Huaraches

[Matt M.]

I am a novice barefoot runner, and I've only been trying to do it for about 5 months. Right now I'm not running, as I have a small injury probably from TMTS. I am usually on our high school cross country and track team, but I couldn't do cross country because of the whole barefoot thing being so new, and an old nagging injury.

Basically, I wanted to be able to do track and cross country barefoot. But I'm starting to realize that it's pretty much impossible. We run several miles each day, and we do interval workouts ranging from 200's to mile repeats. Not possible to do completely barefoot. I have heard about huaraches, but never thought about using them. I remember in the book Born to Run the Tarahumara made them from old tires, if I'm not mistaken. I've been trying to think of the best type of (minimal) footwear I could use for my situation, and lately I've been wondering if huaraches are the answer.

But the whole thing about huaraches is a bit confusing to me. I have tried reading about them on this site and others, but the information is hard to get answers from. I thought maybe I should ask you guys.

Would I be able to make/use huaraches? What material do you use to make them? As I said earlier, I thought the Tarahumara used old tires. Tires sound the best to me, and I hear the bias-ply is the best type. Materials for me are pretty limited, but surely someone can tell me where I could get those type of tires? Or should I use a different material?

I would really appreciate your help, I'm kind of lost on this whole thing. Thanks!

 

[barefoot.zumba.runner]

What's your current distance

What's your current distance Matt? Do you have a good base of muscle/foot strength built up to withstand even running in a huarache? When will you be heading out on your longer runs? Is it the distance or speed you are worried about not being able to tackle?

Sorry for the 100 questions, just trying to get an idea for what will be your best option...be it, barefoot, huarache, minimal shoe etc.

As far as making your own huaraches, I am useless in that dept. I'm not very crafty so ordered my own (haven't run in them yet, but walk around in them quite a bit) I ordered from BRS member Niki Cantrell on her etsy.com page (I'm not sure if she's currently making and selling them, you could contact her http://www.etsy.com/shop/NCantrell

 

[Matt M.]

Thanks for your reply Zumba.

Thanks for your reply Zumba. Asking questions is perfectly fine

Anyway, I haven't really established much of a "base" with barefoot running distance. I have been kind of inconsistent, largely to try avoiding TMTS. I also took it slow because of a previous achilles tendon injury, but that has gotten a lot better.

In the past couple of weeks I was running about 3 miles maybe 2 or 3 times a week, which was a real increase compared to before. I got injured from what I think is a dropped metatarsal, and I haven't done anything for about a week.. But a couple months ago I once ran 20+ minutes 4 days in a row with not too much problem. Other than that, I have been pretty inconsistent and low-mileage. I have been concerned with doing TMTS, but I let loose and upped the mileage in the past weeks which led to that injury :~ Actually I just noticed that you posted on my topic about that injury :O But getting injured like that I'm not sure how bright my barefoot running future is.. it seems impossible sometimes.

I think I am mostly worried about my feet getting destroyed (half-kidding). We run all through the city, concrete and stray pebbles and rocks. Sometimes we do our workouts on really rough streets. On our team we always run kind of hard. Our long runs are every Saturday morning, and it is not uncommon to run 8 or 10+ miles on long runs. Me and my other friend (who has ran barefoot even more than me) both agree it would be pretty impossible to run that far and fast on such hard terrains too, barefoot.

It seems to me like using huaraches might be the safer (and only) way to go. Even if I would be able to try doing it barefoot, if I got some type of barefoot-related injury or something.. it would mean lots of time off, and it wouldn't be good. I thought maybe using huaraches would allow me to participate, but not have the ill-effects of running shoes. Our coach has high expectations for me and I feel some pressure to train a lot and run fast. But if I am able to run with huaraches or whatever, I am willing to not think about how fast I am. I am willing to slow down to be able to run this way.

 

[miqie]

Matt, go here and he will

Matt, go here and he will teach you how to make your own huaraches. The videos are very helpful : http://www.invisibleshoe.com/how-to-make-huaraches/#tie You probably have some type of material laying around that you can experiment with. I had some old rubber flooring material from work that I made mine out of. I could not get used to his tying method so I used this method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFuUtsA5oew I'm getting more into barefoot running, but this time of year with acorns and what not falling from the trees, it's more comfortable to wear my homemade huaraches.

 

[Matt M.]

Thanks for the info and

Thanks for the info and links, miqie.

Maybe tires would be too thick and heavy of a material. Plus it's more difficult to get them.

What do you use for laces, just shoe laces from a store? Also, what length should the laces be? If you have a knot on the bottom, doesn't it wear away after a while?

 

[Blind Boy]

From what I understand you

From what I understand you make the laces long enough that if the knot wears away you just pull some more lace through the hole and tie a new one.

Now for your other thoughts I believe that you should never exceed the distance you can do barefoot in minimalist shoes. To me this is just inviting injury. If you're patient enough it won't take long to be able to do 10 miles barefoot, lats year it took me roughly two months to get fit enough to do 9 miles and I started from scratch with running in general and barefoot running. Pace shouldn't be an issue either if you have the aerobic fitness for it.

