a friendly team

82 High Street London

SE20 7HB 07711 015102

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

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

Appalling. Not worth

unpacking. The box is

probably of more use.

Very poor. Under performs in

every area. Significantly

flawed.

Poor. Under performs

in nearly all areas.

Not recommended.

Off the pace. Below

average in nearly every

area.

Acceptable. Average

in most areas but has its

disappointments.

Good. Above average

in some areas but very

average in others.

Very Good. Recommended

in all areas.

Excellent. Highly

recommended in all areas.

Fantastic. Almost flawless.

A must have.

We are an independent magazine

and unaffiliated with any particular

brand or product. This means that

our reviews are honest and unbiased,

written by enthusiasts for enthusiasts!

Pro

du

ct re

vie

w h

nb

bk

jbb

Name:

Preferred footwear: Barefoot or Minimal

Tester initials:

Name:

Preferred footwear: Barefoot or Minimal

Tester initials:

Name: Gareth “Gadget” Underhill

Preferred footwear: Minimal

Tester initials: GU

Name: Anna Toombs

Preferred footwear: Barefoot

Tester initials: AL

Name: David Robinson

Preferred footwear: Barefoot

Tester initials: DR

We are looking for two more long-term product testers

to join our team. If you review products on your own

blog that you’d like to promote, or enjoy writing, please

send us an email with a sample review and we’ll be in

touch with more details. We hope to fill these positions

to include reviews for the Spring issue in April/May.

Min

ima

l re

vie

w

Ou

t-o

f-th

e-b

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ev

iew

: IN

OV

8 B

are

- X

™ 2

00

UK EU US-M US-W

WEIGHT (UK8) FIT UPPER LINING

200G / 7.1OZ ANATOMIC SYNTHETIC, TPU MESH

FOOTBED MIDSOLE SHOCK-ZONE™ DIFFERENTIAL

3mm N/A 0 0mm

SOLE COMPOUND GENDER PRODUCT CODE

BARE-X™ STICKY UNISEX 5050973233

4-12 (inc ½) 37-47 (inc ½) 5-13 (inc ½) 6.5-11(inc ½)

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

some people off, this is a shoe that

anyone can wear and not feel

that they’re making a statement,

either when running or just paying

a visit to the local shop for some

milk. It also has a very ‘unisex’

quality to it so would suit either

male or female wearers.

Fit

As a seasoned barefoot runner,

I often find shoes very restrictive

and they consistently feel too

narrow. Innov8 shoes have been

criticized for this in the past.

However, I found the Bare X200

shoes to be very roomy in the

toe box and they were immediately

comfortable – like a pair of slippers!

The cut of the shoe around the

ankle suits me well too, allowing

my feet and ankles to feel free.

I also find that I can wear these

with or without socks and they fit

well either way.

I’m not sure if this will be the same

for everyone, but I did need to go

half a size up compared to my

usual size, although I must admit

that I only very occasionally buy

shoes and I know that my feet

have changed shape with

barefoot running, so maybe my

natural size is bigger now anyway!

As I say, the shoes were immediately

comfortable and I have not

suffered with any blisters or areas

of rubbing as I’ve worn them in.

Ou

t-of-th

e-b

ox re

vie

w: IN

OV

8 B

are

- X™

200 M

inim

al re

vie

wnnov8 shoes have long been

synonymous with quality and

performance which was why I

was excited to try their first zero

drop shoe, the Bare X200.

Nicknamed by some as ‘the purest

barefoot running shoe’, it weighs in

at just 200 grams (7.1 ounces) and

has a slim, 3mm sole.

Other attributes that give this shoe

a ‘barefoot feel’ are its generously

wide toe box, flexibility and ‘sticky’

rubber sole, aiming to achieve a

grip level similar to that of bare

feet. It is also possible to remove

the midsole which will give you a

further 10% reduction in weight,

although the midsole itself is

relatively unformed, in other words

not asking your foot to conform to

a preconceived shape.

Here are my thoughts on the shoe,

having tested it for three months:

Styling

There is actually a new model on

the way but the look is very similar.

My shoe is pure white and I love

the classic, no nonsense ‘80’s

trainer’ look. It is a simple design

that looks great as a training shoe

as well as an everyday shoe.

The newer colours are blue/white

or black/red.

With so many minimalist shoes

on the market that have a more

distinctive look that may put

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

Build quality

Innov8 shoes are known to be a

high quality brand and I find these

shoes live up to that reputation in

their build quality. The gluing and

stitching are thorough and secure.

