My experience with Barefoot Running

My heart goes out to those athletes on Chicago’s lakefront logging mile after mile on the concrete with Vibram Five Fingers. During the 2009 season I don’t recall seeing anyone with those, but this year they are clearly popular.

So what has changed? Why did people decide to give barefoot running a try after years of running with support? I bet most of those people read “Born to run” by Christopher McDougall at some point after the 2009 season.

Before I get into the details, let’s define what I mean by “Barefoot Running.” Actually I am using the term a bit loosely, what I mean is, running without “any essential” foot support. Nike Frees and shoes alike also fit under this category. Basically, you are running without major support and assuming that your feet are getting stronger, because you are not “babying” them anymore.

And the promise of barefoot running is that it improves your running posture. When you run barefoot, you lean forward and land on your middle foot instead of heel striking which eventually makes you faster and less prone to injuries.

Back to the book… Born to Run, in my opinion, idolizes barefoot running. The claims like “the cheaper the shoe the better it is for you”, “we should not baby our feet and don’t need all that support today’s “modern” shoes provide”” are made in the book, but in my opinion the author provides limited scientific data behind it.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed reading the book. But my interest in barefoot running started even before. First, I read the paper written by Gordon Pirie called Running Fast and Injury Free. http://www.scribd.com/doc/13695/Gordon-Piries-Running-Fast-and-Injury-Free

Gordon is an advocate of landing on the tiptoes while running and suggests leaning forward to do so. And he also claims that running in today’s shoes is like running on heels and making it very difficult to land on toes.

Then I read the book called Chi Running by Danny Dreyer. The promise is similar “do not land on your heels while running, your heels act like brakes and slow you down”. It all made sense.

So in order to run faster, you better not land on your heels. However, today’s modern shoe technology has a lot of support around the arches and heel of your foot, they end up becoming thicker toward the heel. If you want to land on middle foot and toes, you need shoes without that kind of support.

Long story short, I wanted to get faster and decided to take on “barefoot running”

I like the saying, “if it is not broken don’t fix it!” But every year towards the end of my triathlon and running season, I start to get injured; shin splints, toe pain, you name it! So I thought barefoot running would fix it.

So I bought a pair of Nike Free 5.0 and Vibram five fingers and started running. To be honest, it was an enjoyable feeling at the beginning, it was something different. However, slowly I started to feel my calves becoming too tight and after 4 months of trying the barefoot running I got injured. My left calf is not as strong as it used to be and based on the MRI results, I was about to have a stress fracture near my left ankle. I had to stop running completely for about 4 weeks to heal and now I am back to my Asics and very happy.

When it comes to barefoot running my suggestion is “be very careful”. If you want to do it, break in this new style of running very very slowly. It is a big change from what you are used to doing for years and it probably needs a year or two before you can run long distances in this new style.

By the way, have you ever paid “real” attention to how the Kenyans or other professional runners or triathletes run? Below are some video samples from YouTube. Please pay attention, a lot of great athletes and fast runners are heel striking. Bottom line is, run in the way that is comfortable for you, don’t force it. If you have been running in a certain way for years, that probably is the best way for you. Just run more and harder and you will get faster.

Video 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZoLu-wV98Y&feature=related

Max Longree has a great form, but 100% heel striking!

Video 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eXqAWjJ_dE 3:15 and onwards

See how Haile Gebreselassie is landing on his heels while taking the gold over Paul Tergat in 2000 Olympics 10K final.

Video 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn1f7NN15lI&feature=related Stop at min 2:03

Macca is taking the lead in 2007 while heel striking

Video 4 a :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koXO0HLTOMs Pay attention to 0:37 – 0:43

Maybe one of the most dominant runners in the Ironman circuit, Craig Alexander is heel striking

Video 4 b:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSMaE0wqDeU&NR=1

Great analysis on 3 different runners, Craig Alexander, Chrissie Wellington and Mirinda Carfrae. All of them are landing on their heels!

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RGComments

I am very skeptical about barefoot running and recently read an article that you should expect it to take years to adapt to this new style. The article said your feet do not adapt quickly and that things should be given time. Also, we seem to always point back to our ancestors and natural running. I don't think those people were running on concrete and asphalt with their barefeet. But the most disheartening thing is that there is no good evidence either way that shoes or the cause of or that they help prevent injury. Also, if you are from western europe, like my ancestors, we have been avoiding running literally like the plague for hundreds of years. There is no one, i am sure, in my family tree that has done triathlons as far back as you care to look.
I bought a pair of the Ecco Bios and the Vibram Fingers, but not for running. The Eccos are being worked in, sometimes a couple runs a week, sometimes less. I also have some Nike Frees that I may start running in but I will still do all my long runs and the majority of my mileage in more cushioned shoes until there is solid proof that I shouldn't.

Aug 04, 2010 — doug773