Is barefoot running the answer to all of man's problems?

Barefoot running around the house!

Hell yeah! Here's to our childhood! 😎

(I'm having a mid life crisis right now).

Note to all:

For the young, skinny, and fit barefoot running is good. For those who live in the wilderness and grew up with it, it's good. But when your physical therapist says NO, then don't do it you fool.

There was a thread on girl barefoot runners a while back that was obviously a fetish thing. I think it invariably gets infiltrated by that and turns weird and then normal people avoid it.

My Achilles Tendonosis does not like it. It does not like Achilles tendonosis.

Yeah...as about as much as running naked. 😅

Well that's a typical response. Not at all related to the subject but typical of LRC late at night.

I've heard of barefoot running really helping some people. Not sure it's for everyone

Gwen Berry wrote:

That's a catchy title doncha think? But I have not heard anyone promote barefoot running in 2017. Is it a dead subject due to all the injuries folks get from going into it too hard too soon?

Perhaps it's a little like HIIT or HITT which no one over 29 should ever try. In fact if you are any age I would be very careful with that kind of program.

Discus (or discuss)

Not dead at all, just past the hype.

I have been and still am running what i call (for lack of a better word) 'barefoot style'. I occasionaly run barefoot, on nice days, just for fun, but normally I wear very thin, roomy and flexible 'barefoot' shoes.

That can range from Vibram FiveFingers to Luna huaraches to Merrell VaporGloves etc., all without extra cushioning or guidance or whatever.

I love it. Never injured. Doing a 27k trailrun with lots of rocks and mud tomorrow, together with a friend who runs barefoot style exclusively too.

A few hundered meters from my house is a running shop that only sells barefoot style shoes (www.anyonesrunning.nl, it's in Dutch… and the website is a bit crappy). Paul and Ans, the owners, are selling like crazy, even now that the media hype is long gone.

Barefoot (style) running is NOT just for skinny fit people, that is nonsense. If you learn how to run nice and light footed, the impact of each stride is LESS then it is with a cushioned shoe. This whole thing is not about the barefoot style shoes (or the lack of shoes), that's just what makes it easier to run with good technique.

The simple fact is: EVERYBODY benefits from running with a good, light footed technique. Barefoot (style) running helps with that, because the shoes don't get in the way or give you the false impression that they will compensate for your shabby technique, and because you can't ignore they feedback they provide.

If you can constrain yourself (and yes, that is HARD for most runners) in the beginning and don't overdo it, you will benefit greatly from improving your technique. It will allow you to run in simple, light shoes, not worry about all the cushioning and 'corrective' stuff manufacturers want you to buy, and it makes running more fun.

Try it.

Gwen Berry wrote:

Well that's a typical response. Not at all related to the subject but typical of LRC late at night.

C'mon man...lighten up - it's the WCs. Been drinking brews and enjoying the racing...what say you stiff?

Btw, the title of the thread is cheesy; "is barefoot running the answer to all of man's problems?" - "all of man's problems?"....please 👎

I have debated this with an assistant coach just this week.

He said doing some workouts barefoot last year gave our new kids shin splints.

I said we need to do more barefoot running with the team, because racing in spikes gave our new kids shin splints last year.

I wonder who is right...

No, but it's probably part of the solution for many. The problem with barefoot running is that people do too much too soon get injured and then make a blanket statement complaint that it was barefoot running and not overtraining that was the culprit. I started running without shoes as a tool to get faster and recover from an injury. It was helpful in both regards. But I got injured a bunch and started thinking about barefoot running as a continuum passing through 3 stages: barefoot jogging (going for a very easy 2-5 miles without shoes a couple times a week), barefoot running (doing about 30-50% of weekly mileage @ 50+mpw barefoot, including speed work), and barefoot racing (being able to handle sub6/sub5 minute miles for a sustained effort). The above numbers are somewhat arbitrary but as you increase volume/intensity you put different requirements on your feet that you need to ease into. Injuries often results when people jump ahead to far.

I used it as a tool to improve the efficiency of my stride and it's helped significantly. I've dropped my 5k PR from 15:09 to 14:51, 5 mile from 25:10 to 24:48, and my half from 1:08:45 and 1:07:32 after switching to barefoot (my 5k, 5 mile, and 10 mile PRs were all run barefoot).

People at any age should be wary of anything that claims to be the answer (how many older overweight people get injured running in Hokas)? I'm glad some of the hype has died down, but I don't think it's going to disappear any time soon.

I love this response! Thank you.

How do you get the pavement to stop hurting the skin on your foot? Does it just form calluses over time?

And do you ever use barefoot shoes like Vibram FiveFingers, huaraches, Merrel gloves, etc.?

Bad Wigins wrote:

There was a thread on girl barefoot runners a while back that was obviously a fetish thing. I think it invariably gets infiltrated by that and turns weird and then normal people avoid it.

Pics?

7777 wrote:

I've heard of barefoot running really helping some people. Not sure it's for everyone

Actually I did some video analysis of local runners and myself. Speaking personally, I thought that it was ridiculous and that I felt like a stick figure. But when I looked at the video, I looked superior technically. Very surprising. But this only masks the fact that a strong core (mainly gluts) can achieve the same outcome, with shoes on.

I am hoping it is the answer to one of my problems - long term plantar fasciitis.

After about two years of battling PF on and off, I have finally gotten the inflammation and pain to be non-existent for a couple months by using arch support insoles. Now that the injury has healed, my objective is to get back to the point where I am not dependent on insoles to run pain free. Enter barefoot running....

I have been running on grass about 2x per week starting at 4 mins and only now reaching 15 mins after 5 weeks. To echo some other posters, starting barefoot running needs to go very slowly to avoid injury and see long term benefits. Think of it this way: it took me 4 months of insole wearing to get to the point of pain free 100%, it might take another 4 months to transition out of insoles and that is OK!

Gwen Berry wrote:

That's a catchy title doncha think?

Umm, yeah, but will it stop North Koreans from nuking us?

Is barefoot or shoes with zero cushion a good idea for people who run primarily on pavement or asphalt? Even being super efficient wouldn't eliminate the pounding involved with running 6 or 7 minute miles.

It just seems to me (as a pavement runner) that you can achieve the same level of efficiency by running high mileage in a flexible, zero drop, and cushioned shoe.

I find that in regard to efficiency there is no substitute to high mileage on tired legs.

You have a lot of granola-smoking HJ's who read some vibram-sponsored blog about "barefoot" running then decide their clunky hokas or reeboks cross-trainers are the reason their marathon time is stuck at 4:05.

Instead of switching to a lighter running shoe, they go all out and run "barefoot" without decreasing mileage to transition. Disaster typically follow. None of the "barefoot" runners I've talked to had ever heard of Racing Flats. All had injury problems.

Good post and I agree with you entirely. Do you have other problems related to the PF? As for me I also have Achilles Tendonosis and Heel Spurs (the heel spurs are supposed to be related to the PF of course.)

But it is my entire right foot/ankle where I have problems.

I'm just hoping not to have to wait until the Achilles Tendonosis disappears because that could take all winter and cross training. For now it is summer and I want to play tennis. I've given up on running for now.