Running Better: Going Barefoot

"Running Better" is the first project that I've completed for the 2012-13 school year. Over the course of my project, I've researched many aspects of running and even tested a few out on myself.



Just kidding!

For decades, many professional coaches have had their athletes run barefoot as part of their conditioning programs. However it hasn’t been until relatively recently that the barefoot running trend has skyrocketed due to a select number of well-published books and studies suggesting that running barefoot is the way that we were really “born to run”. A few decades ago, the few people choosing to run barefoot in the midst of the running shoe revolution usually did so either because they couldn’t find the right fit in running shoes, they were trying to be outrageously hipster , or they were just curious to see what would happen if they tried to run like their ancestors had done thousands of years ago. Either way, the trend of barefoot running started and it wasn’t very long before the major running shoe companies got wind of it. Surprisingly, many of them responded by introducing a line of of slipper-like shoes that were catered to the barefoot community very well by letting people run barefoot-style on virtually any surface with the protection of a minimalist sole. These shoes, along with the new Free shoe (introduced by Nike shortly after its biomechanical study back in 2004) have helped to revolutionize the way many people run think about the sport.Here’s how running in state-of-the-art shoes versus going barefoot looks like: when you land in regular shoes, you end up heel-striking, which is basically breaking your stride on every single step. This is the product of your brain feeling that it is safe enough to strike the ground with the boniest and unprotected part of your foot in order to cover more ground. While you’re forefoot is heel-striking, your back foot is still pushing off on the ground and has to compensate for the breaking by continuing to lever your body off the ground for an extended period of time. Also, because of the wedge of EVA, your forefoot is unable to properly sense the exact position of the ground and cannot relay it properly to your brain; causing your foot to finish the landing in an unstable position. However, because the human race has spent over 30 years running in such shoes, many of us have learned to adapt. The option of shoes that generally “feel safer” has also lured a great many people into exercise that may not have made the decision otherwise. In many cases, people who have been running in such shoes since childhood have always run this way and have gone on to excel as professional athletes. 



Barefoot running follows a much simpler style: in a barefoot stride, you don’t land on your heel at all. You land on the outside of your foot, rolling forward quickly to push off the ball. There is no heel-striking involved. Your ankle also helps by absorbing some of the impact taken by your forefoot and aiding you when you push off. However, if you’re even thinking about transitioning into barefoot running after a lifetime of running in cushioned shoes, you need to be extremely careful. You can’t just whip off your shoes and take off down the street. Many advocates of barefoot running say that you need to take at least a year to fully transition, even if you use specially designated shoes. If you don’t let your foot ease into the face that four-times your body-weight is smashing down on a completely new part of it, it could have a problem with that. Still, if you do end up becoming a barefoot runner, you might really enjoy it and will almost certainly benefit from the process with fewer injuries and a new outlook on running. Last spring, I transitioned into my own pair of barefoot running shoes and have been improving in my physical training ever since, allowing me to build up better calf muscles in my legs, have a more efficient stride, and have helped to improve endurance.