Thursday, February 25, 2010

Barefoot Running Gains Traction

In 2006, Chris McDougal wrote the book, Born to Run, which reignited interest in barefoot running. While the book seeks to learn the secrets of the Tarahumara Indians who seem to posses extraordinary capabilities as ultra distance runners, McDougal added one chapter that presented the evidence that would lead you to believe that man was, indeed, born to run, and that modern running shoes were keeping us from fulfilling that potential.
He almost didn’t include that chapter. It broke the flow of the story, but he decided he needed to fit in the scientific basis that would explain why the Tarahumara’s choice of footwear, a thin sandal, made sense.
Including that chapter turned out to be a very good decision that has sold a LOT of books.
For the past five months, I have been experimenting with minimalist running. I’ve run with bare feet, but mostly with the Vibram Five Finger “shoe”, especially now in the winter months. The Five Finger shoe, now commonly referred to as VFF’s, is becoming increasingly popular.
The VFF is a thin layer of Vibram’s tough outsole material, no cushioning, and individual “fingers” for each toe. They may look silly, but they are incredibly comfortable, and they provide an excellent choice for runners seeking to experience the effect of barefoot running.
Within my running circle, several members have taken the plunge, and to a person, have become fans of the experience. But is it simply a fad that will fade away?
On January 27th, the prestigious Nature Magazine had as its cover story the long anticipated release of a study conducted by Daniel E. Lieberman of Harvard University that analyzed the strike patterns and forces of barefoot running compared to running with a well heel-cushioned shoe. The results were dramatic.
This exhaustive Harvard study supports the notion postulated by McDougal’s book that running in modern running shoes is more likely to cause injuries due to impact than running barefoot.
You can imagine how the running shoe industry feels about that! In fact, both Nike and New Balance have already taken notice.
Though both companies will suggest that running in the current style of running shoes is still the endorsed approach, Nike has developed their “Nike Free” line that is intended to mimic barefoot running, and New Balance has their R&D folks working on similar concepts.
If the research conclusions reached by Lieberman are valid, and I’m sure that the debate will continue, how should a runner proceed if interested in giving bare-footing a try?
I’ve put more than a few miles on my VFF’s, and I’ve learned a lot. The easiest way to explore barefoot running is to simply take off your shoes and run for a few minutes. If you’re in a warm climate, run to a park, take off your shoes, and give it a try. For those of us who live in New England type winter weather, your gym may be a good spot to try it. Do not, however, try barefoot on a treadmill. The surface is too rough and the dynamics of the moving belt will make the experience uncomfortable.
As we weren’t brought up running barefoot, our un-tuned tender feet may need a gentle transition. Minimalist footwear like the VFF’s or the Nike Free can help. Because the demand for the VFF’s is so high, availability might be an issue. There is a temptation to order them online, but it is very important to try your first pair on for correct sizing.
A frequent error for many new minimalist runners is to do too much too soon. Because the dynamics of running barefoot are quite different, new muscles will be reawakened and can easily be strained. A common complaint is sore calf muscles. Be patient and the rewards will come.
Bare foot running may not be right for everyone, but there is an underlying concept that is important for all runners to consider. There is ample scientific proof that a mid-foot strike results in less impact than a heel strike, the suggested approach by the running shoe industry since the 70’s.
There are two programs that have been around for quite awhile that attempt to correct this inefficient heel strike approach – “Chi Running” and “Pose Running”. Both approaches reprogram the runner to be a mid foot striker with proper posture. The only problem for many who try it is that typical running shoes mask the impact of the heel strike which makes it too easy to fall back on old, bad habits.
Not so when running barefoot or with VFF’s. The body knows that hitting the heel wouldn’t be wise and forces the correct form. Training without running shoes just might be the right approach to learning to run correctly with running shoes!
The debate will continue, no doubt. More runners will experiment with bare-footing, no doubt. Will it be right for you? Perhaps. Watch young children who are just starting to walk…mid-foot strikers and barefoot! Maybe they know something we forgot.
With shoes or not, get out and go for a run. Thank you, Chris McDougal, for reminding us that it’s what we were born to do.

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