Vibram Five Finger

I have heard about the resurgence of barefoot running for several years now.  Basically, the premise is that humans are born runners and evolutionarily we have run long distances in order to migrate to greener pastures. And we did this barefoot, or with a thin animal hide moccasin.

The modern running shoe didn’t emerge until 1970.  As the years have gone by, the layers of cushioning have thickened and various pronation devices have been added as well as additional arch support. Something was wrong with the design of the human foot. As running shoes became more prevalent, the number of injuries from running also increased. Running shoes change the biomechanics of running from a forefoot strike to a heel strike, putting more of the impact on the knees.

The problem with barefoot running is that it is an entirely different skill set.  It takes time to adjust to running barefoot…..literally months. For the last eight years I’ve had some event for which I have been training. I couldn’t just start from scratch on a new running technique. Since my knee surgery ( torn meniscus and a Baker’s cyst) at the end of April my running program has been pretty much non-existent.  I figured this would be a perfect time to give barefoot running a try.

After doing some homework, several sources recommended the purchase of the Vibram Five Finger as a good transitional tool into barefoot running.  The Vibram Five Finger gives a barefoot feel and has a minimal sole, but provides some protection from rocks, glass, nails, etc.  Since I had a trip to Dallas planned anyway, I decided to purchase them there and be able to try them on.  The sizing of the Five Finger is different from conventional shoes.  I bought mine from Luke’s Locker in Dallas and was reassured when I walked in and the clerks were wearing them.  The three clerks were runners and they all run in the Five Finger.  They recommended slowly transitioning into the Five Finger over a period of six weeks to two months.  They recommended using the Five Finger as a warm up before running starting off at around ten minutes daily the first week.  Build up very gradually and use your feet literally as a guide.  If your calves and feet are overly sore back off a bit and give them a few days recovery. Either way, there will be some transitional discomfort.

Barefoot running uses different muscles than running in running shoes.  It takes some time for the feet and calves to adjust to the change.  I had my first run on a rubberized track at the health club I use in Dallas.  The next morning the back of my calves were a bit sore.  I’ve had five runs in them so far and my knee seems to do better with this style of running.  I did notice that  I just naturally started running more on the balls of my feet and my supination disappeared.  I will publish updates as things progress.

Locally, the Vibram Five Finger can be purchased at Indiana Running Company.    Indiana Running Company has a store on the square in Bloomington.

A month ago I had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus and remove a Baker’s cyst on my left knee.

Tonight I pumped up my bike tires and dusted off the frame in anticipation of riding in the morning. Really looking forward to getting back in the saddle. I’ve recovered from injuries  before and I’ll do it again. Injuries are one of the risks that you take living actively. Also,  I’m really looking forward to re-connected with some incredible friends.  I have missed the camaraderie of training.

Scar with staples intact where Baker's cyst was removed.

Franklin County High School Wildcats

Once again I went over to Brookville, Indiana to do my Ironman presentation for my sister Beth Wade’s English class.  As usual,  the class had a lot of great questions and were polite beyond mere words. Thank you for making me feel very welcome and at home.  I wish all of you the best of success in all your pursuits and, hopefully, will see you on the triathlon course in the near future.

Be great!

The Blogger

November 14, 2009: It’s been one week since Ironman Florida 2009 and I’ve had a chance to process the race and figure out what went right and what went wrong.  That’s an important distinction. Often when we face defeat we only see the mistakes.  If I made it to mile 18 on the run with several hours to go before the cut-off, obviously there were things that went well.

1.) If you are going to even contemplate doing a race-walk during the race, you need to train for that.  This was a costly mistake. My heels were just not used to that pounding.It’s a different set of movements than running.

2.) I need to lose a good 15 pounds. TT gave me some pictures that his wife Kelly had taken in Florida. I was stunned to see how big my gut was. (I’m sure she did that on purpose.)  What’s the purpose in getting the lightest equipment when there are pounds of excess weight on the rider.

3.) I need to swim more. Despite only swimming 3 or 4 times during the training season, I felt pretty comfortable on the swim. Think how much better I could have done with more training.

4.) Carry some wet-wipes and have a change of clothes in the Special Needs Bag. ‘Nuff said.

5.) Practice changing a flat and using the frame pump.

6.) Mentally, I’m still tough as nails. Despite numerous set-backs during the race and in the training, I still can focus and push forward.

7.) I’m ready for another! Not next year, but 2011 is looking good. I plan on doing the Muncie Endurathon and Terre Haute next year.

