INTRODUCTION to BFR - & I'm done!

Hey my run mechanics DVD is finally available - I will be able to ship them out in about 3 weeks - watch the website.

A Coach’s suggestions to introducing BFR to your routine

(This article goes out with a clear warning – no NOT try this without first clearing with your physician)
This process can be a little easier for triathletes who do spend some time running barefoot from either the water to the bike, or the dismount to the run and hopefully training for that.
The trick with moving from fully shod all the time, to experiencing the conditioning, mechanical and performance benefits possible through BFR, is gradual progression – just like regular endurance training.
· Your specific mechanics (including weight)
· Foot wear transition process and suggestions
· Venues and surface
Somewhat obviously your specific mechanics are the most crucial aspect as pertaining to the entry process to BFR. If you are a serious over-pronator with collapsed arches who originally chose your footwear because of pain or injury due to this, you need to pay special attention.
Use this as a disclaimer (speak to your doctor). Bottom line – your feet could always use some strengthening and everyone can benefit from addressing their running mechanics, BUT SOME FOLK REALLY WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RUN AT ALL WITHOUT MODERN SPECIFIC FOOTWEAR. If you have issues either structurally or with soft tissue that logically and in the opinion of a respected expert, preclude you from efforts to do some running (or even walking) bare foot – stay away. As an individual you will know from informal barefoot experience whether this is a route for you to try or not.
Lastly, remember that the likelihood of early man, the runner who chased his lunch down, had a body fat of over 10% is highly unlikely – they had no high fructose corn syrup! An individual’s weight is key going into a BFR integration process. As an example, I set goal weight targets (based on a % body fat) for my beginners before they transition from walking to running and from run/walk to running. Similarly, neophyte triathletes from a swim background (or to a lesser extent, a biking or highly sedentary background), must first do some walking, foot strengthening and bone density increasing activities before beginning BFR. So too should any athletes who have clear limiters to BFR regarding their physical suitability.
Once you have jumped through the hoops to ensure you can safely launch into a BFR process then it’s time for HOW.
The first HOW is footwear. You might say well, if we are talking BFR then let’s go do it – run without shoes – but easy there Tiger, not so fast. A good model is the one of orthotics – have I said a bad word? Often individuals who opt for orthotics, maintain the same support shoes & end up over-supported – it is essential to reduce the amount of support you get from your shoe if an orthotic is doing much of the work already. Also consider that often an orthotic does its work in a very short time & proprioceptively improves your foot function meaning you need less orthotic VERY soon. Lastly the greater the amount of support, the greater the weakening of the foot structure as its function is taken over by external devices. This, by the way, is the whole argument of the BFR fraternity – these shoes have weakened our feet to such an extent that we have become dependent upon them. Ironically, this is also the voice of reason in the whole process: yes strengthen your feet, gain as much natural strength & function as possible & reduce the support & cushioning of your footwear to the safest point possible. The whole idea of course is to run as fast as your physiology permits & you desire & then also remain injury free, (which is the secret to optimal fitness any way – consistency!)
So using the orthotics model – the greater your dependence upon supportive shoes & orthotics & the less effective your own natural mechanics, the slower the process. This might mean wearing slightly less supportive shoes as your specific process begins, while another, who wears a neutral racer or racer/trainer can possibly go straight to barefoot work or to some kind of minimalist footwear.
Lastly the surface that is to be run on needs to be carefully considered. While thick grass is good, there are some inherent challenges: hidden dangers like glass, rocks, splinters & dog poop landmines are an ever present possibility. Grass is also uneven & can cause sprains & the like. Dirt is somewhat hard & stony. So those surfaces often require some sort of covering of the foot sole like a cross country racing flat. I really like synthetic grass surfaces – they are soft enough & firm enough & somewhat clear of debris & reasonably accessible.
Process:
1. Start off by walking about the house & garden barefoot for ever lengthening periods – good luck with the garden in northern climes (or way southern climes) in the winter!
2. Spend some time (a maximum of 10 minutes) “playing” with minimalist shoes (no heels or real cushioning or support) – Frisbee, throwing a ball, light soccer, kids, etc
3. Before run sessions, after a brief barefoot walk, run around on a smooth, softer, safe surface at a comfortable pace for a maximum of 5 minutes & gradually increase from there.
4. If you do regularly sprint or stride & do plyometric drills, begin doing some small part of these barefoot or in minimalist footwear
5. Build these until you have achieved the desired effect & you have determined a level of footwear cushioning & support that suit your needs for performance & safety
& for goodness sake – have fun with it!

