Barefoot Running - The painful truth about trainers (Read 3941 times)

Interesting article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html If you're interested in barefoot running, have a chat with RA people who are doing it here: http://www.runningahead.com/groups/barefoot/ If this has already been posted, someone yell at me and I will delete it!

Is Jurek, in fact, a heel-striker? I don't think that pic shows that he's a heel-striker (which I doubt). His foot is much further away from ground-strike than the other guy.

Heels actually look about the same distance above the ground in this pic.

barefoot running is a seriously mixed bag. Adding it during cooldowns and stuff might be helpful in strengthening some muscles in your foot, but if you think that starting barefoot running at the age of 30, or 20, or even 15 is going to result in forefoot striking, you are sorely mistaken. Once you train in trainers for any significant amount of time (or, even spend most of your life in regular shoes) no amount of running barefoot is going to be 1. responsible, since the injury risk goes through the roof or 2. seriously beneficial, think about it, if you are able to change your form by going from trainers to barefoot, wouldn't it just change back once you reduce the volume of barefoot running? You can't sustain volume or intensity if you make a serious effort to convert to barefoot running, using it sparingly on grass won't do enough to improve your form. If you have spent your whole career using trainers, you can't just one day say "barefoot from here forward" and keep going like nothing has changed, you either need to phase it in, or seriously cut your volume to accomidate it. I don't see anyone getting faster during that period. And once (if) you adjust to running shoeless, what are you going to do, run exclusively on trails? What happens when you step on a twig that stabs an inch and a half into your foot? The logistics just don't work. If you want to help develop a more neutral/forefoot footstrike, then just focus on landing on your forefoot when doing fast work on the track, and while doing strides. Then when you are racing at those speeds, your body will be adjusted to that kind of form, and you will be able to sustain it for however long is necessary. I think this is the sort of thing that just serves as a huge distraction from just putting in good training. And for the people who say that trainers actually improve the chance of injury, I invite them to attempt to switch to training in flats, but running barefoot is just irresponsible. That is just my two cents.

I am not Mr. Hardcore barefoot runner here, but I think it does each of us good to challenge our preconceived notions. Part of that has to do with understanding how things came about (e.g. Diamond Rings, Running Sneakers, etc.).

I've read plenty of articles like it before, circumstance and suspect scientific conjecture, and I'm thoroughly unimpressed. The mechanics of running barefoot are something that your body stops supporting after years of not using them. Trying to go backwards and work in barefoot running just won't work. If people want to discover this for themselves, I can't stop them, but barefoot running will not give people functional benefits.

barefoot running is a seriously mixed bag. Adding it during cooldowns and stuff might be helpful in strengthening some muscles in your foot, but if you think that starting barefoot running at the age of 30, or 20, or even 15 is going to result in forefoot striking, you are sorely mistaken. Once you train in trainers for any significant amount of time (or, even spend most of your life in regular shoes) no amount of running barefoot is going to be 1. responsible, since the injury risk goes through the roof or 2. seriously beneficial, think about it, if you are able to change your form by going from trainers to barefoot, wouldn't it just change back once you reduce the volume of barefoot running? You can't sustain volume or intensity if you make a serious effort to convert to barefoot running, using it sparingly on grass won't do enough to improve your form. If you have spent your whole career using trainers, you can't just one day say "barefoot from here forward" and keep going like nothing has changed, you either need to phase it in, or seriously cut your volume to accomidate it. I don't see anyone getting faster during that period. And once (if) you adjust to running shoeless, what are you going to do, run exclusively on trails? What happens when you step on a twig that stabs an inch and a half into your foot? The logistics just don't work. If you want to help develop a more neutral/forefoot footstrike, then just focus on landing on your forefoot when doing fast work on the track, and while doing strides. Then when you are racing at those speeds, your body will be adjusted to that kind of form, and you will be able to sustain it for however long is necessary. I think this is the sort of thing that just serves as a huge distraction from just putting in good training. And for the people who say that trainers actually improve the chance of injury, I invite them to attempt to switch to training in flats, but running barefoot is just irresponsible. That is just my two cents.

Why is running barefoot irresponsible? We evolved to run barefoot. There are plenty of people that do some serious long distance running barefoot that didn't do it from the day they were born. Oh some people switch to barefoot, because trainers have proven to do nothing but injure them. I am switching to barefoot, because I keep getting injured. I have always experienced injury during running, and I am tired of taking time off. In fact, last week I ran in my vibrams, but as soon as I went back to trainers for my long run my leg began to hurt again. however, I don't have enough data to suggest that it was the trainers for sure. i do know I enjoy barefoot more.

most people would not be able to run in the areas they live without shoes. Most of my miles are on asphalt, and that would be pretty bad in the summer if the sun is out. Trails are good too, but like Father Russia said, you are one sharp rock and stubbed toe away from not being able to run.

I cringe thinking of the surfaces I regularly run on...chip sealed rural roads (they lay down tar and then sharp gravel that eventually flattens out as cars drive over it and the sun heats it), snow, ice, broken beer bottles (rural roads = rednecks chucking bottles from their pick-up trucks), dog shit, roadkill, vibrators (no joke). No thanks, I'll keep my shoes.

You sure you don't live in Kansas?

MI -- it's the new Kansas.