RunningAHEAD - Topic: Barefoot Speed

Eustace Tierney

YoYo

posted: 3/24/2009 at 12:15 PM

Has anyone out there managed to produce equivalent or better times barefoot/ vibrams than shod!

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Goals: Keep on running!

bhundu

Duncan

posted: 3/24/2009 at 12:49 PM

it's to early in my barefoot career to tell but i have a feeling that this might be the case. i did a mile yesterday a bit quicker than i normally would, my feet feel much lighter without shoes - very liberating Big grin

brerfootbill

Half Fanatic #846

posted: 3/24/2009 at 5:25 PM

I seem to remember a very general formula somewhere that running BF would be a little faster than shod. Heck, if for no other reason, running with less weight (minus shoes) would normally make a difference of a few seconds per mile (but then so would losing a pound or two of body weight...). There may be a psychological benefit time-wise as well. Just my 2c worth. I think once you get used to BF and it really becomes natural, times could improve by maybe 5-10-15 seconds per mile? (everything else being equal that is...). That's my take anyway Smile

"I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk. "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt". I ran half my last race on my left foot!

Steve_S

posted: 3/24/2009 at 6:58 PM

I haven't raced in Vibrams yet but I've done intervals and tempo runs at same or equivalent speed. I don't feel like running in the Vibrams slows me down at all. When I first started I was pretty hesitant and afraid to go fast, but now it's comfortable at faster paces.

Eustace Tierney

YoYo

posted: 3/25/2009 at 7:02 AM

I tested myself a bit last night running 6.4 at a faster pace than I have run for a while. I manged about 7:20/m pace. Muscles and aerobic capcity were fine but by increasing speed I was definitely overstriding and the balls of my feet were sore by about 3 miles. I really had to concentrate hard on technique, lifting my knees quicker and increasing stide rate rather than length. You really do notice these changes so much more "barefoot". I think I need to work very hard on technique if I am to do a sub 40 10k barefoot.

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Goals: Keep on running!

Ed4

Barefoot and happy

posted: 4/9/2009 at 2:08 PM

I have run three marathons shod (best time 3:37) and one in FiveFingers (3:05). I also set a post-high-school 5k PR in FiveFingers. But it's not the shoes or lack of shoes that makes you fast. It's running lots and lots of miles. Running barefoot makes it much easier for me to run lots of miles, because it's drastically easier on my body. So yes, running barefoot made me faster, but it's an indirect relationship.

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Barefoot Runners

Barefoot Speed (Read 290 times)