barefoot running

Ever since being injured back in March, I have had various injury niggles to contend with and its driving me mad. That planned marathon attempt is looking ever distant as I struggle to manage any consistent training .

But help seems to have arrived in an unexpected form. With the arrival of warmer days, I have dug out an old pair of Birkenstock sandals that were handed down to be by my good friend Caroline (her feet like mine have grown in middle age and she no longer fits them). When I first put them on, I found it really hard to walk in them, but I persevered and within about 15 minutes they actually felt great. All those strange little heel pains miraculously disappeared and by the end of the day my feet felt in really good shape!

I did wonder if it was just the change of shoes from my daily converse habit, but now I am convinced they have been a kind of miracle cure for my foot problems. Each time I wear them it alters the way I walk - obviously in open sandals it is impossible to hit the ground with a heel strike, so you walk with a mid foot strike which is the way I should run barefoot. It’s like daily technique training for me, which is great, especially with my impossibly busy life.

So maybe these original ‘healthy shoes’ shoes are on to something after all - and maybe they are the perfect leisure shoe for bare footers! According to Birkenstock the original contoured footbed is designed with one purpose in mind - walking in comfort. They certainly do that.

From a style point of view, they are borderline acceptable. I can only do the classic single strap madrid or flip-flop style Gizeh or I start to feel a bit too commune (especially as I am a vegetarian and have an old (not cool) camper van) My other half is also a bit sniffy about their sex appeal status…but he’s a man so I am ignoring his style judgement! Rock-on Birkenstocks - I love you, especially if you help get me back on track with my running!

Now the only dilemma is what to wear when it gets cold again - but I shall cross that bridge when I get there.

Hot weather is not good for my legs and feet. By the end of monday my feet were so swollen and puffy they looked that the feet of someone twice my weight and felt horrible to boot! Partly this is due to being mostly desk bound but also partly because I am susceptible to fluid retention (when I was pregnant I looked like I had elephant legs, quite literally there was no ankle and my feet looked like a stumps - yep, attractive I know!)

So a run on monday evening was quite out of the question, I honestly could not even imagine trying to put socks on or squeezing my feet into my shoes. And even if I could, I was walking like an invalid, so goodness only knows how I would have managed to run at 180 beats a minute.

My predicament gave me the perfect opportunity to try out a tub of Epsom salts that my mum gave me - apparently they are great for situations like this. So I chuck a generous amount into a bowl of hot water and then soak while reading the label on the tub. The label says ‘for the treatment of constipation’ …uh oh.

Further googling on my phone revealed more useful information…

According to www.care2.com (and a variety of other sites that backed this up) Epsom salts have amazing health benefits and are a brilliant beauty basic. You can use them for a relaxing bath, a face scrub, hair volumizer and a miracle cure-all -helping to remove splinters and reduce the swelling of sprains and bruises.

Soaking in a tub full of hot water with a few cups of Epsom salts is good for relaxing muscles and drawing toxins from the body. They are made of the mineral magnesium sulfate which when absorbed through the skin, draws toxins from the body, sedates the nervous system, reduces swelling and relaxes muscles as well as being a good exfoliator!

Well - who knew ? Obviously my mum did, so I am now sharing this helpful little tip with you too. My feet did feel a lot better after and the best bit - they are incredibly good value at just £1.55 for a tub of Boots own brand.

For the eagle eyed amongst you, you may have noticed that Danielle has not been posting on her blog as much recently. Well, the good news is it’s now back. And it’s back with a new look and a new regime. (more…)

At the weekend I am taking part in the Everywomen’s Duathlon in Bristol, just the novice event as I have never done anything like this before. This event has been going from strength to strength for several years now, but there are numerous new events coming up to try, including several cycling ones. So I have dug my bike out of the shed and have been going out on it once a week as well as using it to whizz around town.

I love cycling and used to commute on my bike when I lived in London. I even cried when my old Bianchi Roadbike was stolen, but I’ve only ever used a bike for transport, so I have never used clip in pedals or spent much on a bike. So it came as a shock when my chain broke and I had to take it to my local repair shop - John’s Bikes on Walcot Street in Bath. Not only did they fix the chain, but they also replaced various cables and a gear part and the bill came to £114 - eeek.

