Barefoot and minimalist running preserve athleticism
Fitness trends come and go, often fading quickly as fads, but one trend that has emerged and actually picked up steam is barefoot running.
Easily noticeable thanks to their lack of shoes, or the minimalist footwear they sport, barefoot runners swear by the method as a healthier and more effective way to run. But is this really true, and should you make the switch and ditch the shoes? Quite possibly.
Barefoot running succeeds because it resolves the problems that come from running with shoes. For those who run in shoes, no matter their endurance level or skill, the style is always the same. The heel comes down first, with the forefoot hitting the ground soon after, before kicking off to continue.
When running barefoot, however, the forefront of the foot is what hits the ground first. This, along with the rotation of the ankle allowed from forefoot striking, moves weight off the leg, reducing the force of the impact on the body. Similarly, the forefoot continues to push off, maintaining running momentum and preventing the body from expending unnecessary energy.
The biggest problem with striking the ground with the heel is it puts an undue amount of stress on the foot. The angle of the leg, and the motion of the body when landing heel-first, puts more of the leg’s mass to a stop. For anyone trying to work on speed and maintaining momentum, this is counterintuitive.
Think back to Newton’s Second Law: Force is equal to mass times acceleration. The more mass affected when running, the more force is pushed through the foot, which can lead to stress injuries if continued over a long period of time. And when running with heel-strikes, this force hits not only the heel, but also the ankle, lower leg and knee.
And then there’s the fact that heel-first running can actually slow the body down. To protect against injury, most running shoes have elevated heels protected by thick padding. The problem is that, combined with heel strikes, these pads increase friction and slow down the runner. Add to this the directly downward force from this running style, and much momentum is lost through this method.
What is most interesting is the timing of the barefoot running craze. People have run barefoot for a long time — Abebe Bikila won the Olympic marathon in 1960 sans shoes — but until the last few years, it was not a major trend. Christopher McDougall’s book, Born to Run, probably had a hand in it, but the idea of a natural, injury-preventive way of running seemed to pass more through word of mouth than from any top-down attempt at emulating an athlete. Because of this, a small but close-knit community has built around barefoot running.
Those wanting to try out barefoot running, however, should be ready to ease back on the intensity and length of a run. Because forefoot striking utilizes different muscles; it will take time for your body to adjust and for your muscles to develop. Similarly, joints might be unprepared for the stress of this type of running. Your body will recalibrate balance, stance and muscular strength over time, but not instantly, which could lead to injury if you put too much stress on the body.
The best approach is to start off at an easier pace. If you tend to run two miles at a time, cut back to half a mile. This might seem frustrating, but it will allow your body to adjust to the new style and train your muscles to strengthen the front of the foot and the ankles. Going for an intense, long-distance, barefoot run for the first time might result on soreness and potential injuries.
Be careful when running barefoot. This is Downtown Los Angeles and pavement, rocks and the occasional path of broken glass can hurt. That’s why it is best to embrace minimalist footwear. These shoes don’t have a pad at the heel, fit very close to the shape of the foot and offer the minimum amount of protection so you can run around the city without shredding your feet.
Barefoot running is not the end-all, be-all solution for runners. But for those who want a more natural approach that works better in the long term, however, barefoot running can offer more speed and a new experience.
Nicholas Slayton is a junior majoring in print and digital journalism. His column “Way of the Body” runs Tuesdays.
GOOD THING YOU’RE PRACTICING RUNNING, CAUSE YOU’VE BEEN RUNNING FROM OUR FIGHT ALL YEAR. YOU MIGHT BE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR HEEL STRIKING THE GROUND BUT YOU’LL HAVE BIGGER PROBLEMS WHEN MY FIST IS STRIKING YOUR FACE. FITNESS TRENDS COME AND GO, GUNS IS FOREVER.
Two years ago I ditched my shoes and went barefoot. Within 2 months, my running injuries had disappeared (I stopped overstriding and pushing/pulling with my feet), and soon thereafter I had developed arches in my previously flat feet.
BTW, I’m not sure Newton’s 2nd law applies the way you describe. While mass and acceleration don’t change (you don’t lose weight while you’re in the air), but since a forefoot strike leads to using your legs/hips to absorb the shock, you dissipate the force in a VERY different way than if you heel-strike.
