Welcome back to the discussion about barefoot running. In the last two installments we discussed the ideology of barefoot running and some of the benefits you can expect to gain if you introduce barefoot running into your training program. In part III of the article, we are going to talk about about some of the downsides and risks that are associated with barefoot running.

Introducing a barefoot running routine into your training program can be a great way to improve strength and reduce the risk of injuries in the long run. However, the initial risk of injury is far higher than a runner that simply runs in performance training shoes.

The training shoes that we sell at Future Track are designed for specific foot types, arch heights, and biomechanics. We help you to identify exactly what you need by addressing these three categories with the goal of helping you maintain proper joint alignment. Improper footwear and lack of support are the leading causes of running injuries; finding the proper shoe for your body’s mechanics is essential in reducing the risk of injury.

There is a fallacy that running is bad for your knees. While many people experience knee pain from running, there are simple solutions to prevent knee pain from occurring: finding the correct footwear to help maintain joint alignment throughout your workout, practicing a regular stretching routine, and identifying any muscle imbalances in your legs.

People believe that the impact forces related to running are the cause of knee pain. Not completely. Most knee pain can be linked to improper support from footwear. It’s estimated that 80% of the population over-pronates to an extent and that is what causes a majority of knee pain. (Pronation is the  collapsing of the arch to the inside)

Proper joint alignment during the running stride would align the ankle and knee in a straight line while all of the body weight is loaded on one leg (called a neutral position) – the knee should flex straight ahead. The hips and shoulders should maintain a relatively level horizontal alignment and there should be no side to side flex at the waist.

A foot that is under-supported by a training shoe would not be able to maintain this kind of joint alignment. As the foot over-pronates (past the neutral position) the shin and lower leg will rotate to the inside causing additional stress on the stabilizing muscles of the lower leg and quadriceps. The knee is a hinge joint – meaning it should work like the hinge on your car door, moving forward and backward. Once you start introducing rotational forces to this joint, you are going to experience pain due to the stress applied to the muscles, tendons and ligaments. The dropping of the arch will cause the knee to rotate and flex to the inside, the hip will drop and the shoulder will elevate. This position is unnatural and puts unnecessary stress on muscles, tendons, and ligaments – eventually overloading these tissues and leading to injury.

The impact forces associated with running are estimated to be somewhere between 3-7 times your body weight – depending on the efficiency of the runner’s stride. So a woman that weighs 130 pounds will experience somewhere between 400-700 pounds of pressure upon impact. That is a mind-boggling force. But the more mind-boggling thing is that the human body is extremely efficient in absorbing that impact – if the joints are aligned properly. Joints will flex, muscles will contract, tendons will stretch and the bones of your feet will spread; all working together to disperse the staggering amount of force experienced upon impact.

Back to barefoot running: if 80% of the population over-pronates while running, then they are going to experience the loss of joint alignment when running barefoot. And that 400 pounds of force will be transferred to the soft tissues of the lower leg. This stress on the muscles, tendons and soft tissues of the lower leg is exactly why there is a high risk of injury from running barefoot.

Most of us would not be able to walk into a gym and benchpress 300 pounds. In fact, if we tried, we would most likely injure a shoulder or wrist, or break a bone because our bodies are not accustomed to that high level of stress. It would take a long time of consistently going to the gym and progressing the amount of weight we lift and how many times we lift it in order to get to a point where our body was strong enough to lift 300 pounds.  Running long distances barefoot is like benchpressing 300 pounds.

If you try to run 1, 2, 3 miles or farther barefoot (or with barefoot running shoes like the Vibram five fingers, Nike Free, etc.) you are trying to lift 300 pounds before you can benchpress the bar.

The risk of injury is high when you jump right into barefoot running. You need to gradually introduce the stresses of barefoot running by starting with 100 meter repetitions on a soft surface like a football or soccer field. Over weeks you can progress to more repetitions, then to farther distances. It should take you a few months to get to the point where you can run barefoot for just one mile continuously. This slow process allows the muscles to adapt to the stresses of trying to maintain proper joint alignment without the aid of a training shoe. It will also gradually increase the strength of the muscles in your feet and the stabilizing muscles of the lower leg.

