The right to Bare Feet

If you've been running within the last couple years you have probably heard, read and seen some of the bare foot running craze. Some credit a book "Born to Run" written by Chris McDougall. Despite your opinion on bare foot running the book is actually a good read for any runner of any level. The premise of the book is obviously given away by the title and is based on a remote tribe that runs wearing a slice of car tire strapped on by leather as their footwear. This tribe runs as a part of daily life, endless miles on trails up and down mountainsides. No member of the tribe suffers from any of the most common running injuries that we hear about or experience. This "injury free" running is accredited to the tribes running form which starts at what's on their feet. The argument is that because they wear a primitive shoe that doesn't have inches of rubber and foam as a sole, the tribe runs "naturally" in a way that uses what humans are born with instead of relying on our modern day running shoe.

When I get in this conversation I always preface it by stating that if running were politics, this topic would have a far right and a far left. On one side those that are hard-core believers in bare foot running feel that running bare foot can eliminate most to all common running injuries as well as end world hunger, cancer and the common cold. The other side of the argument feel that the bare footers are quacks that have nothing to medically/physiologically support the argument. As with so many things in life, I feel the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I can only comment on my experiences with the shoes. According to my training log I have 78 miles on my Vibrams (Bikila). My overall opinion is that there are gains to be had for almost all runners. Let me start with some background on my running style: in running technical terms I'm a neutral runner, this means that I generally land flat on my foot as I roll back foot to front (regardless of heal strike). This further means that I don't need a shoe that helps correct additional movements or pronation in my ankles/feet when I run. Since I began running I spent time researching efficient running styles. As I read further and further I realized that if you removed the titles from "How to run efficiently" and "How to run bare foot" you may find it hard to determine which article was which. Because of this research and me 'trying' to apply it in normal running shoes, I did not have a huge break in period with the Vibrams that you often hear about. The biggest issue I had to deal with was sore muscles in my feet. Wearing the Vibrams require you to wake up and use muscles that have been sleeping probably since we were children running around the back yard. It's quite interesting to have your feet be sore in this manner, it's not like any foot soreness I've ever experienced.

As far as performance, I feel lighter and faster in my Vibrams. Why? When I run with shoes, even a light weight trainer like my New Balance 890, I find that I have to 'try' and land exactly how I want and 'try' to keep my form flowing freely. When I wear the Virbrams it's effortless, there's no additional 'trying', I concentrate less on how I'm running and just let go, just run. It's hard to explain, but I feel more efficient because I'm minimizing wasted movements, as subtle or abrupt as those movements are with shoes. I've run faster and farther in Vibrams. This is a function of training as I lead up to my triathlon next weekend but I feel it is also because of how light I feel in the Vibrams. I feel my feet carry me along as compared to when I run with shoes I feel like all my efforts are in my thighs; again hard to explain but that's how it feels. I feel I reach my stride in my Vibrams, that point where there is no effort and I'm able to just sail along and all I can think about is how I could go faster; my heart rate regulates and my body just does what it does and is there for the ride.

Again, the shoes aren't for everyone, but that doesn't mean that you can't incorporate bare foot running in to your training and get some of the benefits. Here is a good source to start, this blog even links to one of the characters from 'Born to Run', Barefoot Ted.