Bobby McGee

Look out for my new DVD on Run Mechanics & Drills in the next 3 weeks on my website & from USAT or Endurance films

MORE words on barefoot running...

This URL is brief & says plenty; check it out: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=running-barefoot-is-better-research-2010-01-27Especially watch the video; Very clear

Yes there is less pressure on the knees of people who run on their fore foot, or at least strike there 1st. The problem arises for most runners however if they do not follow this with the heel at least lightly “kissing” the surface as the great 800m runner, Sebastian Coe puts it.Remember that a number of elite athletes do run on their forefeet, in shoes, as they were born to run. I am a plodder & run on my forefeet for heaven’s sake. A highly supportive shoe kills me, but even though I teach biomechanical drills, can demonstrate most forms of running, spend my entire childhood & much of my adult life barefoot, I cannot & would not run barefoot on asphalt – I never run on concrete; I rather run through shrubbery! And my goodness, how unnatural, I wear gloves, as this wussy South African could never finish a 30 minute session in a Boulder winter without them! My genetically given foot structure is that of a high arch with zero ability to pronate (natures natural shock absorber & foot spring). I need protection & some cushioning.Not all heel strikers are equal either – remember the heel is far closer to the body’s dynamic center of mass than the forefoot & therefore promotes a partial passing strike of the surface, allowing the body to be somewhat more upright. This landing under the body, instead of ahead of it, is a very good thing & leads to a rolling, efficient way to run. This is also a rotational force & deflects & loads quite effectively. The foot serves as a partial wheel & rolls smoothly from heel to toe. Poor heel striking, with the shin angled backward & the heel striking the ground way ahead of the center of mass, with the toe up high & the shin working like the dickens to decelerate the inevitable slap down & inward that is to follow is a sure way to entice every running injury in the book. This happens because these runners are truly mimicking walking (& how most everyday runners learned to run) – they are simply launching & dropping onto the ground in a display of aerial power walking. This comes from a lack of background in running & these individuals (the majority) have progressed their natural walk to a launched version & call it running. Of course it is unnatural, has damaging peak forces & without highly protective footwear will injure them. Again, I am all for education & returning our nutrition, etc to a simpler way, but at the rate at which safe healthy information gets to the majority of the community that requires it, we will create more problems than we solve if we allow every runner & prospective runner to hurl themselves into BFR. A well designed study done at the University of Cape Town Sports Science Institute, under the auspices of the world renowned scientist & author of what is commonly acknowledged greatest running book ever written, Dr. Tim Noakes produced interesting results. The instigator was a Dr. Nicolas Romanov, he of the POSE method fame or infamy, depending where you seat yourself. He says also that we should ALL run on our forefoot. Now similar to these other studies done on BFR, this study found decreased pressure in the knee joint & supported Dr. Romanov’s notions. Anecdotally however almost every individual in the study developed achilles tendon problems soon after the study completion. Dr. Romanov says the transition may have been too rapid. Add to this of course that there was no footwear intervention either, but I surmise that this is the biggest issue that will arise if we have a mass exodus of runners over to being savannah plains runners on the paved & cobbled streets of the world – a huge increase in achilles tendon & similar injuries.I believe I have 2 more of these (BFR blogs) in me: One on footwear that might meet the biomechanical requirements of BFR & no, not minimalist in the least, & how to transition from shod to some BFR without irreparably dinging yourself.Till then, take care, be your swiftest & have a blast.

