Running barefoot

Discussion in 'Fitness, Health & Nutrition' started by Irishchoctaw, Mar 29, 2011.

  1. I searched for a topic like this but nothing turned up.

    So, I was thinking about starting to run barefoot because I looked up some interesting information on the subject and wanted to give it a shot.

    Has anybody tried it on a regular basis? Thoughts?:smoke:
     
  2. i ran cross country as a freshman in highschool

    i loved running barefoot for miles back and forth and around the footballfield

    obviously your ankle as a greater range of motion when your running bearfoot, so certain muscles will get worked more than if you had shoes on

    the difference isnt that much

    if someone brings up the stupid "kenyan runners dont wear shoes!!11" its because they were too poor to grow up with nikes
     
  3. lol, well, that's cool. I've been reading a bunch of stuff that says it's healthier to go bare though, which is why I'm asking you guys. I've seen a lot of stuff that says the opposite too.

    All I know is that my feet hurt no matter what shoes I wear. It sucks. I'm gonna go give barefoot a try though in a few minutes, so I'll report back.
     
  4. running barefoot is not a good idea. at least i don't think it is. wouldnt it hurt? running on rocks and glass and whatever else is on the ground
     
  5. some people enjoy it more but there are many running related injuries that you can encounter only from running barefoot, so i say why risk it
     
  6. I prefer Running barefoot on the beach. Not only is the heel a natural cushion, but soft sand as well. Plus I feel that running on sand is more difficult then normal compact surfaces, making for an intense workout. :hello:

    I dare you to try it sometime..
     

  7. Well, the science behind it (so i've read) is that when you run barefoot, you're obviously more concious of what your stepping on, and your form. Obviously you have to watch for sharp things and sticks and such. Also, and here's the science part I guess, when you run in shoes, you hit heel first which is really really jarring and unnatural. When you run barefoot, you tend to land more in the center or on the ball of your foot, which acts as spring that helps to relieve some of the impact force. So in theory, it helps with some of the running related injuries, though it strains muscles we don't often use because we wear shoes, like the achillies tendon and calf muscles.

    That's all in theory, I still haven't gone yet because i'm waiting for my stomach to settle from the food I ate.
     
  8. Supposedly the body mechanics of running in naked feet is supposed to be better on the body. Try the five finger shoes. I did run about 10 miles a week barefoot before my first semester of college soccer but it was always on softer ground.
     
  9. ^^ I'm looking into getting them



    Oh damn, thanks. Good article. I'll be extra careful.

    Just got back though, ran a mile (on concrete no less). I wasn't planning on going that far for the first time, but I had literally 0 pain at all in my feet or ankles so I decided to keep going until I got to a mile.

    It's actually a lot of fun. The little pebbles and stuff don't even hurt if you make sure to not land on your heel (which you learn not to do pretty fast). Feels good. My feet aren't torn up or anything either. Didn't even break a sweat.

    People look at you like you're crazy though. I passed some black chicks and they were like "you ain't got no shoes on!? That white boy is crazy!"

    Edit: Shit, i have to do pushups again!!
     
  10. I've been running barefoot for a little over a year. I've been running for the last five or six years, and have run 3 marathons and a few half marathons and a couple of duathlons. I currently run about 20 miles and bike about 40 miles a week.

    I do most of my running in Vibram Five Fingers (VFFs) Classics. I've been doing that for the last couple of months. I took a couple of months of running last fall/winter after getting hit by a car on my bike. I've been running again since December.

    My feet have lost their toughness, so I run in the VFFs now, but peel them off for the last part of my run. I now run 5.5 - 8.5 miles, and take off the VFFs for the last mile of the run. I started taking them off for the last 1/4 mile.

    I started running bf because I had plantar faciitis. That's another story. It's ancient history now. I just like running bf.

    Try the Runner's World forum.

    Barefoot Running: Runner's World Forums
     
  11. I'm glad you made this thread. I have been wanting to try running barefoot, mainly in grass or on natural land. I've started running barefoot in sand when I go to the beach and I love it. I did a 2 mile run on tue beach and I changed between the harder wet sand and then the soft dry sand ( which is much harder but a great leg workout) but it was nice. I'm just trying to do more stuff barefoot to try to strengthen my feet before I start going hard you know.

    Our feet are designed to be functionable obviously and we do not require shoes, but because we wear shoes all the time, our feet arnt as strong and caleced up like they would be normally. After practice your feet get stronger and then you can't tell the difference with shoes.
     
  12. Me and my buddys custom made sandles with a front on them so you didn't scrape your toes on pavement. We went running barefeet for 12 hours, 6 hours to a nearby town, toked for an hour with my buddy and then ran back.

    It's alot of fun but your feet will get sore quickly. We stopped about every half an hour and got just fucking cooked, the 6 hour run the first time felt like about an hour.
     
  13. o silly bandit ^ dont know if srs


    OP sounds fantastic. indoors at a gym around the track would work... might get some stairs but its al good!


    and i think i got something to help you bro!


    Vibram FiveFingers - KSO
     
  14. Hmmm... Looks like my original post didn't take. The mods must not have liked my link to another forum. Oh, well...

    I've been running barefoot for a little over a year. I use Vibram Five Finger (VFF) Classics, not the KSOs. I tried the KSOs, and didn't like them. The seams cut into my feet, and they didn't fit right - they were too tight on my toes. The Classics are lighter and more 'barefoot' feellng. I like them a lot more. Others really like the KSOs.

    I run barefoot on pavement in the summer. I've been using the VFFs for the winter. I'm now transitioning back to barefoot - taking off the VFFs for the last mile or so of my run to toughen up my feet again. I can't run my full distance barefoot anymore. My feet are too soft and blister after a mile or so.

    I just bought a pair of VFF Bikilas for trail running. I used a pair of minimalist running shoes for that last summer. They didn't fit too well - the toe box was too narrow, and I got blisters between my toes. Gonna try the Bikilas this season. Bought them last weekend because they were on sale.

    Have fun.

    P.S. I currently run about 20 miles a week, and bike about 40 miles a week. I've run 3 marathons (not barefoot), and have run a few half marathons and done a couple of duathlons. I've been running for a few years, and started running barefoot because of a bout of plantar faciitis I had a little over a year ago.
     
  15. Ya that's the whole deal changing your running form and frankly i don't think we will know the full impact of if this is a good or bad idea for awhile.
     
  16. There's lots of information out there. In fact, padded running shoes are pretty new. They were only invented in the 1960s or 70s. Most of them were flat before that.

    Try the forum at RunnersWorld . com. On their forum page they have a barefoot running forum that is pretty active, and has lots of info.
     
  17. Thanks for responding guys, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's doing it.

    I'm looking into getting those vibram's, though I might just pass on them and go all natural until winter if my feet can build up to take the abuse.

    I hurt in places i've never hurt before today after running barefoot yesterday. I used muscles I didn't even know about in my feet and calves. Kinda makes you wonder about how unnatural it is to land on your heel in a shoe. The whole natural way we're supposed to be moving is wrong when we land on our heel. It's crazy, I don't even know how that started. :smoke:

    Running barefoot is so fun though. If it wasn't snowing right now I'd go again! (Damn western pennsylvanian weather)
     
  18. This is related but not important: I've occasionally seen runners in downtown Austin going barefoot. I always wondered why.
     

  19. shoes were invented for a reason, they protect your feet from injuries. you are at risk for many muscular and tendon strains so be careful, the fact that you are sore in your foot could be a bad sign
     

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