Last week our family was on vacation up in Reinlander, Wisconsin.  For the second year in a row we attended Family Camp #1 at Fort Wilderness.  I’ll be writing about that experience this weekend, but right now I want to talk about a recurring discussion I was having all week: training.

When training conversations came up, I could feel an interesting vibe and buzz.  Maybe it’s because I’m a fitness guy and that topic gets me jazzed.  But I think it’s more than that.  It wasn’t community because it was a bunch of conversations I had with individuals.  Still, as the common denominator in all of them I can’t help but recognize the theme.

Here’s some of the stories I heard: one was doing her first marathon after just completing her first triathlon.  Another is doing her first marathon after realizing she signed up for the full instead of the half.  Another was asking me about doing her first 10K or even half marathon, but she’s chosen to run around her hometown lake – no small feat, it’s 17 miles!  One woman just got done with P90X and she and I were discussing the pros and cons of the training and what’s next for her.

When the topic of training was brought up, I certainly perked up and took extra notice.  Maybe that was part of the reason I was feeling a vibe each time.  But even if that was the case, there’s no disputing our mutual excitement to talk about training.

If exercise and training evokes such positive conversations, why?  My guess is that each person feels a sense of empowerment and pride.  Their fitness is a challenge.  You don’t hear people talking about their trip to the gym and the great treadmill work they did or the additional set they got through on their bench press.  But training for a marathon?  Now there’s a lively discussion.

What about you?  Are you training for anything?  Katie and I are signed up for the Chicago half marathon in September.  I’ve got a bunch of friends doing other races and competitions this fall.  Would you be intrested in training for your first 5K?  10K?  Sprint triathon?

Or maybe you’re just working out to get in shape.  That’s cool, and great work!

Feel free to comment below if you’d like to join our community of athletes.

Have you heard of the barefoot running craze?  Did you know that the Stanford track team practices barefoot and only puts on their Nike shoes for competitions?  Barefoot running sounds hard on the feet… could it actually be good for your health and training?

When I heard that the book Born to Run was based on an ancient tribe in Mexico and their ultra-running culture, I was immediately turned off.  It just sounded a little too far-fetched for me.  But it was recommended by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing and a voice I highly respect.  It took me a couple months to get into the book; Katie and her dad beat me to it.  They said it’s a must-read.  So read I did.  And it’s changed everything.

The idea of the book is this: our feet were made to run, and all of the “protection” of high-end running shoes inhibit their ability to get stronger.  Essentially the cushion prevents our feet from being stressed and this eventually weakens the feet, leading to injury.  In another post, I’ll do a book review of Born to Run.  Today, I’d like to tell you about my experience with barefoot running.

My running career consists of two half marathons and three full marathons.  I have an educational background in biomechanics and exercise physiology.  Born to Run drew on these collective experiences and knowledge and convinced me to at least try to train part-time barefoot running.

I bought my Vibram Five Fingers three weeks ago partially on a birthday gift from my brother-in-law, Peter.   It is very important to know that you don’t just jump into training barefoot.  So I’ve progressed from quarter-mile runs to about three miles yesterday.  This has taken place over the last three weeks.  Currently I’m on vacation in Sanibel Island, Florida and I just completed a 38-minute run in my Vibrams.

Many people ask, “How does it feel?”  Friends on Facebook are asking, “How do your ankles and calves respond?”  My answer aligns perfectly with one of my principles of training: progression is essential.

My feet hurt pretty bad after my first couple weeks of running in the Vibrams.  But I could literally feel my feet getting stronger.  I know the biomechanics of my feet and their high arches.  I know I’ve done a bunch of sprinting on the balls of my feet and barefoot running on grass and sand.  So I know the science says they’ll get stronger.  But as with any form of training, there’s a breakdown phase before there’s a strengthening phase.  I’m starting to get stronger.

In Summary:  Born to Run convinced me to explore the barefoot running method.  I bought Vibram Five-Fingers and have been progressively training longer distances in them.  I have a long way to go to change my running form.  But as an athlete and a trainer, I’ve dedicated my life to helping people understand health and fitness.  This is just one other component to training of which I’m seeking to become an expert.

Any questions?  Find me on Facebook or ask in the Comments section.  In my next post, I’ll talk about my first water-shed running moment – my first mile run in the Vibrams followed by four miles in my running shoes.

