barefoot running

[Martin]

Barefoot running is good for health specially in the morning on a grass. It is also my favorite activity and i love to do this early in the morning. Its a best way to get freshness and prevents us from many diseases.

 

[Nick Muche]

I often times find myself frolicking about in the grass, barefoot, alone and unafraid. The morning dew is such a welcome.

 

[justin davis]

I have high arches so running barefoot really stretches and hurts the arch. I'm not convinced it is better for you. The cusion that shoes provide have to have some kind of benefit (shocks on a truck) in regards to knees shins etc.

With that said I hunted (hiked) most of the 2012 elk season in socks because the ground was so dry. Got to get it done some how

 

[rhendrix]

Anyone have any good non-biased articles on the true benefits/detriments to barefoot running/walking/hunting/whatever. I hear all the stuff about it being more natural etc. etc. but I just get the feeling I'm getting sucked into another bit of marketing genius instead of real science to back-up the barefoot concept. If there are any such articles or studies out there I'd love to get the links to check them out.

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ_Kilgore_Running.pdf

http://journal.crossfit.com/2010/08/barefoot-running.tpl

Hopefully this helps some.

 

[desertstalker]

No amount of cushioning in a shoe can adequately protect our knees, backs, etc. from the pounding of heel strike running. Unfortunately, the way shoes have been designed since the 70's (Nike) with ever changing styles of cushioning in the heel, almost all of us are "heel strike" runners. The idea behind barefoot running is to gradually change the way you stride. If you take your shoes off and stride leading with your heel, it's gonna hurt! It is true that there are runners out there running with minimalist shoes or barefoot that are able to avoid injury. This is not something that can be accomplished overnight. These folks have gradually adapted their running mechanics (short distances, soft surfaces, etc) to become capable of running "barefoot". They take shorter strides, have more forward lean, and land more on the ball of their foot which does reduce impact with each stride.

There are benefits to re training yourselft to be able to run barefoot and yes, the shoe companies are also marketing and capitalizing on the craze. Just taking off your shoes or buying a pair of Nike "Frees" without focusing on mechanics and building up VERY gradually, will result in injury to 99% of the runners out there.

If you are going to try it, I would suggest working into it very slowly (neutral running shoe short distances). It also feels good to take your shoes off after a long run and walk barefoot as you cool down. If the shoes come off, run on soft surfaces like grass or sand. Continue researching the pros/cons and take it slooooow, all the while focusing on changing your stride. With all this said, there are some body types/biomechanic combinations that will never allow for injury free, barefoot running

Did I mention, TAKE IT SLOOOOW?

 

[desertstalker]

Sorry, I missed all the good input on the first page of this thread. Good luck

 

[fillthefreezer]

little report here, little 2.5 mile run i do to my dads house for dinner twice a week is feeling very good in the barefoot shoes. seems to be helping my performance in the hills as well