People that progress their barefoot training too quickly are almost guaranteed to end up with an injury – regardless of how experienced you are at running. The fact is that training shoes do weaken the smaller muscles of the feet and stabilizing muscles of the lower leg. These weak muscles are not prepared to handle the high impact forces efficiently, which transfers those forces to the bones and can result in stress fractures.

There are definite risks involved with introducing barefoot running into your training routine of which you need to be conscious. If you gradually introduce barefoot running into your training routine, you will have a high probability of achieving the long term benefits discussed in part II of this article. In the final part of this article we will discuss ways to introduce barefoot running and a sensible progression that will help to ensure a safe and successful transition.

In the last post, we discussed the history and ideology behind the Barefoot Running Movement. This installment will discuss some of the benefits that one can expect to gain from introducing barefoot running into your training routine.

First off, before I even start discussing the benefits one may gain from introducing barefoot running into their running routine, I want to say that barefoot running should always be introduced into a training program very progressively. And by that I mean it should take up to a year before you can run a full three miles barefoot. But I will save the specifics of the risks and downsides for part 3.

A proper training program will gradually take you from general training to more specific training over a period of time. For most runners, they will divide their year into one or two training cycles, with a specific race or group of races that they aim to be in great shape for. This year or 6 month period is known as a training cycle.

As you progress through your training cycle, the work you perform will progress from more general workouts (aerobic runs, cross training, strength training) to more specific workouts (repetitions at race pace, intervals faster than race pace, etc.).

General training is intended to prepare the body’s energy and skeletomuscular system for the demands and stresses of the Specific Training to come. A body that is not fully prepared and well balanced will be at a much higher risk of injury due to the high intensity of the specific training phase. This is why the General Training phase is so important. General Training is sometimes referred to as Base Training because it lays the foundation from which you can fine tune with Specific Training workouts.

So how does this all relate to Barefoot Running? Well, think of barefoot running as you think of cross training, or core work, or plyometrics – they’re not going to directly lower your 5k PR by themselves, but they prepare your body for the high intensity and stresses associate with the workouts that will directly make you faster. Without the peripheral work, the General Training, you very well may never make it through your specific training problem free, or God forbid, not be able to participate in your goal race due to injury.

Barefoot Running is a training aid – not a new way to train.

Just like core work will help you improve posture, maintain body position when you fatigue, reduce the risk of injury and make other muscles work more efficiently – Barefoot Running will have similar benefits.

Barefoot Running will strengthen the muscles and tendons of the feet which will reduce the risk of foot and leg injuries, increase your leg turnover, and improve foot strike mechanics.

Using Barefoot Running as a Strengthening Tool: Man was intended to walk barefoot, this is true. However, over years of wearing cushioned and structured running and casual shoes, the muscles and tendons of our feet have become weaker. This is part of the reason that running shoe companies have created shoes in various support categories – they address your individual weaknesses or structural imbalances in order to maintain proper joint alignment. Improper joint alignment is the main cause of running injuries – by maintaining proper joint alignment, they bend and rotate correctly decreasing the stress placed on the soft tissues, which will reduce running related injuries and long term chronic joint pain.

Barefoot Running is a way to “reawaken” the weak muscles of our feet and lower legs. These muscles have “gone to sleep” not only because of our cushy training shoes, but also because of our sedentary lifestyles. Even people that lead active lifestyles spend multiple hours a day in a non-weight baring state. Over a long period of inactivity, like being in a cast, your muscles atrophy, losing strength and size.

This is basically what happens when we overly control our feet. So introducing a Barefoot Running routine into your standard running program can help you strengthen the small muscles of the feet and lower legs that have become weak over time. Strengthening these muscles will help your body better maintain the proper joint alignment. The result of stronger muscles in the feet and lower legs is better joint alignment and function – thus a lower risk of injury.