In my previous post, I talked about my introduction to the barefoot running craze and the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.  Inevitably the first thing people say when they see my Vibram Five-Fingers is “how do they feel?”


They feel like gloves for your feet.  There’s compression and stretch to them, with a little bit of padding on the bottom.  They were originally designed for sailing and other water sports.  But then McDougall discovered the Tarahumara, a hidden tribe of ultra runners in Mexico, and a barefoot runner named Barefoot Ted.  The Tarahumara run without shoes; Barefoot Ted used the Vibrams as minimalist protection for his barefoot running style.  With the popularity of the book came the high demand for Vibram Five-Fingers.  Many companies now offer minimalist running shoes, but the Vibrams started it all.


Skeptics and even novice runners would say that the barefoot running would hurt your feet.  And they’re right – the initial pounding of barefoot running is certainly at best a discomfort, at worst painful.  But barefoot running is like any other form of training – progression is essential.


Why barefoot running?  (*Spoiler: I’m about to talk about significant details of the book Born to Run.  The book will still be worth a read, but I’m discussing some of the main points here.*)  So I say it again, why barefoot running?  Because your foot was made to handle much more stress than it currently gets.  And our running shoes are preventing our feet from getting stronger.


McDougall sets up the story using his running experience and then his research into the Tarahumara tribe.  These runners can run more miles than Americans would think possible, and here’s the catch: they do it with minimalist footwear, if any footwear at all.  Many, many miles… and no injuries!  So how do they do it?


Progression.  They do it because they’ve been doing it all their lives.  Their feet know no other form of training.  And they don’t get injured.  They don’t get injured because they have stronger feet than you and me.  And you say, “My feet feel plenty strong.  I’ve been doing full or half marathons for years.”

Here’s the difference between the ultra-marathon, injury-free tribe and the classic American runners:  footwear.  McDougall points out a very high percentage of serious runners get injured.  These injuries were essentially non-existent before the late 1970s.  This is when high-end running shoes began to flood the market, pioneered by Nike.  These running shoes had a significant amount of cushioning in the heel to protect runners from the violent heel strike that occurs with a classic American style of running.  In addition to a padded heel, the shoes began to also add significant support to the arch of the foot.  This is one of the most scientific findings of the research and the book.  By supporting the foot’s arch, running shoes are essentially weakening the arch and inhibiting it from doing its job.  The arch of your foot was designed to be a spring for the feet and legs and provide mechanical efficiency.  The enhanced arch support weakens this system and results in more injuries.

Barefoot running gets rid of the arch support, but it also gets rid of the heel support.  That’s why all my friends are asking me “how if feels”.  My friend Dan also asked how my calves and ankles responded because he knows that if I’m not running with a heel strike I’m running on the balls of my feet.  Think about the way you run – heel to toe.  The heel hits the ground and you roll towards your toes and push off.  Back to the heel strike.  Every time you stride, that heel is the first part of the foot to hit the ground.  Do you know how much force that is?

http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/5BarefootRunning&TrainingTips.html

Have you heard of the barefoot running craze?  Did you know that the Stanford track team practices barefoot and only puts on their Nike shoes for competitions?  Barefoot running sounds hard on the feet… could it actually be good for your health and training?

When I heard that the book Born to Run was based on an ancient tribe in Mexico and their ultra-running culture, I was immediately turned off.  It just sounded a little too far-fetched for me.  But it was recommended by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing and a voice I highly respect.  It took me a couple months to get into the book; Katie and her dad beat me to it.  They said it’s a must-read.  So read I did.  And it’s changed everything.

The idea of the book is this: our feet were made to run, and all of the “protection” of high-end running shoes inhibit their ability to get stronger.  Essentially the cushion prevents our feet from being stressed and this eventually weakens the feet, leading to injury.  In another post, I’ll do a book review of Born to Run.  Today, I’d like to tell you about my experience with barefoot running.

My running career consists of two half marathons and three full marathons.  I have an educational background in biomechanics and exercise physiology.  Born to Run drew on these collective experiences and knowledge and convinced me to at least try to train part-time barefoot running.

