DAY 22 - Lightening Fast Superpowers!

VFF running
Bloody feet are no picnic. Trust me. A sign that I'm still a fledgling barefoot runner. They're also a sign that, apparently, I have the pain tolerance of a stump. I have no idea that it's happening when it's happening because once I've taken a break and looked at the bottoms of my feet the curse words start a flyin! The outside of my feet (the bit under my pinky toe that attracts all the jabby things) tends to get raw when I run, but mostly towards the end of my run. I think. Honestly, I have know idea at what point they become raw and then get bloody, but its happened twice now after two long runs. Which is why I chose to go 100 percent VFF today. It was an enlightening run. I think I figured out what's going on.

Because I was hoofing it in my VFFs today, I was able to push myself a little more than usual. Getting back down to my old shodded pace feels really good. Once my cardio gets going I find myself in the perfect rhythm to obtain that elusive runner's high that I rarely get these days while barefoot running. I just don't go fast enough when I barefoot. I often don't even feel like I've just ran 5 miles. When I ran shod things were totally different. I would always push my pace towards the end of a run and end up anaerobic, which felt great. Its been a long time since I've been in the state of anaerobic. Its a beautiful state. You should visit sometime.

Today, after having ran 5 miles at an even faster pace than normal I decided I had enough energy to do some speedwork and play around with my form a bit. The thing about running barefoot or minimal is that it requires immaculate form, which in turn, as I found out, really allows you to kick some ass with speed. In fact, when I kick up the cadence (and pay close attention to my form) I feel like my legs are unattached and they're taking me for a ride. I teeter on losing control because my legs go so fast. I can adjust how fast I go with my lean and lifting my feet. Its amazing how light I feel when I do this. Its like I have lightening fast superpowers. You know that punk, blond chick from the television show Heroes? Yeah. Its kinda like that. Way cool except for the fact that it feels like if my legs could go any more roadrunner they'd fall off. And I need my legs.

So while I'm paying extra close attention to my form (I'm still slightly sensitive about the raw parts of my feet) I made a discovery. As my pace gets faster I have a tendency to supinate or rotate the sole of my foot up so I'm landing on the outside right where the raw part of my foot is. This seems to go against all the laws of my body since I'm a serious pronator. To me, this is freakish and weird. Like I've just broken the barrier into bizzaro world where everything is opposite of reality. Not sure how I'm going to correct this freaky form fail, but at least I figured it out. For now, I will just have to pay closer attention as I increase my speed.


Comments

  1. I've been running more in VFFs lately too because my toes get way too cold these days. I am also noticing I am running a lot faster shod but but even though I also get that great feeling of runner's high, I know my form suffers. I find it very difficult to correct it when in Vibrams.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Form first...then fast, grasshopper. If you're still getting blisters going slow, you're going to f up your feet even more as you speed up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Christian - I know. :( This is my discovery. For now...Speed + barefoot = bad

    My feet got the latest blisters from trying to go too fast barefoot. It was nice to get a decent run in with a little speed in my VFFs, though. *sheepish smile*

    I'm weak. I need my fix. Someone save me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think you're pretty normal. If not, then I'm a freak like you. It's hard to go slow and find that perfect form when you know you could be going faster. I keep telling myself that although I may not be as fast as I once was, that I will be again and even faster because I won't have to keep starting all over again because of some stupid injury! I keep telling myself that learning to run all over again may just make it possible for me to run until I'm dead. My ultimate goal is not to run fast for a year but to run consistently for the rest of my life. And there's a different high that comes from running barefoot. I'm still learning, like you. It's frustrating and exciting all at the same time, huh.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It is Jen. I can't hold myself back at times. Its hard right now because I've been slow for almost 3 months now. All I want is to sweat and breathe hard on a run... :(

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love it when I feel like my legs are detached. It happens to me a lot after I develop a consistent pace. I don't think I've ever consciously thought about it, nice to hear you point it out. I'm going to focus on this in my next couple runs.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Twenty Miles Of Punishment

Shame and Camel Toe

Evofem's Softcup Review

I'm A Sucker For Beauty & Athletic Eye Candy

A Running Orgasm?