Minimalist Running

[lukacseven]

What are your thoughts on barefoot running? Anyone doing it? Anyone else running in Newton? The intention here is not to spark a debate, but get people together to talk about minimalistic running.

After some injuries and chronic problems, I made the switch to a midfoot strike, based on Evolution Running. I ditched the stability shoes recommended by the local running stores and started running in Newton. I recently attended one of Christopher MacDougall's barefoot running clinics, and although I'm not completely going barefoot, much of what he teaches is similar to what Evolution Running taught me 5 years ago. I'm now training exclusively in Nike Free (just bought a pair of the Run Free) and continue racing in the Newtons. More importantly, I continue shaving time off my race goals. Last November, I set a new P.R. in the half - 42 minutes faster than before I made the change.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I always like different perspectives. I find the idea of "barefoot running" quite interesting. My hubby knew a guy who was a barefoot runner & wore Vibrams a lot. Funny looking shoes but so are Crocs & I'll never argue with the benefits of those when on your feet lots of hours in a day. Lol!

 

[Donald Duck]

I've been wanting to slip on a pair of Newton racers. I might do that in the coming month. If that type of running seems to work for me, then I'll be sporting them at the WDW 2011 1/2 marathon. Right now I've been using Saucony progrids...they're good, but I would like a faster / lighter shoe.

 

[Master Yoda]

Here is a link to a very in depth article on barefoot running/walking.

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4185#

 

[joel_maxwell]

I have a "whatever floats your boat" mentality about a lot of things in life. Here too, if you like running barefoot then that is cool.

Me personally, I dont think Im interested in it. I have run about 800+ miles since last November and using shoes are just fine with me. One of the things I will say though is that I buy an insert that is solid plastic with some fabric on top of that. It is snug and contouring to my foot and fills in my average arch.

I like shoes/soles that dont have a lot of cushion (IE: any hiking boot) but for the daily pounding of running, I would like a cushion shoe ( Mizuno wave rider) and my insert (fleet feet insert) to provide a hard surface. It helps absorb the shock off my ankles and knees.

Weird... maybe. I would say that out of ALL the sports I have played on a serious recreation or organized level (Football, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis and Golf) running is the quirkiest of all.

 

[Fievel]

I'm not really an advocate of any particular running style. I'm usually happy that people have found a way to keep active and fit.

 

[Phonedave]

Oddly enought this came up last night at my Taekwondo class.

I was talking with one of the people and somhow we got on the topic of kicks and striking with the heel vs. the ball of the foot and the effects of wearing TKD shoes during practice.

He then mentioned that he saw some show where there is a tribe in South America that runs for long distances 100+ miles, over the course of a day or two. He said that they analized them, and they found that their stride, landing on the ball of the foot, is a lot more efficent.

When we run in TKD, I run barefoot, but thats just a couple of laps. Not enough for me to see if its better or worse, but it definately is different. I do try to land with less of a heel strike when I run in 'normal' shoes anyway.


-dave

 

[Phonedave]

Found some info about that South American Tribe

The Tarahumara are reticent and private people who live long distances from each other, in small adobe or wood houses, or caves, or homes partway under outcroppings so that the rock itself provides the roofing. They brew an alcoholic beverage from corn, which they grow in small fields they plow by hand, and on celebratory occasions they gather to pass the drink from person to person, taking swigs from a hollowed half gourd, until they become voluble or dreamy or belligerent and lie down on the ground to sleep it off. They are extraordinary endurance runners, having lived for generations amid a transportation network of narrow footpaths through the canyons; Rarámuri means "foot-runner" or "he who walks well," and they've been known to irritate American ultramarathoners by beating them while wearing huarache sandals and stopping now and then for a smoke.

-dave

 

[lukacseven]

The Mexican tribe you are referring to is chronicled in Chris MacDougall's book - Born To Run. There's also been several TV shows featuring him where he talks about his trips to Mexico and running with them - most recent on HBO's Real Sports.

