IndianaRunner

[Drake]

Here you can discuss Kyle Overway's training.

Feel free to ask questions, make comments, critique or just read!

Kyle will likely chime in and answer.

Here you can find his latest blog entry:
http://indianarunner.com/KyleOverwayTrainingBlog2011.aspx

[PortDistance93]

Hey guys, its overway. Hope your summer training is going well, feel free to shoot me some questions or whatever and ill do my best to get back at you.

[thurgood-marshall]

Hey kyle I was just curious as to who your bestfriend is? Also black g-shock with purple or with blue?

[PortDistance93]

Black/purple. And umm maybe the kid who's coming next monday to do a 90 mile week with me;)

[WarriorXC09]

yo I actually have a couple questions.

how many mpw on average would you say that you run barefoot while at your peak mileage?

Also, I've noticed that it is much more comfortable to run barefoot the faster you go (for me at least).....do you do any of your harder runs, tempos intervals, etc, while barefoot?

What is your favorite shoe to train, race in, etc?

[1bob11]

just an observation, but kyle overway's game face ftw.

[PortDistance93]

yo I actually have a couple questions.

how many mpw on average would you say that you run barefoot while at your peak mileage?

Also, I've noticed that it is much more comfortable to run barefoot the faster you go (for me at least).....do you do any of your harder runs, tempos intervals, etc, while barefoot?

What is your favorite shoe to train, race in, etc?

In training for my junior cross season I ran barefoot much more than i do presently. I was running approx 25 mpw barefoot then, now i dont do much barefoot besides the occasional cool down and/or strides. It's not that i dont enjoy unshod running, it just limits the terrain i can train on. To your third question, these are the shoes I have had the most success with:
Feelmax Osma
Saucony a4
Inov8 195
Mizuno Universe
OG Nike Streak XC
Adizero PR

The shoes I prefer most allow for great proprioception and are not necessarily the lightest shoes on the market. They must also have a relatively minute heel to toe drop (<6mm) to allow an unhindered forefoot strike. Many companies (and runners) are hailing shoes such as the kinvara, hattori, and lunaracer as great minimalist footwear when in reality they are not. Minimalism and barefoot running aims to strengthen your lower extremities by allowing your feet to contact and absorb the shock exerted by the surface below. Secondly, by reducing the space (cushion in most cases) between your foot and the ground, your foot no longer has to seek a firm surface to plant for the subsequent stride. This results in lower GI forces which could result in fewer injuries. The shoes i mentioned above often thought as minimal, may be lightweight with a relatively small heel to toe drop but they also possess extremely plush cushioning. This forces the foot to push through the plush cushioning upon strike in search of that firm surface thus increasing GI forces. These are just some general minimalist/barefoot notions and I will do my best to elaborate on any other questions. Hope this helps.

Also, here are some current/converting minimalists from around the state (that I know of):
Tate Scheinbein
Chris Walden
Ryan Cutter
Pat Appleton
Adrian Glover
Chris Love
Daniel Arteaga
Andrew Kearney

[thurgood-marshall]

Weak shout out dude....

[steburg]

What are the advantages of minimalism/ barefoot running?

[PortDistance93]

What are the advantages of minimalism/ barefoot running?

Im leaving to lift in 5 mins so Ill quickly list 5 advantages ive noticed, i may be unable to explain them all but quote the ones youre intrigued by and ill do my best to give you scientific reasoning:
smoother stride which may lead to increased efficiency
higher top end speed
delay in onset of fatigue
most innocuous way to run
ability to handle a higher workload

I, as well as other minimalists ive talked to, feel minimalism leads to faster paces during runs while keeping the same perceived effort as if in trainers. In other words, our runs are faster without feeling as if the intensity was upped. I think this may be more of a psychological factor rather than having a physiological explanation but it doesnt hurt not having clunky trainers weighing us down every run.

I have a paper I wrote last year on unshod running/minimalism. If anyone wants me to post it let me know and id be more than happy to. Keep the questions coming and ill do my best to expound minimalism a bit more tonight if theres interest. Thanks

[WarriorXC09]

Hope this helps.

yes definately, thanks.