Oh, and while I do most of my running barefoot (except my competitive sprinting, when I’m in spikes), I spend all the rest of my time in running sandals from http://www.InvisibleShoe.com
I would also question, along with toomoon, the explanation, “the forefoot continues to push off…” No! No! No!!! You put undue strain on the calf muscles when you do that! Do not push off with your forefoot! Lift your foot off the ground (or kick it back, depending on speed and surface angle). Forward momentum is maintained by the position of the upper body over the foot landing. Again, do not push off.
Toomoon, that link you provided didn’t seem to give any evidence of the barefoot heel strike. It wasn’t even a study. Did you get the link right? In any case, heel striking for most barefooters should be avoided. Apparently, there are some who do it, but, in general, it’s a good way to damage the heel. I land midfoot and run barefoot most of the time (as long as there aren’t acorns all over my running route – I hate stepping on acorns barefoot!).
you need to download the ACE vibram study as a pdf.. it is in a little box to the right of the start of the article
Thanks, toomoon. I read the study. It was pretty weak as far as detailing all the possible factors including issues like hardness of running surface and what surfaces the vibram wearing runners ran on during their two week period. Plus, whether or not they were actually committed to switching form permanently was not mentioned.
In any case, you said “not true” to the fore foot argument of minimalist/barefoot running, and I think you are not being gracious by saying “not true.” Yes, it takes work to switch to midfoot running from heel strike. Is midfoot the same as forefoot? Not according to many. People who switch, of their own accord and through their own exercise of will, often will take the time to understand what needs to change and demonstrate the discipline to do the change. Is heel strike acceptable for barefoot running? Most likely not!! If it is done, it is a small minority and they still run very differently than the average cushy shoe wearing runner.
DON’T TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO DO, FOOL.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS GET GUNS AND STOP TALKING ABOUT YOUR BICEPS AND FISTS! I’LL GIVE YOU A GUN SHOW TO REMEMBER!
there are many mistruths, inaccuracies and assuptions in your article. For example
1.”For those who run in shoes, no matter their endurance level or skill, the style is always the same. The heel comes down first, with the forefoot hitting the ground soon after, before kicking off to continue.” This is compltely untrue.. there is as much variety in footstrike amongst those wearing shoes as those not. It is not only possible to be a midfoot or forefoot striker in a traditional running shoe, but many people run this way with absolute no issues.
2.”When running barefoot, however, the forefront of the foot is what hits the ground first.”… not true.. a recent study showed that of a cohort of 16 runners who changed from shod to barefoot, 50% still ran with a heel strike after 6 weeks of training. See http://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/1641/
“This, along with the rotation of the ankle allowed from forefoot striking, moves weight off the leg, reducing the force of the impact on the body” well.. for starters, the ankle is primarily a hinge joint and it does not rotate.. you have the wrong joint, I believe you mean the Subtalar joint. in addition, there is no evidence to support your statement.. at all! of course forefoot striking does not ‘move the weight off the body”. It eliminates the first peak of the vertical ground reaction force, but the effect of this is completely unknown and very argumentative, and almost certainly not related to injury. in addition, if you take the impact from one place.. you have to put it somewhere else.. in this case the forefoot, which probably bears a greatly incresed load, along with the achilles tendon and calf complex, in barefoot running. .. “Similarly, the forefoot continues to push off, maintaining running momentum and preventing the body from expending unnecessary energy.’.. errr can you please show me the evidence to suppport this statement??
i do not have the energy to comment on paragraphs 4-6 they are so shot full of errors.
3. “And then there’s the fact that heel-first running can actually slow the body down. To protect against injury, most running shoes have elevated heels protected by thick padding. The problem is that, combined with heel strikes, these pads increase friction and slow down the runner.” Do you really believe that forefoot striking eliminates the effect of friction?? ” Add to this the directly downward force from this running style, and much momentum is lost through this method.” nonsense.. there are many elite marathoners who run with a heel-toe action. Ryan Hall ran a 2.04 marathon and he achieves a heel strike.
4.”What is most interesting is the timing of the barefoot running craze. People have run barefoot for a long time — Abebe Bikila won the Olympic marathon in 1960 sans shoes — but until the last few years, it was not a major trend” .. that is right.. then he ran again in’64, wearing shoes, won, AND broke the world record. Was this due to shoes.. probably not.. was his win in “60 because he was barefoot? of course not.. this is the classic manipulation.
barefoot running is a tool to be used as a part of a balanced traing program.. just a running on trail should be or using a less structured shoe.. the so-called minimalist. if you are going to blog this stuff.. please get your facts straight!