Bobby McGee

The interest in barefoot running rages on

So there it is… so much more information out there – good stuff too, lots of research being done, some out in the public domain & larger studies to come—hooray! Remember how I said that there are way more intelligent people than I out there who know so much more? So the evening after a day of BFR back & forth in the popular press, there’s a great piece out of Beaverton, Oregon. Check it out on NPR & search for barefoot running. Then there are also the groupies, who at least are passionate, whether well-informed or not. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/even-if-the-shoe-fits-forget-it/.
You know how it goes, a few individuals are super keen, have a valid story about themselves to tell & then sell it as the norm or the answer to world peace - & this cuts both ways – for or against. My appreciation to those who replied/commented as a contribution to the blog; I am glad that some have taken the time (& even admitted getting injured), but persisted & strengthened their feet & proceeded to find a level of barefoot, or minimalist running that allowed them to continue enjoying an activity they love. Also remember the silent majority who run miles, effectively, enjoyably & with shoes of some form or another. Those experts that I work with on a daily basis & who do sell shoes for a living have confirmed in their attention to my clients that sometimes too much shoe is prescribed, but in general, most people receive footwear that provides the minimum of what they need. Look at it this way, sure we were meant to run barefoot, over soft natural terrain, in certain climates. We were designed at some point in our evolution to run down our food because even though much slower than almost all our prey we had superior breathing apparatus that allowed us to go slowly for VERY long periods of time & that we dealt with heat way better than our lunch did hence we drove them to exhaustion. Nowadays we only drive ourselves to exhaustion in an effort to ward off the fact that our food no longer avoids us & just lays there; & in most cases it is barely food at all! We no longer naturally operate that way through necessity (hunger!), & we certainly are not that light, nor do the surfaces we mostly have access to allow barefoot running.
Another factor seemingly not considered is that of speed. Converts to barefoot running as the only way to go can initially, for very short distances run gingerly on their forefeet & gradually adapt to a level where they get some distance & some speed – however, once conditioned, they still need some slight cushioning & protection in the form of shoes to be able to run where they please, as fast as they are able. While they do report miraculous healing from chronic conditions, they aren’t saying much about speed. I do agree with the argument put forth that the slowness of the process of conversion is exactly what we need & it matters not how long it takes, but only that we take the trouble to recreate our feet & legs for long term health & fitness. Some (& this is most people I believe), who have developed themselves as runners & figured out what works best on their feet & are successful at doing what they want to do would be loathe to go back & relearn the process entirely & suffer the injuries en route to reinventing the wheel. If they live in an environment unsuited to the sans shoes approach, why risk it? Whether we run or play racquet ball recreationally, if we push the limits – barefoot or not we will become an injury statistic at some stage!
More next time… Like heel striking is not evil, but not all heel striking is created equally either…
Take care, run well, be adventurous & sure wonder out (or in) where it’s safe & very gradually strengthen those feet!
Bobby McGee

More on unshod or not - barefoot running's run

In alignment with my attempt to seek brevity as a solution to blogging that becomes too infrequent, yesterday’s mammoth post hardly resonated! Anyway, I had had so many requests to state my case that I finally relented.
Today I want to briefly state that in preparation for yesterday’s piece, I did quite a bit of reading on the matter. Some of the pieces I referenced went into detailed, historical, well researched & anecdotal evidence for the use of shoes in some form or another. There are some really smart people out there! Of course what would be needed would be some convincing stats, from broad studies, that support the move to barefoot running en masse or not. I suspect that the level of sedentary backgrounds & social behaviors & circumstances of most individuals would indicate that the shift to barefoot running would need to be so gradual & expertly monitored as not to be possible both in terms of time & environmental requirements. I did not go into any detail on the actual mechanics involved as they pertain to wearing footwear versus going barefoot, but the prerequisites needed for the average runner to gain advantage from striving to run barefoot exclusively will in most cases be insurmountable & counter-indicated.
Add to this that there are a number of BFR (barefoot running) practitioners making a good bit of cash off their efforts to run BFR groups. This is not wrong, but to try to undermine bona fide research & efforts to make running less injurious & more pleasurable & effective for the masses smacks somewhat of hypocrisy.
Please also note that I am in no way financially supported by any shoe company or running store & am in the business to do whatever it takes morally & legally to provide a service to runners & triathletes to optimize their running experience.
Barefoot running most definitely has its place & that place is not as a full-time running alternative for all or most runners.

