Time to fire up your browsers and head over to Amazon (US / UK) and get pre-ordering. Ken Bob Saxton's running barefoot book...

The Complete Book of Barefoot Running: Learn the Scientifically Proven Technique for Improving Your Stride and Reducing Injuries (a bit of a mouthful) is now available for pre-order and it looks like it'll be out in time for next year's Boston Marathon (18 April 2011). AND it'll be available in the UK, so no need to hunt the internet for a UK reseller or pay over the odds for shipping.

I think of all the barefoot running related books release since Born to Run, I think this one may be the most thorough and informative. After all, Ken Bob is probably the most experienced barefoot runner out there and experience counts for a lot. His website is a continual source of information for many runners, including me, so I've got high hopes of this book becoming my font of knowledge when I can't or don't want to access the internet to look something up.

Autumn, whilst not quite here, is certainly starting to make its appearance. There's a slight nip in the air, the leaves are starting to fall and the squirrels are out in full force gathering nuts and seeds for the winter ahead. This is quite a stark contrast to what I've just been enjoying for the last two weeks: hot sunny Spanish weather with no running, lots of swimming, food and beer, and not much else.

I've just got back from my first run in just over two weeks following my belated summer holiday and what a wonderful run it was. I felt full of bounce and seemed to just glide my way along. The cool nip in the air punctuated by dappled sunshine was very refreshing, and the feeling of the cool tar under my feet broken up by intermittent patches of freshly dropped leaves quite exhilarating. Of course, I don't think the squirrels were too happy with me suddenly appearing behind or right next to them completely unannounced: there was a lot of squirrel screeching and scurrying and not too many happy squirrels, but hey-ho, that's what happens when a nutter like me works near a nice wooded area.

I'm looking forward to running barefoot this autumn. Autumn is one of my favourite times to run and this year will be my first year completely barefoot. I'm also eager to see how far into winter I can go before I feel the need to wear shoes because of the cold. If we don't get the snow we had last year, I may be able to make it all the way through. Time will tell.

New Balance recently released an interview between ultramarathon runner Tony Krupicka, a New Balance shoe designer Chris Wawrousek and someone acting on behalf of NewBalance.com that goes over the iterative design process behind the NB Minimus Trail shoe due out in 2011.

Pretty interesting stuff, and I quite like the little slide show towards the end showing each of the iterative steps in the design process. I like the fact they've actually taken a runner known for hacking his shoes to bits to get what he wants and asked him to give feedback. This is great way to design a serious pair of minimalist shoes.

It'll be interesting to see how these compare to the shoes Merrell plan on releasing around the same time.

For several years now I've had a recurring discomfort and sometimes searing pain in my lower back and right sacroiliac joint. I can't pin-point any one action that causes the discomfort or anything that aggravates it, but it seems to crop up every 3 to 4 months and then hangs about for a month or two. Then all is well until it's next occurrence several months later.

I have managed to work out that if I am feeling the discomfort, it's easier for me to take things one step further into the world of excruciating pain if I sit a bit wonky on the sofa and get up without correcting my posture first. Thankfully I can catch this just as it starts to pinch and avoid the pain, though I have caught myself 3 times "pinching" something without any warning. This has left me almost immobile for a week at a time.

As this seems to be a recurrent thing that isn't going away, I'm off to the physio today to get a full assessment. Hopefully that will shed some light on the cause and provide a means to resolve it. I suspect it may be due to my slightly wonky spine.

On the running side of things, the last two weeks have been good. No problems with my running at all and I'm feeling great. I'm deliberately taking things quite slowly so I don't introduce any problems and have decided to follow a more structured training programme. Hopefully the gradual increase in volume and pace will keep things on course for a cracking race in about 16 weeks time. Until then I'll be keeping the racing to a bare minimum.

Woohooo!!!! I'm running again folks and boy does it feel good to be back out there running.

It's been just over 6 weeks since I hurt my foot and I decided yesterday was the day to finally head out and test how my foot has recovered. I can say it was a great success. I took a gentle 1 mile out-and-back run and all felt good. I could feel a slight niggle on the top of my left foot during the early stages but this soon disappeared as my muscles relaxed and I adjusted my form. As I was feeling so good, I threw in 4 sets of 10 burpees with each set immediately followed by a fast 50m run. Wow these felt good. It was tough towards the end but quite exciting to feel what it feels like to run on legs that feel like jelly again.

Surprisingly, my legs and feet all feel tip-top this morning, so 6 weeks off hasn't de-conditioned me much. That said, my feet are a bit more sensitive now.

