Solo's Log
Journaling life through photography
Barefoot / Minimalist running
Posted on February 28, 2011
It started when a good friend of mine introduced me to the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. Along with tales of the Taharamura tribe and ultra-marathon races, the book presented an interesting—if not downright quirky—hypothesis: that running shoes are a bane to running and barefoot running is the way to go.
According to McDougall, the modern running shoe, which was invented by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, had conditioned runners to run in an inefficient manner by landing on their heels. McDougall continues to elaborate that the heel was not anatomically designed to absorb hundred of pounds of force, that landing on the heel puts an immense amount of stress on other parts of the body, and that the midsole—i.e., the arch of the middle foot—is nature’s greatest shock absorber. An arch is supposed to be stronger as more weight is placed on it. So instead of wearing running shoes that forced you to run on your heels, why not switch to shoeless running or running with minimalist gear and adopt a more natural, midsole running gait.
Well, at least that’s how the theory goes. I was skeptical but intrigued. I wondered if barefoot running could relieve me of my body’s aches and pains, particularly in my right hip and knee. So I went ahead and bought a Vibram Five Fingers KSO, which is supposed to be for all sorts of activities—from running to trekking to water sports. I know it looks funny. The comments I receive from people range from “gorilla feet” to “Gollum shoes.” The Vibrams are available in Rockwell and in SM MOA.
I didn’t want to push my luck in my initial run using the Vibram. I planned for a slow and short 3K run. The feeling was odd at first—I could feel the concrete road, with all its cracks and loose pebbles. It wasn’t painful. I expected needles of pain to shoot up to my knees and hips. I expected teeth-chattering, jaw-shaking vibrations. But there was no such sensation. In fact, it was rather titillating, similar to those of the reflexology shoes that are being sold in those new-age stores. I picked up the pace, careful not to over-stride. The 3K became a 5K run and it felt good. I used it in my next run, which was a 10k run around my home village. My foot soles felt tender after I completed the one-hour run, probably because I stepped on a lot of those small pebbles and cracks on the concrete.
I am still unsure whether or not barefoot running is safe. Whether or not it is more efficient, and whether or not it prevents more injuries, remain to be seen. Evangelists swear by it; podiatrists are cautious about it. I will continue to run using the Vibrams. There is some mystical, holistic feeling when you feel your feet touch the ground. It feels raw and primal, like you’re in intimate communication with Mother Earth. In some ways, maybe McDougall was right. We were born to run.
EDSA run
Posted on February 27, 2011
I actually didn’t think I would run the EDSA 2011 run. I had a nagging cough the night before and I felt the onset of a cold creeping in. But I wasn’t happy with my 10k results in last week’s ProNation run, where pain in my right knee caused me to hobble for the final 4k. I finished in 61 minutes. Ironically, I ran that race hoping for a sub 55-minute time.
My hope for the EDSA 2011 run was to (1) see if I can finish without any knee pain and (2) to see if I can finish under 60 minutes.
The course was quite tough. At the starting line, someone commented that the EDSA run would be easier than the Condura Skyway run, given that the latter would require the runners to run up the Skyway. He was wrong. While I was driving to the race location, I knew this race would be a challenge. The race route was along Ortigas Avenue and then along Greenmeadows, both routes having uphill and downhill roads. The data recorded from my Runkeeper iPhone app confirmed this.
Anyway, I did finish in less than 60 minutes. With something like 200 meters away from the finish line, I saw the clock ticking at 59 minutes. And I let it loose for the last 100 meters. I probably finished in something like 59:58 minutes.
I think I’ll take a breather from all these fun runs. For one, I need to fully recovery. This nagging cough, coupled with the aches and stiffness in my joints, could be a sign that my body needs some rest. Besides, my eyes are set on running a half-marathon by June.
EDSA People Power: 25 years after
Posted on February 25, 2011
As I read through Cory Aqunio’s account of the 1986 people power revolution, I couldn’t help but reminisce those fateful days and be saddened on how that momentous occasion is lost in today’s youth. I chuckled when I read Bongbong Marcos’ statement that our country would have been a Singapore now if his father wasn’t ousted from office, but, more importantly, I was dismayed when I heard that a number of people believed it so.
Would we have been a Singapore now if EDSA People Power never happened? I personally don’t know. And people can debate all they want about it but the argument is moot. The situation today is exactly what Robert Frost poetically articulated. We took the road less traveled and it had made all the difference. We knew not how it would lead and we wouldn’t be able to look back. The fact is we wouldn’t know if we would become a Singapore. For all we know we could have ended up far worse.
The youth today decry that the economy is worse off than it was in the 1980s. Corruption, they also cite, is more widespread today than 25 years ago. I probably could do the research to prove or disprove such statements, but when I marched in EDSA, I didn’t really march for economics or corruption. I marched for democracy and freedom.
The younger Marcos said that “one only has to look at objective indicators such as the country’s economy, the quality of life of the people, and the Philippines’ standing in the international community to judge whether EDSA 1 changed things for the better.” I was subsequently asked if EDSA 1 did bring about change. I said, without hesitation, that there was change, and to this day I believe that it is a change for the better.
Would the Philippines have been better off if Marcos stayed on? Maybe but maybe not. But lets assume first that it’s true. The issue is not whether or not Marcos was a good, benevolent leader; it’s whether or not his successor would be good and benevolent. Who were up for the running for Marcos’ successor anyway? VP Tolentino? Enrile? Virata? Imelda? Bongbong? Would they share in the same vision? Would they possess the same political will? The issue, for me, was a matter of succession. Any change, no matter how revolutionary, cannot last unless the effects are sustained. We needed a process that would be self-correcting and sustainable.
Democracy is not a perfect system. For one, if we are made up of uneducated, uncaring individuals, we will end up with lousy leaders. But as long as we don’t circumvent the process, we know that all we have to do is stomach that leader for 6 years and then we can elect a better one. We hope that people have learned their lesson and choose wiser the next time.
I know many people that had criticized Cory as being naive, weak, and gullible. They claim that she did not achieve anything. I disagree. If there is ever one thing that she achieved, she had re-instated democracy in our country. That for me is the biggest change that EDSA had produced.
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