T1- Ready to ride. Little did I know the surprises ahead.

The Blogger and wife. Nice day at the beach.

Seth: future Ironman

The Blogger on the run.

Open a Can, Dan! Unfortunately, the can of whoop-ass was not what I expected!

Seth and Lilly dancing on the beach.

Reasoner and Thomas children playing on the beach.

Sunbury Brothers prepare to open a huge can...

The mighty TT exits the water.

Seth and Lilly show support.

More beach playing.

The Blogger and Family with triathlete Amanda Forrest, daughter of Henry Forrest, one of the original Ironman triathletes from 1978.

The Blogger's family shows support.

Day after the race party: Ironman war stories being told.

The Blogger and Steve Sunbury compare tans.

Joanne Sunbury, Kelly Reasoner and Eli Reasoner at Day After Party

Tim Trimpe, Joanne and Larry Sunbury enjoy the Day After Party

Ironman Florida 2009

First off a big congratulations to Steve Sunbury (10:51) , Spencer Sunbury (11:50) and Talmadge Reasoner (14:27). They turned in great performances!  Not only are they outstanding triathletes, but great people as well.

I had a rough day! It started off well enough.  I felt relaxed and confident on the swim. I was even able to enjoy watching the marine life. I saw several jellyfish and a school of small silver fish and a sand shark.   The first lap of the 2.4 mile swim was 49 minutes and the total time was 1:51.  The water was a bit choppy and I took on quite bit of salt water.

I felt good on the swim-to-bike transition.

Open a can, Dan!

I changed quickly and started on the bike leg. I saw Susie and the kids at Transition 1 and the day held promise.  Around mile 8 on the bike my stomach was gurgling and churning from the salt water.  By the time I reached the bridge at around mile 12 I felt a blast of diarrhea coming on.  I was able to make to the first rest stop and the port-a-potty before giving in.  Blam! Whoosh! I felt relieved.  I got back onto the bike and started to make up lost ground. Around mile 14 I felt some flatulence coming on and tried to ease it out. Unfortunately, it was deceptive! I ended up seriously sharting  my pants. 98 miles to go in the race and I am forced to sit in my own shit.

There was around 40 miles of strong headwind which made the flat course that much more difficult. At mile 33 I had a flat tire that cost me around 18 minutes.  After that the bike course was a matter of just grinding it out.  My unofficial time on the bike was 6:49.

I felt fairly good at the start of the run course.  My energy level was excellent.  I had to use the restroom at T2 to urinate, which meant that I was staying hydrated. The first two miles I felt good, but shortly thereafter a knee injury starting to give me trouble.  I decided that it was too early in the race to have knee problems that could eventually eliminate me.  I decided to do a race walk.  I was able to keep around a 13 minute pace race walking.  The problem with that strategy was that I had not trained to race walk.  I ordinarily run on the balls of my feet, so my heels had not built up calluses.

I felt fairly good, although a bit disappointed in my inability to run through the first half of the run course. By mile 14 the blisters started to hurt.  By mile 16 I could feel my entire feet were blistered and sore.  I decided to try and make it to the timing chip station inside St. Andrews State Park in order to document that I had made it that far.  Once inside the park a sheriff’s deputy noticed that my knees were buckling from the pain.  She recommended that I seek medical attention. She radioed the support vehicle to come and get me.  I knew at this point that I was out of the race. I was not so much disappointed at this point but just in sheer agony.

Ouch!

I was taken to the medical tent at the finish of the race and tended to by several podiatrists who insisted on taking pictures of my feet. They had not seen any blisters of this magnitude before.  I had my blisters treated and my feet bandaged.  What many people who don’t do endurance event don’t realize is the role that endorphins play in making feats of this magnitude possible.  Endorphins mask much of the discomfort.  Once I had sat down and had my feet treated my feet started really hurting and I was to the point that I couldn’t even put weight on them.

I really owe a debt of gratitude to the whole Sunbury clan who assisted me in getting back to the beach house and then collecting my belongings from the transition area.

The following day all of the Seymour participants and their families had a a nice cookout at the beach house that we were renting.  I was able to hobble around enough to cook at the grill.

Has Ironman seen the last of me?  Oh, hell no!

Taken in the medical tent by podiatrist. Rectangle used to hide what looks like man-boobs.

