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I love to run, plain and simple, but a knee injury has been holding me back. Recently I came across an article about running barefoot, and seeing the logic it presented, I decided to try it. What is the general consensus out there about this?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

It's claimed that's how the kenyans do it and we know they are some of the best if not the best long distance runners the world has ever produced.

I couldn't do it though. If I'm outside, I must have shoes on

Interesting article. Not for me. I have sensitive feet and wouldn't be able to run without sneakers on.

I really enjoy running barefoot. I don't do it all the time, but when I can I do. I believe it does make me a faster runner because I run more on the balls of my feet rather then using my heels, which I do when I wear shoes. I advise trying it, but start with a short distance. you have to toughen up your feet first. You will get blisters and it is really easy to slice you foot, or twist an ankle if you are not aware of your footing. Just be careful.

CaptainPlanet saidI really enjoy running barefoot. I don't do it all the time, but when I can I do. I believe it does make me a faster runner because I run more on the balls of my feet rather then using my heels, which I do when I wear shoes. I advise trying it, but start with a short distance. you have to toughen up your feet first. You will get blisters and it is really easy to slice you foot, or twist an ankle if you are not aware of your footing. Just be careful.

At the beach?

SwimBikeRun- I do run barefoot at the beach, but I also will run on pavement, a dirt trail, or even a grass feild when I play soccer. As long as you know why type of surface you are running on then you should be good.

CaptainPlanet saidSwimBikeRun- I do run barefoot at the beach, but I also will run on pavement, a dirt trail, or even a grass feild when I play soccer. As long as you know why type of surface you are running on then you should be good.

I like running barefoot in a grass field, do a series of short burst runs. Dirt trail eh? You must have tough feet! Pavement seems to unforgiving. I'd be too worried about slicing my foot open on an upturned piece of broken glass.
There's a special place in Hell for those who leave broken glass lying about te beach. Grrr....

swimbikerun said

CaptainPlanet saidI really enjoy running barefoot. I don't do it all the time, but when I can I do. I believe it does make me a faster runner because I run more on the balls of my feet rather then using my heels, which I do when I wear shoes. I advise trying it, but start with a short distance. you have to toughen up your feet first. You will get blisters and it is really easy to slice you foot, or twist an ankle if you are not aware of your footing. Just be careful.

At the beach?

So far I've been using the indoor track, though I tried the outdoor track yesterday. I find it to be a little slippery on the indoor track. Because I'm running faster, I have to slow down when I turn the corners so my feet don't slip out from under me. The outdoor track was much better because of the soft surface and its texture gives more traction (Its also a full sized track, unlike the indoor one), though the texture was hard on my feet. Perhaps if I keep it up my feet will toughen up? if the Kenyans can do it....

or you can run in very light spikes or those plastic feet cases ;) You have natural movement of the foot and some protection. ALso your feet toughen up over time.

I hear this is supposed to help with Plantar Fascitis, too. (which I think I'm getting, ugh)..

I guess cause you hit the balls of your feet differently...anyone ever heard of that.



and I wanna shout out to danwestla for the advice on helping relieve the PF...thanks, man.

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Lostboy saidor you can run in very light spikes or those plastic feet cases ;) You have natural movement of the foot and some protection. ALso your feet toughen up over time.

What are Plastic feet cases? The first thing that came to mind were "crocks", but I don't like those in general, not to mention running! haha

I read and posted about that article recently too.

I live in a city. Running barefoot is just not an option unless I want glass in my foot. Check out these crazy near-bare shoes.



Nike has also launched a line called Free. Which is basically just a thin rubber sole with not padding. The freedom of running almost barefoot for only $90.

have you, or anyone else tried these?

Thanks so much for that interesting article. I have an awful problem with pronated feet that just keeps getting worse...I've swam mostly so it's not a huge problem but it keeps me from running, which I enjoy too. It is also causing knee problems.

This article makes me wonder if the shoes I wear to alleviate the pronation is actually causing it by all the mechanics described in the article. I am going to try my hand at barefoot running and I'll post updates.

Sweet.

To say I'm intrigued is an understatement. Thank you for posting this article. I've been laboring on a painful achilles-tendon issue for the past 5 months and still have flare-ups.

