Running: You are doing it wrong.

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  • ken1994
    ken1994 Posts: 495 Member
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  • pamelapeldo
    pamelapeldo Posts: 47 Member
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  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    Interesting...a friend of mine has been espousing this book and running style for a while now. I've been building up to my first 5k, but recently got both a stiff back and sore knees, and am wondering if running on pavement has played a part in these. I didn't see anything specific about running causing these symptoms but will give this a try and see if it helps or reduces those!
    This is interesting and something my sister has told me about before. I tried forefoot running once but found it quite painful and harder in general than 'heel striking'.

    What are the actual advantages to forefoot running other than reducing the risk of injury?

    When you run with your mid/fore foot and keep your hips and legs beneath you it tends to cause you to absorb the impact in your legs and the bend of your knee rather then in your hips causing your strike to become softer and less harsh. Its more of a softer gait then hard pounding. I can tell you after I transitioned to a mid/fore foot strike, Note: I still wear shoes, I broke sub 30 min 5K times that I had been bumping against for months. Also I tend to settle in and get comfortable running and just let my legs go until I'm done now. Its made the whole of running a lot more enjoyable.
  • zippo32
    zippo32 Posts: 1,419 Member
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  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    This is interesting and something my sister has told me about before. I tried forefoot running once but found it quite painful and harder in general than 'heel striking'.

    What are the actual advantages to forefoot running other than reducing the risk of injury?

    Its not something that happens overnight. You need to condition your feet to run that way and undo years of foot weakening (due to wearing shoes all the time). I used to be a heel-striker and switched to mid-foot. It took me about 2 months to build up to where I could run my normal volume exclusively landing mid-foot because my calves would get very sore while I was adapting. If you want to change your form, you need to start out doing it in small increments and gradually increase the duration until its comfortable and natural to you.

    If you run short strides with mid-foot striking its also more economical, in addition to reducing the risk of injury.
  • MyTime1985
    MyTime1985 Posts: 456 Member
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    This is a great post! Thank you so much!
  • bm_stclair
    bm_stclair Posts: 26 Member
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    Bump :-)
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    This is a NYT article by Christopher McDougall from November 2011, about barefoot running and the 100up...

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/running-christopher-mcdougall.html?_r=1

    Fantastic Article

    Love this quote..."But simply putting something different on your feet doesn’t make you a gliding Tarahumara. The “one best way” isn’t about footwear. It’s about form. Learn to run gently, and you can wear anything. Fail to do so, and no shoe — or lack of shoe — will make a difference."
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
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  • porvenir
    porvenir Posts: 27 Member
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    Bumping to read later
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    Does anyone know how barefoot running affects runners with fallen arches and perpetual IT problems and hip pain? I would love to know if anyone has found it has helped. I would do anything to not have to wear my orthotics everywhere I go.

    The book talks about how shoes maybe the cause of fallen/weak arches...It might be something you should look into. Also maybe finding some exercises to strengthen your foot and specifically your arch.

    The nature of barefoot shoes means your small foot muscles have to work much harder in them, which means you have to build up distance slowly in them. You can't set out doing the same distances you do in normal road shoes, or you'll get ankle pain. I damaged my ankle quite badly doing exactly that this time last year. But once you build up the strength in those little muscles, I find barefoot shoes better for foot and knee pain.
  • CallmeSbo
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  • ImperfektAngel
    ImperfektAngel Posts: 811 Member
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  • sgtchester
    sgtchester Posts: 20 Member
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    I've been working on running for just under a year. I've lost some weight, so I'm down to 252 and I'm running a 27 minute 5k. I started running with Couch to 5 K and minimalist shoes right from the get go. I use Puma Street K shoes that I picked up for $38 at the puma outlet. I also read a lot about POSE running, and watched a boatload of youtube videos.

    Starting with the couch to 5K probably helped me get used to the running style as well, but even though I'm heavy, I haven't had any joint problems whatsoever. Sore calves every once in a while.
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
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  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
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    The nature of barefoot shoes means your small foot muscles have to work much harder in them, which means you have to build up distance slowly in them. You can't set out doing the same distances you do in normal road shoes, or you'll get ankle pain. I damaged my ankle quite badly doing exactly that this time last year. But once you build up the strength in those little muscles, I find barefoot shoes better for foot and knee pain.

    It's actually mostly not a muscle issue. It's your bones that need to get stronger, and this takes much longer. I made that mistake, and ended up with a metatarsal fracture. I had been trying to follow the advice that said build up slowly, but apparently I should have gone slower. It's frustrating because your muscles do get strong much faster than your bones, and you really want to do more.
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  • nickyeatrunread
    nickyeatrunread Posts: 173 Member
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  • CarolineSuzanneSmith
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  • u2fergus
    u2fergus Posts: 422 Member
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  • TinaDay1114
    TinaDay1114 Posts: 1,328 Member
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    The nature of barefoot shoes means your small foot muscles have to work much harder in them, which means you have to build up distance slowly in them. You can't set out doing the same distances you do in normal road shoes, or you'll get ankle pain. I damaged my ankle quite badly doing exactly that this time last year. But once you build up the strength in those little muscles, I find barefoot shoes better for foot and knee pain.

    It's actually mostly not a muscle issue. It's your bones that need to get stronger, and this takes much longer. I made that mistake, and ended up with a metatarsal fracture. I had been trying to follow the advice that said build up slowly, but apparently I should have gone slower. It's frustrating because your muscles do get strong much faster than your bones, and you really want to do more.
    [/quote]

    I fractured my heel running in barefoot shoes last summer (too much too soon), and it actually IS your muscles -- the problem is, once your muscles get fatigued (like from increasing your distance on a long run), the force of your landing is taken up by your BONES. And your bones are not meant to take that kind of impact without support.

    So it is true that making your foot / leg muscles stronger will help prevent injuries in these shoes. But depending on your foot (if you have high arches, etc.), long runs may be pushing it either way. My high arches will always mean more impact on my foot in general, b/c my arches are not making contact with the ground to absorb some of the shocks.

    According to the ortho who treated me, the medical journals are reporting more and more injuries from long distances in barefoot shoes -- even among uber-athletes who have been running races for eons. Don't get me wrong -- I love my Vibrams. But I have to admit, after my gigantic heel fracture and 2 months off working out on it, I'm scared to try any more than a mile or two in them again.

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