My running is coming along nicely now and I'm regularly putting in the miles. Last year I only did 3 official races, other than the 3 free 5k Parkruns. This year I plan on doing quite a few more, so I've decided to join a running club.

At the moment, I don't need the services of a full running club. I have my own training programmes and goals and don't have the desire to join a proper running club and join in the club runs etc just yet. Most of this stems from the fact most clubs I've seen in the UK have a tendency to concentrate on the two extremes of running: marathon or track. They do a little in between like cross-country and shorter distance road running, but don't seem to put the same emphasis on these as they do for marathons or track. As I'm doing neither extreme at the moment so I decided to join an online-only running club, or what I like to call an "e-club". I've joined the...

For the princely sum of £16 (£15 membership + £1 PayPal admin fee) plus another £20.99 for the vest, I am now a fully fledged (well almost, I'm waiting for UKA to "unlock" my URN) club runner in the UK and I have the vest to go with it.

"So why join a club if you're not going to take advantage of the club runs etc?" you may be thinking. Well it's all about economics my dear Watson. Most UKA affiliated races in the UK charge on average £2 more for non-affiliated runners than they do for affiliated runnings. I believe this has to do with insurance. As an affiliated runner, you will be considered in county/country championship races (if you're that good). There could be other benefits with being affiliated but I'm not sure what they are. If anyone else knows, feel free to chime in.

One thing that struck me as a bit odd with the UK's licensing system, as becoming a UKA affiliated runner is essentially licensing, is how little is actually involved and how there is nothing to identify you to others that you're affiliated. I'm used to the South African system in which you register with Athletics South Africa and in return you receive a fabric race number to sew onto your running vest. This number is valid for a year and clearly indicates you're a licensed runner. This has the added benefit that you don't have to pin paper numbers onto your vest at each run (you need to do this in the UK) and thus you cut down on landfill, safety pins and paper cuts. In South Africa, as a licensed runner the only thing you get when you register for a race which doesn't provide it's own numbers like the Comrades or Two Ocean's marathons, is a little sticker in a small plastic bank bag which you pin to your shorts/shirt and then hand in at the end of the race. If the race uses timing chips, you don't even need them, but they're often used as a manual backup. Maybe we'll see something like this in the UK in the future, though I'm doubtful as there seems to be a fair amount of animosity towards UKA and the whole registering/affiliation thing. I'm not entirely sure why but I suspect it may have something to do with a change in the way the affiliation process several years ago. If someone has more details, I'm intrigued to know.

So I'm now an affiliated runner and have several races lined up for the summer.

I can't believe I missed this. Christopher McDougall (author of Born to Run) has a good discussion on the barefoot running debate that is worth a read. Ultimately, I think it all comes down to a single quote:

But ultimately, the debate isn't about Bare Soles vs. Shoes. It's about learning to run gently. Master that, and you can wear — or not wear — anything you please.
— Christopher McDougall

This is essentially what I've been telling everyone who asks me why I run barefoot.

Oooops, I've just realised I missed my own 1st barefoot anniversary. So...

Tuesday, 1 February was the big day. A whole year since I made the big decision to run completely barefoot as much as possible. I've not run all my runs and races barefoot in that time due to sensitivity, rough terrain, extreme temperatures, shoe reviews or because I really didn't feel like it, but well over 95% of my running has been completely barefoot since then.

It's been a great year and certainly a massive learning experience. The muscles in my feet are stronger than they've ever been. The skin on the bottom of my feet is becoming more and more like tough leather. My form is good and I know my running is the best it's been since I moved over to the UK. The last year hasn't all been a bed of roses, I did suffer what was probably a stress fracture in my 3rd metatarsal back in July, which in hindsight was probably due to the problems I've had with my right sacroiliac joint. Since visiting the physio and consequently paying a lot more attention to my core, I've had no problems with my feet and my right hip and lower back are considerably better. I think my running may have also improved as a result of the extra attention I've been paying to my core.

As I said back in January, my goals for this year are to continue running barefoot as much as possible and to concentrate on the 5km distance. I'll still be doing 10k races, but mainly for fun and training.

Just as well my wife has suggested a visit to our favourite pub (they always have on at least 6 real ales ;-p) for a few bevvies tonight. Think I may have to dedicate one as a celebratory drink.

Cheers everybody. I think this next year is going to be a good one.

2011 is now well under way and I think the usual window of people declaring their well intentioned, but never actually achieved, new year's resolutions has passed so I'm going to post my running specific goals now.

The problem with most people's new year's resolutions is they're often unrealistic, not thoroughly thought out and never include details of how they're going to achieve their goals. I've done this in the past, but that's changing this year as I've actually thought about it and put the plan into action already.

I don't have many running goals for this year, but the ones I do have, I've broken up into two categories: hard goals and soft goals. Hard goals are those I'm actively training for. The ones I really want to achieve. The soft goals are the "nice to haves" and in theory if I achieve the hard goals, I'm likely to hit the soft goals without much more effort.

The Hard Goals

• Run a sub-19 minute 5km, barefoot, by the end of the first week of April
• Run a sub-18 minute 5km, barefoot, by the end of the year
• NOT to race any distance higher than 10 miles

These are pretty ambitious goals, but certainly not unrealistic. My current PB (ignoring my PBs from years ago) for 5k is 19:41 and that was clocked last year in what I'd say was a far from optimal fitness level. Knocking 41 seconds off in 3 months shouldn't be too hard if I train sensibly - it's about quality, not quantity. Once I've got below 19 minutes, 8 months to knock off another minute, whilst tough, should be possible. Of course, if I fly through the 18 minute mark, I will re-assess my goals.

