Barefoot running!

[Plankis]

Anyone does it or at least run with a minimalistic shoe? I know some of you owns Vibram Five Fingers so there's got to be some interest around here.



I've had troubles with my knees and I've always liked the idea of exercising as raw as possible. So I'm going to take a serious stab at it this year when the snow has gone away. I'm trying to hunt down a par of Vibram Five Finger KSO to protect my babyfeets until they've gotten used to this stupid idea.

Be aware of your weak calfs though, haha. I'm a pretty fit guy and two days ago I tried running in socks only on a treadmill. After 10 minutes I couldn't run any more, my calfs refused to work at all after that. Now 2 days later they still refuse to do anything, no ninja sneaking for me! I barely got my heart beating any faster so it's very easy to fool yourself that your doing fine.

 

[sprack]

I've been doing that for the last 3 years. Has definitely improved my stride and toughened my feet dramatically. 22yrs of futbol and I never had shin-splints till I started running on pavement in 'running shoes'. The vibrams only last about 6mo of running at best though. I'll jog barefoot, but for real running I'll put on my Copa's and run in cleats.

 

[53Crëw]

This seems to be gaining popularity...

I came across a couple articles not long ago by podiatrists that say the extreme amounts of support in modern shoes is actually ruining the muscle tone in people's feet, in turn, making them more dependent on orthopedic shoes. They advised wearing shoes as little as possible.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Hmm, interesting stuff, and it does make sense from an evolutionary perspective - that said, I hope I can find (or manufacturers start making) traditional running with minimal support that provide the benefits of the Vibrams without making one look like such a trendy buttpumper

 

[Plankis]

If you google minimalist shoes you can find a few quite good looking ones.
http://www.barefootfootwear.com/

But the Vibram lets your toes work in a more natural way, which means they also gets a work out meaning they get stronger and more flexible. But the important thing is to learn to not land on your heels while running.

 

[Russtopher]

Haven't tried it, I had looked into chi running which emphasizes natural form and minimalistic shoes, but once I found my own rhythm and got used to landing mid-foot, I was good to go I don't ever want to give up my Asics!

 

[Paulie!]

You're body is designed to walk without shoes... shoes make your back/knees hurt (IMO), not being barefoot...

-P

 

[Plankis]

So I've run on the treadmill a few times now, around 10-12 minute runs. I've gotten zero muscle fever (that's what eng. wiki calls it at least...) from the runs. Quite interesting because the first time I ran on the treadmill without shoes I was seriously handicapped for 5 days! The second time I ran almost as far but didn't feel anything from it, I was expecting being handicapped for at least 2 days this time but I felt nothing the next day! The calfes seems to adjust very quickly to this forefoot style of running, although I haven't dared a longer run than 3km yet.

 

[Plankis]

Here's an interesting talk about barefoot running.

 

[Wolfeman]

I tried running barefoot last month and I just can't do it, I broke my foot a while back and without shoes my foot feels like it's still broken. I suppose the shoe acts as a sort of splint for me.

So no barefooting for me.

 

[Plankis]

Ah, that's too bad. But I can see why had problems with it. It's hard enough to start with healthy feets, and you were recovering from an injury as well!
Taking babysteps is the way to go, for everyone. One can't expect to get to the same level as one are with shoes in just a few runs. I've read on other forums about people who it's taken over a year to be able to do a proper run barefoot.

 

[Plankis]

I've been doing longer runs on the treadmill the last weeks, about 3,5km. The muscles are getting used to this now. But my feets are starting to take some damage instead, getting some nasty blisters and general soreness. Nothing I hadn't expected really. I'll try to run a bit further the next coming weeks, we'll see if my feets can keep up with that.

Here's an interesting video, it's a bit more scientific than the other ones I've posted.