Running barefoot better than running in shoes?

[Mofra]

Very interesting study conducted by Harvard University which may impact on the way athletes train in the future:

http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html

Wearing shoes causes most people to "heel strike", whilst people are morelikely to flat-foot or forefoot strike when running. I found this analysis interesting:

Heel striking
Effective mass is approximately the foot plus the lower leg, which equals 6.8% of total body mass in the runners measured in Lieberman et al. (2010).

Forefoot striking
Effective mass is the forefoot and some portion of the rearfoot and leg, which equals 1.7% of total body mass in the runners measured in Lieberman et al. (2010).

I had to give up long distance running almost 2 years ago due to nerve pain/tendonitis, and although I can do repeated sprints without pain for almost 15 minutes, have almost totally abandoned running altogether. I have noticed that running home a couple of times in Dunlop Volleys (!) I'm forced to forefoot-strike and can run without the pain (I put this down to alcohol), although I definately feel it in my calves the next day.

Does anyone who runs regularly try different running styles/use a more natural, barefoot type running show or runs barefoot at a local park on a regular basis?

 

[cptkirk]

bareffot training is good but if there is impact then you need shoes...opt for thin soled shoes like the volley's you said, chick taylor's, spikes even but the thing is you don't actually play in them

 

[Mofra]

I'm not training for football, just like to keep fit. Might try the Volleys this weekend

 

[andolate]

Checkout www.coolrunning.com.au

Full and numerous threads in relation to this

 

[Dan Moody]

Checkout www.coolrunning.com.au

Full and numerous threads in relation to this

beat me to it, a great source.

i've used nike free's for 5 years now and i no longer have knee soreness after 5k runs. there is also another style of "barefoot" footwear out that is called fivefingers. they cost a fair bit and look weird as anything but are supposed to be brilliant. i have noticed a few people out running trails down my way wearing them and they dont seem to be struggling.

 

[Mofra]

Cheers for the link, great site.

Re: fivefingers, they the Vibram shoes? Vibram soles are the most comfortable I've found for bushwalking, although I've heard mixed reports on the fivefingers shows themselves (also, having narrow feet means laces are a must).

 

[pacemaker]

If they mean run bare foot with no support what so ever on your foot they are sending the wrong message.

Unless you want to end up with Plantar Fasciitis which can become a chronic condition always run with shoes.

 

[Mofra]

If they mean run bare foot with no support what so ever on your foot they are sending the wrong message.

Unless you want to end up with Plantar Fasciitis which can become a chronic condition always run with shoes.

There seems to be quite alot of evidence to the contrary, unless you are talking just jumping straight into barefoot running from shoed running with no build up.

Still too sore from gym/bushwalking/other activity to run yet

 

[fairdinkum]

Anybody see the article in The Age (I think) a couple of days ago about the increase in people rocking up to podiatrists with wrecked feet due to this barefeet running fad? Article claimed some specialists had seen an increase in barefoot running-related injuries of a couple hundred percent on last year IIRC.

 

[The Passenger]

i would've imagined the running on barefoot advise was for grass only??

it's pretty hard to see things going wrong on conrete...

i've read plenty of things from various scientests and what not who reckon shoes have ruined humans posture...

 

[keyboard_warrior]

Anybody see the article in The Age (I think) a couple of days ago about the increase in people rocking up to podiatrists with wrecked feet due to this barefeet running fad? Article claimed some specialists had seen an increase in barefoot running-related injuries of a couple hundred percent on last year IIRC.

that is due to the sheer number of people taking up minimalist running. the injury rates are actually equal amongst shod and unshod runners. so that would probably say that it doesnt matter what u run in, its how you run or the amount you run.

but changing your technique from heel strike to forefoot running and expecting to do the same volume is stupid. completely different mechanics, the force distribution is vastly different. that is why people are getting injured.

and i would hardly say it is a fad, considering it has been done since the beginning of time

i would've imagined the running on barefoot advise was for grass only??

it's pretty hard to see things going wrong on conrete...

i've read plenty of things from various scientests and what not who reckon shoes have ruined humans posture...

shoes have a cambre built in (heel higher that toe) which is unnatural. i wouldnt say that the 70 odd years of shoe technology would have ruined posture, i reckon the 14 hours spent sitting in a chair everyday would have more to do with it. the effect that has on shortening and lengthening different muscle groups is too big to overlook

 

[blue gunslinger]

Very interesting study conducted by Harvard University which may impact on the way athletes train in the future:

http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html

Wearing shoes causes most people to "heel strike", whilst people are morelikely to flat-foot or forefoot strike when running. I found this analysis interesting:




I had to give up long distance running almost 2 years ago due to nerve pain/tendonitis, and although I can do repeated sprints without pain for almost 15 minutes, have almost totally abandoned running altogether. I have noticed that running home a couple of times in Dunlop Volleys (!) I'm forced to forefoot-strike and can run without the pain (I put this down to alcohol), although I definately feel it in my calves the next day.

Does anyone who runs regularly try different running styles/use a more natural, barefoot type running show or runs barefoot at a local park on a regular basis?

a subject close to my heart
have read many research papers and the latest I have seen have said that it seems a gimmick thing that shoe companies have jumped all over.
I am a natural "on my toes like a balerina" kind of runner but after about 30km's or on the run leg of a tri I tire and start leaning back.
I found the Pose method has made me more enery efficient and can go marathon dist and even fast halfs well. You need to introduce it gradually to avoid smashing the calves.This is even more important if you move over to shoes like Newtons.

 

[wceblog]

I've been running and sprinting barefoot on grass for the last 6 yrs.

