I am trying to run more efficiently and believe that by running barefoot or close to barefoot that I will be able to listen to my body more and be able to do this while also injury proofing my body,
There are more nerve endings in our feet than any other place, so it seems to make sense to listen to the information we get from these than ignore them by covering them with an inch of rubber and gel etc.
I ran the UTMB in Roclites not exactly a minimal shoe weighing in at 315 grams but much lighter and with much less support than what a lot of folk choose to use.
The balls of my feet took a fair bashing and I discussed this with my coach as I was concerned that perhaps some times you can be to minimal. Here is his reply.
I suspect that the number of people who finished, no matter WHAT they had on their feet, who didn't have bruised Balls Of Feet will have been zero!That said there is a balance to be had. You want to avoid too much 'point' bruising from sharp stones that you fully 'weight' (you know what I mean, I'm sure!!) but also, the more distance and cushioning that you have between your foot and the ground, the harder you will hit it (because of the dulling of the proprioceptive feedback loop from your feet to your brain).Personally, I think the more you do, the more your feet will accustom themselves to that kind of usage.I think that the more that you do in the VFF's or barefoot, the hardier your feet will get, and the tender BOF thing will lessen!.
My main training shoe of choice at the moment is the F-Lite 230 grams I would class these as a transition shoe.
This Saturday I did 13.5 miles in the f-lites and then on Sunday did 6.5 miles in the Vibram Five Fingers KSO, on Monday I did 4 miles in the Vibram Five Finger classics.
So a small step forward in my plan to run the Devil close to barefoot
Interesting, mate. Tim was pushing on with his barefoot running too. I don't think I've got the courage to do it though. I overpronate on one leg and am neutral in the other so shoe selection for me critical.....although my current roadies (Mizuno Wave Inspire 4) have a few extra miles on them now and need replacing. In fact DQ was giving me grief for wearing them at RAW.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested to see whether the gait efficiency promoted by barefoot running translates into faster times or longer runs before loss of form when you put on cushioned shoes.
ReplyDeleteHighland Fling barefoot next year? Why wait till the Devil? :-)
Dave
ReplyDeleteschool of thought is we were not born with shoes on, why take advice from a company that makes a profit from selling shoes.
Brian
I think if I can train my self to run in an efficient way that in the end shoe choice will always be minimal approach.
The body needs time to adjust its like learning to run again , I dont think I can get the miles up in time for the Fling.