On Bare Foot Running, (now the buzzword is BFR) & the latest war

I have been running since 1968 in some form or another & after almost 30 years of coaching runners of all guises, from the gazelles who grew up running barefoot everyday & winning gold medals in the marathon in shoes, to regular folk who’d get injured if they fetched the mail barefoot.
Come on, isn’t every war (that hurts us all) & failed bills through Congress that would benefit millions, always because we have some lunatic fringe refusing to live & let live & has to force their paradigm, no matter how poorly supported or justified, down our throats to the detriment of all including themselves?
Those of you observing this titanic struggle between those that swear if we do not run with the feet we were born with in all their naked glory, frostbite, stress fractures, cessation & all, we will definitely destroy the planet & all upon it & have a miserable time in general while we run & those who fear that their livelihood is in danger because they’ll never sell another running shoe (or device that allows pleasurable perambulation to millions ) again, take heart—between black & white are a myriad shades of grey & every other color of the rainbow.

Those than can run barefoot do & should, those that clearly should not, should not…

If we all grew up rurally in regions where there was no concrete or asphalt, or broken glass & shards of various metals lying about, then maybe…
AND
If we all started life using running as a primary mode of transport (together with walking) for EVERYTHING we did & EVERYWHERE we needed to get to, then maybe
AND
If we all lived in climates where footwear was never a prerequisite demand of our environment, then maybe
AND
If we all grew up never having the posterior side of our legs shortened by footwear with heels, then maybe
AND
If we all weigh under 110 pounds if we are female & 130 pounds if we are male, then maybe
AND
If we all had the time, the structural integrity, the youth, the willingness, the mechanics, the soft tissue, the environment, the guidance, the patience, the support & the understanding, then maybe:

WE WOULD ALL BE ABLE TO RUN BLISSFULLY BAREFOOT INTO THE SUNSET WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD, SMUG IN OUR DESTRUCTION OF THE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR BEHEMOTH THAT IS THE RUNNING SHOE INDUSTRY

