Stumbled upon a great site for keen runners

While browsing internet, out of boredom, I discovered this discussion thread. VERY INFORMATIVE, i would say. You will find tips on carbo loading (yeah you can't just simply eat all carbo rambo style!), where to find shoes, links to websites for runner enthusiasts, comparison of training watches, etc! it's a HELLLLLLLL of a lot of infos to digest there! Enjoy!

The Runners Thread V5

An interesting review of minimalist shoes you can find there:

"The Bikila and Komodo have almost exactly the same feel. Just started trying them out so can't see any noticeable difference yet, or how they perform vis-a-vis the KSO. The tread on the outsoles of the Komodosport and the Bikila are somewhat different. The KSO on the other hand has a completely different outsole, without any tread, and running in the Komodosport and the Bikila will give you a very different feel. My KSO are a size larger than that recommended by the website and there is a bit of slack in the toes. I wear Injinjis with 'em. You probably won't need to wear any socks with the Bikila and the Komodosport because the uppers are made from a different material, smoother than that of the KSO, and there is very little friction. But that could be because this time, I bought exactly the size recommended by the website. A very snug fit, very little slack, and I suppose because of this, you're not likely to get blisters. Not that I got any wearing the slack KSO.

I had a similar problem with my knee before I switched to VFFs. That problem has not recurred once since I made the switch. But I've also been doing weights in the gym to strengthen my hamstrings and quadriceps and this is supposed to help, so whether you want to attribute the improvement to the shoes or to the weights, I couldn't say with any certainty. My instincts tell me both have a role to play in this.

When you eventually make the switch to VFFs, do it slowly and take it for granted that you will have to live with sore calves for a while. Give your legs and feet time to get used to the new gait and the new feel and build up your mileage slowly. I loved the feel when I made the switch - I could actually feel the grass, the sand, the pebbles etc etc. I imagine your soles would be somewhat more insulated from the terrain by the Bikila and Komodosport outsoles because of the distinct tread (just got them, and I've given myself a week off to recover from the Penang Marathon so haven't had a chance to try them outdoors yet).

I can't speak for any other kind of minimalist footwear from experience, but I don't think anybody is 'ready' for VFFs or other minimalist footwear for running, unless you've been running barefoot. You need to give your body time to make the necessary adjustments. That said, I used to run in cheap trainers with minimal support and padding so perhaps the transition wasn't too difficult for me. Also, each person's feet are different. You must find the shoe that best answers your needs, and this might not necessarily be something minimalist.

I've read Chris McDougall's book and done some further research on barefoot running and in principle, I think it all makes sense. At the end of the day though, what matters is that you find something that works for you. Since these shoes are now retailing in KL, I think the thing to do would be to go and try them out and see how they feel. But from my own experience, and from what I've read and what people who wear them have told me, you need to give yourself time to get used to VFFs. You will almost certainly end up with fabulously sore calves the first few times you run in them. That happened to me. But once the breaking in period came to an end (about 6 weeks for me), I not only said goodbye to sore calves, but also to knee pain and sore muscles after all the half marathons I subsequently ran in. My first full marathon recently was another story altogether but I recovered after one day."

By : PangurBan

So guys, feel free to join the 'darkside' of minimalist running and enjoyment! hehe!

Oh Selamat Berpuasa too!

Barefoot/minimalist running anyone?

Hola peeps,

How are you guys doing? Running ada okay? Double thumbs up if u do! Hehe. Anyway, here I am gonna share one of the EFR's experience with his Vibram. To be specifically, EFR 4 with his newly bought Vibram Seeya, the latest offering from Vibram.

Bought at Takashimiya Dept Store, Singapore for Sing Dollar 199. All he could say is, he's very satisfied with it. Sudah semangat lari eh dia! Bagus-bagus! Ini yang kita mau. haha. So today, at around 8am, he drove down to a park named Lake Valley which is just 2km+ away from his home. He just discovered this newly built park as his usual jogging spot is at Tasik Permaisuri. Jogging around the lake will clock almost the same kilometres with the one at Tasik Permaisuri. About 1.5km+. This is going to be one great jogging/running/recreation spot in Cheras I tell ya.

Anyway, back to Vibram Seeya, this shoe focuses on barefoot style of running. It's not your usual cushion comfort running shoes. EFR 4 experienced different kind of running drastically upon running in the Seeya. Perhaps, all this while he has been running wrongly in terms of stepping techniques, body posture, breathing and so on. EFR4 told me that the first few KMs with Seeya, he experienced massive muscle ache in the calves for few days which he never felt before when running with his previous Nike cushion shoes eventhough he had participated a lot of running events for the past 1 year. Thus, running barefoot quickly adjusted his running style which is GOOD o yeah.

Apart from that, he felt less fatigue in the leg area while running just now. He believes this may be due to the swings of his legs were corrected and he was forced to take small but quick steps to adjust to running in Seeya on the hard cement joging path. However, he told me that the time recorded just now was not impressive at all as he could only manage 8kms done in 58min. But I believe this is due to he needs to clock more kilometres in Vibram and adjusting to barefoot running will take time of course. A quick research in Google revealed that some may take months to adjust. Well, just hope that he can adjust just in time for his half marathon run organised by Standard Chartered to be held later this month.

Lake Valley....damn jealous with those house residents

Snug fit and ready! Jom lari!

Nice view and Carrefour in the vicinity. Those house lookers, may consider this area. Lot of housing areas are still under development nearby.

Vibram Seeya 2012 in action!

Adios peeps and keep running!

NB Minimus Zero Running Shoe

New Balance has on March 2012 released their new lightweight shoe - NB Minimus Zero Road & Zero Trail. This running shoe brings you to the almost barefoot experience, has the lightest weight at 4.4 ounces (4.4 ounces to 8.2 ounces), becomes one of the lightest running shoe in the world. 'Zero' is refer to its zero drop (0 mm to 4mm) from heel to toe.

Latest check on the Malaysian market, NB Minimus Zero Road is priced at RM299 at NB One Utama outlet. As per what we have ask to the customer service staffs at the outlet, this shoe is not really suitable for a long distance road running/marathon, since it has no adequate support for such distance. However, for run training, or a non-sprint short distance running (less than 5km), this would be an excellent and outstanding gamble!

P/s: The editors are in the midst of searching the facts of benefits/drawbacks of wearing a barefoot minimalist for a long distance running. We will post on this matter soonest possible. :)

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