It has been ages since I have updated the blog on NakedRunner, although I do a better job on the Facebook page! Still if you do follow me there, then you will know that back on the 6th November I decided that if Ron Hill can run every day for 48 years, then surely I can do it for at least a week or two. At the same time, I wondered if running barefoot would reduce  the number of injuries and I felt that  this would be the ultimate test. The reason I thought it would be such a good test was because before I started running barefoot I was  always getting injured. I could never get as fit as I wanted to because something would give on me..

What I did not expect was for this one change to  have such a profound effect on  my life in more ways than one. The first and most surprising change was that I was suddenly enjoying training more. I decided   that instead of trying to kill myself in training I would listen to my body. So if I felt tired I would relax, knowing that I was running tomorrow.  I approached each run with a spirit of fun.  . I started slowly so on  the days I would normally have off I would just jog for  30 minutes or so

Eventually I was able to string harder runs together and then found that I was running faster and without any laboured breathing and it was having a noticeable impact on my training on the track. On the track, speed was never much of an issue being an ex 800 meter runner, but until now I couldn’t finish the longer session ie 8x 1000m sessions. I also found that I could run for two and a half hours on a Sunday and still run for an hour on Monday without any stress whatsoever. In some ways this is not surprising as more training should mean increased fitness, but when you get to 50 this is not always the case.

So finally, the weekend before last I was keen to race in the Bramhall Park run, to see if I could  break my PB from over 2 years ago and considering the wet conditions, a hangover and maybe just a little too much clothing I managed to reduce my time by 1 min 30 seconds to 20.50 for 5km. For the first time I was  3rd for my age group details here and   I cannot tell you how good that makes me feel.

I have now been running for over 100 days and probably the best part of this journey was actually meeting Ron Hill at his home.He is now 75 and still running and I am pleased to say  he was even wearing his track suit. It may have been a relatively short meeting of about 45 mins, but it was inspiring not so much for the running but for the effect it has had on me with NakedRunner. Up until that moment I was a little unsure of the direction to take, but afterwards I knew what I needed to do and I have realised that if I follow Ron´s footsteps I am sure I will succeed.. The comment that did it for me was that he started as a mail order company, which in truth is no different to selling online. So in the next few days I will be adding more products that are related to running and more importantly, I will try to test them all.

I am pleased to say that the reason for such a late update is because things are going very well with Naked Runner. So finally I have managed to catch up with a review of the Vivobarefoot Achilles. To start with I have to admit I am biased as I sell the Achilles shoes and that the review will seem like a sales pitch, for that I apologise in advance.

Firstly I must say that training is going well and the move to barefoot running is going even better, now that the two injuries I managed to pick up at the beginning have gone.  As a result my feet are now much stronger and walking on a pebble beach no longer hurts, which has to be one of the first great benefits as I no longer look like some wounded animal trying to get out of the sea!

In regards to the Achilles I did found them a little strange at first and trying to get the optimum size was an issue, as I seemed to fit between two sizes. In the end I opted for the smaller size, which turned out to be the right option. The key was to get the heel support central and to ensure the Velcro covered most of the area allocated, then it would be less likely to part.

When I first started to wear them I found that they felt a little uncomfortable on the top of the foot, where the plastic rubs against it. At first I thought it was me but a couple of others have found the same. It turns out this only lasts a couple of days, because wearing them every day for a week or two helped moulded them to a perfect and comfortable fit before I decided to take them for a run.

At the moment I wear them every day and for most of the day and given my feet are prone to sweating, these were excellent, because of the airflow around my feet keeping them dry. It also turns out these are great for the car too and certainly safer than using flip-flops. (NB also they are easy to clean)

As I have said I wear them all the time even to the shops, the only thing I have noticed is that everyone seems to look at my feet first these days

In regards to running in them I have to admit I was a little nervous, so I started out slow on our athletics track to see how they faired, so after the warm up I thought that I may even chance a training session in them. The session was 4×500 4×400 and 4×300, I actually found I loved running in them and they were more comfortable than I thought they would be and running fast was easy compared to running in huaraches.  It is also worth noting that trying to run fast in these on a wet track is very difficult as there is little grip.

