Running Barefoot – Test Run

I have to start out by saying that I’m NOT a runner.  But I do have great respect for people that can run miles and miles each day, like my friend Jenn over at Eat, Read, Run.  Jenn’s running about 20 miles a week. Me?  I’m pretty proud of myself if I can run for 10 minutes at a time.  I keep reading blog posts on fitness blogs about the benefits of running barefoot, and how running shoes have negatively impacted the way that humans are supposed to run.  Personally, I can’t imagine getting on the treadmill and running with my bare feet.  But the thought of running more on my forefoot instead of striking first with my heel does sound kind of interesting.  As an avid yoga practitioner, I tend to avoid running because of all the high impact.  And I’ve spent so much time stretching my achilles tendon that it seems counter productive to risk reversing all my work for the sake of a nice run.  Like most runners, I strike with my heel down first.  This is how I’ve always run, because I run with nice cushiony running shoes.  But, today I gave the forefoot strike method a try.  I figure that it can’t hurt.  Gymnasts run like this all the time, since they do a lot of their conditioning barefoot.

The verdict?  Not too bad.  In fact, I kind of liked it.  I only ran for 10 minutes with a max speed of 5.5 mph on my treadmill.  I did wear running shoes, but they don’t have much of a heel, so I didn’t have to over-point my toes to get the forefoot to contact first.  It felt like running on my toes.  And I could really feel it more in my calves and on the arch of my feet.  I would imagine that running this way would help strengthen the lower leg muscles and also help strengthen the foot.  Running on the forefoot felt much more graceful than striking with my heel first.  It was easier to maintain good posture.  And I also noticed a significant reduction in the foot impact, which felt much better.  I’m going to give the forefoot running another try during my next warm-up.

Here’s some more information about forefoot striking from Harvard.  Link to full article here.

Forefoot Striking & Impact ForcesFor millions of years,it is likely that runners landed with no single, specific foot strike, and rather landed with a variety of foot strikes including forefoot, midfoot and heel strikes, but we suspect that the most common form of foot strike was a forefoot strike.Midfoot strikes were probably also more common than they are today. These kinds of strikes (i.e. landing first on the lateral ball of the foot) lead to lower impact forces which may lead to lower rates of injury. We hypothesize and there is anecdotal evidence that forefoot or midfoot striking can help avoid and/or mitigate repetitive stress injuries, especially stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, and runner’s knee. We emphasize, however, that this hypothesis on injury has yet to be tested and that there have been no direct studies on the efficacy of forefoot strike running or barefoot running on injury.

Tips on Transitioning to Forefoot or Midfoot StrikingForefoot striking barefoot or in minimal footwear requires you to use muscles in your feet (mostly in the arch) that are probably very weak. Running this way also requires much more strength in your calf musclesthan heel striking because these muscles must contract eccentrically (while lengthening) to ease the heel onto the ground following the landing. Novice forefoot and midfoot strikers typically experience tired feet, and very stiff, sore calf muscles. In addition, the Achilles tendon often gets very stiff. This is normal and eventually goes away, but you can do several things to make the transition successfully:

• Build up slowly! If you vigorously work out any weak muscles in your body, they will be sore and stiff. Your foot and calf muscles will be no exception. So please, don’t overdo it because you will probably injure yourself if you do too much too soon. 
  • Start by walking around barefoot frequently.
  • First week: no more than a quarter mile to one mile every other day.
  • Increase your distance by no more than 10% per week. This is not a hard and fast rule, but a general guide. If your muscles remain sore, do not increase your training. Take an extra day off or maintain your distance for another week.
  • Stop and let your body heal if you experience pain. Sore, tired muscles are normal, but bone, joint, or soft-tissue pain is a signal of injury.
  • Be patient and build gradually. It takes months to make the transition.
• If you are currently running a lot, you don’t need to drastically reduce your mileage. Instead, supplement forefoot or midfoot striking with running the way that you normally ran before beginning the transition. Over the course of several months, gradually increase the proportion of forefoot or midfoot striking and reduce the proportion of running in your old style. Use the same 10% per week guideline in increasing the amount of running you do forefoot striking.
• It is essential to stretch your calves and hamstrings carefully and regularly as you make the transition. Massage your calf muscles and arches frequently to break down scar tissue. This will help your muscles to heal and get stronger.
• Listen to your feet. Stop if your arches are hurting, if the top of your foot is hurting, or if anything else hurts! Sometimes arch and foot pain occurs from landing with your feet too far forward relative to your hips and having to point your toes too much. It can also occur from landing with too rigid a foot and not letting your heel drop gently.
• Many people who run very slowly find that forefoot striking actually makes them run a little faster.