I bought my Vibram Five Fingers three weeks ago partially on a birthday gift from my brother-in-law, Peter.   It is very important to know that you don’t just jump into training barefoot.  So I’ve progressed from quarter-mile runs to about three miles yesterday.  This has taken place over the last three weeks.  Currently I’m on vacation in Sanibel Island, Florida and I just completed a 38-minute run in my Vibrams.

Many people ask, “How does it feel?”  Friends on Facebook are asking, “How do your ankles and calves respond?”  My answer aligns perfectly with one of my principles of training: progression is essential.

My feet hurt pretty bad after my first couple weeks of running in the Vibrams.  But I could literally feel my feet getting stronger.  I know the biomechanics of my feet and their high arches.  I know I’ve done a bunch of sprinting on the balls of my feet and barefoot running on grass and sand.  So I know the science says they’ll get stronger.  But as with any form of training, there’s a breakdown phase before there’s a strengthening phase.  I’m starting to get stronger.

In Summary:  Born to Run convinced me to explore the barefoot running method.  I bought Vibram Five-Fingers and have been progressively training longer distances in them.  I have a long way to go to change my running form.  But as an athlete and a trainer, I’ve dedicated my life to helping people understand health and fitness.  This is just one other component to training of which I’m seeking to become an expert.

Any questions?  Find me on Facebook or ask in the Comments section.  In my next post, I’ll talk about my first water-shed running moment – my first mile run in the Vibrams followed by four miles in my running shoes.

Last week our family was on vacation up in Reinlander, Wisconsin.  For the second year in a row we attended Family Camp #1 at Fort Wilderness.  I’ll be writing about that experience this weekend, but right now I want to talk about a recurring discussion I was having all week: training.

When training conversations came up, I could feel an interesting vibe and buzz.  Maybe it’s because I’m a fitness guy and that topic gets me jazzed.  But I think it’s more than that.  It wasn’t community because it was a bunch of conversations I had with individuals.  Still, being the common denominator in all of them I can’t help but recognize the theme. 

Here’s some of the stories I heard: one was doing her first marathon after just completing her first triathlon.  Another is doing her first marathon after realizing she signed up for the full instead of the half.  Another was asking me about doing her first 10K or even half marathon, but she’s chosen to run around her hometown lake – no small feat, it’s 17 miles!  One woman just got done with P90X and she and I were discussing the pros and cons of the training and what’s next for her. 

When the topic of training was brought up, I certainly perked up and took extra notice.  Maybe that was part of the reason I was feeling a vibe each time.  But even if that was the case, there’s no disputing our mutual excitement to talk about training.

If exercise and training evokes such positive conversations, why?  My guess is that each person feels a sense of empowerment and pride.  Their fitness is a challenge.  You don’t hear people talking about their trip to the gym and the great treadmill work they did or the additional set they got through on their bench press.  But training for a marathon?  Now there’s a lively discussion.

What about you?  Are you training for anything?  Katie and I are signed up for the Chicago half marathon in September.  I’ve got a bunch of friends doing other races and competitions this fall.  Would you be intrested in training for your first 5K?  10K?  Sprint triathon?

Or maybe you’re just working out to get in shape.  That’s cool, and great work! 

Feel free to comment below if you’d like to join our community of athletes?

When I decided to pursue my certification as a personal trainer, I knew wanted the best.  And the gold standard in exercise and fitness is the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).  They are the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world:

ACSM’s Mission Statement reflects this goal: The American College of Sports Medicine promotes and integrates scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life.

With some experience in the industry, I have grown to love the work of ACSM.  Their newest initiative is called Exercise Is Medicine.  The idea is to get physicians to consult with each of their patients about the importance of exercise at each visit. 

It’s a very ambitious initiative but it’s already caught my attention.  Doesn’t it make sense?  Think about it: exercise IS medicine.  Anyone who has exercise has felt the immediate benefits.  And anyone who has worked out for an extended period of time knows the long-term benefits and improved quality of life.

I share this with you in an effort to motivate you to make a change this month.  Sure, today is Frog Jumping Day, this week is Salvation Army Week, and pretty soon it will be Go Skateboarding Day (which actually sounds kind of cool).  But May is also now Exercise is Medicine Month. 

Let’s make this simple:  Join the comments section below and tell me what kind of exercise you’re getting that isn’t normally part of your routine.