This got me thinking about running versus cycling and the costs involved. Running, barefoot or not, really only requires a pair of shoes and a sports bra - allow £80 and £25, which is less than the cost of my repair. Of course its not a fair comparison as you can do so much more with a bike, but really if you are just wanting to get fit on a budget - then running wins hands down!

I am back!

Sorry it’s been a while, I have been updating the look of my blog! So now it is more like a traditional blog, which will make it easier to update and hopefully this will mean more regular updates. I have loads of exciting things to tell you about - not least the new Brooks Pure range due to be in the stores this autumn, so check back soon for more on that.

Also exciting is my new exercise regime. Like many working mums, fitting in time for exercise is a huge challenge - even if it is sort of your job to stay fit ! I can’t remember the number of times my run has been cancelled due to a homework crisis or a child that needs taking somewhere! So I have decided that the only time when I am a) not needed, b) consistently available and c) not noticed, is at 6am when the household is asleep. Normally I am asleep at 6am too, but not anymore!

From now on Monday to Thursday I get up at 6am. Monday I go for a cycle, Tuesday I go for a run, Wednesday I go to the gym to use the rowing machine and Thursday I go for a run. Friday I get a lie-in till 7am and Saturday I go for a longer run at 7am. I am now in week two and have managed to get up each morning as planned. Wish me luck!

Progress report

So onto my latest progress with barefoot running. I am currently running three times a week, two of these runs are completed in my barefoot shoes and one of those is partly on a playing field where I do some efforts. My longer run, which is generally on tarmac, I wear either my Newtons or my Brooks green silence minimal shoe. The reason for this is because I have upped my training from zero for a few weeks to three times a week and I do not want to get injured - so I reckon a little bit of cushion on my longer runs is possibly sensible while I build up my fitness again.

I realise that is is maybe not being totally true to the barefoot running community, but the point of this blog was to find out all about it and test it out. What I do love about barefooting is the technique taught to me by Lee Saxby and I use this in whatever shoes I use as it is extremely efficient and effective. Once I am fit again I may transition back to total barefoot style - I had reached 12 miles before and was feeling good - so I am hopeful!

Nutters they are!

I have just come across the blog www.runningbarefootisbad.com, which is quite a read! Apparently ‘they [barefoot runners] are fanatical. They are as bad as the loony left of politics and the radical religious fanatics.’ Which I think most people will agree is little harsh!

I do agree it’s important to have reasoned debate and look closely at any new sporting development, but any site that has as its tagline ‘exposing barefooters for the nutters they are’ is maybe getting a little over emotional about it all and doing their cause more harm than good.

I notice too that the website has an email address for ‘hate mail’, but not one for ‘love mail’! Well I too have a contact email, but please no hate mail because I won’t bother reading it! Only friendly, or reasonable questions and comments please! [email protected]

Oh how work can get in the way of life and running. I have been so busy of late I have only managed about one run a week, which is a tragedy given the lovely weather. However this Sunday I made up for it with fantastic run out and up the hills to the countryside beyond.

Not only did I manage a run, but I also managed to look Über cool as they say. Ages ago in the depths of winter I was sent a pair of adidas running glasses to test. But in the snow and winter nights they seemed a bit out of place and became buried in the drawer and forgotten about.

In fact they are a little too glam for me really and if the truth be known, I did think I would look frankly ridiculous in the winter in a pair of gold mirror goggle glasses. But this weekend with the sun blazing down I decided to brave it.

Fortunately it was quite early when I set off, so no one really noticed me and pretty soon I forgot I was wearing them. As it happened they were really, really comfortable and so light I hardly noticed them. They were an instant hit and I am not sure I will be able to run in bright sunlight again without them. I now understand that people do not run in them to look cool (well, some do) they wear them because they work!

I have quite sensitive eyes, so flying insects and intense sun can be really uncomfortable and cause my eyes to stream and itch. I had none of these problems on Sunday. It was also lovely to run without a squint and both eyes open, and I am sure they will help prevent facial lines!

The only downside is that they are not very friendly, as in, I think I look a bit intimidating. This is borne out because fewer people waved and smiled as we passed on the towpath. And I am sure some people probably thought I looked a bit of a prat.

If they were a little less glam, a little less Posh spice, I would probably wear them more often, and I may check out the range to see if there is a slightly more low-key pair because I am a convert and would definitely recommend them!

Happy Easter one and all, I do hope you have fun in the great outdoors – barefoot or not!

Got a question, comment or just fancy a chat? Email me at [email protected]