The time not running wasn't all lost time. During this time I have discovered quite a bit about my stride, feet and legs.

Top of the Foot Pain Relief

This is quite an obscure one, but I found that using a pair of lovely pink toe separators - yes the type ladies use for painting their toe nails - actually relieved some of the pain I was feeling on the top of my foot. I have no idea why, but it works and whilst it got uncomfortable after prolonged use, it was a brilliant way of relieving the pain at it's peak. I'm going to continue to use the toe separators each night whilst watching telly to see if it has any effect on spreading my toes and thus giving a wider more stable platform to run on.

It Twists

The niggle on the top of my foot showed me that my left foot twists ever-so-slightly when pushing off when walking. I could feel it with each stride. My heel twists inwards as I roll over the ball of my foot. As I couldn't run when I discovered this, I can't say if I have this same "feature" when running, but it wouldn't surprise me if I do, especially as concentrating on NOT twisting and NOT pushing off whilst running seemed to ease the twinge I felt at the early stages of yesterday's run.

Knee Bone Connected to Toe Bone

I also got my hands on a 15cm x 90cm foam roller and was very surprised to find I had quite a few tight spots in my hamstrings and calves. My legs generally feel good and well relaxed so I was quite surprised to find these deep hidden knots. What is interesting is relaxing some of the knots in my calves, particularly my left calf, also relieved some of the pain in my foot; I could actually feel the tension easing away from the tendons on the top of my foot whilst pressing on one of the knots.

So whilst having an injury isn't the best thing in the world, it's turned out to be quite beneficial for me. I now know that my left foot probably has a tendency to twist as I run and hence the possible cause of the injury. I now know that toe separators aren't just for girls and I'm also aware that I have unknowingly tight muscles, or more specifically tight areas of muscle fascia which will benefit from regular and consistent deep tissue massage or "foam rollering".

I know this is a bit short notice, but I've been a tad on the excessively busy side of things are work and really haven't wanted to touch a computer when I got home.

If you're interested in taking the plunge into barefoot running, but want to be sure you're doing it right or with a bit of guidance, why not take advantage of the Barefoot Experience Workshops Terra Plana are hosting next week...

Learn the skill of barefoot walking and running at 'The Barefoot Experience' Terra Plana, 36 Kings Road, London SW3.

Spearheaded by new research and the international bestseller 'Born to Run' the barefoot movement is gathering pace. London’s first 'Barefoot Experience' is dedicated to helping people rediscover natural movement, and better health, from the feet up.

In January 2010 Professor Dan Lieberman of Harvard University released his seminal research on the benefits of barefoot and the dangers of normal padded running shoes (Nature Magazine, 'Tread Softly') adding to a number of other scientific studies showing how underfoot shoe technologies are doing more harm than good.

Terra Plana are creators of Vivobarefoot, the original barefoot shoe, with a patented ultra thin puncture resistant sole that gives all the benefits of being barefoot with protection.

Now Terra Plana are proud to announce their first public workshops, to learn the key to injury free barefoot running & walking. These sessions are available on a first come, first served basis and are free of charge.

Classes last for 1.5 hours, 6 places are available at each session; participants will be filmed on the instore treadmill (allowing each person to see improvements in technique).

Walking classes are available on Monday August 16th & Wednesday August 18th. Running classes are available on Wednesday August 25th & Saturday August 28th.

Classes will run at the following times on each day:

10 – 11.30am, 11.30 – 1.00pm, 2 – 3.30pm, 3.30 – 5.00pm, 5.00 – 6.30pm.

Classes will be conducted by Tony Riddle. Tony is a highly respected international running coach and numbers premier league footballers amongst his clients. Tony was trained by and works closely with, leading barefoot running expert, Lee Saxby; he is a qualified POSE level 2 instructor.

Come and enjoy the 'Barefoot Experience', kick off your shoes, release your feet, stimulate your soles and rediscover the joy of natural movement…

Where: 36 Kings Road, London SW3 / nearest tube: Sloane Square

For bookings please call: 0207 581 5764. Limited places available.

I hope you didn't miss the word FREE in there. So if you're in or around London next week, want some guidance on barefoot running or walking, then give Terra Plana bell and get yourself booked in a slot.

Sadly, I'm still nurturing my foot back to full recovery after hurting it (we're nearly there - more news coming soon) so I won't be taking advantage of this offering .

