RunningAHEAD - Topic: Barefoot Running - The painful truth about trainers (page 5)

mainrun

posted: 4/24/2009 at 5:17 PM

I started running barefoot on my treadmill last November. I hope it makes me faster/stronger, but that is not the reason I started. My goal is to save money by extending the time between buying running sneakers.

Books I Have Read

Last Race: Portland Maine Half Marathon October 5 2014

Dakota RR

Right on Hereford...

posted: 4/24/2009 at 6:31 PM

Quote from mikeymike on 4/24/2009 at 9:07 AM:

This makes no sense to me. How do shoes make our feet better? To me if a shoe provides anything beyond simple protection--preserving our feet so they can continue to perform their normal function--then it makes our feet worse (i.e. weaker.)

I agree -- making your feet "better" doesn't really make sense. But what if we could design a shoe that actually makes you faster? For example, by returning more energy than a normal shoe, or an unshod foot. I know a guy at the MIT Leg Lab who was working on that, among other things. Not sure how it's working out so far... I also recall some sort of Nike shoe a few years ago that claimed to do that. Are they still around?

Joe.

jfa

posted: 4/24/2009 at 8:30 PM

Quote from Ed4 on 4/24/2009 at 12:04 PM:

I almost never wear socks with them.

What about winter in the NE Ed? Assuming there's no snow or ice on the ground, you would need socks to be warm right? Maybe this would be a good time for some of those minimalist shoes?

Joe.

jfa

posted: 4/24/2009 at 8:32 PM

Quote from Dakota RR on 4/24/2009 at 6:31 PM:

But what if we could design a shoe that actually makes you faster?

I think they banned some shoes that had some kind of springs in them a few years back at Boston.

xor

posted: 4/24/2009 at 8:54 PM

Ah yes. Spira. And their whole "banned from Boston!" campaign. http://www.spirafootwear.com/

Joe.

jfa

posted: 4/24/2009 at 9:03 PM

Quote from xor on 4/24/2009 at 8:54 PM:

Ah yes. Spira. http://www.spirafootwear.com/

Ever try them SR? They somehow look dangerous to me but I don't know why.

xor

posted: 4/24/2009 at 9:06 PM

Nah, I just remember the campaign. It was hated by some. If you google "spira banned from Boston", you'll find a letsrun thread and some other stuff. (I'm just a bystander in this thread, so I'll shut back up now)

Runnerjohn

Certifiably Insane

posted: 4/24/2009 at 10:14 PM

Quote from Ed4 on 4/24/2009 at 12:20 AM:

In 2008 I logged 1414 miles. 21% of them were barefoot, 55% were in FiveFingers, 19% in other minimal shoes like Teva Proton IIIs, and 5% in running shoes. Most of my miles were on asphalt and concrete in the city, but I've also run barefoot on rural roads and forested trails. I ran a 3:05 marathon in FiveFingers, which was a PR by over half an hour. I was always a thoroughly average runner, with weak ankles and ITBS, needing carefully chosen shoes every 400 miles. But now I can run in almost anything: old broken down running shoes, flip flops, water shoes, etc. My knees have been 100% pain free for the entire two years since I transitioned, despite more miles than ever. My ankles, hips, and abdominals are drastically stronger. My feet are tough enough that I can tread directly on most glass and never notice it. Today was my first recovery run since the marathon on Monday. Naturally I did it barefoot. I saw broken beer bottles. Miraculously I made it home alive anyway.

Ed, that's very impressive! I gave barefoot a try last summer. I worked my way up to 5 miles, but between my arches and metatarsals, it really didn't feel very good after the first few miles. I love the feel of running barefoot, at least at first. I had thought about maybe getting some Fivefingers, ...until I saw the price. No, thank you! I saw you mentioned the Teva Proton, so I looked those up. Hmm, surprisingly similar to my Surfmoc beach shoes that were less than $10. In fact, last night I did the last 4 of my 12 miles in those Surfmocs. (This was before I saw your post.) All I did was take out the (worthless) insole and put in an arch support. It felt great! I had never thought about running in them before, but this whole minimalist shoe thread got my interest up, so I did it. I had no problem at all on sidewalks, city streets, and the paved bike trail. I was surprised at how fast I was going, too. Barefoot, I was only good for about 10 min/mile. Last night, I was cruising -comfortably- at my normal 7:30-8:00 pace. I think I found my "thing." Of course, my wife thinks I'm mental, but what else is new? Big grin

I saw someone mention the Nike Free. That's a very flexible shoe, but I don't think it counts as a minimalist shoe. If you look at them, they have just as much midsole as any other shoe. If the whole point of barefoot and minimalist shoes is to get away from built-up, cushioned midsoles and to get your foot close to the ground again, doesn't that defeat the purpose?

