Barefoot running?

Announcement:  I'll be running my first postpartum 5K on August 7.  You have no idea how good it feels to be planning for another race -- now that I have it scheduled, I can truly say that I am not just "recovering," I am in fact training.  I ran for 25 minutes today and will be bringing my run times up to 30 minutes in just a few weeks; barring injury, I am sure I'll be covering 5K in that time by the time August rolls around.    My goal:  to beat my pre-pregnancy time.

So, time for a post about running!

 A while ago, Christy P recommended Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run:  A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.  Apparently it's gotten a lot of press, because I had to wait in line behind 230 other people in the hold queue at the library.  I finally got to check it out last week and am really enjoying it.  It's not what I would call literary, more fluffy, but it is a very fun read.  I would take it with me on vacation, except that I want to get it back to the library so that the next 400 people in line can read it.

I haven't finished the book yet, but I am already intrigued by one of its major themes:  running barefoot or in minimalist footwear -- that is, with no cushioning or "support" whatsoever, just a thin layer of rubber or other tough material on the bottom of the foot to protect the sole from puncture wounds.

I'm sort of surprised that the idea hasn't really occurred to me before, although Mark has been thinking about it for some time, and has considered buying a pair of FiveFingers or similar shoe, which gets some discussion in the book.

 After all, it goes along with one of my guiding principles of life:  when you engage in an activity that humans have been doing since humans were human, you're not likely to be able to improve on it significantly in terms of optimum human health and happiness by modernizing it much beyond the stone age.  

Feeding babies?  No matter what they said in the fifties, human milk is still the best food for baby humans.

Hungry?  Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.

Having sex?  Steer clear of barriers, drugs, and mutilating surgeries, and pick a partner who'd make a good parent for the babies you'll make.

Running?  

Well, why not run barefoot, or at least with minimal cushioning?   

I do not doubt that modern humans have designed running shoes that can allow humans to run faster or farther or on more difficult terrain than they otherwise might be able to run.  This is not a refutation of my guiding principle.  After all, we designed cars, and cars get us places faster and farther and on more difficult terrain than we could walk.   But faster, farther, and on more difficult terrain is not the same thing as for optimum human health and happiness.  What is more consistent with human health, walking ten miles every day or driving the same distance?   Perhaps running barefoot, with its limitations on speed, distance, and terrain that come with it, is ultimately better for your feet, knees, hips, back -- and heart and lungs -- than is running with high-tech shoes.  It makes sense:  humans ran down their prey for tens of thousands of years without Nikes.  

And of course, if you are going to run on a modern surface -- a littered asphalt running path  is just as unknown to our prehistoric feet as is a gel cushioned insole -- you may need modern protection from that surface to counteract it.  I don't want to step barefoot on a kid's Lego, let alone an upturned metal bottle cap. But given that the human body is pretty adaptive to a vast variety of environments, maybe the foot only needs a thin layer of protection -- something tough but not squishy.

It turns out that if you google "barefoot running" you will find quite a lot of videos and information out there.  Not surprisingly, there is a sort of quasi-cult among running enthusiasts for the practice.   It does not take long to find some video of people running over crazy-rough terrain with only thin little sandals, and running on tracks totally barefoot.   The difference in stride is striking.  Intriguing even.  It makes me want to give it a try.

(I have to say, though, I fear a stubbed toe.  Once when I was a child I stubbed my toe running barefoot on the sidewalk, and a layer of skin split from the toenail and peeled horrifyingly back off my big toe like a hood.  Eeeeyuch, it still gives me chills just thinking about it.  I hope that NEVER happens to me EVER AGAIN.)

The book I mentioned above tells a short history of the modern running shoe.  Supposedly the seriously-cushioned heel was invented on the theory that if the heel was cushioned so that the foot could strike with the heel when running -- instead of just when walking -- the runner could lengthen his stride, putting his foot way out front, and that with a longer stride he would be able to go faster.  Such a running stride, however, is unnatural, and your body's not meant to use it.  Injuries are the result.  Apparently, the more money you spend on your running shoes, the more likely you are to get hurt.  

Correlation is not causation, of course, but take note of this:   no running shoe company makes a claim that their shoes will decrease the risk of running injury.  Ask yourself how likely it is that Nike would keep such an advantage secret, if it had one.  So I don't know if I'm going to take up barefoot running, but I do know that I will not be tempted to buy super-expensive running shoes, no matter how serious a runner I become.

Anyway, one of the most fun things I found today was this three-part video explaining how to make your own running sandals out of any sort of mat material (doormats, old tires, or bulk Vibram soling material if you want to get fancy) and some cord.  The kids were fascinated and I am tempted to make some of these for the whole family as a family project!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

...

The guy who made the videos will sell you a $20 kit to make a pair of sandals, but since you can also order the same soling material in bulk and any comfortable cord/thong/strap will do, I'm thinking we could outfit the whole family in some stylin' huaraches for a bit less than that.  

Please don't tell The Manolo.

Comments

[RealMom4Life]

Please be careful if you notice ANY foot pain. I have dealt with plantar fascillitis twice. The first time occured shortly after my 5th child was born (I was told by 2 docs it's a good time to get it - something about whatever makes your body loose for labor and loosen other things too - but I never did look into that). I had it for 6 years, and I was also told going barefoot was a major contributing factor. I finally had a coritzone shot because I couldn't take the pain while up with a newborn at night, they don't appreciate mamma crawling. The second time was recently and due to an injury, playing soccer on an uneven yard with none supportive shoes. It certainly doesn't happen to everyone. But, if you suddenly start waking up in the morning with a sore heal that feels better as the day goes on, take it seriously. It gets bad very quickly. But...have fun! Just wanted to warn you.

[Sara]

I have Vibram 5-Fingers and I love them! I'm not running 5k's, but I've done a lot of walking and sprinting in them. All day at Six Flags recently and my feet felt much better than in running shoes.

You do have to break them in though. You have to get used to the toes, and you can get wicked blisters on the bottoms of your feet if not careful. Achilles and calves also need a break-in period.

[bearing]

RealMom, as far as I can tell the theory is that PF is not caused by being barefoot some of the time, but by wearing shoes most of the time (and thereby weakening the foot). That said, the point is taken that going cold turkey could lead to injuries.

I'm not sure I have the guts to try barefoot running on hard surfaces, though there's something primally appealing to the prescription, mentioned in the book, of running barefoot on dewy grass 3 x per week. My feet have not given me any problems, but I have been running less than 2 years and have not abused my feet too much in my pre-running days with pinchy-toed shoes or high heels (or expensive athletic shoes for that matter).

Also, I live in Minnesota, where it's cold a lot. So there's that.

[bearing]

Sara, thanks for the review! They certainly look cool. :-)

[MelanieB]

Makes sense to me. Not that I'm a runner; but I've had a terrible time finding shoes that feel comfortable on my feet. My brother has the five finer shoes and loves them. I think he's on his second pair.

[Kim (in IA)]

I thought it was such a fun book to read. I'm not completely sold on the barefoot running but it certainly did make me skeptical of the running shoes business. I also found the whole culture of ultra-marathoners intriguing and crazy.

[Amy F]

I'm reading this, after a co-worker lent my husband a copy. Dan tried running barefoot through the neighborhood last week (he hasn't run in years) and after feeling significant soreness over the next few days, decided to go for fast walking for now and ramp up. He's thinking about making sandals like that. I'm enjoying the book too, although I can only hit a fast walk on days when my tailbone is behaving itself. My belly is cantilevered out too much to move quickly at this point. Biking is still comfortable, at least.