Racing Shoe Dilemma page

[Dr. Bork Bork]

I got VFFs for my bday and have loved them. No problems, and I feel like they make me a more efficient runner. Have been breaking them in slowly. Ran 1/2 mile in grass yesterday.

Wore my Brooks today (was giving my feet a day off from my V's), and my knee was screaming at me. I've been eating really clean, and keeping nightshades to a minimum. This is the first time my knee has bothered me in 2 weeks.

dilemma: do I get a brace & run my race this weekend in my Brooks and get a PR or try to go the distance in my Vs and not get a PR (since I would walk most of it, not quite running on hard pavement in them yet, but can run in Brooks)

I am running 3 races this month, and want to set a PR in all of them, but wasn't counting on my knee behaving like this in my brooks.

[honeypig]

In your shoes (so to speak) I would definitely go slow on wearing the VFFs for longer distances. I spent some time over the summer volunteering w/a guy, an experienced runner, 22 marathons to his credit, who bought a pair of VFFs, wore them a few times for distances of 5-6 miles, then wore them on a 12-mile training run. At mile 10, he felt a sharp pain and had to gimp the remaining 2 miles back. Turns out he fractured his 2nd metatarsal--not a stress fracture, an outright clean break, slightly displaced even. (I saw the picture of the x-ray.). Needless to say, he is out of action for some time while that heals.

It is of course your decision, and I understand that you wanted to set PRs, but IMHO, the first order of importance is your body's health. If your knee won't let you run in your traditional shoes and you will not have adequate time to build up to wearing the VFFs, you may just have to change your goals. If you don't mind taking the risk of injury, minor or major, then go for it, but I personally would rather delay my plans and know I would try them later on, well prepared and healthy. However, a lot of people on various forums don't subscribe to the same philosophy I do in that regard...

Best wishes, whatever you decide!

[Dragonfly]

Running?

Pray tell, why are you running Dr. BB, if you want to lose body fat?

[davem]

Running?

Pray tell, why are you running Dr. BB, if you want to lose body fat?

lulwut?

I should have mentioned something in your VFF thread... I threw out my brooks because when I wear them now my feet cramp up within about 1/4 mile, and my shins and knees get wrecked.

Tough spot, but I would go back to the Brooks if I had to PR, but if I was just going to do distance, ride the VFF and let my body be my guide.

[not on the rug]

what distance are the races?

how has the "break-in" process been going? how has your knee felt? calves/achilles? feet?

did you change your running technique when you put the brooks back on? i.e. were you heel striking in them?

[Dr. Bork Bork]

This weekend is a 6k, next weekend 5k, Oct 29th 5k. Break in process on Vs has been really great. I feel better in them than shoes. Just worried about hammering my legs on pavement in them. I don't know if my technique changed at all in the brooks. I have mainly done walking in both shoes, although I did do a 1 mile run in my V's today and felt pretty good, despite my calves/achilles whining at me.

I should mention I tend to wog these races in regular shoes. Can't quite run the full 3 miles yet, but can definitely go a mile!

[Dr. Bork Bork]

Running?

Pray tell, why are you running Dr. BB, if you want to lose body fat?

I enjoy running. Setting new PRs makes me feel good about myself
Plus running helped me drop 80 lbs prior to going Primal. Seems like a good outlet to me

[davem]

I enjoy running. Setting new PRs makes me feel good about myself
Plus running helped me drop 80 lbs prior to going Primal. Seems like a good outlet to me

It always amazes me when people think running and weight loss are incompatible.

Tough spot at those distances. I'm an idiot so I would rock the VFFs, but it's not my legs on the line. Try the shorter distance with the VFFs and adjust?

[not on the rug]

i would probably wear the vibrams. i mean, you aren't going to be running the entire time anyway. you should be fine in them

[Dr. Bork Bork]

Maybe I should go with the Vs and accept that either way I won't get a PR? The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I'm a big sissy, so I'm not gonna push through that pain in my brooks anyway (although, weirdest thing, the pain goes away when I jog/run. It's only there in the brooks when I walk. One of my non-Paleo runner friends suggested it may very well be the way my foot strikes the ground between the gaits).
Another brilliant case of "listen to your body". I'm so glad I'm already walking 3k distances in my Vs (tyvm summer barefoot walking!), I guess I'm just concerned about running on pavement.
Worried about injury, too, but I think I'm more likely to get injured if I run with that pain I get in my brooks.