BUT ONLY IF

Now barefoot running has been around since the dawn of man & man is the only creature that manipulates his environment to such an extent that it requires of him to continually adapt to survive & function within that environment. So those that claim to be the father’s of this movement are just as full of it as Christopher McDougal (yes he who wrote the really wonderful treatise, Born to Run) when it comes to claiming ownership of the “art”. McDougal has done a great job of bringing it to international prominence & can possibly claim blame or infamy for it being such a hot topic or as a young New Jersey friend recently called it – a hot mess.
Born to Run was 1st published in May 2009 – on September 24th 2009 McDougal published a fantastic article in Men’s Health magazine called Everything you know about muscle is wrong, (again the combative in-your-face type title that seems to be his hallmark). This is all about connective tissue being the answer to all athletic health, power & performance – maybe so, & those of us in the industry have long been working in this field as well as with the other components of performance, but this a story for another day. Suffice to say that Christopher, after months of gradual conditioning with an ultra marathon coach & his heroic voyage in the mountains of the Copper Canyons, with the whimsical Arnulfo & his magical people waxed euphoric that by running with his minimalist Indian sandals he no longer suffers from any of the niggles & injuries that us mortal men do, like our most recent winner of the New York Marathon (& an Olympic marathon silver medalist) suffer. Now here, in this article, he speaks of his elusive (“piercing”) plantar fasciitis, which is “so unpleasant that I (he) can barely run or lift anymore”. The addressing of his connective tissue imbalances miraculously cured this condition. Christopher McDougall, even though he runs among the Amish farms of rural Pennsylvania, obviously does not have all of the above ifs…
I have critically observed & worked with many hundreds of runners both as a coach & running biomechanics specialist. I work with the individual running quirks of many world class athletes & regular athletes. I address each one according to need. Some actually need less orthotic, less support, less cushioning. Many have feet that have atrophied & lost critical motion capabilities because of overly restrictive or ill-advised footwear or orthotics. Many can benefit from time spent walking or even some small amount of running barefoot on well cushioned surfaces like grass or synthetic grass surfaces – this will return neuromuscular feel & function; this will teach true elastic-loading & unloading. This will also strengthen critical muscles & tendons in the foot & lower leg. It is a very gradual process & prescribed not because the athlete desires to run barefoot full time, but to heal & enhance their running experience. But even if the greatest runners in the world, with the exact background as I have described above attempted to do the training volumes & training intensities required to make the living that they do on the roads of Boston, London, New York & Chicago & then race on those surfaces at those speeds they would surely all break down – only one man has ever won an Olympic marathon barefoot & his name is Abebe Bikile, an Ethiopian who ran 2:15 barefoot because he was such a late entry into the Ethiopian team, Adidas could not find him a pair of shoes that fit – he had trained barefoot however. It is interesting to note that his father was a shepherd, so clearly he grew up exactly fulfilling ALL of the above Ifs. He won the next Olympics in 2:12 in Puma shoes. Both the 1st sub 4min South African miler, DeVilliers Lamprecht & Zola Budd ran barefoot & they both told me that eventually their feet gave them so much trouble that they could no longer run (DeVilliers) & that they had to resort to wearing shoes for training & eventually racing as well (Zola). The greatest runner of all, Haile Gebrselassie, realized after being badly beaten in the London Marathon with a time of 2:06, that he would have to forego his habit of running on his forefeet, he would have to lower his heel to the surface to compete against the world’s best. He now runs the marathon 3 minutes faster! He has run in Adidas shoes his entire career. Granted that the elites, that are so much lighter, so much more athletic, so much stronger & that have been conditioned to run since early childhood can wear very minimalist footwear—stands to reason. The great recent winning tradition of Japanese woman in world & Olympic marathoning has shown us that very thin, light-weight shoes can be worn to cover distances in excess of 130 miles per week. However, again, these ladies are tiny & they have very, very high stride rates (hence have very light foot strikes).
Many of the world’s greatest runners are heel strikers – having these athletes switch to barefoot running would no doubt destroy them – I am sure their adversaries would welcome their attempts to become members of the fiercely cultish zealots who say it’s barefoot or nothing.
Before footwear became as advanced as it did, distance running was reserved for only a small select group of men & school children participating in track – the 1st woman’s Olympic marathon only occurred in 1984! Even 5000m was considered too far in the 80s & women could only run a 3000m on the track. All this because we thought running was too hard for most people.

HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE ADVENT OF THE MODERN RUNNING SHOE, DISTANCE RUNNING AS WE KNOW IT TODAY, A SPORT OF HEALTH, FITNESS & HEROIC PARTICIPATION WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ACCESSIBLE TO THE MASSES. IT WOULD HAVE REMAINED A SPORT FOR A SMALL COMMUNITY BLESSED WITH THE PHYSIOLOGY & MECHANICS OF A BORDER COLLIE. THE LUNATIC FRINGE WHO NOW SO IRRESPONSIBLY & VEHEMENTLY VILIFY RUNNING SHOES WOULD HAVE US RETURN TO THOSE DAYS WHEN NONE BUT A FEW MECHANICALLY BLESSED INDIVIDUALS WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO A SPORT THAT SAVES & ENHANCES THE LIVES OF MILLIONS.

Could anyone with the patience & access to intelligent guidance pursue the holy grail of running some distance barefoot? Yes they could pursue it, but would the end justify the process – could they ALL succeed? Nope – many may be called by this current reigniting of the debate, but very few will be chosen & the humble PT & local running shoe store will again have salve & solace for the many who simply desire to go for a run…
It is so easy to attack big brother – but how many know of the global efforts of the top footwear companies to do exactly the opposite of what the BFR-or-die bunch say. Why would great running stores like the Boulder Running Company & top shoe companies like Brooks (http://www.facebook.com/l/f1503;www.brooksrunning.com/media/File/0900_barefoot_running_whitepage.pdf - a great series follows this by various top specialists in the field, a worthwhile read & very, very responsible of Brooks to issue), want to injure individuals? Surely they too are in the business of serving their community with equipment that enhances their experience & reduces their risk of injury – if Toyota produces a car that injures people it recalls it; similarly if a shoe company produces a shoe that fails to function, they replace it with a more effective model; shoe stores choose lines based on what they, as experts, believe will serve runners’ best interests. I have watched Nike's efforts with their Free shoe & praise them for being both innovative & responsible with their product & marketing - like everybody else, they still make plenty of shoes for average runners who could only run with the cushioning & support provided.
Even the greatest ultra distance runner of them all, Scott Jurek (also praised & described at length in Born to Run), feels that BFR need not be one or the other, but can serve as a great tool for a number of things.

