The Barefoot Professor

I'm Back Baby!

I ran today. I told myself I'd just try one mile and stop if it hurt. The whole time I thought about mechanics, and you know what? I'm a major heel-striker. No wonder my knees are mad at me. So I'm relearning how to run healthfully - how to take care of my body. It's surprisingly hard to do in traditional running shoes, so I can't wait for my Vibrams!

I went two miles today and felt absolutely wonderful. I had to try not to smile while running so people wouldn't think I was loony. And then I couldn't hold my excitement so I told about 4 people at the gym how excited I was to be running again..... No doubt those 4 people now think I'm crazy.

Thank you Lord for giving me the ability to run again when it gives me so much joy.

(P.S. This is my new favorite website on barefoot running developed by biologists at Harvard)

Back to my Running Roots

I love running. I mean really, really love it. There is something so captivating and relaxing about settling into the graceful, soothing strides of a long run while my mind can wander. It's just me and the Lord and my feet on the pavement/path/track. Well, sometimes it's me, the Lord and Beyonce (thank you ipod). 


I've been long-distance running for 10+ years, but over the past 6 months I have developed such severe knee pain that it drove me to the doctor after effectively being unable to run farther than 1/2 mile without collapsing on the track. Disheartening. Especially when the doc informed me that my issue was most likely a combination of slight miniscal tearing, damaged cartilage with chunks floating about, and early arthritis. Yummy. 


And then he told me I might not be able to run anymore and I wanted to cry.


The end of January will mark the end of my mandatory "no running" rest period, and I'm allowed to gently try again in February. I've spent January petitioning the Lord for just a few miles a week. "I can give up 8+ mile daily runs, Lord, but please please just allow me to handle 10 miles a week, just 10...."


And then I stumbled upon an interesting alternative - possibly even revealing the source of my pain.


Barefoot running. Well, not necessarily barefoot ALL the time, but running in a minimalist shoe that mimics being barefoot. In an effort to save blog space and not bore you with my inevitable elaborations, here is a bullet-pointed list of research I've been compiling on this subject:

• Typical running shoes can put more stress on your knee and hip joints that continually walking in high-heeled shoes. This causes an exponential increase in torque on your knees (an increase of 38% from barefoot) and hips. Hello knee issues! In fact this increase in torque on knees is greater than the increase caused by high heels, which is only 20-26% (1).

• The energy cost of running is reduced by 4% when running barefoot vs. in a traditional running shoe (2).

• The rate of injury (both chronic and acute) to the lower extremities is substantially higher in people who run in running shoes vs. those who run barefoot (2).

• The abundant cushioning and arch support in running shoes actually increases impact force (2) by causing us to land on our heels instead of the balls of the feet, where are feet were designed to absorb shock (3).

• The human body can instinctively modify itself to different types of terrain and absorb shock appropriately, but thick soles of running shoes impair our ground awareness and limit natural elasticity (3).

• Running barefoot adjusts your posture to its natural, healthy alignment by allowing you to strike the ground where the foot is designed to (3).

• Running barefoot increases sensory feedback, balance and proprioception in the feet (2)(4).

• Since many podiatrists believe its dangerous to run completely barefoot, I've researched a minimalist shoe that mimics the benefits of going barefoot while protecting the soles of the feet (Vibrams). 

If all of that isn't convincing enough for me, today a Kenyan guy from my gym boasted about the benefits he's experienced from barefoot running. He said he had been barefoot running for years, up to 10 miles at a time, and that it was the most freeing, natural and painless experience he's had running. Naturally I was sold after that - have you seen those Kenyans run? They're incredible!

So I've asked for a pair of Vibrams for my birthday next month. I'll look goofy running in my five-fingered shoes, but I'm hoping to be back running to awesome jams soon. Expect a follow-up post on my barefoot experiences!

Sources:

(1) Running Shoe Study

(2) Barefoot Running

(3) Is It Better to be Barefoot?

(4) Should You Be Running Barefoot?