Using Barefoot Running to Increase Turnover: Velocity, also known as speed, is defined as distance divided by time. This is the core concern of the competitive runner. How can I’m prove my speed so I can cover x distance in less time?

A common misconception of novice runners is think that to cover more distance more quickly, they need to cover more ground with each stride. Coaches refer to this as “over-striding.” In reality, over-striding hinders your speed, which can seem a little counterintuitive, but allow me to explain. There are other factors to consider when discussing proper stride mechanics; such as, momentum, inertia, contact time, and the force your muscles are able to produce.

Momentum and inertia kind of go hand in hand. An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an equal or greater force. In running, that force can be your body weight against the weight of the earth. I’m not being metaphorical, I literally mean you against the world.

As your leg swings through in the knee drive phase of the running stride, and you reach to cover more ground, your foot will drop prematurely. This results in a sever heel strike. As the knee is extended upon impact, the straight leg works as a braking mechanism, slowing your momentum as the Earth pushes back on your heel, slowing your forward progress.

A proper stride will result in no heel strike, but a midfoot strike. As the foot plants directly below your center of gravity, you have no braking mechanism as the knee is able to flex, properly absorb shock, and propel you forward.

A fast turnover is essential to acheiving proper foot strike. A quick turnover means that your foot will make contact with the ground more times per minute. Elite runners stride approximately 180 times per minute. Most beginning runners take significantly fewer strides.

Each stride produced power that propels you forward. The more times you stride, the more power you are generating per minute during your run – which means you are going to be running at a faster pace. Shorter strides will also keep your center of gravity on a more linear path. Fewer, longer strides will continually raise and drop your center of gravity which adds unnecessary stress to your muscles causing them to fatigue sooner.

Using Barefoot Running to improve foot strike: Many of our customers come through our doors confused about proper foot strike. Is it heel first or midfoot? Well, as I kind of hinted at earlier, you never want to plant with your heel first. It locks the knee joint, causes an oscillation in your center of gravity, and fights against momentum – zapping you of precious energy. Improving as a runner really boils down to increasing your energy stores, and improving how efficiently your body utilizes that energy. Just like a car, we have a finite container for fuel, and once the fuel is spent, you’re finished. Running comes down to using that energy store as efficiently and intelligently as possible.

Proper foot strike can dramatically improve your running efficiency. Barefoot running teaches you how your body wants to run naturally. Almost no one that runs barefoot will strike their heel first. It’s not how we’re designed. Running barefoot can reprogram you to run efficiently with a midfoot foot strike.

So why do we tend to strike our heels when we’re wearing running shoes then? Well, the answer is really pretty simple: The more material you have beneath your foot, the more prematurely you will strike the ground. Shoes that have high amounts of cushioning built into them will cause you to strike the ground sooner. This is the reason that these barefoot running philosophies are such big supporters of minimalist running shoes like the Vibram FiveFingers and Nike Frees. The less material a shoe attaches to the bottom of your foot, the more naturally your foot will strike the ground.

This is all sound advice from a biomechanical standpoint. The problem and big red flag that we see at Future Track is peoples impatience in the transition from a traditional running shoe to a barefoot running shoe. The fact is, you can be a 105 pound Kenyan that trains 140 miles a week, runs an average pace of 6:15 per mile and be super-efficient, but you will still need to gradually introduce barefoot running into your training if you have never done it before. And that transition from traditional running shoe to barefoot running shoe should be very progressive and gradual.

There are definitely some great benefits that come from running barefooted. When an athlete has become accustomed to the stresses of barefoot running and had built the necessary strength needed to cover longer distances, he or she will enjoy a much lower risk of long term injury and a greater running efficiency.

In part 3 of this article I will talk more in depth about the risks involved with including barefoot running into your training routine. Finally, this will be concluded by providing a template progression program that you can use to begin introducing barefoot running into your training program.

