“Sorry, did you just drop a salmon?” Barefoot running shouldn't sounds like this

After a fantastic day of doing absolutely nothing yesterday, it’s a real drag to motivate myself. My legs and feet are killing me, so I decided to just go to the gym instead. It’s not very big (see pic), and since I’m normally in there at 5am I’m used to having it to myself. But there were already 4 people in there, so I decided to pull on the VFFs and get outside.

I’m sure I looked like a 70 year old for the first few hundred yards, while concentrating on my pain. I couldn’t tell if it was “I’m stiff and this is just sore muscles” or “I’ve done some damage and you’re still making me carry on” kind of pain? And so much for being light and relaxed, each time I stepped I could hear a loud slap above the noise of my iPod. The sound was exactly the same as a large fish being dropped on to a wooden chopping board.

I’ve never been a fan of running in public. I like the anonymity of dark early mornings. And since today I felt particularly foolish I decided on a different route, and ran around the secluded end of the Marina. I found a deserted beach round the back of the local power plant and that bit of exploration took my mind from my pain and rejuvenated me for the return home. I managed a respectable 35 minutes. As always the hardest part was the first few steps.

Fitness in Dubai features reviews of all the latest fitness programmes and local gyms, such as The Circuit Factory, 24 Fitness and CrossFit LifeSpark, as well as reviews of fitness fads, fitness tests and fitness equipment, from Vibram Five Fingers barefoot running shoes to VO2 Max testing. Ultimately, this fitness blog - as featured in Good Taste, Men's Fitness, Time Out and Shape magazines - contains everything you need to know about fitness in Dubai, UAE, in the Middle East. Bookmark it now.

Let’s give it a bit of welly! How fast can I run barefoot?

I slept in this morning, so missed my morning jog, but I managed to get home from work on time, giving me the chance to squeeze in a jog before Sarah, my wife, returned home from work. My calves were still tight, but I thought they’d be fine once I got warmed up. That didn’t take long. Today was one of the hottest days in Dubai for a while – somewhere in the mid-30’s – so it must have still been around 30c when I set off at 5pm. A big difference to the temperature I’m used to at 5am. In a couple of months it won’t drop below 30c even in the middle of the night, so I should best get used to it. Not nice though: breathing in hot air totally dries your mouth, like a sauna you can’t escape.

I completed my usual lap, avoiding The Walk by running along the beach. It was lush. As I ran towards the setting sun I thought about how nice it is not needing to wear gloves and a hat like I used to when running back home in the UK. Another thing I’ve noticed is that even though some sand is sneaking its way into my VFFs, I’m not getting any blisters like I would if I was wearing my Pegasus on the sand.

Towards the end of the run, I picked up pace for the last mile, just like on Tuesday. But I’m dying to really push it and see just how far my feet can take me in VFFs – they’re getting a little impatient with my calves slowing us down.

Fitness in Dubai features reviews of all the latest fitness programmes and local gyms, such as The Circuit Factory, 24 Fitness and CrossFit LifeSpark, as well as reviews of fitness fads, fitness tests and fitness equipment, from Vibram Five Fingers barefoot running shoes to VO2 Max testing. Ultimately, this fitness blog - as featured in Good Taste, Men's Fitness, Time Out and Shape magazines - contains everything you need to know about fitness in Dubai, UAE, in the Middle East. Bookmark it now.

SupercalfpainhurtslikehellandIfeelatrocious - Adjusting to barefoot

It takes at least two days before I can even consider going for my next jog. The pain on the first day after my last run was a dull throb in my calves, the second day was worse, even walking was difficult. Since that run I’ve also starting to experience some odd pains in my feet. On the outside of my soles it feels as though a previously dormant muscle is being used for the first time.

Today’s jog took my usual route around the Marina, but it was too early and therefore too dark to go along JBR beach, so I had to endure the cobblestones of ‘the Walk’ again. These bastard things are evenly spaced, and with my usual stride pattern I land on every other row. Twats! I can either use a shorter stride and slow down or increase my stride and run a bit quicker to avoid hitting them where it hurts. Neither option is great.

I’m listening ever more closely to my body. I’m constantly thinking about my running action and trying to concentrate on being upright, light and relaxed. Being more engaged in what you’re doing makes the time fly. Today I was feeling OK so I decided to push it for the last mile. It felt great; like childlike fun.

Just before I got home I crossed a tiny strip of grass. God, it felt good on my feet after five miles of paving slabs. Or it did until I noticed the idle taxi driver watching me after I’d started singing, “It’s good to touch, the green, green grass of home!”. It's such a shame the nearest park is 10 miles away.

Fitness in Dubai features reviews of all the latest fitness programmes and local gyms, such as The Circuit Factory, 24 Fitness and CrossFit LifeSpark, as well as reviews of fitness fads, fitness tests and fitness equipment, from Vibram Five Fingers barefoot running shoes to VO2 Max testing. Ultimately, this fitness blog - as featured in Good Taste, Men's Fitness, Time Out and Shape magazines - contains everything you need to know about fitness in Dubai, UAE, in the Middle East. Bookmark it now.

