Anyone know of a good running group - interest in 'barefoot running'

hi there.
i am trying to get back into running after having a lot of knee trouble this past year. i was an avid runner about three years ago, and after having a child, i gained weight, my balance is different and tried to get back into running this past year to find out that i can't run more than a mile without tremendous pain in my left knee. i was reading 'born to run' and would really like to try 'barefoot running' but wondering if anyone out there has tried it, knows how to transition into it and might know of a good running group (or to start jogging group)? THANKS!
-ccinsebastopol

I loved Born To Run. Its a great read. And I do think that shoe companies like Nike have a vested interest in keeping us wearing shoes. However, remember that most of us have been wearing shoes a long time, and our strides and footstrikes are adapted to shod feet. So, my suggestion is to look for some shoes that are a bit on the lighter, less cushioned side, and just run in them, practicing the techniques in B2R, like landing a bit more on your forefoot, avoiding heelstriking, and keeping the footstrike a little further back, more under you so your heel does not tend to hit the ground first. As you get more practiced at those skills, you will also be wearing down your shoes, which will become more and more like "no shoes at all". Your next pair could be some lightweight, "minimalist" trail shoes. Avoid the cushioned "stability" shoes. Don't start right off with bare feet of Vibram Five Fingers. Get yourself into shape, toughen your feet and legs a bit, and build up some mileage first.

I am a distance runner, not very fast, but with a few marathons under my belt along with a bunch of shorter runs, and I try to run every other day for at least 5 or 8 miles. I love the trails in Annadel, but run on or off pavement with my dogs, too. Personally, I am sticking with shoes. I like having toe and sole protection on rocky trails. Having lightweight shoes with mild heel padding forces me to run kind of like the barefooters, and I wear pretty lightweight shoes most of the time. But when you take your eyes off the trail to look at the view and smack your toe into a rock, you will be glad you have a little something in front. I have a photo of my toe looking like a black grape from such a moment on a race last year. Quite painful.

You might also try contacting the Empire Runners club. I see a couple of people wearing the Vibram Five Fingers un-shoes on the trail runs.

Whatever you do, realize that it takes some time to get in shape to run. I think it takes more to toughen and strengthen the supporting cartalidge, ligaments and sinews than the muscles themselves, so be sure to give your joints time to get used to the stresses of running.

And, after re-reading your original post, I would suggest you see a sports doctor to see if that knee problem is serious. Running on an injury is not a good idea. If you are lucky, you have Kaiser, and they have a good sports doc up in SR.

Happy Trails!

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Posted in reply to the post by ccinsebastopol:

hi there.
i am trying to get back into running after having a lot of knee trouble this past year. i was an avid runner about three years ago, and after having a child, i gained weight, my balance is different and tried to get back into running this past year to find out that i can't run more than a mile without tremendous pain in my left knee. i was reading 'born to run' and would really like to try 'barefoot running' but wondering if anyone out there has tried it, knows how to transition into it and might know of a good running group (or to start jogging group)? THANKS!
-ccinsebastopol

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Posted in reply to the post by paulswetdog:

Whatever you do, realize that it takes some time to get in shape to run. I think it takes more to toughen and strengthen the supporting cartalidge, ligaments and sinews than the muscles themselves, so be sure to give your joints time to get used to the stresses of running. !

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+1 to that. I'm not qualified to give medical advice, so I second Paul's to talk to a sports trainer. But I can talk from experience. When the muscles that support the joints aren't strong enough, it's a lot easier to get injuries. The time it takes to build up that strength through focused exercise has got to be a lot less than the time lost to injury, especially as you get older. When you've got an indeterminate number of healthy years ahead of you, it makes sense to spend some time preparing. It's hard to withdraw from activity to try to heal when you're not sure that you'll succeed because of years of damage. It's hard to decide instead to keep active and hope the damage doesn't get worse. Best avoid the whole thing by careful conditioning when you're young enough to reap the benefits for a long time!

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Posted in reply to the post by podfish:

...When the muscles that support the joints aren't strong enough, it's a lot easier to get injuries....

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This reminds me why I think joint strength/toughness is so important. My experience is that muscle injuries are much quicker to heal than joint injuries. A damaged rotater cuff or shin splint is very painful and takes months to heal. A pulled muscle is relatively minor. (Well, I think so, anyway. I don't get many muscle pulls. But I have had shin splints, early in my running career, and I was dosing myself with Ibuprofin for months.)

I read "Born to Run", got inspired, bought my "Five Fingers" minimalist shoes, and started dancing through the wilderness. It takes some time to build up the muscles in your feet/ankles/legs and I think there's a pelvic realignment as well. I've been using a rebounder in conjunction with progressive conditioning. I have let go of the
"runner" mentality, Ie., focusing on time, distance, etc.; and now tune into what my body is asking for in the moment. I'm really enjoying this different orientation to running and I've been a runner for most of my life, unless my body would not allow it. I'd welcome the opportunity to "run" with other "barefoot" enthusiasts.

I belong to the Empire Runners and there are several people who have been using the minimalist shoes for a while. Check out the website https://www.empirerunners.org/. If you look thru the newsletter archives, there have been several articles on the subject. We do lots of trail running in Annadel and sometimes Pt Reyes or SugarLoaf.