[317-Steeple_260]

if you don't mind could you either post or message me your paper on minimalism. i first found out about the idea of minimalism when i went with one of my friends to the running company last spring to get him some shoes to run in. i am very interested in the idea of minimalism and would love to read your paper.

[steburg]

I only had a few questions, but I'd like to read that paper you wrote if you wouldn't mind posting it.

most innocuous way to run

Have you ever had any pain from running barefoot? I've done some barefoot strides on turf and I've never had any problems, but last year at semi-state, I ran everything after Agony with only one shoe and I noticed that my heel felt bruised for the next couple days. That could just be from doing too much without building up to it.

smoother stride which may lead to increased efficiency
delay in onset of fatigue

Do you only feel these effects when you run with minimalist shoes or do you notice them all the time because of your minimalist training?

Thanks for answering my questions.

[whitesox]

Have you ever had any pain from running barefoot? I've done some barefoot strides on turf and I've never had any problems, but last year at semi-state, I ran everything after Agony with only one shoe and I noticed that my heel felt bruised for the next couple days. That could just be from doing too much without building up to it.

Not Overway, but: ideally, when you run barefoot you strike the ground less with your heel -- part of the physical advantage of barefoot running is that it is more efficient because you redirect energy through the foot rather than simply absorbing it in the heel and knee (thus, barefoot running also puts less stress on the knee).

However, it definitely makes sense that you weren't doing this during a race where you lost one shoe -- that's not really an easy time to think about your stride. If you strike hard on your heel running barefoot like you would with shoes on, it is not surprising that you end up with a bruised heel. That's not really a natural motion and few people have issues with it, but when a shoe comes of during a race and the other stays on, it is certainly possible.

[Illegitimate]

Also not Kyle, but here are some websites about barefoot running and/or forefoot striking that I used for a research paper

http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/

http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/pfrossi2.htm

http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2007/08000/Foot_Strike_Patterns_of_Runners_At_the_15_Km_Point.40.aspx

All very interesting if you read them thoroughly

[PortDistance93]

I only had a few questions, but I'd like to read that paper you wrote if you wouldn't mind posting it.

most innocuous way to run

Have you ever had any pain from running barefoot? I've done some barefoot strides on turf and I've never had any problems, but last year at semi-state, I ran everything after Agony with only one shoe and I noticed that my heel felt bruised for the next couple days. That could just be from doing too much without building up to it.

smoother stride which may lead to increased efficiency
delay in onset of fatigue

Do you only feel these effects when you run with minimalist shoes or do you notice them all the time because of your minimalist training?

Thanks for answering my questions.

Sorry for the delay, had a busy weekend. To the question of pain from barefoot running, I have been a minimalist for a little over 3 years and all I have experienced is an inflammed achilles that sidelined me for a few days. That is the extent of my injuries over the past 3 years whereas my freshman year i was troubled with knee and heel pains frequently.

To your question about semistate, whitesox gave you cogent reason but ill elaborate anyway. When you run barefoot/minimalist, you will ideally strike on the ball of the foot. This is why i talked about a minute heel to toe drop ratio, so the heel of the shoe does not impede the natural strike of the foot. Since you are not a minimalist, it is likely you heel strike from training daily in trainers (the elevated heel in trainers forces you to strike on your heel) therefore you do the same when you race. When you lost your shoe at a semistate you probably had greater problems than how your foot was contacting the ground. Also, as a minimalist tires, the footstrike will gradually recede (minimalist marathoners usually strike with the heel and forefoot striking at approximately the same time). This could also be the case as you became barefoot in the latter half of your race. But yeah, it takes time to convert to minimalism. I recommend first running in a performance trainer for awhile (8-10 oz), then going to a marathoning flat (6-8 oz), and eventually a full blown flat (3-6 oz) when one feels comfortable. I was very cautious in my transition and took 8 months or so as barefooting/minimalism was not a popular notion then as it is now. The transition period is realtive to the runner. I have seen some people transition in a couple weeks and some take close to a year. Regardless, even if you are only switching to a performance trainer, you are becoming a more efficient runner. I urge you, or anyone else who wants to see for themselves, to run barefoot at a brisk pace on grass (or cement) for 50 yards or so and see how your foot naturally strikes the ground.