On the road since 1978! "To be good is not enough when you dream of being great." I am not obsessed! I'm just INTENSE! "Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool." Why? Because race results stay on Google forever! (Reasonably recent) PR's: 5K - 16:40 10K - 35:04 HM - 1:18:30

AmoresPerros

Options,Account, Forums

posted: 5/4/2009 at 6:52 PM
modified: 5/4/2009 at 8:26 PM

Quote from Ed4 on 4/24/2009 at 12:09 PM:

Not exactly what you asked for, but this guy is a badass. At 2:03 he's jumping off a giant rock into a gravel bed, and then sprinting through the desert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGF-ErsJiI

Fun video. I personally have no interest in free climbing (at least unless over water, where mistakes are recoverable) or running along the edge of a bridge parapet (unless over water), or underwater cave diving -- all much too dangerous for me -- but I still find such video to be fun and exciting and lovely to see. Also, that really looked fun -- running around, jumping around, pulling logs and throwing stuff and swimming...

It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.

perfesserr

Imminent Catastrophe

posted: 5/4/2009 at 7:30 PM

Quote from xor on 4/24/2009 at 9:06 PM:

Nah, I just remember the campaign. It was hated by some. If you google "spira banned from Boston", you'll find a letsrun thread and some other stuff.

It's been done. They called it "Flubber".

"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"

"To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain

"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.

√ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015

Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016

Western States 100 June 2016

honeypig

Oh roo roooo!

posted: 12/9/2009 at 3:23 PM

Resurrecting this old thread to reply to those wondering what to do about barefoot or minimalist running in the winter in cold places.

I am pretty new to this also (just got involved this past summer) and wondered about cold temps also, living in Wisconsin. Temps for tomorrow are predicted to be a high of 10 degrees....

Anyway, I have a pair of the Protons (kind of like an aquasock, neoprene instead of mesh) w/a nice grippy sole, so flexible they can be rolled up easily. I have been wearing these plus the appropriate socks thru the fall and expect to wear them thru the winter w/o issues either. They allow your toes to stay together and be warmer than in the Five Fingers and you can easily wear appropriate socks whether the temp is 30 degrees or 0. I wore them to shovel snow today and had no problems.

Someone above also commented on the expense of minimal shoes, and while the Five Fingers are about the same price as a pair of decent shoes, they will indeed last longer (no padding to break down). My Protons I got on sale online for $20....

This is an interesting topic, wondering if anyone has any new input since the last post?

emgoodman

posted: 12/9/2009 at 5:09 PM

Thanks for resurrecting this thread. I am currently running with the Vibrams in New York City. On colder days I wear the socks, but I still find that my toes never quite warm up. I would like to hear people's thoughts on combating the cold as well. I would also be interested to hear if anyone has used both the Vibrams (in my case, the Sprints) and the Nike Free at the same time. I was thinking about getting a pair of Frees to alternate with my Vibrams. Any thoughts on potential benefits or negatives? Thanks in advance!

sruiz

Intentionally Blank

posted: 12/9/2009 at 5:18 PM

Out of curiosity, what would be the benefits to running barefoot for someone who doesn't have injury problems? I have been running for 9 years and (knock wood) have never had a running injury. It's because I'm not a high mileage runner, and I don't weigh very much. Would barefoot proponents say that it would make me stronger or faster? Or should avoid trying something new on the grounds that if it ain't broke, I shouldn't try to fix it?

Joe.

jfa

posted: 12/9/2009 at 5:22 PM

I'll let you know soon.I just ordered a pair of Free's yesterday. I tried the 5 fingers the other night at 40* and my toes were too cold. I'm going to try the socks. I'm weening myself off the cushioned shoes. The more I run in FF's and minimalist shoes,the better my feet feel.

sumdeus

posted: 12/9/2009 at 5:29 PM
modified: 12/9/2009 at 5:30 PM

I haven't run in heavy snow, but my VFF flow's have taken the sleet and slop in 20F fine. My toes are cold for the first mile or so, after that, they are quite warm.

Some people find it helps to warm-up on a treadmill (or running up and down some stairs) before heading out the door. It gets the blood flowing to your extremities.

I can't speak to the Nike Free's.

I have written about my experience with winter running this far on the shodless blog, and will continue to do so over the winter, in case you're interested.

If you're looking for more specific and detailed feedback, you're probably better off posting in the barefoot group here in RA.

Creator of RunForth | @robraux | shodless.com

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