Great Feats.

For time:

70 Burpees

60 Sit-ups

50 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood

40 Pull-ups

30 Handstand push-ups

Kristan Clever 9:56 (1 pood KB), Michelle Kinney 15:10 (1.5 pood KB)

Post time to comments.

Lately I’ve been looking at a lot of feet.  We’ve been running long and fast lately and with the number of people complaining about weird foot pain coupled by the number of you purchasing new “minimalist” shoes, I feel this post is long over due.

First, the basics.  Look at the picture below.  The foot has 24 bones in it that form 2 arches, one running the length of the foot while the other runs the width.  The bones are shaped so they fit together and are held together by the ligaments.

 The plantar muscles are arranged in four layers that move the toes and provide support to the longitudinal arch.  The arches allow the foot to support the weight of the body and offer leverage while walking.  These arches are not rigid and yield when weight is applied and spring back when the weight is lifted.  Genius!

Causes of foot pain are varied–trauma, overuse, fracture, plantar fasciitis, shoes that don’t fit, running a 10k in your new vibrams….

and can indicate something wrong within the foot itself or how the foot is interacting with an external surface, like asphalt.  So what to do, what to do?

Consider shoes for a moment.  Make sure they fit.  Duh.  You may jump on the minimalist shoe bandwagon and that’s great.  They are well suited for what we do offering little support so the muscles in your feet and calves can get stronger.  Running pose is easier and they provide a stable base to lift heavy shit.

 I offer a cautionary tale:  after purchasing my first pair of vibrams, I ran a 5k.  I wore “regular” running shoes for as long as I can remember and hated running because my knees would swell up and hurt for days, but I was stoked with my new shoes so I went for it.  I felt fine after, my knees didn’t hurt the way they normally do, I was running again!  The next day I could barely stand.  My feet felt broken and it would be another 2 months before I attempted to jog in a warm up or jump rope.  The unofficial count on the number of strains my feet sustained is 86.  I kid, but you get the picture.  Go easy with the “I’m almost running barefoot thing”.  Remember, your feet have been “casted” in conventional shoes for decades, and those 100 muscles need a little time to adjust.

And finally, a little TLC and mobility to keep all those muscles and connective tissues happy.  A few things I find useful are massaging the bottom of the feet with a tennis ball, bending the toes back and forth, toe raises, calf stretching and icing when needed.  You’re all moving differently now, running better and feeling your feet in a way you’ve never noticed before.  Set them free and take care of them well!