I used to have huge problems with shin splints (killed my junior cricket and football career), but have never had any issues since transitioning to barefoot. Other than a hamstring strain the only injury I've had since barefooting was a swollen foot from stepping on a bee

My arch is a bit more developed (my feet used to be very flat) and the soles of my feet are definitely meatier. I also think sprinting barefoot (plus single leg exercises in the weight room) has done a lot for my glute development.

 

[blue gunslinger]

not wanting to question your effort but what is the max dist you go barefoot?

 

[wceblog]

not wanting to question your effort but what is the max dist you go barefoot?

4.5k extensive tempo runs (essentially 45 x 100m with recovery periods @ 16-17s pace) twice per week.

 

[topic97]

The trainer I work for runs in them & swears by them - but he does alternate between the five fingers and kayanos depending on the application, I havent tried them as of yet cos I am in the middle of marathon training and not changing anything at this point.
His girlfriend uses them all the time as she tried absolutely everything to combat plantar fasciitis, and tried them as a last resort and she no longer runs in anything but five fingers and hasnt had the issue since.

There has since been a few clients that we train that have adopted the five fingers for their running - one completed the run for the kids in them no dramas so they cant be too bad with distances!!

You have to ease into them as they completely alter your gait & strike, I wouldnt be surprised if people that are copping injuries from them try to resume their normal training load.

 

[Mofra]

You have to ease into them as they completely alter your gait & strike, I wouldnt be surprised if people that are copping injuries from them try to resume their normal training load.

Anecdotally, I've heard a 6-9 month transition time to do it safely with no problems.
Nothing wrong with mixing it up, but I'm a full time front foot striker these days, although I tend to run intervals exclusively.
Probably do some more distance stuff for fun when summer hits again

 

[topic97]

Anecdotally, I've heard a 6-9 month transition time to do it safely with no problems.
Nothing wrong with mixing it up, but I'm a full time front foot striker these days, although I tend to run intervals exclusively.
Probably do some more distance stuff for fun when summer hits again

Yeah that sounds about the timeframe of the guys I know that have done a full transition to them, and they havent had any injuries or issues apart from calves of fire!!

On a related note, you would probably go ok in them off the bat because they keep telling me they alter your strike to a forefoot strike anyway.
Just have to get used to the change in impact.

 

[Ess_don]

Hmm interesting subject.. so to sum up for non-long distance runners just regular amateur footy players, how do we incorporate this? Obviously we're not gonna ditch our shoes/boots.

Do we start adopting the front-foot strike running style during training/gameday, or just gradually add barefoot running into our regular exercise runs/jogs?

I have a nice, well maintained rugby oval close to my house which Im keen to start running barefoot on..

I find myself front-foot striking when I sprint anyway, just feels more lighter on my feet and bit more agile which is of course helpful on gameday!

How about running reasonably long distances with shoes? Just go back to the traditional heel strike?

Note: Im also flat-footed, so quite excited at hearing some stories of barefoot running improving my arch.

 

[topic97]

I guess it all depends on how easily you can transition from barefoot runners to footy boots - I specialise in personal training & fitness but not really footy training etc, so I am just talking from a general barefoot vs runners experience.

You would need to make sure the footy boots you are using have a minimal heel gradient, I think most have a lot less than conventional runners.
The other thing you would need to look for would be a boot that has a bit of flexibility in the midsole as that may cause dramas during games considering that barefoot runners have a completely flexible sole - just like a glove.

Having said that though, a few of the guys that cycle between vibram and regular runners have very little issues as they find that the barefoot runners change their strike to a forefoot strike and it doesnt change once you go back to a regular runner so I wouldnt see that footy boots would be all that different.

Id probably suggest to ease into them if you are going to try them straight away, or probably best to get into them during your off season because you will pull up sore - especially your calves - when you first start using them & you dont want to jeopardize your footy season.

But once you get into them, it would probably benefit you to do all your extra running on them and just training and games on footy boots.

Edit: and in reference to long runs, you will find that you will still forefoot strike after using barefoot runners, so there is no need to alter your strike - traditional runners give better cushioning anyway so its not like you can do any extra damage.

 

[blue gunslinger]

Hmm interesting subject.. so to sum up for non-long distance runners just regular amateur footy players, how do we incorporate this? Obviously we're not gonna ditch our shoes/boots.

Do we start adopting the front-foot strike running style during training/gameday, or just gradually add barefoot running into our regular exercise runs/jogs?

I have a nice, well maintained rugby oval close to my house which Im keen to start running barefoot on..

I find myself front-foot striking when I sprint anyway, just feels more lighter on my feet and bit more agile which is of course helpful on gameday!

How about running reasonably long distances with shoes? Just go back to the traditional heel strike?

Note: Im also flat-footed, so quite excited at hearing some stories of barefoot running improving my arch.

in off season training forefoot would be great to build "the tank" but in play with changes of direction etc No
As for long dist heel strike makes you less efficient, not as fast and more impact increasing injury. Once you get a handle on forefoot it comes naturally even on long dist hilly runs. Lets gravity do all the work and saves the legs-lean forward and go

 

[blue gunslinger]

4.5k extensive tempo runs (essentially 45 x 100m with recovery periods @ 16-17s pace) twice per week.

don't think I will be brave to try 21.1 or 42.2kms barefoot but would save me a few seconds in T2 on the tri

 

[Ess_don]

Cheers guys, very helpful responses. Will certainly give it a shot and try the transition slowly..

Looking forward to stepping it up in the off season and see if my times improve as a result.

 

[Keystone agony]

Just ordered some nike free run 4s in from eastbay. Hopefully go alright.

For feet i would recommend getting custome made orthodox if you are having problems with your feet. I either try and wear a shoe at the gym with no sole especially when doing squats ect or wear the orthodox on most occasions.

 

[ThePezDispenser]

Are you thinking of orthotics?