The Soft Goals

• Run a sub-40 minute 10km by the end of the year
• Lose at least 5kg in body fat (My current mass is 84kg)

This year is all about the 5km distance for me. Most runners I know dismiss the 5km as just fun-run stuff, and whilst I agree it is commonly associated with fun runs, it is also a distance that is all about speed, without being track-based. Speed is not something you'll have forever and is probably one of the hardest things in running to get back once you've lost it. It's also the one thing every runner wishes they had more of. Concentrating on the 5k distance will hone my speed which will then transfer into much quicker 10k (and longer) races later on. Concentrating on 5k will also allow me to improve my form at speed and allow me to "master" the distance.

I'm not entirely neglecting longer distances, I'm just not concentrating on them and will be allowing my 5k training to carry me through and improve my 10k times. I'm not running any further than 10 miles / 16km as I think this takes me too far away from concentrating on the 5km distance. I also don't want to be bitten by the long-and-slow bug just yet.

So How Am I Going To Do It?

I'm taking a full-body "quality not quantity" approach with emphasis on running and core strength. My training program is broken down as follows:

• Monday: Run + core exercises
• Tuesday: Alternate non-impact cardio - primarily swimming, but rowing and cycling may be thrown in too
• Wednesday: Run + core exercises
• Thursday: Full body weights session + core exercises
• Friday: Run + core exercises
• Saturday & Sunday: Rest, though I may throw in a recovery run here and there if I feel the need or I'm in the mood

All runs will have a purpose. No idle running for the sake of clocking up miles. I've deliberately NOT specified what running training I'll do on each day as this WILL change as my programme changes and as my mood changes and how I feel.

Where possible/plausible/desirable, all runs will be barefoot. The only times I anticipate I won't run barefoot is for long recovery runs - recovery means all of me must recover, including the soles of my feet if they're feeling a little tender - off-road runs, run in sub-zero temperatures and races on unknown routes or obviously rough terrain.

I've been following this programme more or less to the word for about 5 weeks in total now: 2 weeks in December before the Crimbo hols and 3 weeks in January (I'm part way through the 3rd week now) and it's definitely well within my capabilities.

If I stick to it, am sensible and listen to my body, I think I should be able to attain all of my hard goals. I'll certainly let you all know if I do or don't. Who knows, maybe I'll get to see the south-side of a 17 minute 5k before the year's out.

I've also added the hard goals to my Goals page so I can tick them off and will be constantly reminded of them.

Today I ventured out for my very first "very cold barefoot run". It's been a bit late coming as last week saw large parts of the UK covered in snow, and if your area wasn't covered in snow, it was freeeeeeeezing. My area was a bit of both - we had a light dusting of snow on two days and then sub-zero temperatures for the rest of the week.

I've been doing a fair bit of reading on cold weather barefoot running and I've drawn a line in the sand (or should that be snow) as to when I will and will not head out for a run barefoot. That line is 0°C. This is technically freezing point or water at sea-level and if the air is this cold, there's a very good chance the ground and water on it will be too - probably colder once you add the salt and grit.

On Monday I went out in Vibrams as I had scheduled a fast tempo run along the Thames which would take in quite a long section of pavement that was quite heavily gritted. It was also bordering 0°C so I didn't want to risk it. Today it was definitely warmer, so I decided I'd brave the cold and I'm glad I did. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

Following the Owen McCall's very good tips, I

1. over dressed: tights, long sleeve t-shirt, close fitting windbreaker, beanie and gloves
2. warmed up inside: dynamic warm ups from Brain Training for Runners with some kettlebell swings

... and then headed out a little on the sweaty side. Normally I'd strip off at this point but I held back and stayed wrapped up for my entire run. My body and feet soon cooled down a bit in the 1 mile to the field in which I did my 6x600m intervals at 3k pace. The cool down wasn't dramatic and I soon found my feet warmed up again too.

The coldest part of the run was running on grassy sections no one else had passed over that day. The grass was still a little dewy and cold, but thankfully not frozen.

Bar the very strange looks I got from people I passed, my first very cold barefoot run turned out to be a great success and provided the temperature is above 0°C on a given day and I'm not running through heavily gritted areas, I'll continue to do my runs barefoot this winter.

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.

You know those men and women who wear funny trousers and wonder around large swathes of the countryside all through the year on a never ending mission of attaining the illusive "scratch handicap"? Yes? Ah, but do you really? If you're thinking I'm referring to golfers, think again.

Let me introduce you to the new breed of British runners, yes runners, who now have a handicap. runbritain has just introduced a new handicap scoring system that is designed to give road runners of all abilities the ability to benchmark their progress and compare their results across a range of distances and terrains.

To quote the runbritain Rankings site:

The scoring system, which has been developed in conjunction with the team behind the McCain Power of 10 website, rewards regular racing and factors in a degree of difficulty for slower courses. The score is derived from your results at 5K, 10K, Half Marathon & Marathon during 2010 and thereafter on a rolling 12 month basis although you only need to have done one race in 2010 to claim a handicap.

Once registered, you just need to enter at least one race you've run this year and then be amazed at your handicap which will be in the range of -2 for the elites and 36 in 0.1 increments. Keep adding race results and watch your handicap adjust.

Everytime you login, you'll be taken to your personal biography page which displays:

• current rankings at each distance
• personal progress graph
• direct comparisons with other runners with a 'head-to-head' function
• handicap score updated automatically after each run
• target times to bring score down to the next level
• training schedules to help you achieve your targets

So if you haven't done so already, head on over to runbritain Rankings and claim your handicap. Oh and don't forget to bring up your handicap when chatting over that ice cold beer after your next race.

For the curious, my handicap after three 5k Parkruns and two 10k races is...

... with all races done completely barefoot. Not bad if I say so myself. Now to see how I can get this automatically updating in the sidebar of this site.

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 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.