What a catchy slogan, "You are the Technology," and not too bad to look at either. You sold me! Wait, what are they selling anyways? Vibram, five finger shoes are showing up everywhere, but what exactly is this new trend?
It's called barefoot running and the idea behind it is exactly that; mimicking the feeling of running barefoot but with a little extra protection.
So unlace your sneakers, and get naked...well at least in regards to your feet.
What is the point of running barefoot? Isn't it all about arch support, absorbing shock, cushion, and the newest design and research on high tech sneakers? So with all that effort they have put into making our run more comfortable, now we are being told that it's actually better to run without?
According to an article in Runner's World, shoes do serve a purpose; they deceive the body. "Here's a explanation, based on your body's proprioceptive abilities- that is, the way it can communicate up and down all pathways. When you run barefoot, your body precisely engages your vision, your brain, the soles of your feet, and all the muscles, bones, tendons, and supporting structures of your feet and legs. They leap to red alert, and give you a high degree of protection from the varying pressures and forces of running. On the other hand, when you run in socks, shoes, inserts, midsoles, and outsoles, your body's proprioceptive system loses a lot of input."
Running shoes are designed for us to land on our heels and then roll to our toes, but can you image running like that when you are barefoot? No way, that would be too painful. Landing on your heels can result in undue shock and potential injury, especially to your knees and back.
So why then do we run like that when we wear shoes? Experienced marathon runners actually land on the balls of their feet as well, which keeps their stride light and smooth. Then there is the 1960, Ethiopia's Olympic marathoner, Abebe Bikila, who won the first of his consecutive gold medals sans shoes, while at the same time creating a world record of 2:15:17.
Other draw backs of running with shoes:
- It can impede our natural gait, which may result in shortened achilles tendon and calf muscles.
- It takes around 4% more energy to run with shoes, not only because of the added weight, but because we have to force our bodies to propel forward when we strike first on our heels.
- When a shoe is doing all the work that your feet would normally do, then you can cause the foot muscles to stop working as effectively and loose proper form and function of your feet.
- Heel striking can decelerate a runner, opposing the natural desire to move forward with each step.
Word to the wise: Go slow, ease into barefoot running. Shorten your distance considerably when first starting out, to help avoid injury. It's going to take time to retrain your body to run on the balls of your feet, so don't get discouraged.
There are also other barefoot shoes out there, I just like the ad for this brand.
For more information on barefoot running check out these additional websites:
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
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