Outdoor barefoot running

vol.1 issue 3 Rs. 200 / NPR500 / CHF10 EuRo7.99 / GBP7.99 / $7.99

001

2013

T H E

W O R L D

I S

Y O U R

P L AY G R O U N D

www.outdoorjournal.in WINTER 2013

sherpas Cinema

into the mind

On board the year’s greatest action sports documentary p80

ULTRARUNNER RORY BOSIO

AMERICA’S CUP

SURFING NORTH SHORE WITH MIKALA JONES

IRONMAN nWOMAN

BLACK DIAMOND

THE COLDEST NEW GEAR SKI & SNOWBOARD

P10 She dances over

P44 The greatest sailing competition

P52 Here’s wishing you were

P62 What they never tell you about a

P76 A day in the climb of

P102 The slickest, warmest, best

mountains with a skip, in a skirt.

ever known. And the strangest.

Polynesian, born in Hawaii

marriage on the road

Peter Metcalf, CEO.

winter gear. International in India.

002

THE SHARK'S FIN REDUX

the outdoor journal

winter

features

Into The Mind is a psychological journey into the consciousness of a skier pursuing his ultimate goal.

Just released, the dreamscape of this unconventional documentary is an incredibly creative way of involving different athletes into the single narrative of one heroic, nameless, character. Directors Dave Mossop and Eric Crosland sat down with The Outdoor Journal to tell us about their journey at Sherpas Cinema in compiling this cinematographic sensation. Imagine yourself at the door of that helicopter. Imagine defying death, daily risks, the rush of wind and blood, the extreme locations and emotions of shooting, directing and ‘acting’ in the most futuristic action sport film of the year. Read this exclusive story inside the pages of this issue of The Outdoor Journal and... action!

PHOTO: RENAN ÖZTÜRK

003

004 features

WINTER 2013

THE SHARK'S FIN REDUX

the outdoor journal

Eva Walkner lays a fresh track on Mt. Apherwat (4200 m, 13,750 feet) after a fresh snowfall. The Gulmarg Gondola bills itself as the world’s highest cable car, going up an aerial distance of 5 km from the town of Gulmarg, near Kashmir’s capital Srinagar. Read about India’s premier ski destination and one of the world’s more interesting ski terrains inside this issue of The Outdoor Journal, and watch the video of India’s only Ski Patrol and Avalanche Safety team in action at www.outdoorjournal.in. PHOTO: YVES GARNEAU

the outdoor journal

the outdoor newbie

WINTER 2013

the outdoor newbie

r 30

Fred Brigaud deals with foot injuries all the time as an orthopedic doctor.

Surprisingly, especially as someone new to running, he’s made the revolutionary decision to run without shoes. This is the story of the barefoot bone expert.

ILLUSTRATION: DEV KABIR MALIK

A

by FRED BRIGAUD

31

hiker at heart, I’d never been very interested in running. My love for hiking was partially fostered by a stint in the French army with their elite mountain infantry. During my year of service, I traced back and forth over Alpine footpaths, summer and winter alike. And that’s not to mention the nine years I spent living in the Alps and its idyllic hiking conditions. Despite all the time I had clocked on trails however, running never appealed to me. I always suspected it would be hard on the joints.

Three years after leaving my beloved mountains, I now live by the sea, in Casablanca, Morocco. Almost 39 years old, I’ve become an orthopedic doctor, as well as a runner. My natural running style has always been characterized by pushing off from the ball of my foot, rather than the heel, as most people do. This lessens the impact on your foot. It just came naturally to me.

I didn’t have to think about it. I spent about 20 minutes that first day, shoes on my feet. Distance, speed, time, the way my foot hit the ground -- I didn’t worry about any of it. It just flowed. I ran solely on feeling.

However, as I kept running, I experienced persistent aches and pains in my calf muscles. After a run, I’d go back to my place and it was difficult to get up the stairs. My calves would tense up immediately and the next day when I woke up, they were tight, my legs heavy. It got to the point where I couldn’t walk up my stairs, or even down the street normally. The bottom of my foot was also very sensi-

tive, especially along the outer edges.

My routes started to seem unbearably long. Professionally, I understood that the body isn’t designed for some of the physical demands of distance running and that it takes time to adapt.

Already an experienced athlete in several sports (downhill skiing, hiking, and surfing), running would require another radical change to the way my body was used to working. This new sport caught my attention for a couple of reasons. I wondered: would I be able to run often? Would I make progress? Would I suffer or evolve?

Would I do both? To find out, I kept at it, sticking to my same regimen. I was still pushing off just as naturally from the ball of my foot, without trying to go faster, or farther, or for a longer period of time. I decided to experiment with my style, including varying my posture, trying different types of steps, as well as changing the length and number of strides I took. I had read the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and it seemed to me that I was working on an answer to the questions posed there. My aim was simply to find a style that would allow me to run for an hour without pain during or afterwards.

An even more radical change was in order. That’s how I ended up running barefoot on the hard sands of the local beach. To my great surprise, the aches and pains rapidly diminished to the point of disappearing completely. Better than that, I finally lasted longer than 20 minutes. I know that’s nothing for a runner, but for me it was amazing. What was the reason?

Was it the new surface? Or, was it being barefoot? Intrigued, I went for a barefoot run on my original asphalt route. I got the same result, without

I think barefoot running may seem more accessible than it actually is. You must first recognize and respect your personal limitations.

Otherwise, you are sure to injure yourself.

shoes no aches and pains here either.

I had my answer. This new development arose from my shoeless running style, not the terrain. Stripping away the barrier between my feet and the ground made my steps more precise, lighter, too.

Barefoot, you can’t cheat. You’ll find yourself achieving former goals of distance, length and pace effortlessly, natural results of a cleaner stride, one that doesn’t hurt you. I finally understood that the quality of one’s movement matters more than anything else. My new and improved, more effective stride has become as fun as it is enlightening. As it turns out, my lift-off increased as my ability to absorb the shock of impact improved. I brought down my heel and took advantage of the range of motion in my step, propelling myself further and faster than before. That first time barefoot, I suddenly felt like I was running on air.

Ever since that day, I have sought to recreate that feeling, and in the process, I’ve put more and more distance between me and those energy wasting impacts that destabilized my stride, physically tearing me apart.

In this way, I developed a more efficient running style, better controlling the strains on my body. It’s been incredibly gratifying to take charge of my athletic performance. I still have to put shoes on to run from time to time, depending on where I find myself, but each time I do, it alters my sense of lift-off. Since I’ve started running barefoot, there’s not a brand in the world that could convince me to launch from my heel. I run every other day, between 40 and 75 minutes.

I don’t rush. I want to be in harmony with my feet, unfettered. Y