 

[miqie]

Matt, as in the video, I used

Matt, as in the video, I used the rope that he uses. I got mine at Home Depot, but any store should have it. Don't use tires, unless you really want a workout for your legs. They would be too heavy. Ebay has Vibram material for the soles or you could even try a shoe repair store and see if they have something that you could use. What ever tying method that you use, some of the rope will be under the sole and it will eventually wear, but it's not a big deal. You won't have to stop every mile to repair it. It will last a few weeks before adjustments have to be made.

 

[barefoot.zumba.runner]

In my experience (albeit

In my experience (albeit relatively short experience), I've found that building foot strength (muscles, bones, tendons, ankles/calves etc) takes a bit longer than conditioning the actual plantar skin. You want to have a good base there in conjunction with conditioning your soles to withstand longer distances and faster paces. Depending on the condition your feet are in before beginning transition (if you've already got a good start, by walking as much as possible barefoot and strengthening those feet) you may transition faster to increased mileage. As long as you continue to listen to your body and take it at the pace your body feels comfortable, you'll transition successfully. I'm a victim of tmts (transitioned to a half marathon within 4mos, which was fine but really pushed at at the race, zipping up and down hills, prancing around, kicking up my heels (literally, haha must have been the runner's high ). I've learned my lesson and make sure that I just get a good strong run in no matter what the distance, the distance and speed will come in time.

Not sure huaraches are necessarily your answer, you have to condition both the insides and outsides of your feet. If that makes sense. You are still at risk of tmts and injury even with putting huaraches on.



I like BB's advice on not exceeding your barefoot distance with minimal shoes. You could get a good balance of each, getting some barefoot runs in outside of your meets, using what you learn from those runs and apply them to the times when you meet and run in minimal shoes/huaraches.

 

[Abide]

Matt M. wrote:I think I am

I think I am mostly worried about my feet getting destroyed (half-kidding). We run all through the city, concrete and stray pebbles and rocks. Sometimes we do our workouts on really rough streets. On our team we always run kind of hard. Our long runs are every Saturday morning, and it is not uncommon to run 8 or 10+ miles on long runs. Me and my other friend (who has ran barefoot even more than me) both agree it would be pretty impossible to run that far and fast on such hard terrains too, barefoot.

Hey Matt I just wanted to chime in here, you are right about questioning the ability to run in your conditions barefoot. Speed, competition and long distances don't always make a great environment for the transition. On the other hand you can overcome these things but it takes some paitence.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

I wrote a blog post on my

I wrote a blog post on my huaraches and on my method of tying them without a knot under the sole. The post is here.

I have ended up liking my thin leather soles UNLESS they get wet. I'm considering buying some Vibram material and making huaraches with that, or gluing it to the bottom of my existing pair. But I really do love the softness and thinness of the leather for dry conditions.

I'm about to write a separate post on this, but I've loved the deertan leather laces I got from Leather Cord USA.

 

[Danjo]

Wow, I was in the exact same

Wow, I was in the exact same situation. I ended up quitting Cross-Country, mostly because my coach didn't want me to run barefoot. I've realized that it was a really good decision to make though, because I would almost definitely have a major injury by now. The important thing about barefoot running is that NOTHING is impossible, it will just take a LONG TIME. If you're having trouble with TMTS barefoot, then you definitely can't run in any type of shoe (or at least I strongly advise that you don't). Huaraches, or any type of shoe really, only protect against skin injury, not against bone, muscle, or tendon injuries. If you are having problems with blisters, then you just need to correct your form, not put something on your feet. The same is even more true for any other foot pain. We fall back into the old "Shoes will protect me." idea without being aware of it, and its even more dangerous with minimal shoes because there isn't any of that old padding that kept us from destroying our legs when we used to run in shoes. I'm not just spouting biased anti-shoe non-sense, I learned from experience. I got myself a pair of huaraches, thinking "Oh, these will be great, I can do cross-country now, and it will be just like running barefoot." I couldn't have been more wrong. My form suffered big time just from tying 4mm of rubber to the bottom of my feet, and after two weeks of practice in them I could barely walk over the weekend.

My team does a 10 mile run every year (not that far I know, but whatever, we've got elivation and lots of hill workouts, so we still work hard.) and I'm still debating wether or not I should do it with them, since its open to the public. Wearing my huaraches isn't even a question though, because I know my soles can handle it, and my form is good enough to go at least that far without any blisters or abrasions. My tendons and foot bones are going to be the problem though, along with calf tightness that pops up every once in a while, and no shoes can help with any of that. Your best option is really just to do what you can do barefoot, and no more. While I'm not advising you quit cross-country, I'm actually glad I did, not because I'm lazy, but because it allowed me to focus on my form, and I'm a much better runner now than I would be if I hadn't quit. I fully inted to go back next year and whoop everyones but with my "correct" running form. Its just a slow process, because your learning to walk and run all over again. Do you see any babies running when they're 5 months old? I didn't think so. Just be patient, and anything is possible.