All in all I am now a massive fan of the Achilles and I was kind of surprised how much, I love people turning their heads to look at them rather than look at my face these days.

The next true test will be racing in them which I shall do this Sunday over 14k

UPDATE

The race went well and I managed to complete the 14k which turned out to be 15k in 1hr 14′ a fairly reasonable time, as I would have done something similar with the old trainers.

I was surprised how well it went, but wearing such minimal footwear I kept concentrating on form. I enjoyed it so much that I completed another 14k on Thursday and on Sunday managed to do 20k in them.

What was interesting is that this route I did on Sunday, I normally struggle with because it is very stony, but this time I felt very comfortable so I am assuming my feet are getting stronger!

I have to admit I was looking forward to meeting Santi this morning. I suspect he may find it strange for me to say it, but when it comes to barefoot running I believe he is now, one of the greats. For me he is up there with the likes of Ted Mcdougal Michael Sandler and the late Caballo Blanco.

Álvaro Sánchez Ester Hidalgo and Santi Ruiz

As one who has driven from Motril to Granada I have to say that the possibility of running the same route (in shoes) seemed pretty remote. But to do it barefoot? well, that is what heroes are made of (Santi’s own story is here, albeit in Spanish). The meeting was made even more special as he was accompanied by his friend Álvaro, who is also a keen barefoot runner and is, in a way, the unsung hero. It was Álvaro who was the out rider, supporting Santi and the team with food drink and moral support for the 8 hours on route…I am tempted to call them Batman y Robin until I can think of a better nickname. NB Álvaro maintains their website

Obviously when you put a group of people who are passionate about barefoot running together,there seems to be this automatic feeling of camaraderie and support. I wonder if the wonderful passion and sense of fun that we experienced this morning has won over a new recruit to barefoot running. Perhaps Ester, as a professional athlete has being sold on the idea that barefoot running is in fact the way forward. We will see if she has a go the next time she is on the track ;)

Like many of us Santi has only been running barefoot since last summer. This makes his achievement a couple of weeks ago even more amazing. When I met Santi and Alvaro this morning, I could feel their passion for barefoot running and and suddenly it all made sense particularly if you are like me and feel like you are the only runner out there mad enough to try. It is difficult to explain the feeling you get when you go for it, but when you do, everything seems to fall into place. I am always listening to the comments on the net about running barefoot, especially on whether it is good or bad for you. As one who knows I will say that the transition from running shoes to barefoot is not easy.

However all the talk about scientific research can get a bit frustrating. For me barefoot running is not just about improving your PB times on the track it is about being at one with nature, it is a feeling of freedom, it is a sense that this is the way it’s supposed to be..

To conclude I want to say that this meeting came about due to a gut feeling. I felt that these guys and this meeting would be inspirational on many different levels and I was proved right. I also wanted to give them a pair of my sunglasses, as a kind of appreciation for what theyachieved. I thought a photo would be cool too (this is how you know they are great ambassadors for barefoot running) and without me having to ask , Santi put on my Tshirt for the photo. So thanks for that Santi and I look forward to meeting you both again in Jaen on the 9th of June.

As of Monday we have finally received the Running Sunglasses from our manufacturers and for a moment I thought they would not arrive after customs stopped them. So after they went through the box they let them pass, the positive was they thought the sunglasses value should be more than the price I paid

Now I have 300 sunglasses to sell, it is almost scary and it kind of feels like a Henry Ford moment in that “you can have any colour so long as it is black”. Saying that with the shipment included a few other colour samples, which I will be adding to the range of one, spurred on by the reaction of the runners at the track last night.

Obviously I have no idea how successful Naked Runner will be, but I certainly believe that all who purchase one of the first 300 I should include a certificate to say this and in addition I am thinking that as they/you will be instrumental in helping us get up and running, I am keen to share that success with those first 300. What we will do I am not sure but I am confident that it will include some free products, at various anniversaries.

