Running barefoot
Though I spent many a day of my youth without proper shoes, these days, the only time I go barefoot outside of the house is when I'm recklessly dancing at a wedding. I once went on a 3-day jungle trek through Northern Thailand with a guide who didn't wear shoes the whole time, through swamps and over logs, across branches and bushes and rice patty fields. I looked on with some sort of odd bohemian envy that he could live with little more than god gave him and I needed my expensive sneakers, which still gave me blisters. We were born without shoes, so why do we need them now? Because we've become weak, that's why. There's a movement out there that I read about on Mark's Daily Apple called the Primal Health philosophy.They believe that the closer we are to nature, the better. Which mean -- you guessed it -- the less we rely on shoes, the better, even when running. There are lots of reasons behind the idea of running shoeless, including this one:When we run in shoes, our heels are the first parts of our body to hit the ground. But if we were to run shoeless, we wouldn't do this. Running with our heels first adds unnecessary impact to the joints in our leg. Interesting. If you want to read more, check out the original post.
Still, before we had shoes, we also didn't have pavement and unforgiving urban landscapes. So I'm sticking to my running shoes for now at least. What about you?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-14-2007 @ 11:58AM
Chris A said...
I have always been intrigued by the whole running barefoot idea. You hear about how people do it and don't have problems with their feet getting cut up, but if they saw the things I see in the city, they would probably want to wear something just for sanitation purposes. Remember those Nike shoes that were supposed to give you the benefits running barefoot? I didn't ever really buy it, but would be open to the idea.
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8-14-2007 @ 12:33PM
FitClubScott said...
First of all, I'm a severe overpronator so I've biomechanical issues that complicate running for me. Without the proper shoes, I inevitably get repetitive stess-type injuries.
I've also been reading up on this barefoot running thing, so I talked to my podiatrist about it. He suggested that I not try it due to the severe overpronation issues.
If however you have a neutral gait, provided you aren't running on anything that would cut up your feet, he said he wouldn't have any issues with it.
Just a thought.
By the way, the shoes mentioned by Chris A are Nike Frees. They are supposedly the closest shoe out there to being barefoot.
http://thefitclub.blogspot.com
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8-14-2007 @ 3:42PM
Tim UF said...
Theres three levels of flexibility in the Nike Free's, &.0, 5.0, and 3.0... the lower the number, the more flexible they are.
Theres another shoe out there even better for simulating barefoot running: vibramfivefingers.
https://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.cfm
some barefoot running enthusiasts make their own foot coverings as well. Basically cut and sewn innertubes, enough to block a lot of the stuff thatd cause harm.
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9-14-2007 @ 11:02AM
Tobias said...
I've been a casual runner for many years. About 18 months ago, I started getting shin splints (pain down the inside edge of my shins), and it got bad enough that I couldn't run anymore. Searching the web for solutions, I came across the whole barefoot running idea. About six months ago, I started running barefoot. Tiny distances at first: 20m run, walk a bit, 20 min run, walk a bit etc. It felt weird at first. Now, six months later, my shin splints have completely disappeared and I can run without pain. As an added bonus, the soles of my feet are now quite tough, so when I go hiking I spend much of my time barefoot, whereas previously I used to wear boots.
With regards to close-to-barefoot shoes, I have been wearing some home-made huaraches (sandals), the instructions for which are online at http://groups.google.com/group/huaraches. They're comfortable and minimalist.
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