

The best running shoe may be nature's own - tokenadult
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60Q6FA20100127?type=sportsNews

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chipsy
I've been wearing Vibrams to get close to the barefoot feel.

Upsides: They really work. Downsides: Being asked about them at least three
times a day from passerby. For colder weather, toe socks are almost required.
And they get damp quite easily; that's tolerable when it's warm and you wear
the shoe by itself, but in the case of wet & cold weather, damp socks = frozen
feet. Despite this I was still wearing them in last week's storm in the Bay
Area because, at least at the time, it seemed better to feel cold than to feel
clumsy.

~~~
cloudkj
I've considered Vibrams as well, but have been holding off due to the look.
You can also try the Nike Free line, which were made with the barefoot running
idea in mind. Those have been around for a few years.

~~~
rue
The Vibrams give me the willies, too, so I actually used to order custom
moccasins from a local boot factory until Feelmax came out with their shoe (I
still wear the moccasins in the winter.)

There have been durability issues with them on tarmac as they were originally
meant for trail/sand/dirt/grass use, but the newest iterations have remedied
this a bit too.

<http://feelmax.com>

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iamelgringo
Articles like this always seem very strange to me. My mother grew up dirt
poor, and didn't wear shoes all summer long in Northern Minnesota. As soon as
they got enough money together, shoes were the first thing they purchased.

I grew up in Central America, and I spent a lot of time playing soccer with
other kids that were barefoot. As soon as those families had money, one of the
first things they purchased were shoes.

It strikes me as very strange that shoe companies are now selling expensive
running shoes that give you the feel of running barefoot. I understand the
reasons for it, but I just don't get it.

~~~
karzeem
I think one element is probably that as a social signal, shoelessness is a big
sign over your head that says "I'm poor." That's unpleasant, obviously, so
people buy shoes.

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bootload
The _"Effective Mass at Impact"_ between heel listed ~
[http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/4BiomechanicsofFo...](http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/4BiomechanicsofFootStrike.html)
is interesting. 6.8%/1.7% of total body mass and forefoot means the later has
reduced vertical momentum. Small efficiencies make for less wear and tear on
joints, especially the knees. I tried running on my forefoot (with runners)
and noticed it works easily uphill, very hard down hill and difficult on the
flat. It's really hard on the top half of the calf and quads. There is no
chance I'd be wearing the flimsy runners they suggest. The terrain is rough,
hot and covered in rocks, dry grass and the chance of snakes.

I'd like to see how this technique would work with running and rotating sports
like (basketball, tennis, football) which have high levels of knee injuries.
The 5% efficiency might give an improvement in running life though canceled
out in jumping sports such as basketball. Useless for running over rough
terrain with heavy weights.

~~~
cloudkj
I've always run with toe first, even though I don't go barefoot. It wasn't
until I finished the book "Born to Run" that I realized so many people run
with heel first. It just looks non-intuitive and inefficient. The most
straightforward transition from a walk to a sprint is to explode on your toes.
I really don't understand the heel first running style.

For most field sports athletes, I think it's a pretty natural form as well.
For any sport requiring pivoting, cutting, and rotating (soccer, basketball,
football, etc) explosiveness is key. I can't think of any activity where heel
first running would work, except for really light jogging or power walking.

The high incidence of knee (or other) injuries in some sports isn't really
related to running form either. Most of them are a result of trauma, such as
landing awkwardly or physical contact. Toe first versus heel first doesn't
really matter there, except for the stronger muscles that the former form may
build. Running toe first will reduce the chance of injury from persistent
strain put on the lower body as a result of long-form running, since it
happens repeatedly over a long period of time.

~~~
Paton
_"I really don't understand the heel first running style."_

Running heel first is undeniably easier than running toe first.

For a runner to switch from heel to toe running is straight out painful. It
puts more than double the stress on the lower leg (calf, shins). Overtime,
becoming acclimated to toe running is probably beneficial, but it requires a
lot more lower leg strength and conditioning.

Simply put, people run heel first because it's easier.

~~~
lmkg
Heel running is easier if it's what you're used to, due to muscle memory and
different conditioning of muscle groups. Your leg adapts to the stride it's
used to, so you could just as easily say that heel-runners have atrophied
lower legs as that toe-runners have strong ones. I would say heel-running is
more intuitive for a longer stride and a vertical posture, and less so for a
short sprint. Whether heel-running easier in a vacuum is not "undeniable,"
mostly due to the lack of such vacuums (vacua?).