I’ve washed them twice in the

washing machine and have not

had any trouble with them having

done so.

One issue I often have with shoes

is the lacing coming loose, but it is

not the case with these shoes.

Performance

Some people have commented

that there is not enough grip on

the sole of these shoes and that

they are slippery on wet surfaces.

Initially, I also found this to be the

case but as the manufacturer’s

‘sheen’ wore off, the soles became

duller and therefore provided

more grip. It took a matter of a

few weeks for the shine to reduce

and the grip to improve and it is

now absolutely fine. I have tried

shoes in the past that remain

slippery in the wet so I was

pleasantly surprised that the grip

improved with these shoes. They

just take a bit of wearing in as far

as grip is concerned.

In terms of running performance,

I tend to take the inner soles out

UK EU US-M US-W

WEIGHT (UK8) FIT UPPER LINING

200G / 7.1OZ ANATOMIC SYNTHETIC, TPU MESH

FOOTBED MIDSOLE SHOCK-ZONE™ DIFFERENTIAL

3mm N/A 0 0mm

SOLE COMPOUND GENDER PRODUCT CODE

BARE-X™ STICKY UNISEX 5050973233

4-12 (inc ½) 37-47 (inc ½) 5-13 (inc ½) 6.5-11(inc ½)

Fit

Build quality

Performance

Styling

Overall rating

I would recommend this shoe.

I’ve done around 100 miles of

running in them, as well as worn

them for day to day living. I’m

looking forward to trying the

newer version of these shoes,

which apparently is very similar

but weighs even less!

They were comfortable from the

off and I forget that I’m wearing

them (which is unusual as I tend

to find most shoes restrictive

these days). Having people

stare doesn’t bother me, but for

those of you who want to steer

clear of the more ‘out there’

minimalist shoes, these ones

blend right in. They are a great

shoe for those wanting to keep

their feet protected and don’t

want to go completely barefoot,

but are ready for a more flexible,

less structured running shoe.

which takes the thickness down

to just 2mm. This makes for a

very light, slim shoe which does

not interfere much at all with my

natural running mechanics.

Barefoot simulation

Due to the slim sole, I am able

to get quite a lot of feedback

from the ground and can feel

variations in the terrain. Again,

the flexibility of the shoe allows

my foot to adjust, to a certain

extent, to the ground beneath

me.

Most shoes fall down in this

category, simply because

it’s very difficult to simulate

barefoot running in a shoe!

However, this was one of the

thinnest soles I’d tested and

I was quite impressed with it.

Price

The price is probably somewhere

right in the middle of the price

range of similar shoes, retailing

at around £90 and in my opinion

is very good value for money.

The quality and comfort make

for a long-lasting shoe that is

probably one of the best

minimalist shoes out there at

the moment and comes from

a very well-respected brand.

P a g e 9 4 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

Min

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: IN

OV

8 B

are

- X

™ 2

00

Barefoot simulation

Price

Overall rating

Sizing

Slippery when new

Limited colours

3mm sole

Lightweight

Comfortable

B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 P a g e 9 5

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

www.trekoblog.com /

P a g e 9 6 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

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

All rights reserved.

My Foot

Trail Glove

Classic Sprint

Ra

tin

g

Pric

e

Pe

rfo

rma

nc

e

Sty

ling

Fit

an

d M

od

el

Sim

ula

tio

n

Ma

ke

Ba

refo

ot

Bu

ild Q

ua

lity

Ove

rall

Vibram FiveFingers

(12/2011)

Bare X 200™

INOV8

Xero Shoe

Tri Black

4mm XeroShoe

KSO

Merrell

6mm XeroShoe

(12/2011)

(01/2012)

(02/2010)

(01/2009)

(01/2013)

(06/2011)

(11/2012)

Ozark Sandals

Kigo

(06/2012) Drive

Min

ima

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esu

lts

Ou

t-o

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rail

test

re

sults

Human Foot

Test

ed

by

D.R

D.R

D.R

D.R

A.T

D.R

D.R

A.T

D.R

Min

ima

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resu

lts Ou

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il test re

sults

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

All rights reserved. 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.

Vibram FiveFingers

$124.95 plus shipping

INOV8

Xero Shoe

Merrell

Ozark Sandals

Kigo

Drive

Human Foot

ee Majors – what a guy! While

growing up he was my action

hero. My friends and I could

often be found running in slow

motion across the playground as

though we were the six (or in the

case of my friend Alan P, ten) million

dollar man. Then later he became

the ‘Fall Guy’ – “the guy that might

jump an open drawbridge or

Tarzan from a vine, 'cause he was

the unknown stuntman, that

made Eastwood look so fine”.