Getting back to the product I am pleased to say they have all arrived in good condition. I have had a quick test on the ability of the lenses to repel mist, with a very scientific huff and I can confirm they worked perfectly!

They say you should be patient when you have an injury, well I could not help myself and ran Monday and then a session on the track, as a result I have managed to inflame my tendons again. I have to say this is typical and is I am sure a case of me pushing too fast with the transition, oh well such is the life of a runner

So as I have nothing else to do I came across Michael Sandler the writer of Barefoot running, which incidentally I downloaded from Amazon today. As far as I can tell this guy should not be able to walk let alone run, basically he had a serious accident while roller skating. The accident has meant that one leg is longer than the other, half a knee as far as I can tell and a titanium femur.

Just the one leg shorter would be enough, but there you have it the feet know how to adjust. Anyway I think it is better if Michael tells you his story, but in addition there are some good tips on how to start barefoot running too.

I suppose it had to happen, I managed to pick up extensor tendinitis a pain on the top of the foot, I have to admit I did not expect that! The reason for the surprise is that my running has gone really well, but against all advice I have hit the ground running with the minimalista shoes, (pardon the pun) by not gradually transitioning I have managed to strain the tendons.

The crazy thing is I do not think I have done anything less than 8k in my vivo barefoot shoes, I have had no pain in the calf and what has surprised me is that I have not felt as though I am pounding the floor, quite the contrary. Like any injury it is frustrating and you want to get out, but as a seasoned runner you know that there is always a kick back (Sorry done it again) if you over do it and as an ex sprinter I should have know better.

Saying this I think the reason is more related to the terrain I have been running on, rather sharp stones that if you are not careful are rather painful and in hind site I should have had trail shoes for this, certainly while I adapt. In essence I think at times I must have looked like a wounded animal running over this stretch of the trial. (Basically I was running without form and messed up)

What I also find interesting, that although it is painful to walk, I am finding it OK to run.

So what is my advice TAKE IT EASY AND DO NOT RUSH IT….yeh right I will be out again too soon and give it my all

PS This is not the first time with this injury, I have had this with regular running shoes too

Well as near as damn it I suppose, as yesterday the first few Vivobarefoot shoes arrived for a couple of customers and one or two for my own use and trial.

The first shoe is in fact the black Breatho trial, which is also the one I am looking forward to putting through its paces in the next day or so. I have to admit it looks more suitable for the terrain here in Granada, as I have found the Evo II fine for most of the run, but there is a rather long section with rather sharp stones. I am sure in time I will get used to it but for a novice, it was not the ideal shoe for this route.

I will of course write a full appraisal of the Breatho when I have done a few runs, but if looks are anything to go on they are awesome, but hey I am biased.

Still it was important to make a note of the first genuine sale, even though I am not officially open for business.

Also I will add that there are some very exciting things afoot, which I will look forward to broadcasting in a few weeks.

Building this site is taking up so much time at the moment, I suspect it has a lot to do with the fact that time is running out before the running sunglasses arrive and secondly I have now got the OK to sell the VivoBarefoot running shoes, means I have to add all the relevant products.

What I am happy with is the cloth pouch which arrived with the Naked Runner logo as above and if I do say so myself they look fantastic, I will be just happy when the stock arrives which should be in less than 30 days. What I would like to do is get the images updated on the site and give the opportunity to buy them at a discounted price for pre orders, but as this rate of site development they will arrive before I have a chance lol

On Saturday I managed to go for a relaxed run for a change rather than at race pace. I have only had the shoes for a couple of weeks and have ran in them no more than 5 times including two races, which I am sure is not the ideal way to start. Saying that I am pleased that I have not been suffering and may even attempt a half marathon in on the 18th March. Enough time to train I hope.

In the next few days I will receive the first lot of stock shoes to show to the runners at the club as they are showing a lot of interest and also a few for me to test also, which will keep me occupied.

