"How to Transition to Running in Vibram FiveFingers"
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 9:27PM If you haven't read it already, Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee of RunBare.com guest posted on birthdayshoes.com, their title brilliantly transparent to their purpose, "How to Transition to Running in Vibram FiveFingers: Let Your Skin be Your Guide." Michael, a speed skater, cyclist, and coach over twenty years, suffered from a serious accident in April of 2006. Doctors told him it was possible he would never walk again let alone run. ;)
He went from the hospital bed to races on crutches, from agonizing yards of barefoot running to present day 80-100 miles per week unshod. When it comes to listening to your body to reach a far off goal, he just might be a person to take advice from.
Although Michael and Jessica appear to be full-blown barefoot runners, their post is directed to to those owning Vibram FiveFingers and those wanting to own them. Their goal, to help make the transition to these minimalist shoes safe and 'setback' free. Of course, 'too much too soon' has been an issue for many who get intoxicated by how new and exciting running in VFF can be, and they overdue it, often having to deal with muscle tears, soft-tissue damage, or even more severe issues. My impatience often finds me in this predicament. Sore calves and over the foot pain have become close companions as I have strived to match regular training mileage to when I ran shod. The authors provide detail to why running barefoot is the answer to injury free transitioning... "Let Your Skin be Your Guide!"
I enjoyed "How to Transition to Running in Vibram FiveFingers: Let Your Skin be Your Guide." It is a validation to my current reasoning for adding barefoot running to my training regime, letting foot sensitivity guide my running form. Just as Sandler and Lee propose, I hope to gain stronger feet and a lighter stride from the practice. I'm looking forward to reading their newly released book, Running Barefoot, with extras from Chi Running author, Danny Dreyer, and Born to Run character, Barefoot Ted. Along with my skin, it wouldn't hurt to let these other great runners be a guide as well.
Check out the full post at birthdayshoes.com!
Related Posts: "You Happy with Your Feet?" & My First Barefoot Run: Lesson Learned
Reader Comments (1)
Thanks much for the link, Nathan! Sandler and Lee definitely wrote the best transition piece I've seen! I look forward to meeting them when they come through Atlanta on their tour of America.