Hey guys, you might remember me asking about running in combat boots (the consensus being that it was probably a bad idea).
Anybody know if running barefoot has any serious drawbacks? (Aside from the need to take care to avoid stepping on rocks, thorns, rattlesnakes, punk rockers with lots of pointy piercings, etc.?)
My dad suggested it as an alternative, and after looking at my previous thread, someone else pointed out it too as a possibility. Also, since I moved, I can’t find either my sneakers or my running shoes. :smack:
I’ll give you one piece of advice for free: be mindful of the surfaces you run on. It’s summer, and there are lots of roads that have just been resurfaced. Fresh blacktop is stickier than almost anything else you can run on, and it will cause the top layers of skin to shift relative to the deeper skin on your feet – you’ll notice a tingling in your feet when it starts. The tingling are miniscule tears forming between layers of skin, and within a few minutes, all of the impact surfaces on the bottom of your foot will become blisters.
If you continue to run through this tingling sensation, you’ll next notice a sharp stabbing feeling; that will be the blister covering the entire pad of your foot (behind the toes, but ahead of the arch) tearing open and leaking out blood and other goo. :eek:
I only had a problem with this when I was playing dodgeball on a resurfaced tennis court – you may find that running in a straight line at a consistent pace doesn’t put as much lateral pressure on your feet. Good luck!
You mean there’s another person in Maryland that runs in barefeet? I’ve been doing it off and on for two years now, I don’t much like running at all so don’t get out much. I can tell you that if it’s hot out it can do soe damage to your feet, I got some real nasty blisters the last time I ran.
I would suggest first running on a track, or next to a track, there’s not as much crap around the track. Land on the balls of your feet first, it’s the exact opposite of how most people run. Don’t slid your feet when you run, I still do this, and it can cause blisters.
Don’t worry about what others say, I’ve steped on plenty of glass, rocks, sticks and other items and have only had one real problem, I got what I think was a piece of glass in my foot, but it was very small and round. While I don’t run much I do get out and walk without shoes all the time. I’ve also found that my feet are much healthier, they don’t smell since I don’t sweat, and the athete’s foot that I would aways have is gone.
Hm… so now I need to find a track. The only one i know of around here is at one of the middle schools on the Army base, and I dunno how they’d feel about me using it.
Anyway, I would think most schools have some sort of track, I don’t know if they would allow someone to use them though. Some schools might have a practice track, or even a practice football field that you could use. I started out running aound the inside of the track so my feet got used to the idea of no shoes, then I would do a bit on the track to get used to the feeling of no shoes. I suggested a track because I’ve found some nice holes while running around the neighborhood in the grass. You could also start out by short runs at first and walking a lot to get used to the idea. You don’t want to go out and run a long disatance without some prep.
I will tell you that while you’re running it feels like you keep stepping on a pebble in the same spot, either you have a pebble stuck to your foot, or your starting to get a blister.
In years past small town and country kids went barefoot as soon as the weather was warm enough.
Took a few weeks to toughen up the soles to walk on the cinders at the train station.
Boys and girls ran, walked, climbed, and did everything the could, washed cuts with peroxice, tied a clean rag over the wound and persevered.
Their feet were impervious to everything but broken glass.
By summer’s end you could walk on the Hindu “Bed of Nails” without feeling the points.
I’ll add to spingears assertion that human feet can still do this. I worked as a beach rental employee, and my entire job consisted of running on sand carrying a heavy load. Moving in a straight line (i.e. across the hottest part of the sand) was more profitable because you got more business and happier customers. It was especially fun to stand barefoot waiting for customers to stop to put their sandals on at the edge of the hot hot sand – and generated nice tips! If you can find some sand to run in/on (look for a track and field pit at the high school track) you’ll find that it strips off the top layer of callous and leaves the hard leathery skin beneath intact. If you continue to abrade the callous away during your workouts, the soles eventually get thick and tough enough that you can stand on a surface that’s near 150 degrees F and notice only an uncomfortable warmth.
There are those that swear by running barefoot, and there are those who think we should all do it occassionally. There was even a woman who ran the Pikes Peak Ascent (you run up Pikes Peak) barefoot. It snowed. And even though she duct taped her feet, they were still a mess at the end. I’ve never heard of anyone nuts enough to do the Pikes Peak Marathon (you run up and down) barefoot.
I wouldn’t do it if you have flat feet, or high arches, or have much other than grassland to run on. If you go to a track, run on the field next to the track. Personally, I think shoes were invented for a reason.
Weird, I was going to ask this same question. I just got a treadmill and I’m used to exercising with bare feet (martial arts) and wondered if it would be bad to run without shoes. I guess humans did run for thousands of years without sneakers. Surely on a treadmill it’s safe (flat, no rocks, stickers, or stray hypodermic needles)
Didn’t Nike develop a shoe for an African runner or team a few Olympics ago? He/they ran barefoot and the shoe made it feel like they were running with bare feet, but their feet were still protected? Or did I dream that?
That was the advertising claim. I’m sure they work great for the “efficient” runner - one with no (undue) pronation and supination, etc.
Believe it or not, the need for shoes is somewhat controversial. It has been pointed out that all the advances in shoe technology have not decreased the rate of injuries amongst runners. In fact, the opposite may be true. But then, perhaps those advances enable those with problems to run when they otherwise couldn’t, and they are the ones most likely to get injured.
Go ahead and run barefoot on your treadmill. If your feet, knees, or legs get sore, start wearing shoes.
I’ve run a few times barefoot and found it surprisingly comfortable–more so than most shoes I’ve ever had.* If it weren’t for the asphalt tearing the crap out of my feet, it’s the only way I’d run. If I could find a durable shoe that replicated that feeling I’d get it in a heartbeat.
FWIW, I mostly run on the balls of my feet. Never felt comfortable heel-striking like most runners do.
I saw a TV show about athletic shoes, and there was a small section about barefoot running. They spoke with a guy who had run several marathons barefoot. He said he had never had to drop out because of foot injuries. Apparently, a barefoot runner instinctively runs with slightly bent knees, and the impact is either on the balls of the feet or with the whole foot, never with the heel. The shock is absorbed, and there isn’t the constant punishment to the knees, hips, and back that a shod runner has.
That sounds interesting. I started out running with too much heel strike, which nearly ended it all for me! I now have a much better form. This thread has motivated me to experiment with barefoot running.
I have seen for myself that starting out slow but steady works best. If I do start to run barefoot, I’ll start for very short distances on a track and work my way up. I am confident that my body will tell me if something isn’t working right.
Having said this, I wear orthotics for pronation, and so I am not sure if barefoot running will work best for me.
Threads chalk full of homey, Rocky-esque anecdotes–and commensarately lacking in hard, verifiable scientific evidence–aren’t terribly compelling. What is compelling, albeit not favorably, is the notion of someone running on blisteringly hot asphalt in summer, or running barefoot onto a glass shard, rusty nail or edged rock. I’m also sure there are many advantages to eating with one’s fingers, but I think I’ll just stick with my knife, fork and spoon.