If we were meant to run in shoes, then we would have been born with them on our feet. Right? Eh, not so fast.

Barefoot running has been the hottest topic in the running and triathlon communities lately and plenty of informed and uninformed articles have been published. Needless to say, it is easy for you, the consumer, to be mislead by some nit-witted blogger that is just trying to get traffic to their site by discussing hot topics.

I plan on presenting this in a four part blog post, this being the first and will function as an introduction to the history and ideology behind running barefoot. In consequent posts I will cover why barefoot running is good, why it’s bad, and finally try to draw a conclusion from which we can all benefit. So if you want to be notified when the next parts are posted, visit our blog and click the RSS button in the upper right corner. Let’s get started

In the mid ’70’s and early 80’s, running philosophies like Chi Running and the Pose Method were developed to combat the “increased injury rates” associated with the poor mechanics that were caused by overbuilt training shoes. Both philosophies gained steam in recent years after Danny Dreyer published Chi Running: A Guide To Effotless, Injury-free Running and becames a NY Times best seller. The book takes the sound principles of proper running mechanics (as defined by sports medicine) and presents them through an eastern philosophical perspective. Both Chi Running and the Pose Method stress landing on the midfoot for greatest efficiency and have wholeheartedly adopted and promoted barefoot and minimalist running shoes. The increased popularity of these philosophies have aided in the popularity of the Barefoot Running Philosophy.

Sports medicine has also provided support for the barefoot running argument stating that allowing the foot to act naturally, outside of a cushioned running shoe environment, will develop strength in the muscles and tendons of the feet and lower legs. There are two major benefits that they site from barefoot training: reduced injury rates and more efficient running style.

Some research shows that stronger muscles and more resilient tendons in the feet and lower legs can reduce the risk of injury when compared to feet that always train in “cushioned shoes.” Barefoot running strengthens the stabilizing muscles of the foot and ankle complex and can increase the body’s ability to maintain proper joint alignment over time. Improper joint alignment is a leading cause of running injuries, especially those related to the knees and shins. Some researchers argue that barefoot running, with its stengthening benefits, can reduce the risk of injury in certain runners.

Other researchers have aimed to prove that barefoot running can increase overall running economy – or the efficiency with which the body utilizes energy. As stated above, stronger stabilizing muscles maintain proper joint alignment better, which isolates the prime mover muscle groups associated with running. Improper joint alignment leads to joint dysfunction, and adds stress to secondary stabilizing (and weaker) muscles. This not only requires the prime mover muscles to work hard to restore joint alignment, but can overload the secondary muscles – eventually leading to injury. So strengthening the stabilizing muscles of the foot and ankle complex will, in turn, reduce stress on secondary stabilizing muscles of the leg, thus reducing the demand on muscles and overall energy consumption.

It was research like this, and the increased interest in training philosophies that promoted minimalist training shoes, that led to the development of barefoot running technology. In 2005 Nike released its first in Free model – a shoe that featured deep grooves in the midsole that provided unparalleled flexibility. This shoe was extremely popular among runners as a training aid, and thus started the boom in barefoot running shoes. Since then, we have seen multiple models released from Nike in the Free series. Their series features shoes that progressively weens the athlete from supportive and cushioned running shoes to more and more flexible and minimalistic shoes.

More recently, we have seen a demand for the FiveFinger model offered by Vibram. This oddly designed shoe wraps the foot and toes individually, while providing foot protection with a thin Vibram rubber outsole. This is as close as you can get to running completely barefoot compared to any other shoe available.

Other models that have become increasingly popular are the Newton shoes, which feature negative heel technology (heel is lower than the forefoot) to encourage and more midfoot or forefoot strike. The K-Swiss Ultra-Natural Run is a ultra-flexible running shoe, that most closely resembles the highest support shoe in the Nike Free line.

So now that you know a little bit about the history behind barefoot running, we will discuss the benefits of barefoot running in the next installment of this post. Again, if you want to be notified when it is posted you can visit our blog and subscribe to the RSS feed.