Question for barefoot runners

unluckyIrish
unluckyIrish Posts: 121 Member
edited October 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I did my first barefoot run yesterday on a treadmill and I am expecting my new VFF's for outside "barefoot" running to arrive today. I actually naturally have a good running stride for barefoot running, as I always strike on the balls of my feet anyway. However, what I am anticipating having problems with is walking. I walk with mid-strike (sometimes a heel strike). Do I need to try to start walking with a strike closer to the balls of my feet? I tried that yesterday and it felt really awkward. Any insight is appreciated!

Replies

  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Are you talking about just 'normal' walking? There is much less impact when walking than running, so you should be ok. Barefoot running isn't for everyone. I personally like it much better than wearing shoes, and long long ago when I ran in high school and college, it was a rule that we had to start the race with our shoes on, but if we lost a shoe during the race, we could kick the other one off and finish without it. Funny that I always 'lost' a shoe right at the beginning.
  • unluckyIrish
    unluckyIrish Posts: 121 Member
    normal walking or fast-paced walking. because of my stride when i run, normal shoes make my feet cramp. i also don't wear shoes when doing things like zumba and turbo kick (which i enjoy to break up my routine) because shoes make my feet hurt. i'm hoping these VFF's actually replace any kind of tennis shoe for me, and if they work out, i'm going to be buying a couple more kinds. i do walk for exercise with a friend at least once a week and we walk 3.5 mph or faster and i just wanted to know if it would be ok with my normal walking stride.
  • rankailie
    rankailie Posts: 144
    I did my first barefoot run yesterday on a treadmill and I am expecting my new VFF's for outside "barefoot" running to arrive today. I actually naturally have a good running stride for barefoot running, as I always strike on the balls of my feet anyway. However, what I am anticipating having problems with is walking. I walk with mid-strike (sometimes a heel strike). Do I need to try to start walking with a strike closer to the balls of my feet? I tried that yesterday and it felt really awkward. Any insight is appreciated!

    Even with walking you should try for a forefoot or a midfoot strike. I find when I walk in my VFF's I've naturally moved to a midfoot strike. I don't think I could manage a strike on the ball of my foot while walking.

    Though I do know right away when I strike on the heel while walking, it hurts and I can feel the jarring through my body.
  • unluckyIrish
    unluckyIrish Posts: 121 Member
    Even with walking you should try for a forefoot or a midfoot strike. I find when I walk in my VFF's I've naturally moved to a midfoot strike. I don't think I could manage a strike on the ball of my foot while walking.

    Though I do know right away when I strike on the heel while walking, it hurts and I can feel the jarring through my body.

    Thanks! That is helpful! Yeah, I'm glad I was using a friend's treadmill while trying to accomplish walking with a strike on the balls of my feet. I'm sure it must of looked hilarious…
  • rankailie
    rankailie Posts: 144
    Even with walking you should try for a forefoot or a midfoot strike. I find when I walk in my VFF's I've naturally moved to a midfoot strike. I don't think I could manage a strike on the ball of my foot while walking.

    Though I do know right away when I strike on the heel while walking, it hurts and I can feel the jarring through my body.

    Thanks! That is helpful! Yeah, I'm glad I was using a friend's treadmill while trying to accomplish walking with a strike on the balls of my feet. I'm sure it must of looked hilarious…

    I've done it a few times while walking from the rail station to my office, and I'm sure I looked silly each time. I've been wearing VFF's almost 100% of the time I would have normally worn other shoes for 4 months now. It took awhile to work up to wearing them full time but what I've learned is that my body is pretty good about telling me when I'm doing something wrong.

    Good luck! I love my VFFs now, I hate wearing anything else.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Although I love my VFF's for running, it is very awkward for me to walk in them and I found that took longer to get used to than the running part.
    When I walk in them I feel very funny,
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