I have to admit I have kept this a little quiet, well it is all about not tempting fate! A few weeks back I contacted Vivo Barefoot, as I wanted to sell their shoes on Naked Runner. They seemed a logical choice as it they fitted the direction that I want to go with Naked Runner and also the company are British, so it just felt right.

There is still a lot to do, particularly in selecting which models to run with first, but more importantly I needed to test them out. So Tuesday the Evo II arrived. What you will not know is that I have been building up to this day for almost a year and like many I was exposed to the truth about running by that fine book “Born to Run” Although I have not done too much actual barefoot running I had changed my shoes to the cheapest I could find at Decathlon, which were running flats. I have used them nearly every day, but like many trainers these days they do not seem to last five minutes.

I digress a little, the shoes arrive in what I would call an eco friendly box. but for some reason it seems cooler than any of their competitors. Also if you then add the fact the packaging says turn inside out and use as a storage box, which I have done and looks supper cool. So far 10 out of 10 and I haven’t even tried on the shoes yet!

OK I have to admit I was wary as this was my first foray into shoes that were not only sold on the idea that support is doing more harm than good and the fact they are not Nike or Adidas.

Now when I put them on they felt good to start with and although looked a little strange, they felt trendy at the same time. This proved the case when I tested them at the track that same night. I ran for around 20 mins only as I was still suffering from the race on Sunday and more importantly the pain in my ribs from slipping of the chair, another story altogether. I also felt as it was the first day in these it would make sense not to push it either.

The next morning I felt fine and as a result wanted to give them a proper test, thinking that I would do only half an hour to be safe as I was going along the river with a tougher terrain of stones. Well the first 15 mins I took it easy, but I was getting this over whelming feeling I have done the right thing. The most obvious thing I noticed was it was like wearing a pair of slippers, it just felt so comfortable so I kept going and 25 mins later I turn round to run back. At this point I decided to wave caution to the wind to see if I could run just as fast with these rather than the racing flats and to know if I would suffer the next day.

Well I flew back feeling fantastic with every stride, I am sure this was a result of running in racing flat for a year, but more importantly as the racing flats had such a soft sole, there was less protection from the stones, so I was surprised that it was less painful.

So I am nearly back with one steep hill to climb, which felt so easy. The feeling was so natural, I have been doing sprint work on hills all my life in spikes and the feeling was so similar, as a result I just powered up the hill effortlessly

So I get back home in 43 mins, which is as quick as I have ever done the distance what more can I say.

The true test I felt would be this morning as I was expecting sore calves, but again surprisingly nothing. OK it is early days yet but so far all is good so much so I am happy to race in them on Sunday as it is just a 10k

Oh an just on the theme of Slippers an ex athlete from my club Walter Hesketh managed to run from Edinburgh to London in Carpet Slippers, just click the image below to be directed to a video of this event.

373 MILES ON THE RUN!

A lot has happened over the last few days, with the most important event being the arrival of the first proofs of the Naked Runners Sunglasses on Thursday. This was celebrated in the local bar after a fairly hard session at the track earlier, not always a good combination, but and important event none the less!

I think you are always apprehensive at the beginning of a new venture, but when the frames arrived I just felt so good. You instinctively know that the product looks good and more importantly you know that no one should be disappointed when they receive them. Apart from the cold I managed to catch, the weekend went well with the race in Almeria on Sunday, which was an excellent opportunity to test out the sunglasses. I am pleased to say they were excellent, mainly because I never really noticed I had them on, no steaming up and crystal clear, more than can be said about my race. I cannot complain too much as I was not 100% fit, so managed to get round in 1.41.

The race it self was fine, maybe just too many hills for me, well any hill would be too many. There was a good atmosphere and most importantly not too hot. The only real negative was they were rather slow in getting the results published, but the race will set me up for the 10k in Armilla on Sunday for the first in the series of the XXV GRAN PREMIO DE FONDO DIPUTACION

A closer image of logo on sunglasses