To the last question- The effects are due to muscular endurance i have gained being a minimalist that others may have not. To be honest, I cannot run in anything over 7 oz, the shoes feel so clunky and i cannot get into a smooth, comfortable stride anymore. As i mentioned earlier, being a minimalist is basically like spiking up everyday, you feel fast and smooth thus making your runs faster and more enjoyable.

Feel free to shoot me some more questions. Again, my apologies for the tardiness. Paper to be posted later today

[PortDistance93]

This paper is from sophomore year so give some lenience when reading. Also, i might be able to dig up some of the references I used if anyone wants them. Feel free to ask any questions. Hope you enjoy:

From the beginning of time humans have moved without shoes causing the foot to adapt to the various surroundings it encounters. Throughout these years the foot has evolved to better protect itself from its environment by alerting the brain, through sensory nerves in the foot, when the foot senses pressure. This process allows the foot and lower extremities to become stronger by colliding with the ground and adjusting to absorb the ground impact forces due to the foot’s increased sensitivity. This is the way humans were designed to move. Despite this the first modern-day shoe was invented in 1899 in order to prevent the wearer from incurring lacerations (Bellis). Since then shoes have become commonplace in almost all countries and are part of everyday society. However, shoes reduce the foot’s proprioception and other basic functions by placing a thick midsole between the foot and the ground. Could it be that one of the most seemingly essential amenities to modern man is causing more harm than good?
Early man was forced to run down and hunt his prey in order to survive. Sometimes this running amounted to hundreds of miles in the span of a modern week with little or no protective footwear. However, there are few accounts of running related injuries until the last half century. As shoes have evolved with complex Internal Guidance Systems, Motion Control Technologies, Stability Guides, and other injury prevention technologies, injury rates have sky-rocketed. Many Americans cannot go for a short run without complaining of discomfort after completion. In fact, scientific studies show that 60-65% of all runners are injured each year (Anderson). An injury is defined as a physical problem severe enough to force a reduction in normal activities. These injuries could not have occurred in ancient man because it would have been impossible for man to survive with frequent injuries leaving him incapable of hunting food. This leaves the puzzling question of how ancient man ran seemingly unharmed.
Many foot and knee injuries that plague runners today are caused by running shoes that make our feet weak, cause runners to over-pronate, and cause knee problems. Prior to 1972, when Nike created the modern athletic shoe, people had very strong feet, and knee injuries were much less frequent (McDougall 169). The injuries caused by modern running shoes have had drastic consequences on society. In order to stay healthy one must do aerobic exercise regularly. Dr. Lieberman of Harvard University backs this statement and went as far as saying “If there’s any magic bullet to make human beings healthy, it’s to run.” What this means is that if running shoes never caught on, more people would be able to run injury-free and enjoy exercise more. If more people ran and exercised, fewer would be dying of diabetes, blocked arteries, complications from obesity, and degenerative heart diseases. But why exactly do running shoes cause injuries?
In 2001, two Nike reps went to Stanford University, a Nike sponsored school, to attend a track practice in order to get feedback on the new shoes they had supplied them. They were shocked at what they found. Most of the distance runners on the team preferred to run barefoot. They asked coach Vin Lananna, one of the most revered running minds of the modern era, why the athletes weren’t wearing shoes. His response startled them; “I can’t prove this but I believe when my runners train barefoot, they run faster and suffer fewer injuries.” Lananna’s statement is amazingly accurate (McDougall 169). When runners wear running shoes they stray their feet from the natural position by providing support. This support weakens the foot in the same way a cast does a broken arm. For months a cast supports the arm and upon removal of the cast a broken arm is much weaker than a healthy arm. This same process is taking place between running shoes and feet except instead of the weakening taking place for a month or so it is happening over and over again throughout the runner’s life! By adding devices such as “multi-angled forefoot gel pods”, “midfoot thrust enhancers”, and “infinitely adaptable heel pads” runners overcompensate for small problems or problems that don‘t exist. The fact of the matter is only 2-3% of the general population has a biomechanical deficiency that needs to be corrected, but major running companies market these new technologies to lure uninformed buyers into the trap of purchasing the newest “injury prevention” running technologies. However, this “injury prevention” claim is completely fallacious. A research paper published in 2008 by Dr. Craig Richards, a researcher at the University of Newcastle in Australia, revealed that there are no evidence-based studies that demonstrate running shoes make a runner less prone to injury (McDougall 171). This brings up the question that if running shoes don’t make runners less prone to injuries what exactly people paying for?
Many runners buy shoes that cost well over $100 fearing that without the latest technology they may get injured in an outdated or cheap shoe. However, according to a study led by Bernard Marti, M.D., runners wearing top-of-the-line shoes are 123% more likely to get injured than runners in cheap shoes. Marti and his team studied 4,358 runners and found that the most common variable among the injured wasn’t the training surface, running speed, weekly mileage, body weight, or previous history of injury: it was the price of their running shoes (McDougall 171-172). A runner who runs in shoes that cost more than $95 is twice as likely to become injured than a runner running in shoes that cost less than $40. Marti was not the only researcher who has come to this conclusion. A 1991 report in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise drew eerily similar results. The study concluded that wearers of shoes that are advertised to have more cushioning, stability, and protection are injured significantly more frequently than runners wearing inexpensive shoes lacking these features (McDougall 171-172). In the early 1980s Vin Lananna was quoted as saying “I once ordered high-end shoes for the team, and within two weeks, we had more plantar fasciitis and Achilles injuries than I’d ever seen…Ever since then, I’ve always ordered the low-end shoes. It’s not because I’m cheap. It’s because I’m in the business of making athletes run fast and stay healthy.”
