First Run In The Vibram FiveFingers

Holy shit, I can’t walk. Seriously, people at the office are trailing me just to see me hobble around stiff legged and incapable of descending the stairs…

A little history to try and explain what I think is happening.

I’ve never run. I mean sure, I’ve tried to run. I even remember running the mile in middle school and hating it and probably taking 12 minutes or more. I also have never done leg exercises. I was pretty jacked leaving high school and through college. I lifted weights 4 days a week, but NEVER did my legs. What does all this mean? I have a lower leg that consists of a shin and behind it, maybe some tendons, but that’s it. There’s not one ounce of muscle back there.

That’s pretty much an accurate picture of my legs… So on top of the fact that I’ve never done anything substantial with my legs, I have come to realize that I am a habitual HEAL STRIKER.

You see, after just one run I now know why I always hurt when I run! The Vibram FiveFingers don’t allow me to heal strike. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and take your shoes off and try to run as fast as you can with a massive stride and pound that heal in the hard concrete below. Ok, don’t really try that, but you see what I’m talking about? My natural stride is TINY compared to what I attempt to do with a ginormous padded heal attached to my foot.

So what’s the outcome? I did 1 mile and it took 11 minutes. Most importantly…not one instance of pain anywhere in my entire body! I think I’m going to like this!

UPDATE [December 2009]
I can’t stress enough to people just starting out either barefoot running or running in the Vibram FiveFingers – GO SLOW. I have converted a half dozen people to date to the shoes (and no one has gone back!). These people ranged from folks who were like me (not runners at all) to people who were seasoned runners (multi-marathoners) and all have raved about the results from the shoes. The people who were like me, progressed much as you see how I progressed on this site, slow and steady. The seasoned runners adapted much more quickly and were logging long mile runs within weeks. My mantra is simple:

Simple. Slow. Listen. Log.

Simple- get your shoes off. Run barefoot or pick up some FiveFingers. I don’t recommend getting simpler shoes over time, most things I’ve read show you’d be putting yourself at increased risk of injury. Just do it, get back to the natural way your body was built to run!

Slow- run slower than you think. A lot slower. My starting pace was around 12min miles and my lower calves and Achilles were fried on my first several runs. Just jog it out, take it slow, it will come!

Listen- you’re going to me AMAZED at how talkative your body is going to be, trust me. You’ve removed that barrier that prevented your highly tuned feet into talking with your brain and getting valuable, instant feedback. Last month, into a long run, I noticed a twinge in my left hip. I quickly analyzed my body posture and realized I had slipped to a slight forward curve in my back. I readjusted and, bam, the pain was instantly gone. Having shoes on can block you from recognizing things and you need to listen to your feet and body now. When they say they are tired, you stop running. Check out the Pose Method of running as well. If you run in FiveFingers or barefoot, you’ll be surprised to find that you probably naturally already run this way! It never hurts to understand this method though so you can check your form mid-run when you get a signal that somethings off a bit.

Log – most of us are results driven. Running gives you INSTANT feedback. You can set goals for yourself, hit those goals and make amazing leaps in distance and time by just keeping at it. I tried a bunch of different logging techniques and fell in love with RunningAhead.com. It offers a great way to keep track of the progress you are making, which is sooooo important. It also takes data right from my Garmin Forerunner 305 and gives key data like average and max heart rate, pace, interval data, etc. Keep an eye on the price of the 305, it fluctuates highly. I got it a couple months ago for $150 and have seen it go as low as $130 and back up to near $300!

Most important thing of all HAVE FUN! Running is such a joy for me now and I love hearing about how people have changed their lives and realized their abilities through running. Please leave me any comments if you found this helpful or have anything else to add that people could benefit from.