Much can be done to enhance the running mechanics of the individual. I have been blessed to have been placed in the position to help many who hurt themselves through poor running technique or shoes, or help others run faster. I do this by teaching appropriate running skills & suggesting to both on occasion, that they consider changes in footwear; I will even recommend the use of barefoot or minimalist footwear walking & running as one of a number of effective tools, but what I won’t be doing any time soon is suggesting that the only true “Cool Aid©” to be drinking is that of barefoot running!

More on Walk/Run

Again a good question to my website (http://www.bobbymcgee.com/) on the run/walk method for running & triathlon success.

"Hi Bobby, I'm a Level 1 Coach and recently watched your webinar 'Run/Walk Your Way To Faster Racing Times' (. I am very interested in the program and am thinking I will try it. I'm training for a 70.3 in June. I had a question - when you follow this program, do you suggest that every training run should be a run/walk? I run 3x/week. And, would that change if I ran 5x/week instead or 3x? In your webinar you suggest that someone may decide during a race to run the last 5K of a long run. If that's the case, wouldn't it be good to have some of your training runs be pure runs (no run/walk). Thanks!"

Thanks for your interest & query. If you only run 3 times per week, I believe, especially if you intend to race run/walk, which I highly recommend, that if you run walk EVERY session, you will be able to run at least one extra run per week, which will positively impact your run ability. However as a direct answer to your question I usually recommend that all runs over 45min should be walk run. Many, many age groupers would be best served running shorter, but more frequent runs & run/walking ALL of them. The pros I work with only do this on their long runs. If you ran similar volumes, but ran 5 times per week, you should see an incremental increase in your run fitness.

I understand your question regarding finishing the last 5km in a race without a walk break, but this is if you realize you are home free & could get home faster if you ran the whole way & even if you had miscalculated, at this late stage there is no harm done & you can simply take a walk break to restore yourself (reset) & then run on. If training, as you are, for a longer race it is not a bad idea to walk/run the majority of your run & then try to run the last 3-4 miles without walk breaks. This will increase your functional strength, but will increase recovery time & there is a greater risk of injury. A better bet is to simply pick up the walk/run pace in over the last few miles/km in some long runs – in this way you improve your specific fitness, teach your legs to be able to finish strongly & the risks of injury & delayed recovery are minimized.

Good luck & best wishes for a great race!
Bobby McGee

2K10 here we go. Happy New Year

Fitness, fun, competition... Just love the moments & bask in the doing, such blissful silliness.

In so many ways I am the luckiest coach in the world. I have ample work to do. I feel that I still have so much to learn – both a scary & great place to be. I had & still have great mentors. Athletes seem to feel I have something to offer them that will enhance their performances. I absolutely love what I do. I wake up every morning with only one conundrum – how to fit it all in; family, personal health & enrichment, life’s menial realities & then the myriad facets of my vocation! Put this way methinks I whine too much.
As Richard Bach said, obviously my mission here on earth is not complete because I am still alive. Hmm, just had a thought; how does Tiger Woods explain to his kids what went down, when the time comes. He was leaving some legacy there for a long while & now, while the performance legacy is still intact, he now is father to another legacy that is massive in the public psyche. We all have skeletons in our closets no doubt – I certainly have & it is up to us to manage those as they pertain to our way of being as athletes.
Anyway, this needed to be said in order for me to continue to develop a doable & still useful relationship with my blog. Perhaps a twitteresque approach might be best, where whatever the current high point is of what I am working on is briefly encapsulated in what is hopefully a provocative paragraph or two & then sit back & see if this is what you guys want – via comments or emails to my website, http://www.bobbymcgee.com/, & then make sure I answer your comments with ones of my own!
Waddajaguysthink?