My Take On Barefoot Running

• Over the past eighteen months or so “barefoot running” has increased in popularity… or at least, many people have begun to embrace it again. After all, for millions of years human beings ran without the aids of running shoes or footwear of any type – at least any considerable footwear.

  I have been experimenting with this trend for approximately 4 years, when I purchased my first pair of Vibram Five Fingers. I didn’t really do much running but lots of walking in the “minimal shoes”, and I have now (in the last year, particularly) progressed to running and plan to run my upcoming 56 miles ultramarathon in them too.

  In a minute I’ll get to why I run barefoot, but the theory is this. It:

  • Helps to develop better perception of the contact with the ground, which allows us to interact with support more efficiently, place the body weight on the foot more precisely; have better timing of the contact with the ground.
  • Develops muscle strength, particularly in those groups of muscles of the feet, and related muscles of the legs and hips, which are out of use when we are in shoes.
  • Helps to release psychological stress through the reduction of electricity charges in the body, which can now serve as a kind of lightning rod.
  • Helps to improve the body temperature regulation due to the adaptation to the lower outside temperature.

  I most definitely concur with all of the above, having noticed improvements in all throughout the last year of my training.

  However, in addition to this, it “just feels right” to run in this way. It is important to consider that the modern running shoe with an elevated heel and extra padding wasn’t even around until the 1970′s, so prior to that we were all getting on just fine. It seems as though the last 40 years the “sports injury” market has really gone into a boom, with more and more people developing injuries every day. A lot of this is described in the book ‘Born To Run’ which goes into a lot more detail and is a must-read for any person who wants to not only improve their running, but simply wants to be fitter and healthier too.

  If I ever need to go back to wearing trainers for a little bit more protection on top of the foot when lifting or a dress-shoe for social purposes my feet are uncomfortable, hurt and end up hurting the rest of my body as well. (Basically what happens when you distort the foundations of the body, is that the rest of the body will compromise its other postures to maintain equilibrium in the head and neck. So, I feel discomfort in my hips a lot because shoes with heels make me straighten my knees more than what is natural. Imagine ladies in high-heeled shoes here.)

  Because of this I am barefoot most of the time, or I will wear minimal sandals or indeed Vibram FiveFingers (VFF’s) – both of which I fully understand are not barefoot in the slightest, but are the next best thing. There are a lot of “purist barefooters” out there who just say that people who wear VFF’s are not running barefoot, and I do agree because there is an enormous difference in the sensations and proprioception used in the feet between the two, but when they tested pressure loading between barefoot and VFF’s there was no difference at all, so I do suggest VFF’s as a “next best thing”. After all, even 10,000 years ago sandals and moccasins of different sorts were created to help humans out.

  Beyond the physical benefits, and the mental association of “getting back to our natural best”, I am hoping that this trend doesn’t simply become a fad that people get bored with until they are on to the next thing.

  While the barefooters theorise that there are reduced typical sporting injuries such as runners knee and iliotibial band syndrome, the physiotherapists are telling us that people are hurting their feet and calves a lot more because it means changing your running style and people are not used to it.

  This is definitely something that could hinder the movement having forward progress.

  I urge people to go barefoot, but start slowly. I (being the extreme person that I tend to be) started on this path and started much quicker than I should have and I did indeed hurt my foot in the process which slowed my progress down. So I am talking from experience here, as well as the theoretical background.

  Here are my suggestions for starting off barefoot:

  • Go TOTALLY barefoot at first. Even FiveFingers will block some of the feedback to your feet and alter the way you run, so it’s important to get that proprioception first. Find a hard, tarmacced pavement or road, relatively clear of debris and kick your shoes off.
  • Start off just walking. Begin walking in your normal way and you will probably find that you strike your heel down on the ground first, and if you are used to wearing shoes, you do it quite firmly. Soften this until it feels comfortable, dare I say “natural”. Try transitioning onto more of a fox-walk if you want to walk faster by placing the ball of the foot and toes down first, followed by the heel.
  • If, and when you feel you might be ready, start slowly and have a jog. This will instantly want to be more of a mid/fore-foot landing instead of a heel-strike (although the heel does land afterwards.)
  • The most important suggestion is to listen to your body, and if you feel at all tired in the muscles of your feet, ankles or legs, then stop. This should be a process that will get easier of time, and you want to do this for the longevity of it and not be put off with injuries early on.
  • When you get more proficient, the time will come to increase your mileage. Start off with no more than 10% increased from session-to-session.

  I hope this helps a lot of people who want to start running from the beginning, or if others are already running and are looking to get back to their natural roots a bit more. I also hope that it highlights how, because of our prior conditioning, it is not just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other.

  If anyone needs help with technique I am available for free consultation by appointment. Contact me for more information.

  
  
  August 25th, 2010 | Brett Sanders | 2 Comments | Tags: barefoot running, fivefingers, vff, vibram five fingers

Leave a Reply

* Name, Email, and Comment are Required