I first heard about barefoot running when Nike came out with their "frees" years ago. In high school my coach used to have us do striders barefoot as well at the end of runs. I put it out of my mind however, and thought of it as something minorly helpful but overall useless in the concrete jungle that we live in. Recently however, I came across an article in which the author claimed that their IT band pain was cured forever by barefoot running. Go on.......I'm listening...
On the homepage of the Barefoot Runner's Society they claim to be "Changing the running world one odd look at a time." They have articles on everything from minimalist running shoes to how people's lives and legs were changed through barefoot running, to ripping on companies like Asics and Nike for "ruining" our feet. I started sorting my way through websites and articles, reading about the different theories behind running barefoot.
Ironically 3 days after my attention had been caught by these articles I was reading Born To Run. And I stumbled upon the well-known "barefoot chapter" which has inspired hundreds of runners across the U.S. to ditch their "foot pillows" (cushioned shoes). Now remember I was already reading the various blogs that claimed barefoot running could cure my chronic injurys for life. So then I read something like this: "Shoes block pain not impact" and quotes such as "...when runner's train barefoot, they run faster and suffer fewer injuries." There's almost 20 pages dedicated to why people such as myself will be able to kick their chronic runners knee/IT band syndrome/plantar fasciitis/whatever. I'm not 100% sold on this...and neither is most of the running community. However, I also think it's worth a shot.
Even Harvard University...you know THE authority on everything has an entire research project dedicated to the art of running barefoot. And you know what? They think its a good idea too! "But some runners get repetitive stress injuries each year (estimates vary from 30-75%) and one hypothesis is that heel striking contributes to some of these injuries. We emphasize though, that no study has shown that heel striking contributes more to injury than forefoot striking" (Lieberman)
At the beginning I wanted to dive right in, because I thought that it would be a cure-all for me. However, this isn't healthy for anyone....especially not someone as injury-prone as myself. So what I did, was I went out and bought 2 pairs of shoes. I got a pair of Brooks Ghosts, which I trust with my life, but more importantly, with my IT bands. However, I also decided to grab a pair of transitional shoes, the Saucony Kinvara. I have read a lot about the Kinvara over the past six months or so and had been drooling over them for about as long.
So far I really love the Kinvaras. In fact, they're even lighter than my road racing flats! My legs have felt really good running in them, though when I do wear them I wear them on days that I'm doing mainly off-road running. At first it was weird. Because the rise is so low (a.k.a. there isn't much difference in height between the heel and the forefoot) you don't heel/toe run like you do in most shoes. Instead, you land midfoot as nature intended.
Here's the thing about barefoot running that I don't think people realize: running barefoot does NOT make you a faster runner. And it does NOT magically take away your injuries. The reason the runners in Born the Run are so good is because they run as a part of their life. Running has a huge role in their culture, their name meaning "The Running People". They're not fast because they run barefoot. They're fast because they run constantly.
Barefoot running and minimalism does have it's place in Western Society as well. Go easy-start off right with a minimalist shoe. Make your transition slowly, and then reap the benefits of running barefoot every once in awhile. When done correctly bare- footing can improve your running. Start off with running in minimalist shoes on soft ground a couple times a week. Then graduate to full time....if all is well take a look at some truly "barefoot" shoes such as Vibrams.
So my take? I love the feeling of barefooting. I love being that much closer to the ground when I run. When done correctly it can have a great impact on your training. But please, watch out for sharp,pointy objects.
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| {Photo Cred :http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jun/05/running-shoeless/ } |
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