I'm not in the least bit happy with having to turn this, and another session with Lee Saxby down, but I'd rather be 100% fully recovered before hitting the tarmac than rush things just to get a session with one of the top barefoot experts in the UK. Maybe next time, if there is one.

A couple of months ago Jason Robillard approached me asking if I'd be interested in reviewing his book The Barefoot Running Book: A Practical Guide to the Art and Science of Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Running. Being one eager to see how others can learn about barefoot running, I graciously accepted Jason's offer and a couple of weeks later a copy of his booked dropped through the letterbox. Thanks Jason.

The first thing that struck me was the size of the book, or more precisely the lack there of. The book is A5 in dimensions and has only 52 pages of reading material, excluding the exercises and appendix at the back, however the lack of size is easily made up by the wealth of information contained within. The book is broken up into 5 progressive sections: Why Barefoot Running, Pre-running, Starting to Run Barefoot, Intermediate Barefoot Running and finally Other Topics which covers things like hecklers, training and cross training.

Each section is broken into individual points explaining a concept, activity or issue, and provides a clear description of each as it guides you from the very beginning up to the point of being a relatively seasoned barefoot runner. As the whole book is written as a series of progressive points, it does make it feel a bit "jumpy" when reading it cover-to-cover. I got the feeling that it may have come from a collection of blog posts compiled into a single book. However this structure does make it an easy reference to turn to if you need to check up on something quickly so it's perfectly suited to the beginner who would otherwise spend the time trawling the web for answers.

With the structure and layout of the book out of the way, I can say Jason does a good job of introducing the complete beginner to the world of barefoot running. He starts off by correctly pointing out that barefoot and minimalist running may not be for everyone, whether that be due to medical or preferential reasons, but does mention that it's definitely worth considering, even if just as a supplement to your normal shod running. He also references several studies on the effects of modern running shoes, but doesn't go to the point of bashing the manufacturers.

Jason then takes the reader through a deliberately slow and relaxed approach to getting ready for barefoot running, relaxing (this is very important and Jason puts a lot of emphasis on this), strengthening the feet and skin, and then finally heading out for a run.

Just before the reader actually heads out for their first run, the topics of cadence, form and posture are covered and then once out running things are progressed nicely to cover efficiency, different terrains, weather and increasing speed and distance. The book then finishes off covering developing your training further and incorporating cross training for development of the rest of your body.

I do have a few criticisms with the book. First is its price: I didn't have to pay for my copy, but others may be a bit disappointed by the size of the book compared to it's price, however the book is self published so the costs will be higher.

Next is Jason's suggestion that people find the form that feels right for them. My own experience is showing that this is not the best approach. Form is important and whilst the comfortable form it easy to fall into and get used to, it may not be the best and without correction injury may ensue.

Lastly, and this isn't really a criticism, but a niggle: the cover it terrible. I wouldn't pick this book up when passing it on a shelf in the book shop. Thankfully for Jason, he's been told this already, or worked it out for himself as the next edition is coming with a much more attractive cover (see right).

In summary, The Barefoot Running Book is a good, easily referenced, introduction to barefoot running for anybody interested in taking up barefoot running, or just incorporating a bit of barefoot running into their training schedule.

And for those on the bleeding edge of technology, it's available for the Kindle in both the US AND even the UK.

A couple of weeks ago, I received the following query in a comment...

Hi,
I'm a Physio based in Guildford. I've been looking into barefoot running for the last 6 months having had repetitive shin splints from running in expensive shoes-and finally found some fivefingers on sale. So I've taken the plunge and ordered some kso's to test the whole barefoot running out of both personal and professional interest. Can I ask, how did you start out? What sort of training plan would you advise?
Thanks,
Joe

I started to write a response to the comment in the comments section of that post and realised it was becoming a rather long response and should probably warrant it's own post so others can find it too. So here it is and sorry about the delay in writing it Joe, it's been a crazy few weeks.

It's been just over a year since I declared I wouldn't run in normal running shoes ever again. Since then I've transitioned to running completely barefoot and built up a fair bit of knowledge and experience and with hindsight on my side, I wouldn't recommend the route I took.

