Red Runs Barefoot

Exercises to strengthen your feet for barefoot running

Charlene Jaszewski — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:14:46 +0000

If you are just transitioning to barefoot/minimalist running, your feet are weak. No judgment! But it’s important to strengthen them in preparation for holding you up all by themselves! Here’s a fabulous video I just found from a podiatrist who is also a minimalist runner (rare!) which contains six stretches to help strengthen all the muscles related to holding your foot in a strong position.

Back in the saddle: Shoe soles really make a difference

Charlene Jaszewski — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 03:56:03 +0000

It seems that my greatest leaps in physical fitness always follow some life-changing events. Last week I had to put my cat of 18 years to sleep following a fast decline from kitty jaw cancer.

So the day she was gone, I started running again. I went out in my 5mm sole Run Amoc Dash shoes from Soft Star Shoes, and it was very clunky. I haven’t been running since July, and I’ve put on stress weight over the summer since my dad got diagnosed with cancer (I know, right?)

Anyway, the first run out I wore the Dashes, and it was like I expected. My body’s like WTF? And it was clunky. I was huffin and puffin. I couldn’t get a groove. I was sore for a few days later. After I wasn’t sore, I decided to put on the Moc3s for my next run. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY.

After I warmed up, I found my rhythm right away. My mind was quiet. I realized my breathing was too. I’m still not in shape, but I was running pretty comfortably.

What’s the difference? Here are the two shoes side by side.

Shoe on left, Moc3, 2mm sole, literally just some pieces glued onto the bottom of a slipper. On the right, 5mm sole on a more substantial shoe (in minimalist terms, however, still MUCH less shoe than regular running shoes!)

Could 3 mm really make that big of a difference?

YES IT CAN.

These are the same benefits I used to get when i would run pure barefoot. I guess 2mm is the minimum to get the benefits!

I do miss barefoot. Barefoot is even better. But for my wussy feet right now, i’m glad there are slippers!

Barefoot running after a break: not like riding a bike

Charlene Jaszewski — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 20:48:01 +0000

I was a barefoot running fiend last summer. I started in minimalist shoes in May and by October, I was running up to almost 7 miles in a session. I ran faster and with less effort than I ever had with shoes. Then I took a gig in Minnesota during winter and spring and took some time off.
Now I’m back in NYC and in late May I took up running again – with my RunAmoc Dashes at first to get my feet broken in. A few weeks ago I took off my shoes to go barefoot, and I”m frustrated that I seem to have completely lost whatever barefoot form I had last year. First I tore up my feet forgetting how hot/rough chipset can be (and got a giant bloodblister) and now I seem to have given myself some kind of toe injury – if it’s not a mild stress fracture then at least it’s a toe jam or a sprain. In any case it hurts to walk and run on.
I’m a bit confused. I had hoped that my body would retain some kind of muscle memory from all my running last year and I would be able to dial in my form pretty quickly, but that’s not happening. I find myself experimenting with forms just like I did last year when I started. I think when I ended last year I had settled on a form that may not have been classically correct (it felt like my heels might have “kissed” the ground a bit more than experts recommend) but it seemed to work for me, and I was able to increase my mileage steadily as my feet strengthened.
This year I feel like I may have a bit of plantar fascitis (my feet are stiff in the morning and i have a bit of heel pain).
I also weigh about 10 pounds more than I did last summer, so maybe the excess weight is affecting my form.
I don’t have a point to this post I guess, except to be frustrated. I do so love barefoot running, but it seems I’m hurting myself when I go out lately. I guess I am forgetting that it was a whole 7 months since the last time I ran PERIOD. I need to be gentler with myself.

Run Amoc Moc3 Review

Charlene Jaszewski — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:30:01 +0000

Soft Star Shoes are single-handedly responsible for my move into minimalist running. I discovered them last year when I started with the regular Run Amocs, and then moved into the RunAmoc Dash (still a favorite). Just this week I got a RunAmoc Moc3 – and this was because they just came out with a fuchsia leather (otherwise all that was available was red, black and brown).

What is it?

The Moc 3 is about as minimal a shoe as you can get without just going to a sandal.

The shoe is not made on a last – (well, none of Soft Star Shoes are). It’s literally a slipper of soft perforated leather.

Sole: the sole is a very thin piece of Vibram leather (2mm), glued to a sort of rubber/plastic bottom. The Vibram is actually cut in the pattern of how your foot makes contact with the ground. It has some flex points to allow your foot to flex naturally.

Insides: The insole is a thin piece of suede, and the liner is polyester.

First wear review:

Felt just like barefoot. Until I became aware of how hot and sweaty my feet were. And the right shoe started twisting a bit.