Blowing our little tiny minds!

Back in the seventies and early

eighties they never suggested

“not trying something at home”

and so we did. If there was a

garage roof that could be jumped

off, it was. We would even jump

our bikes over bonfires, imagining

them to be Colt Seavers’ pickup

truck.

Gone were the days that my

friends and I wanted to be

cowboys and astronauts when

we grew up; instead we longed

to be stuntmen, without fever

and full of action. Of course, as

we approached adulthood and

became more sensible, we forgot

about such things and conformed

to a standard life.

But a few people didn’t lose that

lust to become that unknown

hero of the silver screen and

one of those people was a chap

named Ben Bellman. I had the

pleasure of meeting Ben at the

Running Show back in November

when he was led to our stand by

one of the organisers, David.

As he approached, he looked out of

the corner of his left eye and asked,

“What’s this barefoot running about?

I’m not angry!” He continued to

explain who he was and how he had

ended up with injuries that had taken

most of his sight and nearly his life.

He had been an up and coming

stuntman working on films such as

Gladiator, Charlotte Gray, The

Count of Monte Cristo and even

getting a nomination for his sword

fighting sequence in the James

Bond movie ‘Die another day’.

Sadly, on one fateful day in 2002,

a parachute jump went seriously

wrong, leaving him with horrendous

brain and bodily injuries.

Ben told us, “In 2002, on my

thousandth jump, I fell out of the

plane. I don't know if the parachute

opened. Every bone in my body

was smashed and my brain came

out. I'm made of metal now.

I make machines beep.”

He went on to say, “I was in a coma

for months. They thought I wouldn't

be able to walk, see or speak. I've

got no memory of the accident or

being a stuntman. I had a white

horse – I remember my horse. She

was lovely.”

“Every day I do stretching and

exercise in my room. I used to

teach sports and do triathlons.

I swim, do fencing and yoga.

I spent a year learning it in India.

P a g e 9 8 W i n t e r 2 0 1 2 / 1 3 B a r e f o o t R u n n i n g M a g a z i n e

“I used to teach sports

and do triathlons. I swim,

do fencing and yoga.

I spent a year learning it

in India. I don't remember

that. I used to teach yoga.

India’s lovely!”

How many of us can say the

same about ourselves? Ben is an

inspiration and I am sure that he

will not stop trying until he

achieves it.

I feel it’s only right to finish with

some words of wisdom from Ben.

“I love ballet. Caravaggio, Goya,

Chekhov. And I read Shakespeare.

I don't know why, but I do. I read

sports books every day too. I have

to hold them close, because I was

blind after the accident. My sight

is getting better and my days are

full. I lived; I'm happy about that.

I lack memory, but everyday

I wake up and feel a bit more

human.”

Keep battling on Ben and I hope

we meet again!

If you wish to learn more about Ben,

please go to Headway East London

at www.headwayeastlondon.org

Even though I could see that Ben’s

injuries had left him with speech

and movement difficulties, he

was still filled with a passion for

everything sport-related and his

ambition is to one day get back

into the world of film as a stunt

director. He chatted away for over

half an hour about how his life is now,

the people in it and his love of music

and travel. Ben’s sentences would

often stop with sudden concern

and he would worriedly say, “I’m

not angry” or “Do I scare you?”

but, once assured and encouraged

to continue, his face would light up

again as he continued to speak

about his passions and ask us

questions about our own interests.

That night, while travelling home,

Anna and I chatted about the

hectic day and all the people

we had met. Ben and his injuries

monopolized the conversation.

In him, one sees so much love

for the world and all things in it.

He found everything ‘lovely’ and

he didn’t seem angry about

his situation or the accident

that had created it. He had

followed his dream regardless

of the outcome and even after

being seriously impaired both

mentally and physically, he’s still

determined to live his dream.

The inspirational Ben Bellman

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

“Ben is an inspiration

and I am sure

that he will not stop

trying until he

achieves his dream.”

Headway East London is at the forefront of support for brain injury survivors, their families and carers. We run Headway House, the only

brain injury centre of its kind in inner London to offer specialist services and therapies.

We believe that everyone has something to contribute within Headway and the wider community – that every person with a brain injury

should be valued, respected and deserves every opportunity to live a full and active life.

Visit our blog www.headwayblog.blogspot.co.uk to get a flavour of what we’ve been up to recently.

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

©TRC Publishing UK

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