Scoop: Cover of Nature on barefoot running! (Read 1685 times)

I took advantage of the warm temps to do about 7 miles barefoot this morning (great traction and balance on wet ice, BTW), and I bumped into Dan Lieberman -- a Harvard Professor who's one of the leading experts on running mechanics.  He was in FiveFingers.  We ran together for a while and chatted, and he told me that he's got the cover article in the journal Nature coming out this week, and it's all about barefoot running!

So expect to see a lot of press.  From our discussion it sounds like the paper gives much of the same advice that experienced barefoot runners have picked up through trial and error.

He also told me that they're releasing their own website concurrently with the article that explains the results in layman's terms.  It will be available here (but right now it's still embargoed until the journal comes out):

http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/

Another interesting tidbit is that his lab is developing techniques using biofeedback to teach people to change their form.  Personally, I suspect running barefoot on pavement is all the biofeedback I need, but it sounds interesting nonetheless, especially for helping those too chicken (buck! buck!) to get outside and try it. 

He also shared that even though he's been studying this stuff for years and running in minimal shoes, it was only more recently that he finally tried barefoot running, and immediately found it fun and got hooked. 

How did he know you're a barefoot runner?

I must have looked too happy to be a shod runner.  That or the bare feet. 

whoops,

move along

Barefootedness is the new Garmin.

It freaks out when it gets wet.

Q: Hey Sabu, can you make a bullshot?

A: Can you make a shoe smell?

I just got this warning from the "Chief Runner" at roadrunner sports.

I saw that and chuckled...someone is afraid they won't sell shoes!