I’m still trying to diagnose what’s going on there. The elastic around the right ankle feels looser than the one on the left. Whether that’s because it IS looser or my right ankle is just narrower is unknown. The result is, I am constantly distracted by the feeling that my shoe is coming off, or twisting on my foot. Not good.

I hope I can get the fit thing sorted out, because these shoes feel amazing. I could almost see myself not going totally barefoot and running in these all the time.

Second run issue:

I ran in them a second time, but took them off halfway to run barefoot. I happened to notice as I was walking home that the leather on the back of the heel is coming into contact with the ground. I suspect that they’ve designed the shoes with a pretty small heel area, assuming that barefoot runners with a midfoot strike aren’t going to be hitting the ground with the heel.

However, my gait (at least until my feet/ankles get stronger), still includes a quick heel “slap” on the ground. I also end up walking in them for parts of the run. If the leather is going to be coming into contact with the ground, it’s going to soon get worn and possibly split. This is not desirable. I can’t return them to ask them to get a bigger heel area made (once you wear them, you can’t return them), so my only option is to get a hold of some “goop” made with tire shavings and barge cement, to increase the heel area up the back a bit.

Back on my feet again…

Charlene Jaszewski — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 03:09:28 +0000

Doesn’t this look like an Easter-island-ish face?

It’s March, and in the freaky midwest the temperatures right now are pushing into the mid 50s- perfect running temperatures for me. Not too hot, not too cold.

I spent the fall and winter back in the midwest and I spent much of October being sick and when November rolled around, it was too cold to run. I like running when I can worry about my form, not about how long it will take for my muscles to warm up. So I hibernated all winter and sadly let myself accumulate a thick winter layer, from one too many pumpkin lattes. So, I did a month of crossfit to jump start my muscles, and I went on my first “official” run today in my Run Amocs and tried to dodge all the puddles. It felt pretty good. I am still struggling with a few issues – when I work out my left hamstring gets kind of twingy and my right foot is still a little wonky. However, I’m trying to troubleshoot the foot by comparing the movements of my right foot as compared to my left. And I realized that I’m not using my toes/feet when I land. And I discovered on my run today that I think I might even be a little pigeon-toed on my right foot! When I made a conscious effort to sort of twist my lower leg/foot outward, I felt more stable on my landings. I’m wondering if the twisting is something that I can sort of make permanent on my own, or would I need some sort of splint to make it work?

In any case, it felt good to be back outside, and I really look forward to taking off my shoes when it gets warm enough! Oh but crap – i have to go through the toughening-up phase again! aargh.

Accidental balance test success!

Charlene Jaszewski — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:33:34 +0000

When I first started minimalist running back in May, I remember doing a “balance test” on each foot/leg, and remember trying in vain to balance on my right foot (the ankle that kept spraining) without it shaking horribly.
Fast forward to today, after five months total non-cushioned shoe running, including three months of pure barefoot running.

I was mindlessly goofing off on my aunt’s country porch this morning, in my bare feet, doing some yoga poses. Then I balanced on one leg, and did sort of a figure skating “spiral” (basically, balancing on one strong leg, bending forward at the waist, and the other leg all the way back). I switched to the other leg and realized…

I’M ON MY “WEAK” FOOT. AND I’M NOT SHAKING!!!

Just to be sure, I intentionally balanced on my left leg…ok, and back to the right.

THEY FELT THE SAME!!!!!

I’m so excited i can’t stand it.

This stuff really works, folks!

Glass, the hubbub that wasn’t

Charlene Jaszewski — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:04:44 +0000

So the #1 freakout concern people express when I tell them I run barefoot is

OMG WHAT IF YOU STEP ON BROKEN GLASS????

I used to be worried about it too, until I realized how little of it is actually on sidewalks (where I usually run) and also, you can usually see it coming because it glints in the light.

But the other day, I was running barefoot and I was aware of something stuck to the bottom of my foot. Thinking it was the usual small stone, I stopped to pull it off. However, this time it was a piece of glass. Stuck into the bottom of my foot. It didn’t hurt, because after two months of barefoot running, the fat pads are pretty thick. There wasn’t any pain or bleeding, so I just pulled it out and kept on truckin.

BAREFOOTERS ARE BADASS!!!

Holding pattern

Charlene Jaszewski — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 03:06:55 +0000

I’ve been in Wisconsin the past few weeks visiting family and friends, and have been enjoying running in the greenery and fresh air. Even if the people do look at me funny.

It’s been odd lately though. Suddenly I’ve been simultaneously running better and worse than I have before. I went for a run with my brother and before I knew it I’d gone 5 miles. I haven’t done that since 2005.

But then I went for one run that gave me nasty blisters and then I tried tweaking my form and running more on the balls of my feet and I got a nasty tendon/shin pain which kept me from running for four days.

