Barefoot Running

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Permalink Reply by jodykwik on August 18, 2009 at 11:45am

i do...i mean i just do it on the beach so the sand is much easier and has a lot more give than other surfaces. but it forces me to use a more mid-foot strike and leads to better running habits in general. i love it....whether i'm doing more distance, or more speed training, it's all fantastic.

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Permalink Reply by Joyousfig on October 5, 2009 at 9:51pm

I also read that book--really fascinating, especially the chia/lime drink. Same as Paul, I've learned to run barefoot on the beach, which takes a few days to acclimate to.

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Permalink Reply by Evie on October 6, 2009 at 4:34am

Ah, I don't actually have access to a beach, unfortunately, but since reading the book venture out fearlessly certain of my evolutionary adaptive capacities. Loving running and it is getting easier and easier!

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Permalink Reply by Joyousfig on October 13, 2009 at 9:23pm

addendum to my beach running--
I just returned from the beach after having been home for 4 months--the poor feet just weren't prepared properly for getting wet and running on the harder, more gravel-type of sand and i blistered something awful! Thinking I just should toughen them up as quickly as possible, i returned again for another hour run the next day. On day #3 the skin ripped off while trying to drag my sorry barefoot running butt out of a rip current and i spent the next hour trying to walk on my heel back to the beach house. Lesson learned--prepare the tootsies and if you only run barefoot infrequently--Body Glide on the feet.

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Permalink Reply by Trivolleyrun on October 31, 2009 at 8:48pm

Re: sand running...you can also use 'sand socks'. We beach volleyball players use them all the time to protect our feet from scorching or really cold sand (www.sandsocks.net) or at any beach vball tournament they sell them. I also have been beach running in sneakers recently as I'm nursing my SI joint--either way you get a good workout.

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Permalink Reply by Barefoot 19 hours ago

My feet blistered up when I first started barefoot running I started out on concrete, and found my natural method of running was on the balls of my feet. It kills your calves for the first few weeks but they adapt fast, the endurance increases in them massively. The shock from the impact decreases as well due to the correct use of the muscles to absorb shock rather than the old heel strike method.The soles of my feet toughened up to the point that a needle had to be heated to get through the skin and even then it took some working, in the 2+ years I spent barefoot running the only injury I ever got was a big blood blister on a cold ten miler in December.

People interested in improving their running might like to look into "the pose method of running" the techniques in the book are said to reduce impact shock by 50%, a worthy investment if you like your knees.

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