Run #10

12th August 2010

Up to around my 4th run I found this lifting the knee, relaxing the foot, keeping the stride a natural length really worked for me. Reading and watching videos I learned that keeping the head up and the body straight was the better technique. A lot like Michael Johnson the former Olympic 400 m runner from USA. I also noticed a quicker tempo as well with the legs, which then induced a quicker movement with the arms as well.

The running when going pain free felt so free. It feels like you are the wind. Very much like the boy Super from the Incredibles when he ran over the water. Just feeling the ground, especially the grass feels like one is on vacation. Its a lovely feeling. When I've read blogs on the running a lot of people describe this joy. Those that start off on the tarmac don't seem to get this same buzz. I think its because the pads on the feet might be too tender to jump straight onto such rough surfaces.

My first recommendation is to go on grass first. Short grass so you can see what the terrain is. The pads don't need to be thrown in the deep end. I've so far not formed any calluses. The pads feel thicker and tougher but not overly rough as you might think. My skinny second toe has grown back some muscle again! The feet are a lot more flexible as well.

I also noticed my waist responding to the running. In the past running was the best way for me to get my waist back in shape. Losing the running I've struggled a lot with my waist area. I thought the swimming would have a greater impact than it has. But I think one has to start swimming for longer than an hour. Initially though it did trim down the waist.

So the lovely summer evening invited another walk barefoot. I parked the car in a different spot on the seafront. By the road there was grass to walk on. I walked for around 15 minutes. I could still feel my foot was a bit tender, but once I'd reached the larger grassy bits I began running in my jeans and shirt and my small very loaded bag. I reached a target point after 7 minutes. Took a quick nature break and felt I could handle running back. The foot felt no worse from the running. I then headed onto concrete as the grass ran out. I'd walked on this earlier when I headed out.

The concrete felt easier underfoot than when I walked. I've heard this is quite common. I thought well lets carry on on the harder stuff. So when I hit the tarmac which is the surface the seafront path is made of I was really pleased to feel it was no effort, pain or anything to run on the stuff. My knee lifts were working fine. I lifted the knee just enough to let the foot glide over the surface and landed on the ball of the foot, following through to the heel. The quick knee lifts I find prevent a over-weighted push into the heel.

Although I had my eyes on the terrain, I could feel the eyes of some on me. But as a Tai Chi Instructor I'm used to eyes on me. Also when I believe in something stuff like that doesn't put me off. I usually think that people have positive thoughts about it.

There is this evangelist feeling with it though. Its like very pioneering, yet its the oldest activity we do just about. Quite a paradox in a way.

When I read that some people out there need a lot more proof of the 'real value and benefits' of going barefoot I think to myself, if I can run with my knee the way it is and this style has almost zero impact on it don't even attempt to try tell me otherwise.

So anyway there I was cruising along the tarmac towards my car. The last part of the run was approx 25 minutes. So the whole run must have been just shy of 32 minutes.

My foot felt no worse, in fact probably easier than walking in the flip flops. I checked the soles of my feet, after I cleaned them with a wet wipe. I bought these wet wipes from Tescos for 29p. They were a lot more moist than the other, more expensive ones I'd been using. Well the soles were totally fine, in really good shape.

For several days I'd felt quite flat. I hadn't trained at all for 3 days. The energy just arrived in the mid afternoon.

So I felt fresh enough to practice some Tai Chi in a location I used to live in. A nice secluded area encloded by walls in a block of flats. It would be my first Tai Chi practice on tarmac barefoot.

For about 8 months my personal Tai Chi practice came to a halt. There was no zing in it. So I've taken a long break from my self practice outside the class.

But lately I've been wanting to bring it back, get the practice in. What I've found in the past is I have these cycles. I take a break and come back with new ideas, feeling and commitments. This proved to be the case on Sunday barefoot on the grass out the back garden. But today it felt even better(especially as a cat has now decided our back garden is the neighbourhood crapyard.) But really apart from that the Tai Chi feels so right now, barefoot. Its a missing link.

So the day was really great. I spent some time with my brother in the afternoon as he was off work. He gave me some fresh music to listen to. Thursday I have off to do my DVD work for my Tai Chi Series. I'm getting very close now to getting it ready for Amazon.com. Its done so well in the UK Amazon but I needed to fix a Qi Gong Routine for USA market. That's done now. Just the dubbing, fixing the menu to be in bounds for old 4:3 TVs still out there, small change to cover and then its there. I could do with dome testers in the states though as we are on a different system over here.