So where do I find these barefoot shoes? I need to stimulate the economy

I'm perfectly spry, but I hate wearing shoes when I run, they always feel to be slowing me down. Those slippers seem perfect, because running the track at my gym barefoot would look soooo dumb.

Yabba Dabba Doo

that sexy

I just bought some Vibram five-finger sprints. Now to the running!

PS I found mine at an outdoors store here in town called Backwoods. Might have luck there, anyone lookin for em.

apollodok04 saidPS I found mine at an outdoors store here in town called Backwoods. Might have luck there, anyone lookin for em.

Hmmm... I'm curious to see how you like them.

swimbikerun said

apollodok04 saidPS I found mine at an outdoors store here in town called Backwoods. Might have luck there, anyone lookin for em.

Hmmm... I'm curious to see how you like them.

Me too. Please post. I hear they take a few weeks of getting used to. But after that they are wonderful.

I just run a 7k this morning. And I saw a guy running barefoot and he is really cool about it. Actually, there an earlier thread about this long ago. I am amaze how anyone can run under a hot sun, barefooted on a road ....but I have see it myself with my own eyes.

Another barefoot runner here. I run on sand, at the beach. Almost exclusively, to the point where it feels *wrong* for me to run in shoes on pavement.

Running barefoot only works on compliant natural surfaces. The laws of physics cannot be violated, and severe impacts to the joints of feet and knees will cause damage over time. That may not have been a major factor for primitive people who only lived to be half our modern life span, but for those of us expecting to see our 80s, it could leave us crippled in later life.

The correct answer is to wear shock-absorbing modern footwear when running or jogging. Bare feet or minimal thongs are healthy & great for wear around the house or back yard, but not for high-impact sports.

I ran in hard Army boots for 25 years; now I walk with a cane. I don't recommend it.

Someone ran the LA Marathon this year barefoot. While being interviewed he said that if you run correctly while barefoot it actually reduces the shock to the joints, because you must control the landing. Sounds like it requires a lot of energy...

He ran the marathon in under three hours, which is impressive even with shoes on.

when i worked at lifetime they did the barefoot mile run where a group of people would go to a highschool football field and run a mile. they said because it helps build the individual muscles in your foot and help activate your core while running more

I bought myself a pair of Nike Free 5.0
http://insidenikerunning.nike.com/2009/04/16/nike-free-50-bare-your-feet/?sitesrc=USPL_integration_tout3
and started to run again 2 weeks ago. First I did some run/walk-intervals which did not work so well. Towards the end of each workout my achilles-tendon started to act up again, but as soon as I ended the workouts the pain was gone, which I took as a good sign.
This past Thursday I decided to jog continuously instead on a treadmill which worked out great, even at greater speeds (7 m/hr) I was running absolutely pain-free. And his morning I did my longest non-stop run in over 6 months (2.5 miles) and the run was absolutely pain-free.
So far this has been a great experience.

Any updates on running barefoot (or almost, lol)...

Here's a story from Wired. It seems like the jury is still out. I'd say the best bet is to keep the activity restricted to a treadmill.

"Before the Nikes, before the breathable, antimicrobial running shorts, before the personal fitness coaches, heart rate monitors, wrist-mounted GPS and subscriptions to Runner’s World, you were a runner.

And, like all children, you ran barefoot.

Now, a small but growing body of research suggests that barefoot is the way adults should run, too. So, many runners have been shucking off the high-tech trainers in favor of naked feet — or minimalist footwear like Nike Free, the Newton All-Weather Trainer and the glove-like Vibram FiveFingers."
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/barefoot

Red_Vespa saidRunning barefoot only works on compliant natural surfaces. The laws of physics cannot be violated, and severe impacts to the joints of feet and knees will cause damage over time.

Yeah ... I don't recommend running barefoot unless it's on the aforementioned surface(s). You're going to really want those joints to be there for you as you age. Exercise is great, but be smart about it.

Great thread. I'm a huge fan of barefoot running now.

RedVespa, sorry to hear about the damage requiring a cane but comparing 25 years of rucking in boots is not the same as discussing barefoot running. Getfitrick, I disagree with you 100% and suggest you learn more before forming your opinion.

There is a growing movement away from the beefy support in modern running shoes because of the 83% of North Americans who sustain running injuries every year which is an absurdly high number.

