Barefoot Running... But Not Where you Think

     All over the news lately is a new trend called barefoot running. The obvious definition- running in bare feet.  I have been intrigued by this new phenomenon and I do like to follow new trends. I consider myself a trendy chick for a forty something, well sort of. Anyway, I looked at some interesting web-sites and while intrigued, I still was not inspired enough the other morning when I went out on my deck to inspect the great outdoors to discover the outside temperature of 13 degrees Fahrenheit or -10.5 Celsius. I immediately ran back inside, barefoot, right to my computer to learn more.
     I spent the morning surfing and learning about the Vibram Five Fingers shoe especially made for this,"barefoot running," at eighty bucks a pop I wondered why I'd bother with these since the trend is without them. I read more about the folks out there who are purists and really prefer wearing nothing on their feet at all and about a guy whose done one hundred marathons barefoot. Humm. What's a girl to do when she wants to try a new trend? I decided to wait for the spring to attempt running sans shoes outside. I packed my bag and off I went to do some barefoot running of my own; on the HydroWorx treadmill.
     A perfect and safe environment for barefoot running is on the underwater treadmill at HydroWorx. I'm in my swim suit too and barefoot and as carefree as a pregnant woman. Okay so maybe I should save the stand-up for the spring too, but the warmth of the water and safety of the underwater treadmill came through again. I'm still on trend, but I am not going to have to shock my feet into understanding why I am running without shoes. The underwater treadmill leaves me weightless and therefore my feet are not taking the pounding they would barefoot on a road or trail. I am still carefree and running; just safe and pain-free.
    While running barefoot I decided to do intervals. Anyone who runs knows the importance of interval training and while I am an older athlete, my speed is probably not going to improve greatly at this point, it is still something that I incorporate into my workouts rather than doing the same old run at the same old speed. Repeats or intervals are something that I normally do on a track or on the pavement. The last time I did intervals was with my friend Fran, the crazy, mountain- trail racer. I was miserable because we did them running on the road and by the fifth one I could feel my feet hitting the pavement, this was with a very cushioned shoe; imagine without shoes.
     The underwater treadmill was perfect for an interval workout and fun. I warmed up by running at about 6mph for about ten minutes. Then I alternated speeds, and to make things even more fun, I added the resistance jets on the pool, making it feel like you are running uphill. I ran at about 6.5 mph for about one minute fifteen seconds and then keeping the same speed, added the resistance jets at about 75% for about a minute. I did ten of these. After about thirty minutes I switched to straight running at 6.5 mph and then did a cool down at about 6mph for the last ten minutes.
      I was completely distracted during the intervals because I was looking at my watch for time and constantly changing the resistance jets; this made the workout fly by and it made it fun for me because I was changing my routine a bit. Distraction is something that I have become very good at being an endurance athlete. I break my workout into chunks of time rather than thinking of the whole session. That's exactly how I get through a triathlon; I think of each piece of the race and then I move onto the next portion. If I thought of the whole distance I would never make it.
     Because I was barefoot, I could also watch my form. I could see my feet hitting the treadmill underneath me and fix corrections if my feet were not properly aligned. If you are an under or over pronator this would be valuable to you because you can literally see what your feet are doing. Unlike the repeats that I did the week before on the road, my feet did not hurt. In fact my legs were not sore either and usually the day after repeats I want a low impact workout of some type. I went downhill skiing that night after my workout in the HydroWorx pool and felt great. My butt would have been in a hot tub and to bed early if I had been out on the road.
     I think I might buy a pair of those Vibram Five Finger shoes; but I'll save them for my next,"barefoot," session on the HydroWorx underwater treadmill.  For more information on hydrotherapy go to http://www.hydroworx.com/.

Tri-on Friends,
Kelly  

Hydro-Benefits

     As a forty something age group triathlete my priorities regarding racing have changed. I used to obsess over times and statistics of other racers as compared to my own stats, but now I’m more concerned with staying injury free and healthy so I can continue to participate for many more years in my sport.

     I’m always looking for new and innovative ways to stay low impact with my running portion of triathlon. I’ve found some nice mulch trails near my home and soccer fields that keep me off the pavement. Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to use the HydroWorx therapy pool as part of my low impact workout.

     The HydroWorx pool is unique because it has an underwater treadmill. I can get a run workout in 80% impact free. I was skeptical at first but within one use of the pool I was hooked.

     I’ve tried regular pool running before with a weight belt in the deep end of the pool. I found this way of running very awkward, but the HydroWorx pool wasn’t because it is set up like a regular treadmill where your feet hit the ground; the difference is that you are in water and it doesn’t hurt.

      The workout in the HydroWorx pool is also challenging, which as an endurance athlete I welcome. There are swim jets that create resistance while you are running; it is a one two punch as I’m getting my run done and I’m off the pavement. The jets can also be used to simulate an open water swim which I will touch on in a later blog; but that is another reason why the pool is so versatile.

     I get bored easily with my training and workouts, which is one of the reasons why I love triathlon so much; I get to mix up three sports. Use of the therapy pool helps me keep my workouts fresh; I look forward to going and using the pool and I know I’m getting great results. The pool is fun too because I can watch myself while I’m running. There are underwater cameras that show what my feet look like when they hit the treadmill so I have instant feedback on my gait and I can instantly correct if I’m over or under pronating.

     One of the things I’ve noticed is after my training session in the HydroWorx pool I’m energized. I feel like I could go back for more and I rarely feel that way after pounding the pavement for an hour or more. After my last session in the pool I noticed a significant change in my running the very next day. I was refreshed and not sore and was able to run longer as a result of using the underwater treadmill. I was only scheduled to run five miles that day but ran seven because I felt so good. The realization; I need to incorporate the pool into my weekly routine to maximize my running.

     I can’t imagine life without triathlon; to me it is like eating or sleeping or taking a shower; it is necessity. I have wondered lately how I will keep my body going and now I have an answer; the HydroWorx pool.

Tri- on Friends,

Kelly