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trunnell
I recently switched to the Vibram Fivefingers Trek, which is somewhere between
a sock and a sandal. It encourages the barefoot running style while protecting
your feet from sharp objects.

[http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_kso_trek_...](http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_kso_trek_m.cfm)

I can attest that there is an adjustment period to strengthen your ankles and
calf muscles. As an experiment it's going well so far. It totally changed my
gait.

Barefoot running techniques are becoming very popular. The recent book _Born
to Run_ is partly responsible for this phenomenon.

But within the running community, there is not yet a consensus on the barefoot
style (or the related Chi Running style), mostly due to the lack of data.
Hopefully this study and others will finally shed some light on comparative
injury rates.

The basic idea is this: The arch in your foot is quite strong and flexible,
and it is all the cushion you really need when running or walking. Running
barefoot forces you to use this natural springiness of your foot by landing on
your mid- or fore-foot. Running in shoes, on the other hand, encourages you to
lengthen your stride and land on your heel. The heel-strike is the source of
much injury (plantar fasciitis, knee problems, etc) according to the barefoot
advocates. It's simply impossible to run barefoot and land on your heel-- it
hurts too much.

In the book _Born to Run_, the author goes to a gait analysis lab. They
compared the impact of him running on a force plate in shoes and while
barefoot. To his surprise, there was less impact while barefoot than while in
his Nike running shoes; the theory was the massive heel cushioning takes the
edge off an impact that would otherwise cause sharp foot pain but doesn't
lessen the total impact on your ankles, shins and knees.

There was change in the air at the Zombie Runner store in Palo Alto where I
bought the Vibrams last week. They could barely keep any of these models in
stock. Born to Run was on display _in front of the shoe wall_ as if it were
now required reading before buying a shoe.

~~~
tortilla
Good illustration here of running with heel strike vs forefoot.

<http://www.newtonrunning.com/run-better/optimal-running-form>

I use Newtons and like them a lot. Haven't tried the Vibrams yet.

~~~
jojopotato
I don't doubt that landing on the balls of your feet can cause less stress,
but the heel striking example is almost doing a lunge on every step which
isn't how most people run.

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andrewcooke
this is not really news in some running circles (there were advocates in
rec.running fifteen years ago, for example).

one word of advice - if you are a runner and decide to switch to a forefoot
strike (even if keeping using shoes) then do so gradually. i got a very
painful, slow healing stress fracture in the front of my foot from changing
too quickly.

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tokenadult
Link to research and videos:

<http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/>

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msluyter
There was a very interesting article along similar lines recently, entitled
"You Walk Wrong: It took 4 million years of evolution to perfect the human
foot. But we’re wrecking it with every step we take.":

<http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/>

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kylemathews
After reading about this and similar research, instead of going out and buying
an expensive new "barefoot-style" running shoe, I just pulled out my old,
completely worn out running shoes out of the back of the closet and started
wearing them running. They've lost almost all cushioning and are as flat as
can be -- but 4-5 months later, I feel great.

I think like people have mentioned, the trick is really to just to land on the
front/midsole of your foot not your heal. Then whatever crappy shoe you have
will be fine.

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keefe
I used to do this and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, stress
on my legs seemed better but my feet ending up hurting a lot after a while. I
found comfy running shoes worked out best. Of course, I have a slightly
abnormal bone structure in my feet that may make my observations invalid.
Plus, after a slight tear in my MCL I rarely do anything but the elliptical
these days.

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tynman
I switched to forefoot walking after having some serious foot problems, but it
was really difficult to learn how to do it in shoes. Once I started going
barefoot, it just came naturally.
[http://suburbiaRebooted.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-i-became-
ba...](http://suburbiaRebooted.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-i-became-barefoot-
runner.html)

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unignorant
I consider myself a barefoot runner, although I'm rather new to the scene.
One's feet toughen up rather quickly.

Sometimes people pull over their cars as I run by and ask, "you need a ride
somewhere"...

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absconditus
Barefoot Ted:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnizzgzyzu8>

Most of his videos are relevant.

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joubert
Zola Pieterse (Budd), is famous for having run barefoot.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zola_Budd>

