Comments on: Barefoot Running?

By: barefoot jake

barefoot jake — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:31:20 +0000

I have lots of experience with barefoot running. I’m about 6′1 350lbs and I found I can run longer and farther while barefooted compared to wearing shoes. I haven’t really worn any shoes in the last three years and I think it is great. Some people wonder about the injuries while going to barefoot would be worth it, well considering the damage done to your feet with constricting shoes its far far better to be barefooted. In parts of the world were barefooting is more common place than here in the states, doctors state there is fewer foot injuries they have to treat for someone who is barefoot as there is a shod person. For great health info regarding barefeet go to http://www.barefooters.org or email me jacobbye@gmail.com

By: BattleItch

BattleItch — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:59:49 +0000

With making the switch to barefoot running would your feet get wider? I would be worried that if I started to run barefoot I would no longer fit into any of my shoes. Is this something to be concerned with?

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:28:13 +0000

This is interesting to me. My husband recently lost 80 pounds through running and strict nutrition guidelines for the purpose of reentry into the military. The medically-knowledgeable self within me cringes at the thought.Bones increase in density from weight-bearing, so I am led to believe that this wouldn’t matter whether this would be on the inside of a shoe or directly onto a running surface. Yest when I mentioned this to my husband, he did a little giggle, stating it is fun! Hmmmm.

By: Jeff Barnett

Jeff Barnett — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:08:54 +0000

Thanks for the info. I’ll take a look at the links you posted. I’m not “worried” about a decrease in performance; I’m trying to gauge what to reasonably expect out of myself for a transition to something that’s pretty unfamiliar.

By: russell

russell — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:46:05 +0000

My best advice is to quit worrying about time and distance until your form is good enough to start pushing yourself. I would start trying to run “better” before you ditch the shoes. start doing workouts barefoot, lifting, jumping, even walking barefoot can give you some initial improvement in atrophied muscles.

as for technique:
http://www.posetech.com/
http://www.chirunning.com/shop/home.php

two different sources for the same knowledge.

By: Jeff Barnett

Jeff Barnett — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:30:08 +0000

Russell,
What kind of decrease in performance should I expect? I’m expecting that I can’t handle much distance initially. My usual “shod” runs are between 3-5 miles. Is 1 mile a good starting point? 800m?

For a 5k I average about 7:20/mile. Is that going to go to 8:20/mile? Worse?

By: Russell

Russell — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:17:58 +0000

You are absolutely right to be concerned about injury, but nothing worth attaining comes without risk. The structural changes that occur in the foot when you start to actually rely on it are drastic. Muscles tighten, bones become more dense, tendons strengthen… all of this means that you are dancing a fine line between adaptation and injury. Structural pains are going to happen, serious injuries should not… unless you aren’t paying attention to your own thresholds. It took me many months to get back to my pre-barefoot running times, but I haven’t had a stress-related injury since. Listen to your body, learn to make it work for you.

By: jmg

jmg — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:22:55 +0000

When considering things like this I’m always most concerned about the adaptation. The Tarahumara example is certainly impressive and thought-provoking, but we have to remember that they’ve always run this way - their bodies are accustomed to it. For someone used to running in shoes though, I wonder about the risk of injury while trying to make the transition to barefoot, and whether it’s worth the risk.

By: Jeff Barnett

Jeff Barnett — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:42:35 +0000

Russell, thanks for the input. I read a couple articles on the Tarahumara. They are impressive, to say the least. I think some of the most practical information I uncovered is an old post about a triathlete’s experiment with barefoot running:

http://cs.gmu.edu/~pammann/barefoot99.html

By: Russell

Russell — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:13:43 +0000

Do a google search on the Tarahumara indians of mexico. These guys run hundreds of miles in the mountains of mexico in home made sandals. What you have on your feet is far less important than how you run. It just so happens that the technique employed by “barefoot” runners (a very broad term) is unique and hard to acheive in traditional running shoes.