I've been using the Vibram Five Fingers shoes now for about six weeks and absolutely LOVE them. It's like having hands on the ground instead of stumps. I can feel the world around me through my feet. I've used them for beaches, cities, mountain hikes, trail-running, and mud. So far, they're great for most things except the gnarliest trails. I'm also experimenting with things like the Adidas Adizero RC racing flats and am also going to try the Inov-8s soon www.inov-8.com which come very highly recommended.

So far for me I have noticed better foot functioning, greater interest in walking new places and on new surfaces, and running on fields is flat out exhilarating. I was running on Crissy Field one day and it felt like I was flying across the grass. Because the Fives wrap around your foot and your foot can now wrap drape over the unever surfaces better, I found I could run much faster than if I had been running in regular shoes which would have a tendency to rocker over high spots of ground and risk rolling my ankle. I have not rolled my ankle ONCE in the Fives, and used to find that a regular occurrence in every other pair of runners.

For myself, I'm convinced that less shoe is better and am now getting rid of all of my big beefy super support shoes as I can't stand wearing them anymore.

Here is a great Tim Ferriss article http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/05/07/vibram-five-fingers-shoes/ on the Fives too.

I'm probably settling in on the Fives for most activities and then the Inov-8s for trail-running which is pretty wet, rooty, and rocky where I live.

My running coach (Brian Mackenzie from Crossfit Endurance) has been espousing better running technique (POSE/CHI running style) and flatter shoes and barefoot running and has been finding that his athletes are getting stronger feet and more pronounced and healthier arches as a result.

BTW, I used to have plantar fascitis. It was resolved finally through really consistent stretching of my calf muscles and a lot of work on my feet. It can be beaten. Now I'm in bare feet almost all day long every day so there is hope for those of you starting in on the PF track. I would urge you to do some beach, sand, or grass walking and lots of foot tissue and calf stretching (not "achilles tendon" stretching - it doesn't stretch!)

"Here's a story from Wired. It seems like the jury is still out. I'd say the best bet is to keep the activity restricted to a treadmill." SwimBikeRun

Tried running barefoot on the treadmill tonight...i need a foot rub the bottoms of my feet are burnt up from the tread..better to do it on the grass.

Plus the house shook from my running, guess my feet hit different without shoes and notice pain in my shins and ankles i dont get with shoes on.

Blackguy4you saidIt's claimed that's how the kenyans do it and we know they are some of the best if not the best long distance runners the world has ever produced.

I'd think the issue isn't just how fast Kenyans run when young, but what their joints become when old. In the West we typically expect to see our 80s, and would like to remain active that long, and able to walk without pain or assistance.

You can't really barefoot run properly until you change your running gait. Without the big cushy heel, you must lose your heel-toe strike pattern and move to more of the Kenyan running style which is faster cadence, leaned forward and where gravity is pulling you forward and your legs are doing that sort of Road-runner / Wile E Coyote fast-cycle thing underneath to keep you moving along. The net result is that it's more efficient and a lot less pounding on the joints. Those of you who are saying things like "it's too hard to do on hard surfaces" or "it will be hard on the joints" are missing the fact that you really need to combine a new (more efficient) running technique with less support. Just going with less support and not changing your technique will really hurt your feet...fast. That's why I love the Vibrams. They forced a change in my running style immediately so I didn't have to retrain my neural pathways the same as if I kept the same shoes and tried to modify my gait.

stormwatcher saidI love to run, plain and simple, but a knee injury has been holding me back. Recently I came across an article about running barefoot, and seeing the logic it presented, I decided to try it. What is the general consensus out there about this?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

I live right next to a middle school football and track field, so I always run barefoot in the grass 10 times around the football field every day. I love running barefoot in grass and dirt. I'm going to increase my laps to eventually 20 every day by adding 2 more laps each week until I am up to 20 a day.

I've been running barefoot, on sand, for more than ten years. Like outdoorathlete, I've experienced a change in my gait. I've found that my knees bend more, and I plant my feet differently--the foot lands more flatly, rather than landing on the heel and rocking forward. By forcing me to more solidly contact the ground as I land, barefoot running seems to strengthen my feet, and I certainly feel my ankles are stronger. And with sand, there's no pounding on the joints. In fact, I used to get knee pain when I ran in shoes; that ended pretty quickly once I ditched the shoes.