The amazing truth about feet is that they like to absorb impacts to a certain extent rather than being “protected” from them by large amounts of cushioning. In fact, natural impacts strengthen the feet which result in fewer injuries, better foot control, and stability. This statement is backed by Dr. Barry Bates, the head of the University of Oregon’s Biomechanics/Sports Medicine Laboratory. Dr. Barry gathered data and observed that old, beat-up running shoes are more innocuous than newer shoes. He determined that because of the worn down cushioning system, runners gained more foot control. The average runner may ask “how does foot control lead to fewer injuries?” Contrary to public opinion, cushioning and stability systems do absolutely nothing to reduce ground impact. This is because the impact on a runner’s lower extremities from running can be up to twelve times their body weight. What is a midsole of 20mm and a half inch piece of rubber going to do to a force of nearly a ton? As Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run, put it “you can cover an egg with an oven mitt before rapping it with a hammer, but that egg ain’t coming out alive.” Studies have proven that when subjects were tested with soft shoes versus firm shoes there is no difference in impact forces. However, the peak in vertical ground reaction force is actually much larger in softer shoes. This means that the softer the cushioning of a shoe, the less actual protection from impact forces it provides. Researchers at the University of Oregon’s Biomechanics/Sports Medicine Laboratory concluded that as cushioning hardened, runner’s feet became more stabilized and less wobbly. This means less knee torque, knee flexion, and ankle flexion, movements that can cause stresses and strains that lead to injury.
The main reason modern running shoes cause stress injuries is due to the larger peak vertical impact force that is created in cushioned running shoes. This larger force is caused because a person’s legs and feet instinctively come down harder when they sense something squishy underfoot. When people run in cushioned running shoes their feet instinctively try to push through the cushion, midsole, and sole to find a hard, stable platform to push off of to begin the next stride. Therefore, the feet and legs strike the ground harder in search of that platform than they would when making direct contact with it while running barefoot. However, some surfaces such as gravel, hot asphalt, and surfaces littered with glass may not be suitable for barefoot running (Burfoot 62). Therefore, a new idea must be interpolated (Wahlgren).
Modern-day running shoes have an average heel height of over 20mm off the ground. This causes an unnatural and less efficient strike as the foot impacts the ground (Elsevier Health Sciences). In running shoes the runner is forced to heel-strike due to the raised platform upon which the runner is landing. Heel-striking happens in front of a runner’s center of gravity, causing a deceleration at impact whereas forefoot striking, the foot’s natural way of striking without shoes, happens just below a runner’s center of gravity maintaining the momentum gained from the runner’s previous stride (New Balance). Therefore, when a runner heel-strikes the force the runner’s lower extremities feel when impacting the ground is much greater due to the deceleration. Also, when heel-striking a runner’s leg is almost completely straight at impact as opposed to a bend at the knee when barefooting or forefoot striking. When the leg is straight a path is created for the shock vibrations to travel up the leg to the hip region because there is nothing to absorb the shock. This is a major reason many American runners have frequent hip problems. When the knee is bent it allows the leg to disperse the shock between the calf, knee, and quadriceps so the stress is no longer concentrated to one part of the leg. This results in less frequent stress and repetitive injuries, the most common injuries plaguing runners (Hendrick). Because barefoot running is not always suitable and the raised heel on a modern running shoe prohibits forefoot striking, minimalism is the best way to run.
Minimalism is the idea of running in the most minimal footwear possible that still protects the feet from lacerations. These shoes are made with little to no cushioning or stability features and a tough rubber sole with a thickness of 3-4mm. These shoes do not have a heel counter or elevated heel height allowing the runner to forefoot strike and reap the benefits of barefoot running. Minimalism allows the feet to pronate naturally instead of being hindered and controlled by stability guides. Minimalism also allows the foot to strike naturally to find the hard, stable surface it searches for unlike running in modern shoes. With all the evidence presented minimalism is the best possible way to run on all surfaces.
Modern day running shoes may be one of the most misunderstood ideas in modern day society. Modern running shoes have been marketed to prevent and treat injuries when in reality not only do they fail to fulfill this promise but they may even exacerbate the situation. The technologies put into these shoes take the foot out of its natural environment and force the foot to move in a way it is unaccustomed to moving. Contrary to popular belief, this is one of the major causes of runners getting injured, not high mileage, training surface, or intensity. With new evidence and research being released daily, barefoot running and minimalism are on the rise in the United States. Hopefully this movement will continue to catch on and more runners can look forward to exercising happily and injury free in the future because as best said by physical therapist Ken Learman, “when it comes to running shoes, all that glitters isn’t gold.”