I came into barefoot running by going the minimalist route first, specifically in Vibram Five Fingers, and whilst I took things slowly (only after taking things too fast and feeling a bit tender at times), I still think I didn't spend enough time on working on my form in the early days when running in the Vibrams. As a result I've built up a good base for barefoot running, but I think I've still got some sort of form issues and hence the injury I'm currently sitting with. If I were to do things all over again, I would start completely barefoot, perfect my form and then transition to the Vibrams or other minimalist shoes and I recommend anyone else considering making the transition do the same thing. (Actually, I wouldn't go to the VFF now )

The idea of transitioning to minimalist shoes by going completely barefoot may sound counter-intuitive, but it's not really. Starting out barefoot, rather than in Vibrams or other minimalist shoes, will ensure you have the perfect "coach" by your side, or more precisely under you. Your bare feet will start off very weak, very soft and very sensitive. This weakness and sensitivity will act as the perfect guide to ensuring you don't over do things and they'll allow you to very quickly and easily assess if you're going too far or too fast and if you have any form issues that need ironing out. By starting in the minimalist shoes, you'll have a thin layer of rubber between your soft sensitive feet and the ground. Whilst not significant, it's enough to dull some of the sensations your feet could be experiencing and thus reduce the feedback you get. This in turn will encourage you to go too far, too fast, too soon without ensuring good form and you will get hurt.

Now with that out of the way, I highly recommend you read through and action ALL of Ken Bob Saxton's "How to Run" and build yourself a good barefoot base before slipping on the Vibrams. Ken Bob is probably the most experienced barefoot runner in the western world and he's done a tremendous job of documenting the process of learning to run barefoot correctly. Any attempts I make would pale in comparison and I'm not confident I have enough experience just yet.

Only when you're easily and comfortably running 3 - 5 km completely barefoot do I think you should consider transitioning to the Vibrams or other minimalist shoes, if of course you still want to go this route . This should give you a good base and should ensure your feet and lower legs are trained well for the task with your form as close to perfect as possible.

This may not play well into any racing plans or other short-term dreams you may have, but putting them on hold and starting from rock bottom and building up is absolutely the best thing to do to ensure a long and rewarding, and hopefully injury free, minimalist or barefoot running career.

I worked from home yesterday and decided I'd go for a gentle walk up to the local park and back to get a bit of exercise and to keep my feet used to being barefoot. On the way back I was approached by a little boy on his bicycle. He greeted me, which was quite refreshing, and then asked "Why aren't you wearing any shoes?". I replied: "Because I don't want to hurt my feet". A puzzled look appeared on his face, a little pause and then he asked: "How do you ride your bike then? It hurts if I don't wear shoes". He wasn't too interested in my response as he rode off, but his response made me smile.

Wednesday evening saw the running of the second of the three Yateley 10k races in the series, and like the first one, I ran it barefoot.

I'd had a bit of a sedentary two weeks building up to the race following the onset of the early signs of the dreaded top of foot pain (ToFP) that cropped up during my piggies hill training session on 22 June. With only a single tabata rowing session done between then and the race I went in the race very relaxed and rested with my foot feeling good too.

At 7:30pm we were sent on our way and I paid special attention to my pace. I went into this race wanting to crack 45 minutes and intended on doing so by keeping a constant pace that sat in the 4:20 min/km to 4:28 min/km range. This plan worked beautifully. I managed to remain disciplined and didn't get caught up in the excitement of the start of the race too much and managed to keep my pace more or less within this range right up until the 8th km. This included the particularly stoney tarred section along Reading road between about 5.5km and 7.2km which this time I chose not to try and avoid.

I suspect I could have kept this pace up beyond the 8km mark had it not been for what happened next... just after the 8km mark the pain on the top of my left foot returned, and with a vengeance. It was pretty damn painful, but as I'd got most of the way round, there was no way I was going to stop now - I'll probably regret this later. I quickly found it wasn't as painful if I turned my foot inwards slightly and almost rolled over my big toe (could the cause of the pain be due to a slightly outward pointing left foot?) so with my slightly adjusted gait and slower pace I headed for the finish.

Turning into the field entrance I glanced at my watch and noticed I was still on course for a sub-45 10k, so I floored it as best I could, passed a couple of people and crossed the finish line with a new PB: 44:43.

Pleased as punch I handed in my timing chip, grabbed a water and a choccy bar and headed back to the car. The pain in my left foot starting to really sink in now too. Impressively I had my official results SMS by the time I got back to my car too...

So all in all, I had a great run, except for the onset of ToFP at 8km, but that's incidental really as I'd managed to set a new PB and still had a great time. Still no sign of any photos from this or the previous race though - I'm starting wonder if they had an official photographer this year.

Now I'll have to see what happens with my left foot over the next few weeks. Hopefully it'll recover completely in time for the 3rd and final race in the series on 4 August.