My take: Although I haven’t done extensive long-distance running barefoot myself, I’ve done enough to understand why these conclusions make sense. Add my experiences with the thousands and thousands of people who have become injury-free since making the switch and I can’t help but believe these barefoot people are onto something. The author of the study goes on to say that more studies must be completed as the studies that were completed in developing countries had too many variables to be considered 100% factual proof. However, I will bet my life savings (currently $12.30; $6.30 if I decide to eat lunch today) that more controlled studies from the United States are right around the corner.
I still wanted more proof, so I stumbled across this great marathon article: Daniel Lieberman, a professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University (oooooooh, nerd alert):
When you walk, you land on your heel, but during running you land toward the middle of your foot on your plantar arch. The arch acts as a spring, stretching and then recoiling, not only helping to cushion the impact of the collision with the ground, but also to help push the body into the air. Laboratory studies show that the plantar arch alone returns at least 17 percent of the energy of impact. Running shoes have largely replaced our arches, but they are neither as effective nor as durable. Barefoot runners can clearly do as well as shod runners, but it takes time to develop the strength in the foot to use our natural arch fully.
Lieberman then goes on to say that “people don’t run barefoot any more simply because they don’t have to,” he said. “The barefoot running movement is wonderful evidence of how good the human foot is for doing one of the most natural and fundamental of all human activities—endurance running.”
Alongside all the anecdotal evidence, these are two pretty strong cases in favor of ditching your shoes. However, there are certainly plenty of reasons why you SHOULDN’T run barefoot. In the spirit of good discussion, I’m hoping this becomes the greatest debate since Frank the Tank defeated James Carville on the topic of the government’s role in supporting innovation in the field of biotechnology. On with the negatives!
What’s Wrong With Barefoot Running?
For every person that shouts the benefits of running barefoot, there are 10 people ready to explain why it’s such a ridiculous concept. If you take a look at the previously stated New York Times article, a majority of the comments at the end of the article come from people who have tried running sans shoes and love it, or they come from people who immediately discredit it despite having never tried it. Some of those arguments are below:
Argument: Your feet are going to get destroyed – sure we might have adapted to run barefoot through thousands of years of evolution, but our feet haven’t adjusted to modern technology and surfaces like concrete and asphalt. Factor in loose rocks, garbage, dog sh*t, etc. and running barefoot is NOT smart.
Counterargument: Fair point. However, if you start paying attention to where you are running you won’t have these problems. If you are concerned with stepping on infectious stuff, try a pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes, which have a thick tough underskin to protect you from debris. I have been running on asphalt, but I can see how running on concrete could cause problems.
Argument: It’s too damn cold to run barefoot. My feet will get frosbite.
Counterargument: I completely agree, which makes me sad because I like running barefoot. I think I’m going to get a pair of low heel running shoes for the winter because I don’t want my toes to freeze.
Argument: “If running barefoot is so great, why aren’t barefoot runners setting records?” The same NYT article cited a race in which none of the runners who mimicked a barefoot style (type of stride and foot-placement) won. They concluded from this study that this style of running does not make you faster.
Counterargument: I think this article is ridiculous for using this as a source, as it’s not whether or not they win, but if they’re run faster relative to themselves. Sure the people with the barefoot style might not have won, but they might have finished faster than if they had run with a more conventional style. The winners of the race might have run even FASTER if they had been training barefoot style, or they could have been slower. We don’t know. Essentially, this ‘source’ is full of holes and variables and cannot be used to either credit or discredit barefoot running.
Argument: “What about flat footed people? Without special orthopedics your foot will get even more mangled.”
Counterargument: I need to find more studies to support this theory, but if we are to believe Tim Ferriss (and I do trust the man): “[going 'barefoot' in the Vibrams] has been nothing short of spectacular for me, despite my history of flat feet. I’ve found that my arches, and foot as a whole, feels better with less support rather than more.”
I’m sure there are quite a few more reasons to keep your uber-comfortable Nikes, so please post your arguments in the comments.
Why I Support Barefoot Running
After reading countless studies, dozens and dozens of articles, and speaking with tons of people about their experiences with running barefoot, I decided to throw caution into the wind and take the plunge. Since making the switch, I have become a full time convert. Other than the articles stated above, here are my reasons:
How to Run Barefoot
Okay, so hopefully now you’re at least willing to give this crazy concept a shot. First things first: you aren’t just changing your shoes. You are changing your running STYLE too, which will keep you from getting injured. Rather than try to explain it to you myself, I’ll borrow from the guys who know what they’re doing:
The barefoot running technique has been described as falling forward. It has also been described as gently kissing the ground with the balls of your feet. If you need one more concept to meditate on while running barefoot, imagine that a log is lying across the path in front of you; you don’t want to kick the front of the log with your toes. You want to step over the log with each step, keeping your knee bent and placing the ball of your foot immediately behind the log as your chest moves over the top of it.
Here’s a video from Chris McDougal, author of Born to Run. Watch the video and notice how different his running style probably is from yours:
Chris recently wrote a Men’s Health Article on how to run barefoot – “Imagine your kid is running into the street and you have to sprint after her in bare feet,” he says. That’s the visual: “You’d automatically lock into perfect form — you’d be up on your forefeet, with your back erect, head steady, arms high, elbows driving, and feet touching down quickly on the forefoot and kicking back toward your butt.” And then, to build the strength and balance to maintain that form over long distances, use the heel, hips, and hills principle.
Some Precautions
Don’t forget Neo, you’re opening your eyes for the first time. Here are some tips for ya:
Yup, that was definitely the longest post I have ever written. If you’re still awake at this point, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’ve tried running barefoot and loved it, tell the world. If you’ve tried it and hated it, I want to know about it. Think the studies above are full of crap? Explain why!
What say you, NF Community? Barefoot: yay or nay?
-Steve
Additional barefoot resources:
Picture from: Nicholas_T