In San Diego I can enjoy beach running year-round. Running barefoot on the beach is the best! I can give you ten good reasons.

zotamorf62 saidI've been running barefoot, on sand, for more than ten years. Like outdoorathlete, I've experienced a change in my gait. I've found that my knees bend more, and I plant my feet differently--the foot lands more flatly, rather than landing on the heel and rocking forward. By forcing me to more solidly contact the ground as I land, barefoot running seems to strengthen my feet, and I certainly feel my ankles are stronger. And with sand, there's no pounding on the joints. In fact, I used to get knee pain when I ran in shoes; that ended pretty quickly once I ditched the shoes.

In San Diego I can enjoy beach running year-round. Running barefoot on the beach is the best! I can give you ten good reasons.

Zotamorf, you can run on the beach year round? Wow, I'm jealous! :-)

Also, for those who are interested here is a link to Pose Tech regarding their running training:

http://www.posetech.com/

apollodok04 saidI just bought some Vibram five-finger sprints. Now to the running!

Have you been running with them? Any updates?

Thanks

I think one of the main points of bare-foot running is not only to run with as little as possible between your foot and the ground, but also to run on natural surfaces...

I recently suffered from Plantar, ankle and knee troubles, and my physio put much of it down to my running shoes (anti-pronation from Saucony and Brooks mostly).

Like Outdoorathlete, she recommended stretching and massage to loosen my calves and thigh abductors, suggested I change to a minimal support shoe, and forbid me from running on pavement, tarmac or any hard surfaces.

I now run in an innov-8 flyroc, and *all* my running is done outdoors on grass - and normally over the fields and hills here in the Cottswolds. The natural cushioning and resistance of the terrain means less shock on the joints, and the lighter shoe means I have both shorteened my gait and can feel the ground better. My running style has improved, my joint problems have gone, and I'm fitter than I have ever been. Physically *and* mentally.

Because, there's nothing better than running free in the wild: wind in yer face and the sun coming up, with rabbits and birds and deer... It's so totally freeing - like being a kid again. Running has become a pleasure again - a daily meditation with the world and my place in it.

I honestly can't now understand how anyone could want to pound the pavements, or worse, drive to a gym to go run in place in the air-conditioned stink of sweat...

outdoorathlete said
Zotamorf, you can run on the beach year round? Wow, I'm jealous! :-)

Hey, it's San Diego. I can, and I do.

Here's yet another article on barefoot running, this one from the Times. It has a number of good links to other articles, as well. If time hangs heavy on your hands, you can read the 100+ reader responses to the question "Have you run barefoot?", including a comment from Christopher McDougall, the author of Born to Run. Testimonials cover the gamut of experience, but most responders wax rhapsodic about barefoot running and/or running in Vibram FiveFingers. Those who disagree either haven't tried it; failed to change their gait; failed to ease slowly into barefoot running; or reported stepping on unsavory substances.

I saw two people running with this on this morning (in the city) on my walk to the subway to work.

At first I was like, WTF... but they both seemed to be pretty hard core runners.

I was curious so I sent an email to a friend of mine who is a professional long distance runner (sponsored and an agent, does it full time too and makes good money) to get his opinion as I am SURE he's tried it.

It really common to see Malaysian of Indian ethic running barefooted in marathon here (especially in the past). A lot of Indian in Malaysia come from a poor family and a lot of them cant afford to buy proper shoes, so they are use to run barefooted. Some kids can run 7 to 10k barefooted with no problem at all. As a matter of fact some of Malaysian greatest long distance runner are ethnic Indian. However, nowaday with the country getting more and more wealthy those barefooted runner are starting to be a rare sight

Just an update...


Been running with my Vibram barefoot shoes for a couple months now, and I absolutely love them!

At first it was an adjustment...my Achilles tendons bilaterally were sore even starting with short distances, and I felt different muscles getting sore...mostly intrinsic foot muscles and my calves (gastroc/peroneus). They eventually shaped up, and now I don't notice any sort of Achilles pain etc.

What I -DO- notice is much less knee and lower back pain. I used to have bad right knee pain and it's quickly going away. I've also noticed stronger feet/better arch and more defined calves. My back feels great after a run.

And it's deliciously nice feeling surfaces underneath my feet. Feels very pleasantly "animal" and I feel more in tune with my own movements.

-Jake