“F*ck!” “Bollocks!” “Sh*t and arseholes!” - Vibrams induce Tourettes

My calves were in agony the day after my second proper VFF run. Walking was painful, but going downstairs was a whole new level of excruciating. My feet were sore, too: really achy and tender. Sore calves I’m used to, but sore feet is a new one for me. I can only imagine this is how women’s feet must feel after walking in high heels all night, but trust me, that’s something I never intend to find out.

So, I gave the VFFs a couple of days off and went to the gym instead. Yesterday I was desperate to get them back on and hit the road – not that I’d fully recovered – and the first few minutes were bloody painful until I warmed to my five-mile loop of the Marina. This time also running a stretch of the beach, too (purely to avoid those bloody cobblestones!). It was early, the sun was rising, the beach was empty and it felt really good. Though running on sand is hard work regardless of your footwear.

The more I run, the more I seem to be relaxing into the VFFs. I’m no longer feel like I’m running on eggshells like I was when I started out. And I’m feeling good, maybe not as quick as I am in my Pegasus, but not too far behind, and catching up all of the time. The only unpleasant development from my VFFs so far has been that I’ve caught Tourettes syndrome. Or so it must appear to anyone I pass as I accidentally step on a sharp pebble or shell, or cobblestone. “F*ck!” “Tw*t!” “Shit and arseholes!” I manically cry, though not too loud I hope, but since I’ve got my iPod on I can’t be sure.

Fitness in Dubai features reviews of all the latest fitness programmes and local gyms, such as The Circuit Factory, 24 Fitness and CrossFit LifeSpark, as well as reviews of fitness fads, fitness tests and fitness equipment, from Vibram Five Fingers barefoot running shoes to VO2 Max testing. Ultimately, this fitness blog - as featured in Good Taste, Men's Fitness, Time Out and Shape magazines - contains everything you need to know about fitness in Dubai, UAE, in the Middle East. Bookmark it now.

“Get out of my way, I'm running barefoot and I don’t know how to stop!”

As I’d said, I thought my feet and calves were OK, but once I’d slipped the VFFs back on and went outside I realised just how tight they were. Still, I wanted to run after a few days skiving and thought I’d shake it off. I suppose I still haven’t settled quite into my proper stride in the VFFs yet. I started the run high of my forefoot, but then relaxed and dropped my foot strike so that my heel touched the floor before the next stride. Running downhill seems really difficult. It’s very hard not to land heel first, but when I do I can feel the strike right through to the base of my back, and it’s not pleasant. It’s the same if I need to stop or turn quickly – without thinking about it I use my heel to brake. While jogging along tonight a toddler suddenly stepped out in front of me, and as I stopped it felt like whiplash.

Really enjoying the challenge though, and managed about 30 minutes. But today I realised that there’s no quick fix for this transformation. I’d be daft to think that I can just slip on a different pair of shoes and run a different way instantly. I need to be patient and accept that this is just the start. And remember to stay away from f–ing cobblestones.

Fitness in Dubai features reviews of all the latest fitness programmes and local gyms, such as The Circuit Factory, 24 Fitness and CrossFit LifeSpark, as well as reviews of fitness fads, fitness tests and fitness equipment, from Vibram Five Fingers barefoot running shoes to VO2 Max testing. Ultimately, this fitness blog - as featured in Good Taste, Men's Fitness, Time Out and Shape magazines - contains everything you need to know about fitness in Dubai, UAE, in the Middle East. Bookmark it now.

Torture… Victorian style. Barefoot or Vibrams + cobblestones = pain

Two days ago I tried my VFFs out on the treadmill for 10 minutes. There were no problems and my calves felt fine. Then, yesterday, I decided to take them outdoors and went for a jog around my local marina. Totally different feeling to the treadmill, and much more enjoyable. The shoes force you to think more about what you’re doing outdoors, and I found that the time passed really quickly. I’d only intended to be out for 20 minutes, but I was for 35 minutes. I felt great. My stride shortened, and I noticed that when I’d been messing around with the office shoes my heel never touched the floor, but today out on the roads was much more natural. I wasn’t heel-striking, but my heel did touch the floor on each footfall. Whether this is right or wrong I’m not sure, I’m no coach, but it felt good. Going uphill was a breeze, you notice how light your feet feel, but coming downhill was odd. I’m too used to over-striding and landing heel-first on the way down.

