I never heard of barefoot running or minimalist running when i started doing endurance events. It was in one of the recent ultra trail race (Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc) i did, it was the first time i heard of Vibram Fivefingers. They had a booth at the race expo and it did not catch my attention. Anyway, to cut the story short, i had my first DNF at UTMB in August ( i had run non-stop for 150km and was short of 16km to complete). I was in terrible pain and had cramps everywhere. My legs hurt so badly...It was in a moment of post race reflection that i came across about barefoot running and its benefits. I am not going to run in barefoot, it will be so painful, I thought to myself. I look for other alternative and that is where i come across Vibram Fivefingers. It offers almost similar effects and benefits of barefoot running and still give slight protection to your foot. I thought " why not?". I am fortunate that i know of my friend who brings in the Vibram to Singapore. I contacted him and the rest is history. Now i am a true convert and practitioner of minimalist running.
Last Saturday, i took part in the longest ultra running event in Singapore. It was the The North Face 100 Singapore, part of the TNF100 series in the world. Because of my experiences, i was selected and invited to take part in the first 100km solo event. I decided to do it using Vibram KSO. I wasn't sure if i was sane to run 100km in Vibram. To "train" for this, i had to run in actual barefoot to strengthen my feet and thicken my calluses. I ran 4 times a week about 5km every morning in barefoot for almost 1.5 month. Next, i did progressive trail runs from 10 - 30km in Vibram. All these while, friends were asking me " Are you sure you want to do this"? Some of my close buddies encouraged and supported me. I was grateful for their words of support. Race day came and i was one of the 30 participants in the field at 4am. I knew i have to start slow as this was 100km and not 10km. I had the company of my close buddy with me and we looked out for each other. In fact, i did not face any major problem for the first 20km on the trail. The problem came between 20-30km where the trail is changed to rocky trails (nothing but just rocks and rocks). Every step you took was difficult and painful. Trying to read the trail was also challenging as it was all the same. i knew this part of the route was going to pose me bigger problem when i had to complete it in the 2nd loop. I managed to survive the first 50km in 5:48hrs. However, my feet were also hurting quite badly. I decided to take an hour's break to rest my feet and was contemplating whether i should changed into my shoes (yes, i brought my shoe as a back-up plan).
I was not ready to give up without trying. I put back my Vibram and decided to continue. The next 20km was even harder than i ever thought. I had to improvise my strategy. I had to run on flat surfaces and downhills while did a walk up hilly trails. Finally, the nightmare came again at the 70km mark (the rockiest trail). Forced with a hard decision, i opted to do a power walk for the entire 10km of this trail. I knew it would affect my overall timing. However, my aim was to complete the 100km event. Thankfully, i persevered and completed the 10km in about 1:30hrs. By this time, my right feet seem to have a blister forming. i got it bandaged by a medic. I was feeling horrible as the heat was intense at that part of the day. An message from my cell phone came and it read " Bernard is still in the race and he is going to be the first Singaporean to run 100km in barefoot". That message lifted up my spirit. All of sudden, i was fired up and thanked the volunteers. I got up from my feet and continue my run. Every ounce of energy seemed to come back and i was running again for the last 20km. What made sweeter, was the fact that family and kids were going to be there. As the distance became shorter and shorter, i was running even faster. At the last 2.5km, i was running at a 5.43min/km pace. Finally, i saw the finishing line and saw my kids waving at me. I held my son's hand and we ran into the finish line together. Happy and tired i was! Nevertheless, proud that i have earned the right to be the first to do an 100km trail event in minimalist style.
Check this out. This is the 2nd day after my 100km, i am not feeling any injury / muscle aching on any part of my legs. My calves felt sore the next day after the race. Right now, the soreness has disappear. i am truly surprised and this event has just proven the benefit on barefoot running.
