Barefoot Running

tlaloc · Post by **tlaloc** » Sun Sep 26, 2010 12:55 am

I've seen a couple people mention barefoot running a few times. Specifically I know Ralphy mentioned that he had picked it up in his journal. It seems to be really in line with some of the things valued by the participants in this forum, e.g minimalism, paleo-diet, and real fitness.
About six months ago, I was in an extremely stressful environment at work, which caused me a lot of anxiety. In a bit of an act of desperation, I decided I needed to start running. Being generally averse to startup expenses (new running shoes) and having learned of some of the alleged benefits of running barefoot versus shod, I decided to start running barefoot.
My favorite part is that it's fun. Running barefoot feels like playing, especially when it's raining. I've had to take my time to break my feet in without damaging joints, etc., but every step has been a pleasure. I seriously get this goofy grin on my face sometimes when I'm out. I feel stronger overall and am more aware of my body. It has made me much more conscious of the fact that my body is a part of my being, not just a transport mechanism for my brain.
I'm curious if more people here have tried barefoot running and had similar (or different) experiences. Or hijack this thread for bikes, too

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Sun Sep 26, 2010 2:14 pm

So where do you run? Doesn't pavement hurt because it does not have any give?

Ralphy · Post by **Ralphy** » Sun Sep 26, 2010 4:27 pm

I think grass is preferred, but pavement is still manageable barefoot. One of the things I like about running with no shoes is the awareness that tlaloc mentioned. Your feet give you new sensory data that you never feel when they're encased in shoes. When running on pavement, you quickly realize that landing on your heels is painful, and you adjust to landing more on your forefoot. With that more natural gait, impact stresses can be absorbed more by elastic muscles and tendons, instead of joints.

il-besa · Post by **il-besa** » Sun Sep 26, 2010 7:07 pm

never tried barefoot, but I'm converted to Vibram Five Fingers and I really love to run with them.

I agree on the "play" part of it, as well as feeling weirdo when people stare at your feet when you're passing by

DD

NYC ERE · Post by **NYC ERE** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 10:22 pm

@ralphy Barefoot Ken Bob counterintuitively recommends pavement over grass for beginners because of the potential hidden dangers hidden in the grass--tree roots, glass, rocks--better to build calluses first, he said.

gibberade · Post by **gibberade** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 11:34 pm

Leo at Zen Habits wrote about this: http://zenhabits.net/barefoot-running/

He also wrote about the barefoot philosophy: http://zenhabits.net/barefoot-philosophy/
I haven't tried it. It's too cold right now where I live anyways.
By the way, can someone teach me how to embed links?

Post by **jacob** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 12:05 am

@gibberade - Embedding links is done using html codes. You can see the allowed markup commands just below the "send post" button.

Ralphy · Post by **Ralphy** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 12:07 am

@ Zev - it makes some sense to me to start out on pavement, just because there's so much negative re-inforcement for running with bad form. You learn how to land softly very quickly when you run barefoot on a hard surface.
wrt calluses, I think it just helps to spend a lot of time barefoot in general. For me, that meant taking shoes off as soon as I got home, going barefoot during weekend camping trips, etc.

George the other one · Thu Sep 30, 2010 5:23 am

Golf courses are your friend... When I want to barefoot run I do it there or around a football field. Golf courses are funner though.

Post by **jacob** » Thu Sep 30, 2010 8:57 am

Back in the good old karate days, only two hours of training per week developed some rather thick skin on the feet to the degree that running barefoot on concrete or even gravel was no biggie. We even trained outside in the winter once on snow/frozen sleet. Okay, the sleet was nasty!
It may hurt to step on a pebble now, but eventually it won't. Personally I'm more worried about stepping on glass or rusty nails.
Another issue is dirty feet. How do you handle that? In my experience it takes forever (>5 minutes) to get them clean again. Lava soap?

NYC ERE · Post by **NYC ERE** » Thu Sep 30, 2010 5:52 pm

@ Jacob Barefoot Ken Bob (I know, this is the third time I've mentioned him) has permanently dirty soles on his feet. Nails/glass: If you have a healthy barefoot running/walking gait plus calluses, these things won't bother you. There's no sliding action in this sort of gait, as seen in the video linked to above.

tlaloc · Post by **tlaloc** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 1:36 am

I'm not a huge clean feet person, so I don't really worry about it too much. That said, on most days I do shower after being out and about on my feet, which gets them mostly clean...
I have had a few run-ins with really little pieces of glass that get embedded and work themselves through my calluses. Those are not fun, but I'm getting better at pulling them out efficiently.

Q · Post by Q » Sun Oct 03, 2010 5:25 am

I just bought some five fingers today to get me to get out and run. They felt great...eventually I'll go barefoot in the concrete paradise.

Post by **jacob** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 5:47 am

The problem for me is that I need clean or at least nonmarking feet three times per week for mat practice. The mat is white canvas, so it doesn't take much. I was thinking of running in a pair of old socks.

Q · Post by Q » Sun Oct 03, 2010 6:20 am

When I was practicing martial arts, I don't think the Shihan cared. But, to each their own, right?
I hope to eventually get back into it, like many other things.