I coasted round the Marina and then came to ‘The Walk’ along the Jumeriah Beach Residence area. For those who don’t know Dubai, The Walk (maybe one mile long) is about the only outdoor stretch in Dubai intended for walking. It’s even got footpaths! But for some demented reason the architect (or arsehole, depending on your point of view) decided to adorn everywhere on the Walk with Victorian torture devices otherwise known as cobblestones. Why the do they still exist? Fair enough, in historical places, but there’s fuck-all history in Dubai Marina. It’s less than 10 years old. Anyway, those bastard stones hurt. So if anyone reading this lives in JBR and heard someone at 5am shouting, “Which silly arsehole put cobblestones here?” it was me. Sorry.

When I got home I realised I had a tiny nearly-formed blister on the pad of each big toe, but no pain. Today, my feet feel stretched (if that’s possible?), and my calves are a little tight, but not so bad that I couldn’t run.

Fitness in Dubai features reviews of all the latest fitness programmes and local gyms, such as The Circuit Factory, 24 Fitness and CrossFit LifeSpark, as well as reviews of fitness fads, fitness tests and fitness equipment, from Vibram Five Fingers barefoot running shoes to VO2 Max testing. Ultimately, this fitness blog - as featured in Good Taste, Men's Fitness, Time Out and Shape magazines - contains everything you need to know about fitness in Dubai, UAE, in the Middle East. Bookmark it now.

VFF (Vibram FiveFingers) arrival

So I’ve got my new shoes on (cue Paolo Nutini). I’d ordered the KSOs (see ‘About VibramFiveFingers’ page above for more details on the Vibram FiveFingers range) – and thankfully they’re a great fit. Since Vibram FiveFingers are designed to fit each individual toe it’s very important that you measure your feet properly. Place a ruler or tape measure on the floor with one end against a wall, and then stand on it, making sure your heel is pressed against the wall. I’m usually a GB size 8, and when I measured my feet they were slightly over 10 inches long and my second toe is slightly longer than my big toe. Using the guide on the Vibram website (http://www.vibramfivefingers.it/eng/default.aspx#) I was recommended to buy a size 40. It worked, though I would like to try on a 41 just to be doubly sure. When you mail-order something from thousands of miles away you want to be sure to get the right size first time.

Putting them on the first time took a couple of goes, but once on they feel great. For all the jokes, monkey feet and all that, to me they feel more like Spiderman shoes, since the grip and feel are unlike anything else. And they'd be great for burglars as you can walk silently. I wore them all day just to walk about. I hate flip flops or anything between my toes so they take a bit of getting used to. First thing you notice is that you feel absolutely everything, every paving slab join, any crack, especially any stone. Those little bastards hurt. But my feet felt great, and I didn’t really want to take them off when we went out for dinner. My wife is incredible and puts up with all of my shite, but there always comes a point.

Fitness in Dubai features reviews of all the latest fitness programmes and local gyms, such as The Circuit Factory, 24 Fitness and CrossFit LifeSpark, as well as reviews of fitness fads, fitness tests and fitness equipment, from Vibram Five Fingers barefoot running shoes to VO2 Max testing. Ultimately, this fitness blog - as featured in Good Taste, Men's Fitness, Time Out and Shape magazines - contains everything you need to know about fitness in Dubai, UAE, in the Middle East. Bookmark it now.

My first barefoot steps (pre Vibrams)

Read anything about making the change from running in trainers to running barefoot and you are warned to start slowly.

I was too excited to wait for the Vibram FiveFingers (VFFs) I’d ordered so, around 3 weeks ago, I went down to the gym in my apartment building early one day before anyone else was there, and tried running barefoot on the treadmill. I started out in socks, but I could feel a blister forming so I took them off. Then I managed about 12 minutes before the soles of my feet felt like they were on fire. Later that day my calves were killing me. I could see this trainerless training was going to take a bit of getting used to.

Undeterred, the next day I hacked the heels and part of the soles off an old pair of office shoes in the hope of mimicking the flimsy VFFs, and gave those a go on the treadmill. They were OK; I was precautious and only ran 5 to 10 minutes in them each time I wore them on the treadmill. It was like learning to drive, with someone there pointing out each mistake, but the with the feedback coming from your feet. During these couple of weeks while jogging outdoors in my (formerly trusted) Pegasus, I concentrated on altering my form and foot strike.

I’d read tips about the ‘Pose Technique’ (http://www.posetech.com/pose_method/) including trying to land on the forefoot, and landing so that your foot in beneath your body, and therefore under you centre of gravity. Most importantly it’s how you run, not necessarily what you run in, that matters. VFFs’ function is merely to help with the ‘how’ part.

Fitness in Dubai features reviews of all the latest fitness programmes and local gyms, such as The Circuit Factory, 24 Fitness and CrossFit LifeSpark, as well as reviews of fitness fads, fitness tests and fitness equipment, from Vibram Five Fingers barefoot running shoes to VO2 Max testing. Ultimately, this fitness blog - as featured in Good Taste, Men's Fitness, Time Out and Shape magazines - contains everything you need to know about fitness in Dubai, UAE, in the Middle East. Bookmark it now.