It can be a rocky road to barefoot running

Last night i was catching up on some reading on some of the blogs I follow and an old post from Lizzie at Inov-8 got me thinking.

You see over the last few weeks I've been suffering from some hamstring problems. Nothing horrendous, just tightness and mild discomfort when I walk and a pain when I run. I was annoyed that it was stopping me running but also confused. Since I started running again in January I've not suffered any real injuries in fact my running has been literally revitalised by the use of barefoot shoes.

For a quick history lesson, up until three years ago I used to run two to three times a week. Then I started to suffer from shin splints. Now anyone who has had shin splints will tell you how painful they can be. I quite literally couldn't run up my drive without excruciating pain.

Eventually I gave up, combining a torn tendon with the shin splints my body persuaded me running just wasn't my sport.

Then in January my wife saw an article about how barefoot shoes can help resolve running related injuries through better form.  I'd already been wearing barefoots for about six months but not for running and that weekend I went for my first tentative run in over three years .

Apart from a few tight muscles there have been no problems and I generally do a couple of trail runs a week and having been doing so since January. And this is where my annoyance comes back in, why now, when nothing's changed should my hamstring start to play up?

Its all too easy to think of our bodies as a machine, if it can do a certain activity one day then it should be able to do it everyday. My mind worked overtime trying to work out what I had done differently.

What I hadn't taken in to account is that we aren't machines. There will always be injuries, there will always be times when your body resists. The important thing is to know how to deal with these setbacks.

I knew the basics of what I was doing were right, my warm-up was fine, my running form was getting better and my fitness improving with every run. I rested the hamstring for a few days, no running, no jumping around and it started to feel better. So then when I took my running buddy for his evening walk I raced him across the park (he always wins) and the hamstring was fine.

Lizzie's post made me remember that after three years of running there were always going to be ups and downs. It was never going to be instant or perfect. 

Sometimes you just have to trust what has worked for you previously, accept there will be downs as well as ups and most importantly, keep the faith.

If you missed it you can read Lizzie's post on the Inov-8 blog here.... 

Become A Natural: No one said it would be easy…

Updated review of Merrell's Barefoot Train Embark

It's not good news for my Merrells.

Back in April I reviewed my Merrell Barefoot Train Embark Gore-tex with mixed results. I loved them because they had the potential to be the all round shoe I was looking for but my first pair fell apart after six months. 

Now, right on cue, after a further six months the replacement Merrels have both started to show signs of not being able to handle the pace. 

The first pair of Train Embarks fell apart around the outside of the toe box after a walk on the beach. Merrell agreed to replace them and the replacement pair have been used continuously through the winter for hiking, dog walking and general wear duties. 

However after a walk in the local park this weekend I noticed the 'new' Merrells were starting to split in the same place as the previous pair. While the damage may not look too much at the moment it renders the Gore-Tex useless as they now let water in. Also from past experience the rubber coating peels off pretty quickly once it starts.

The walk that tipped the Merrells over the edge certainly wasn't rigorous, a gentle stroll with the wife and dog in the local park consisting of paved footpaths and grass. The Merrells did get wet however and I have a suspicion this may be the key factor.

When I say wet I'm only talking about standing in a puddle. Taking the dog down to the edge of a stream meant standing in about 2-3 inches of water for a few seconds.

This may not seem like much but the previous pair were also six months old when they disintegrated after getting wet on the beach. Their damage was much more significant but they also got much wetter. However surely a Gore-tex shoe should be able to withstand getting wet on occasions. 

My suspicion is after six months of use the materials and joints around the toes loosen up and allow water in which then means the coatings fall apart. These are my original pair's damage.

A Gore-tex equipped trail shoe should definitely be able to stand up to moderate use including getting wet on occasions. I can't help but feel that Merrell's decision to discontinue the Train Embark has something to do with the fact they just don't live up to the company's sturdy reputation. 

As can be seen from the pictures below, the sole of these shoes were by no means at the end of the usable life yet the shoe fell apart.

I'm as disappointed as anyone, if the Train Embarks had lived up to their potential I'm convinced they would have been the perfect minimalist shoe for me, comfortable, perfect for hiking and light weight. However they seem to have a fundamental flaw. 

There are major design errors that mean this shoe is simply not up to the job. Now the only decision is whether to replace the Train Embarks with another pair of Merrells or whether to go for a different brand. 

Has anyone else had problem's with Merrell's barefoot range? If so leave me a comment below, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Silence isn't always golden

Unfortunately the blog's had to take a bit of a back seat lately, injury, moving house and a full agenda at work have taken all my time but what the last few weeks have given me is time to pull together some further thoughts on barefoot and plenty more time in my minimalist shoes. These start with an update on my Merrell Train Embark which you can read here.