Look what I got today (thank-you Canoe Inc). Come on everyone, I want to hear you say "Ooooooo". I've not taken them for a spin yet, but initial impressions are good. I'll write up a full review once I've had a chance to take them out for a nice long run.
Well folks, I'm back online and trying to get back into the groove again. I technically wasn't completely offline, just lacking the motivation to write or get involved due to recent events on the home front. Sadly, February has been a very tough month for my wife and I: our baby daughter, Lara, unfortunately didn't make it through the open heart surgery she had to undergo in order to rectify two congenital heart defects. I'm not going to go into the details here but if you're interested, I will be posting a series of posts, building up to my daughter's funeral on 12 March, on my main site. Suffice to say we were devastated and completely knocked for six by this, even though we'd known about the heart condition before she was born. The loss of a child is something you really can't prepare yourself for no matter how much forewarning you received.
Ditch Your Trainers and Run Barefoot • The London Evening Standard has a chat with Galahad Clark, founder of Terra Plana, about barefoot running. Some interesting names are dropped too including Jonathan Ross, Ben Fogle and Bear Grylls; apparently they're all vocal fans of going barefoot.(0)
In my quest to go completely barefoot, or as near as possible in as many environments as possible, I've had my eye on replacing all my chunky shoes with more minimalist shoes. I've had my eyes on a couple of brands, including the VivoBarefoot range from Terra Plana, but haven't really seen any in person to get an idea of what they're like. I also wasn't too keen on blindly shelling out for a pair of shoes I'd seen on the internet, have them imported from the US only to find they're hideous in person.
Well, luck was on my side as I was approached by a kind lady on behalf of Terra Plana and given the opportunity try a pair of shoes from their VivoBarefoot range. After much umming and ahhing - "Do I go for the casual looking Aquas for everyday use, or the more formal looking Dharmas for work use?" - I opted for the Aquas, in white (other colours are available), and placed my order.
Looky looky what I received in my inbox from a kind lady at Terra Plana (click for full size):
Now this blog is all about running barefoot and as near as possible, however I still like to highlight some of my other feet and shoe related findings, especially if they're particularly bizarre and this is one of those posts. Check these very strange and dare I say potentially damaging beasts...
Athletic Footwear and Running Injuries • I think this is one of the best articles I've read that details the harmful effects of modern running shoes: Athletic Footwear and Running Injuries. It shares a common theme with the article by Christopher McDougall but it's presented as an essay, with more detail and includes a supporting reading list at the end.(0)
Same runner, same day, with no instruction given in between videos.
Continue »That's it, I've decided I will NOT be running in shoes ever again, if I can help it. By shoes, I mean those heavy, expensive things with huge wadges of foam and rubber and laces - not Vibrams or other minimalistic "foot protectors".
The reason is plain and simple: it hurts.
09 Mar → 8.43km - 45:07
Type: Running - Intervals
Notes: 4x Yasso 800s barefoot on grass
Took a gentle run to the park, measured out 400m and then set to running my 800s in the 4:14 - 4:16/km range with the 400m rests in 8:28 - 8:32/km. Moderate pace run back.
Great Yasso workout. Did the rests a little quick, but any slower and I may as well have walked them. Had a little spare in the tank so really pushed the last one.
Split Summary
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1) - 0.8km - 3:17(4:06/km)
R) - 0.4km - 2:53(7:13/km)
2) - 0.8km - 3:23(4:14/km)
R) - 0.4km - 2:55(7:17/km)
3) - 0.8km - 3:21(4:12/km)
R) - 0.4km - 3:06(7:45/km)
4) - 0.8km - 3:10(3:57/km)
R) - 0.4km - 2:58(7:24/km)