 

[Matt M.]

Thanks for your replies,

Thanks for your replies, everyone. It's really helpful to get all the info in one place, and your advice is great.

Danjo, I don't really know what to say because it does seem like we're in the exact same boat, lol :bigsmile: I considered doing cross country, but the decision to not do it was clear when I could only stand a few miles a week. But the difference is that you actually tried cross country for a while! If I did try running with them I probably would end up the same as you did, except I might only have lasted 2 days :~

But I'm realizing you are right about the huaraches, especially since you experienced it yourself. That kind of leaves me back at wondering what I'll do when track comes in February. I kind of feel like I'm at a "TMTS hump", like I'm trying to get over the hump of an injury-prone stage in the barefoot transition. Maybe that's just what it feels like to me, I don't know if it's real or not. I would sooner not do track and xc rather than resort to getting hurt again with running shoes.

Hopefully I can get better from this dropped metatarsal, or whatever it is, so I can be able to progress more. It certainly would be nice if by track I could be good to go, but who knows.. we'll see I guess.

Also, in the winter our team runs inside the school in the hallways. Would I still progress if I ran barefoot inside like that?

 

[migangelo]

Matt, Not only will

Matt,



Not only will huaraches change your form, but getting used to the cord between your toes will take time. They, along with going BF should be used as a tool to help with your form.

You need to figure out what it is you want. Do you want to take the time to learn good form and build your skin and muscles properly? Or is it more important to race?

You can always get some minimal racing shoes and use your good form in those.



Mike

 

[Danjo]

I'm not really sure if theres

I'm not really sure if theres a period where we're more prone to injury, or if its just that we don't really know what we're doing when we're starting out. If you're dealing with an injury that won't go away I'd recommend playing around with your form A LOT. Even if something seems completely wrong or weird, and even if someone has specifically recomended that you don't do something, you aren't going to get injured by doing it for just a couple of steps. If its better than what your doing now, stick with it. I think one problem we all have with learning to run is that we get too much of an idea of how we're supposed to be running, and we don't try to just find out for ourselves. Did anyone tell the Kenyan marathoners not to run with a heel strike when they were toddlers? No, they just didn't do it because it hurt. They didn't know what it was supposed to look like, and they didn't have people pointing out the problems with their form, they just played around with anything and everything until it didn't hurt, and it didn't make them way tired. All the tips we have definitely save us a lot of time and trouble, but don't get too caught up in them to figure things out for yourself. I recently started landing much more mid-foot and rolling my foot across, pronating on purpose basically, despite thinking that it was probably wrong. Now I've found that its what many people have been talking about all along, and my foot pain is much less after runs. (I haven't quite gotten the form down with my left foot though, I think its kinda retarded, haha, because I can't get it to land silently either.)

As far as running inside, why would that not count? Your still running, and your feet still have to touch the ground, right? (If neither of these are true I'd like to ask you exactly how you go about it then, haha.) Hallways probably wouldn't be very interesting for your feet, but you'll have the rest of your team to keep you from falling asleep. Depending on how much mileage you guys do on your team I wouldn't say its too unreasonable to be ready for track by febuary. You've got about 4 months. My team never does more than 4 1/2 miles, so I could probably handle it right now even, but thats also the reason I'm not gonna do track this year. Too much sprinting and not enough distance for my taste, plus I was actually in worse shape at the end of track than I was before it, because I was still popping off 10 milers the week before track started, but by the end of the season I couldn't even manage 7. That probably has something to do with building more muscle and losing my ideal body weight at the time. Plus I was swimming a lot too, throwing my bodyweight even more out of wack.

Wow, I talk to much, haha, that one was supposed to be short.

 

[Matt M.]

Wow, that was an in-depth

Wow, that was an in-depth post Danjo It's all good

I see what you are saying about the form. I think we often get too caught up in it and try running the way we think is the "right" way. I wonder sometimes if maybe I should just let go and run so it feels natural, maybe my body will adjust by itself that way? Or maybe that's a bad idea, maybe someone here can say something about what is best to do.

I also hear ya about track. I dunno about your coach but I think ours pushes us a little hard at times, which isn't really a good thing always :-~ Perhaps he doesn't necessarily make us run too hard, but it's easy to over-train, I'm sure you know what I mean. Cross country and track both.. we have to be careful. That's probably why I got injured in the first place.

Maybe I could do that gravel bucket marching? That might help to substitute being outside, and help especially during winter (Iowa winters are pretty cold :bigsmile

Oh yes, and the "dumb feet," I have felt like that at times too, lol

 

[SillyC]

Damn, guys.... you're making

Damn, guys.... you're making me glad I was on the smoking team when I was in high school!

 

[Matt M.]

Actually SillyC, I'm on the

Actually SillyC, I'm on the smoking team too. Our Mexican assistant coach (he's crazy and awesome) says to us that we need to start smoking... smoking the competition!!

Ahaha puns XD