 

[Main Street USA]

I just got my first pair of Vibrams about a week ago. (www.vibramfivefingers.com)

I LOVE them for casual wear around town, but the DO take a lot of getting used to after wearing ultra padded running shoes for so long. I land pretty hard on my heels when I run, so they'd be a nightmare for me to race in. I know people that have run marathons in them, too. It all depends on how you run and what you're comfortable with.

 

[dreamfinder]

I just got my first pair of Vibrams about a week ago. (www.vibramfivefingers.com)

Ditto. I am still getting used to them before I start running in them. Everything I have seen indicates to definitely take it slow when starting out and that your body will eventually adjust. Don't know what will happen if I switch back and forth from one to the other for short versus long runs. Have to see.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Ditto. I am still getting used to them before I start running in them. Everything I have seen indicates to definitely take it slow when starting out and that your body will eventually adjust. Don't know what will happen if I switch back and forth from one to the other for short versus long runs. Have to see.

WOW. if I went that route, it would be all or nothing. I tried using my Asics on short runs and my Mizuno's on long runs and it was really making my shins and calves go NUTS.

I do agree that most likely your body would adjust. Mine would. I wont try it unless my current shoes were giving me fits.

I would love to walk in a pair though... as goofy as they look.

 

[Christi22222]

The thing about running, is that even more than most sports, it's all about the individual. You completely have to listen to and respect YOUR body and what it tells you. Some folks do better with more training miles, some less. Some get faster with hills, others only repeats. And to really throw things for a loop, you can't even just do what you've always done before, because your body is constantly changing. So I think it's a great thing for folks to read up on or hear testimony about other training gear and methods. If you like it, try it! But know that it may not produce the same results for you. And that still won't make it "wrong," just not your body's cup of tea. Just get out the door any way you can, and try whatever you need to keep healthy and have fun.

More personally, I just can't seem to do the barefoot thing. I have wimpy feet, for one. I realize they toughen up, but I'm not sure I really want to toughen them up. Also, I'm one of those folks that wears sneakers every day of my life. Drives my mother nuts (I'm 42 lol). Wants me to wear "cute" shoes. And I do sometimes. But my legs/feet never feel as good. And I'm about the only female I know that doesn't have knee, ankle, back, or foot issues. So that works for me and my health, and I keep doing it. Flip flops actually cause me pain, while my college room mate thinks they are the greatest invention of man and hates to wear real shoes. But my body keeps changing, so I might still become a flip flop lover yet!

 

[joel_maxwell]

The thing about running, is that even more than most sports, it's all about the individual. You completely have to listen to and respect YOUR body and what it tells you. Some folks do better with more training miles, some less. Some get faster with hills, others only repeats. And to really throw things for a loop, you can't even just do what you've always done before, because your body is constantly changing. So I think it's a great thing for folks to read up on or hear testimony about other training gear and methods. If you like it, try it! But know that it may not produce the same results for you. And that still won't make it "wrong," just not your body's cup of tea. Just get out the door any way you can, and try whatever you need to keep healthy and have fun.

More personally, I just can't seem to do the barefoot thing. I have wimpy feet, for one. I realize they toughen up, but I'm not sure I really want to toughen them up. Also, I'm one of those folks that wears sneakers every day of my life. Drives my mother nuts (I'm 42 lol). Wants me to wear "cute" shoes. And I do sometimes. But my legs/feet never feel as good. And I'm about the only female I know that doesn't have knee, ankle, back, or foot issues. So that works for me and my health, and I keep doing it. Flip flops actually cause me pain, while my college room mate thinks they are the greatest invention of man and hates to wear real shoes. But my body keeps changing, so I might still become a flip flop lover yet!

Absolutely. I think we get wrapped up in pace, times, distance... (guilty) and I think we all need celebrate one victory, we are all getting out there and doing something. The most thing.