Barefoot bandwagon: will it make you fast?

Changing to minimalism will not make any dramatic changes in speed. It may present benefits in shock absorption and allow for a more efficient form, therefore allowing for higher quality training in larger volumes.

I run barefoot on asphalt in the summer about 20 miles per week. I train in the Mizuno Wave Universe 3, which are probably more minimal than the five fingers.

How fast is fast? I am no superstar, but the last race I ran since switching to minimalism over a year ago was a 5 mile race mostly on gravel at just over 25 minutes.

How is the wave universe more minimal? Isn't there a piece of plastic in there that creates inhibits flexibility?

I find it ironic that you are saying that barefoot running is a fad, since after all, the human foot did not evolve over millions of years with two inches of dense foam as a sole.

Will we see any fast runners with barefeet? Haile G ran his first marathon in "minimalist" shoes with holes in the soles. Alsol, there are these people called Kenyans. Plenty of Kenyan world-class athletes were at one point too poor to even afford shoes, and had to make due getting around with tough feet. Some physiologists have pointed out that stronger lower legs and feet are a large reason Kenyans have such an advantage over American runners, perhaps an even more significant variable than genetics.

They did not know it, but our parents handicapped us by

putting on those damn first pair of shoes!!

'find it ironic that you are saying that barefoot running is a fad, since after all, the human foot did not evolve over millions of years with two inches of dense foam as a sole.'

True but it didn't evolve to run on concrete either

Its ok if you stick to grass, trails or track. Do too much training on the roads with minamilist shoes - formerly called 'racers' and you will end up stuffing your feet up like I did

moderation is the key

ukathleticscoach wrote:

'find it ironic that you are saying that barefoot running is a fad, since after all, the human foot did not evolve over millions of years with two inches of dense foam as a sole.'

True but it didn't evolve to run on concrete either

Its ok if you stick to grass, trails or track. Do too much training on the roads with minamilist shoes - formerly called 'racers' and you will end up stuffing your feet up like I did

ukathletics coach, how did you "stuff" up your feet using racers on concrete, ive never really been too happy with beefy trainers and have been thinking about using a flat, maybe the brooks launch, as a training shoe. would you suggest otherwise?

there are no secrets

ukathleticscoach wrote:

'find it ironic that you are saying that barefoot running is a fad, since after all, the human foot did not evolve over millions of years with two inches of dense foam as a sole.'

True but it didn't evolve to run on concrete either

Its ok if you stick to grass, trails or track. Do too much training on the roads with minamilist shoes - formerly called 'racers' and you will end up stuffing your feet up like I did

So, are you saying we should have a 'grass running' fad?

Oh, and the human body didn't evolve, so no wonder.

This question seems to go unanswered on barefoot related threads, and I think there is a good reason for that.

It may be "more efficient" from a purely statistical point of view - i.e. in a lab, but I don't think it will ever be shown that switching to barefoot will make you faster. It may be shown at some point that if you grew up that way you are better off, but even that I doubt.

To add specifics to your question, are there any decent, not chronically injured runners who can say they truly got faster once they went barefoot.

The average runner is a victim of the shoe industry. If you have been wearing shoes from DAY 1, then you feet have become adapted to them. The longer you've been in shoes, the more difficult it will be to get out of them and into barefoot running and walking. Nothing is ever 100%. However, I think that for most of us, its too late. You risk injury by trying to undo what you've done for the last upteen years. So forget it and just try to not get injured in todays big boots we call "trainers".

Nope, you haven't been reading. Surface doesn't matter, as found in the recent study and another study they cite. Concrete may be a fairly new phenomenon, but we adapt to the surface so impact force doesn't change (and actually, it's lower barefoot (forefoot/midfoot strike) than in a rearfoot strike with shoes). From the website:

From the Harvard website:

For what it's worth, in the study the barefoot and recently shod Kenyans are quite a bit faster (5.5-6 m/s) than their shod counterparts in the US (4 m/s) and Kenya (5 m/s). From the article (lower loading rate barefoot):

I believe shoe company's are going to take notice and start making shoes that are both lighter and functionally closer to being barefoot. Professional athletes, sponsored by the companies, will then embrace what's provided to them by their company.

The bottom line is a shoe needs to be as light as possible in order to run faster and have a lower energy cost (which is going to make a difference the further the distance). Here's some studies showing the energy cost with greater weight in a shoe:

caveman wrote:

The average runner is a victim of the shoe industry. If you have been wearing shoes from DAY 1, then you feet have become adapted to them. The longer you've been in shoes, the more difficult it will be to get out of them and into barefoot running and walking. Nothing is ever 100%. However, I think that for most of us, its too late. You risk injury by trying to undo what you've done for the last upteen years. So forget it and just try to not get injured in todays big boots we call "trainers".

What about all this anecdotal evidence from these 40-50+ something year olds sucessfully switching to barefoot and flats? There was a whole thread about it 7 years ago, a bunch of older guys making the switch to flats (http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=102856&page=0). So I don't buy the whole "can't teach an old dog new tricks".

You cannot run the same mileage with minimalistic "shoes"/barefoot as with proper trainers. Maybe some barefoot running on grass when cooling down after workouts or races but that´s it.

Ö wrote:

You cannot run the same mileage with minimalistic "shoes"/barefoot as with proper trainers. Maybe some barefoot running on grass when cooling down after workouts or races but that´s it.

Absolute rubbish! I've increased my mileage well above the level where I used to get injured in cushioned shoes having switched to minimalist a couple of years ago. It takes time but was definitely worth it for me. Maybe there are exceptional cases but I don't think so, I think in the long term it would be better for anyone.

I think running 100% of your running barefoot is a fad, and no, running 100% running 100% barefoot won't make you faster. I chuckle every time I hear a barefooter say "humans have evolved over millions of years to run barefoot". That has no relevance to running in the 21st century, as most of us run on pavement and concrete, and we were raised in shoes. If you are stupid enough to run barefoot on concrete and pavement, there is really no point in trying to convince you that shoes will protect you and allow you to train optimally so you can run faster. Yes, Africans do run without shoes when they are young, mainly because they can't afford them, and never on pavement. However, all of them wear shoes to train and race when they can afford them and realize they do help.

I think most 100% barefoot runners are more concerned with how they look, than getting faster. And there are no long term studies to prove that barefoot running is better for your than wearing shoes, nor that shoes inflict more injuries than going barefoot. I also would like to see a long-term study on how serious training without shoes affects your body.

That said, I think some barefoot running on soft surfaces might help strengthen your feet and does help you with form.

If you really believe your shoes are hurting your form, may I suggest you learn to run properly? Blaming your shoes for your sloppy form is lame, lazy and plain stupid. If you need some help, give Bill Rodgers a call and he can explain how he won Boston and New York 4 times and set American records at Boston, training and racing in...shoes. He still runs daily in....shoes.

In their opinion. There are no long-term studies that can back that claim up.

Is the Barefoot Bandwagon in NASCAR? Who is the driver of the 'wagon, and what is the number?

I love watching NASCAR, those drivers are REAL athletes!!