I’ll be heading to bed early tonight. Big day tomorrow! The gear is all at the transition area, I got all my stuff laid out for in the morning.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being a bit anxious. I always am before a race. Things have gone very smoothly so far. The beach house is even better than expected.  Had a nice swim to work out the kinks. Bike is working well.  Thanks to simplybrent for cleaning my bike chain and gears!!

Opening a can O' Whoop Ass!

It’s been nice having a big group here with TT, Track, One-Trick Pony and their entourage. We plan on having a post-race cookout on Sunday here at the beach house.

Thank you to all for the encouragement!!! I has got me through some tough spots!

In 24 hours I will be standing on the water’s edge waiting for the start of the race. I can vividly remember my first Ironman before the start of the race..

Looking down the barrel of a loaded gun.

It felt like I was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.  It is the unknown that is frightening. I had nothing to compare the race to.

This time is different; not to say that there aren’t some butterflies in my stomach.  I’ve done the race. I’ve even done this particular race before.  Still 140.6 miles is a long way to travel under nothing but one’s own power. A lot can go wrong.

I felt better yesterday after swimming part of the swim course.  Water was relatively calm.  Nice thing about the Gulf of Mexico is the water visibility.  You can see the bottom nearly the whole way.  Salt water has the advantage of providing some extra buoyancy.  My wetsuit didn’t feel as restrictive as my old one.

I’m going to take a short spin on the bike this morning to make sure there are no mechanical issues from the transit down here.  After that I plan on relaxing and keeping my legs up so that I’m rested and ready to go.  OH! Weather here could not be better! Race day forecast calls for high 70’s and sunny.

I plan on wearing some sunscreen. The thing that hurt the worst last time was the sunburn on my face, neck, and shoulders.

Triathletes love their toys! Not only do they love their toys, but they love to talk about their toys.  If you are not into triathlons you might be bored witless by this post. We are leaving on Wednesday for Florida, so I am compiling my checklist of things I need for Ironman Florida.

I remember a story I read in Triathlete Magazine several years ago when professional triathlete  Craig Walton had forgotten to pack his bike cleats and only realized it when he was at T1 and ready to hop on the bike. What to do? He ended up putting on his running shoes and doing the bike leg in them.  The good news is that he still came in 1st.

2XU Comp Wetsuit, full sleeve

2002 Kestral Talon 57 cm full carbon fiber, monocoque construction, Shimano Ultegra groupset with Dura-Ace 12-23 cassette.Profile Design Aerobars.

Since reading that article, I have a triathlon checklist attached to my transition bag.

SWIM: 2XU Comp Wetsuit, full sleeve, Sable swim googles, Tyr swim jammers underneath.

BIKE:  Kestrel Talon bike set-up. Reynolds Strike Full Carbon Wheelset (clincher, 66 mm profile) Michelin Pro3 20mm race tires pumped to 135 psi. (If you want comfort, stay home and sit on a Lazy-Boy),Seat: Selle San Marco Astride carbon fiber seat. (I get more comments on this than anything. Despite its looks, it is very comfortable. Carbon fiber is good about dampening road vibrations and the seat is slick so there is no chaffing from shifting positions.)  Pearl Izumi road cleats, Smartwool bike socks, Zoot tri-suit with another pair of Pearl Izumi bike shorts over the top.

Seat: Selle San Marco Astride carbon-fiber seat

Run: Brooks Glycerin running shoes, Smartwool running socks. Lucky Ironman visor. Rudy Project photochromatic sunglasses.  Zoot tri-suit .

The Blogger in new jacket.

I got a very pleasant surprise yesterday when “Track” showed up at the DCS office holding this great Seymour Ironman jacket.  What a helluva guy!!! Thanks!

It is what the best-dressed Ironman is wearing.

Seymour Ironman

October 21, 2009 Two weeks from today we will be arriving in Panama City Beach for Ironman Florida. Not only is this an Ironman triathlon, but it is a family vacation.

The Thomas family are big fans of the beach house. Nothing like being able to walk out the door onto the beach. The sound of the Gulf of Mexico lulling you to sleep at night.

We were able to procure the house pictured below for less than the cost of a hotel room per night. I knew it was close to Boardwalk Beach Resort ( start/finish/ transition area for Ironman Florida) but after checking Google Satellite, it is literallly next door.  The family should we able to  roll out of bed and walk out the back door and watch the swim start of the race.

Beautiful Gulf of Mexico view from back of the house

Huge surfside deck to listen to the waves and contemplate Being and Nothingness.

Interior: dining area

Interior: Master bedroom