[botch63]

When you were transitioning to running in a flat, when did you choose to change the type of shoe you were running in. Did you just transition from one shoe to the next every few months?

[ac_xc]

You said you wore Kinvaras? Are those the Saucony kind? I was wondering how much mileage should you put on them. I've always followed 350-400 for running shoes, but are lighter shoes different in these terms?

[Flo-Rida]

You said you wore Kinvaras? Are those the Saucony kind? I was wondering how much mileage should you put on them. I've always followed 350-400 for running shoes, but are lighter shoes different in these terms?

My understanding is that they are different because you change your typical running shoes due to a loss of support. Obviously the support isn't what you are getting from a true 'barefoot' shoe. Instead, you simply are getting protection from cutting up your feet. Still need to take care of them, but should have some longer life if they are equal quality. Kyle will know better though from doing some big boy mileage in them.

[sbrcross]

The Kinvaras, in my opinion, have an awfully soft foam rubber sole for a shoe thats trying to pretend its minimalist, and those tiny triangles offer little in the way of durability.

[steburg]

Kyle, I really liked reading your paper. I see what you mean about it being from sophomore year, but it really explained what minimalism was. I'm not sure if I'll switch to minimalism, but you really made it look like the logical thing to do. Thanks for answering my questions, and good luck with your training.

[Poochy]

I heard you were rooming with Filimon. I don't think you understand how lucky you are. How will the massive amount of girls that come in and out for Filimon affect your school work?

[The_Phenomenon]

Kyle, I was curious how long it took you
to make the transition from regular trainers to Kinvara, if any.

[ryan_horner]

minimalism FTW

i'm hitting 25 of my miles each week barefoot and I feel so SMOOTH right now. lovin it