Running: You are doing it wrong.

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  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    Has anyone on here actually really ran BAREFOOT? running in minimalist shoes is like skinny dipping in a speedo. Try running truely barefoot, its awesome!

    i started w/ Vibrams, then Merrel trail gloves, then went full bare this fall and barefoot is a whole new world of awesome free running... then winter came. Can't wait for summer to come back so i can shed my shoes :D

    Yeah, I come from the land of barefoot running... I find it hard to understand why people are getting so excited about what is, to me, a really natural thing to do. That said, where I live these days, I'd be running in cowpats and sheep dung. not that appealing.
  • Cordy_in_CT
    Cordy_in_CT Posts: 134 Member
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    bump
  • Nica_LosN_It
    Nica_LosN_It Posts: 115 Member
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    bump
  • KimmieBrie
    KimmieBrie Posts: 825 Member
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    I run in minimal shoes and don't strike with my heel. My husband is 45 has been running since being a high school track star, has several marathons and lots of competitive races under his belt, and is a heel striker. He's comfy that way and set in his ways. Obviously that works for him, and my way works for me. Running barefoot is fun too! till you cut your foot on something. If I didn't need the shoes for protection, I'd wear none.
  • BriskaPacojame
    BriskaPacojame Posts: 197
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    BUMP
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    The best thing I can tell you to do is take off your shoes and go run in the grass for a short distance. That is how you should be running.

    Our expensive running shoes are ruining us. They are forcing use to run wrong. I dont necessarily think barefoot is the way to go but I definitely think a minimalist shoe is a smart thing to work towards both for better form, more efficiency and increased distance and speed with a lower over all risk of injury.

    I'm no expert but our bodies were designed to run this way. You weren't born with shoes on so anything that can mimic a barefoot or near barefoot foot strike and stride is ideal.

    The fact that Persistent hunting, where we literally chased an animal until it collapsed from exhaustion is pretty dang cool to me. Who would have ever imagined that a human being could chase a deer until it collapsed from exhaustion. To be able to run at a steady pace for hours and hundreds of miles is an amazing ability only the human body is designed to undertake.
  • FainJ
    FainJ Posts: 25
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    What the heck does "bump" mean? Fist bump? Bumping up one's montivation? I dunno.
  • frumpytofit
    frumpytofit Posts: 83
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    bump++
  • CaptainMFP
    CaptainMFP Posts: 440 Member
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    Please be aware the research to support this claim is MINIMAL. The best research (I've seen only 1 actual academic study) made the following conclusions:

    (1) Forefoot striking produces less chronic injury than heel strike running.
    (2) Forefoot striking does NOT reduce the risk of severe injury.
    (3) A change in running gait -- if not implemented slowly and carefully -- can produce injury. Some heel-toe runners would be best served to remain heel-toe runners.

    All the claims that forefoot is "right" and all other gaits are "wrong" is NOT scientifically based. It's anecdotal at best and pushed by coaches and trainers whose data are not terribly rigorous.

    The only scientific perspective is this: forefoot striking appears better in general, but this is not an absolute; transitioning can be a source of risk in and of itself.

    A blog at the NY Times that discusses the research study in question (and interviews the authors of the study which looked at Harvard cross-country runners over several years) can be found at this link: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/why-runners-get-injured/?src=me&ref=general.

    For the record, I'm a forefoot strike runner who has developed IT band issues during my transition. I think there is merit to adopting this running style if you can, but the evidence to claim one is right and the other is wrong (as advanced by the OP) simply does not exist at this time. Anecdotal evidence -- even collected from multiple sources -- does not qualify as a real scientific data set.
  • DreamiJeani
    DreamiJeani Posts: 72
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    Has anyone on here actually really ran BAREFOOT? running in minimalist shoes is like skinny dipping in a speedo. Try running truely barefoot, its awesome!

    i started w/ Vibrams, then Merrel trail gloves, then went full bare this fall and barefoot is a whole new world of awesome free running... then winter came. Can't wait for summer to come back so i can shed my shoes :D

    I use Vibram FiveFingers but lately I've switched to the New Balance Minimus and I like it even more since I can wear regular socks. I would totally try barefoot running but the places I have available to run are less then stellar on maintenance (glass and bird poo mostly) I do go barefoot on the beach of course ;)

    The thing I notice most from when I run in my minimals is that my hips dont hurt like they used to after even a short run.
  • LastMinuteMama
    LastMinuteMama Posts: 590 Member
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    bump
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    Sounds very much like Chi Running. Another pretty good read and designed for beginners. I'm still slow enough that it's easy to be mindful of technique. I'm sloppy one day, I'm in pain for days!

    I think the biggest thing for me was Not being so tight and overtly worried about it. When I was running my thought was not how do I strike my foot but ...Keep my strides short and quick and keep my body leaning slightly forward ...almost like my feet were spinning on a bicycle rather then running...When I did that It just naturally occurred. Your body knows how to do it...It was born that way. Just stay relaxed and loose and let your body propel itself. Then settle in and enjoy the long run.
  • hjfischer
    hjfischer Posts: 250
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    As a marathoner and half-marathoner, I have never understood minimal running. I did just order this book for my Kindle. I am all about working towards a stronger stride, less injuries and the like. I am just concerned about how my feet (very high arches) will handle rocks, stones, etc. I run in an urban area and there are also concerns about needles, broken glass.

    I hope to find this an interesting read. Thanks.
  • tebumgarner
    tebumgarner Posts: 37
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    Great read for sure. It really makes you think about the running shoe industry. I still wear my Asics as well, but I watch my form much more now. I'm not sure I was ever a heel striker. My husband was though and he could never run more than a quarter of a mile without a lot of pain before reading the book. Changed his form, and now we are going to be running our first full marathon in Chicago 2012. =)
  • rissadiane
    rissadiane Posts: 355 Member
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    bump
  • lost_snowboarder
    lost_snowboarder Posts: 7
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    Get some 5 finger toed shoes. They look crazy and you have to work up to wearing them a long time. But they will make you run the way you should on the balls of your feet. Its almost like running barefoot but with protection lol. I wore them in ,y first mud run and it was awsome.
  • jenniakers
    jenniakers Posts: 79
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    bump
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    I found a syringe on the ground one time while running around the neighborhood, so I don't think I'll be trying any barefoot running any time soon.
  • Alysgrma
    Alysgrma Posts: 365 Member
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    bump
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,460 Member
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    When I started trying to run I used to try to run with my heel striking first, it never really worked for me and felt really weird. I've naturally been a a forefoot striker, landing mostly on what I guess is the ball of the foot, between my arch and toes and surprisingly I've progressed a lot more than I ever expected as a 40 year old who has never really run until late in 2010. Thanks for the post, the tips and the encouragement to keep doing what I'm doing.

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