Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Barefoot Running
A couple of weeks ago I tried running barefoot outdoors for the first time in 30 years. I ran on some soccer fields behind a YMCA near where I work. It felt a little weird at first, but overall it felt great! I ran 4 miles that first day with about 1/2 mile of it on asphalt. The asphalt felt like sandpaper on my feet, but the grass felt wonderful. Soccer fields are nice, but I hope to run on some golf courses soon too.
Running barefoot really seems to help my running form because it makes any form flaws immediately apparent. There are no shoes or padding to mask the pain of bad moves with my feet, legs, or hips until they build up to an injury. Running barefoot provides instant feedback so I can correct form mistakes quickly. Overall, it makes my legs feel stronger and more efficient. In most of my runs lately, I've felt better and been running faster at the end.
I might be able to toughen up and run barefoot on asphalt someday, but in the meantime I'm trying to do the majority of my asphalt runs in the most minimal shoes I can find. I did some research and found several options like water shoes and Vibram Fivefingers. The best site I found for minimal shoe coverage was Tue Jepsen's, which has several great reviews.
As a first step I bought some $4.99 water shoes at Academy Sports and some $5.99 water shoes at Target. They're both very comfortable, and after getting used to them I can run fairly fast in both of them. The ones from Academy Sports are a little more snug, so I feel a little better running in them. But I prefer the Target shoes for walking around during the day. My friends and family think I'm crazy for wearing water shoes all the time, but I really feel like my feet and legs are getting stronger and more efficient.
One of the first running books I read was Gordon Pirie's Running Fast And Injury Free. He recommended running barefoot in the sand (e.g., on a beach or in a long jump pit) to check your form. He also believed that "any and all additions to the body damage running skill," and he was strongly in favor of a minimal shoe. His book is free and available for download as a PDF, so it's well worth checking out.
Google has plenty of barefoot running links if you're interested. If you're brave enough to try it out and you can overcome your fears about pain or social stigma, barefoot running has a lot to offer.
Running barefoot really seems to help my running form because it makes any form flaws immediately apparent. There are no shoes or padding to mask the pain of bad moves with my feet, legs, or hips until they build up to an injury. Running barefoot provides instant feedback so I can correct form mistakes quickly. Overall, it makes my legs feel stronger and more efficient. In most of my runs lately, I've felt better and been running faster at the end.
I might be able to toughen up and run barefoot on asphalt someday, but in the meantime I'm trying to do the majority of my asphalt runs in the most minimal shoes I can find. I did some research and found several options like water shoes and Vibram Fivefingers. The best site I found for minimal shoe coverage was Tue Jepsen's, which has several great reviews.
As a first step I bought some $4.99 water shoes at Academy Sports and some $5.99 water shoes at Target. They're both very comfortable, and after getting used to them I can run fairly fast in both of them. The ones from Academy Sports are a little more snug, so I feel a little better running in them. But I prefer the Target shoes for walking around during the day. My friends and family think I'm crazy for wearing water shoes all the time, but I really feel like my feet and legs are getting stronger and more efficient.
One of the first running books I read was Gordon Pirie's Running Fast And Injury Free. He recommended running barefoot in the sand (e.g., on a beach or in a long jump pit) to check your form. He also believed that "any and all additions to the body damage running skill," and he was strongly in favor of a minimal shoe. His book is free and available for download as a PDF, so it's well worth checking out.
Google has plenty of barefoot running links if you're interested. If you're brave enough to try it out and you can overcome your fears about pain or social stigma, barefoot running has a lot to offer.
Labels: Running
# posted by Bill Menees @ 4:12 PM 
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Bill, good to see you are still running! I was using keen water shoes for a bit. I decided to go back to running shoes without all the fancy stuff stabilization stuff and am now running in nike jasari. I put away the watershoes for now. Keep up informed on how that is working for you!
Happy Trails!
Cassie
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Happy Trails!
Cassie
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