I got really frustrated. and then I suddenly got embarrassed about being barefoot for some reason. but running is the only thing keeping me sane right now, and I’m NOT going back to running shoes, so I had to keep going. So I asked the friendly folks on the barefoot boards for help and they gave me some. The “experts” keep saying “bend your knees, and bend them some more” but I didn’t know if that meant bending on the afterstroke, or kind of squatting while I was running? I had worked so hard to get my posture straight that it seemed odd to squat. But then someone said “run lower” and I decided to give it a shot on my run the other night. I went out on my own so I didn’t have to keep up with my brother, and tried this:

stand up straight
tuck butt under (throw your junk on a table, is how some describe it!)
then I lowered myself a bit so my knees were bent
then I started running in place, making sure my landing was right
started moving forward

It felt weird at first. But it didn’t hurt my shins. “They” also say to imagine the legs and big butt muscles doing all the work, and not the feet. And lowering myself a bit definitely helped me kind of open up my hips and use those big muscles to propel myself.

The result? A pain-free run! I didn’t want to overdo it since I was still scared about my tender shin, but i felt pretty great! I’m all rested now so I’m looking forward to my run tonight to open it up a bit!

New crazy purple shoes: first impressions of my new Soft Star Run Amoc Dash

Charlene Jaszewski — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:49:09 +0000

Just got my new pair of RunAmoc Dash shoes from Soft Star Shoes. Aren’t they awesome?

I had previously had their original RunAmocs (my pair shown left), which were very comfortable for running. However, as they stretched out they developed a little gap between the gray and purple sections (which are separate in the shoe) which let stones and detritus into the shoe, which was bad news. They offered to remake them for me and I had them redo them as the Dash model.

What’s the difference between the RunAmoc and the Dash?

Same: They both are made of the same awesome soft leather, in fabulous colors. The soles are both Vibram rubber. On my RunAmocs I had the 2mm rubber, but on this pair I elected to get the 5mm “trail” sole, as I expect to be running on rougher roads. I will likely run barefoot on the streets when I run, but my feet aren’t tough enough to go barefoot on hiking trails!

Different: Where the RunAmocs were kind of like a leather “bag” around your foot, the Dash model is more like an actual shoe. The RunAmoc had a drawstring around the ankle, the Dash is now cut close to my ankle. The laces midfoot also bring the shoe closer to my foot. I don’t know if I’m just used to the RunAmoc but it feels like the laces come up very high on my instep.

So far the Dash is the RunAmoc done better. I’ve just been walking in them for now, breaking them in and stretching out the toe.

Upgrade: not a fan of the black laces. Will be on the lookout for purple or lilac ones!

Central Park barefoot – first time!

Charlene Jaszewski — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:20:36 +0000

Yesterday started off shitty – i mean SHITTY. I am storing some of my stuff in a friend’s basement in Brooklyn, and when i went over, he told me there’d been some water damage to their kitchen, and they’d had to replace the whole floor. The basement is under the kitchen. However, he hadn’t really looked through his stuff (or mine), and when I got there, discovered that a lot of my stuff was ruined- water had gotten it (when the leak had happened a few weeks prior and mold had grown. Some stuff can be replaced, but one of the damaged things was an enveloped containing art prints I’d been collecting from various illustrators – some from a trip to Berlin. Needless to say that kind of darkened my day. But I was excited because I knew there was a barefoot clinic going on by the Barefoot Running Meetup group in Central Park.

Alas, I arrived a little tardy and they had scooted off already, but I decided as long as I was there and it was such a gorgeous day, I’d run Central Park barefoot!

I’d run Central Park many times before in shoes, but barefoot makes everything new again!

Reservoir: the reservoir is a popular running spot (well, as is all of Central Park). It’s funny that I couldn’t really remember what surface it had (with shoes, who notices!) but when I got there, I found it was a crushed rock path – but the rocks are so small it registers almost like sand on your feet (without so much sinkiness as sand). My feet definitely got a workout!

Bridle Paths: the bridle paths are made of the same surface as the reservoir. You can run barefoot down them for an interesting experience, but they have slightly bigger rocks, which you have to watch out for. But I prefer:

THE LOOPS

Besides all the paths, there is a “main road” that runs down the west side and loops up again on the middle east side. That’s the loop I used to run on when I lived on the upper west side of New York. The terrain is a little varied – some flat, a gentle downhill in places, then (if you’re doing a loop), an upgrade on the east side as you climb to 72nd street where you can cross over. To my great delight, I found that this path is literally FREE OF DEBRIS! It is SMOOTH. I had been having a little trouble dialing in my stride and form as of late, but once I got going on this, suddenly everything CLICKED! I had a really satisfying run, and went even further than I’d planned.