barefoot running

Hey,

 I am planning on taking a little stray from regular runnnig and try out barefoot running... it sound strange I know but those of you who know what I am talking about will hopefully be able to bare with me... anyhows I am looking to purchase some barefoot running shoes

 here is a link of what the look like

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.efb-biosafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/barefoot-running-shoes.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.efb-biosafety.org/how-long-do-mens-running-shoes-last.html/barefoot-running-shoes&usg=__-EowKMTd97HWBXyFGEVyfEtLo7w=&h=412&w=600&sz=30&hl=en&start=0&sig2=pAYhEll7jiRLXvawFgJoPA&zoom=1&tbnid=Bxm1MsFbl9nlqM:&tbnh=137&tbnw=200&ei=6iu5Tfq-MMeV8QOI2LUs&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbarefoot%2Brunning%2Bshoes%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D834%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=513&vpy=140&dur=617&hovh=186&hovw=271&tx=159&ty=133&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0

 as I am new to this I have no experience in the sport nore the gear is anyone able to let me know if there is anything i should know before purchasing these shoes and where the best place to either get information about them or buy them is?

thanks,

There are loads of threads on this gear forum about choosing barefoot shoes. Try a quick search and you should get plenty of info. Also the US version of the Runners World site has a dedicated barefoot forum. There are also loads of barefoot running blogs which go into great detail about 'shoes'. Google is your friend on this one.

You say you have no experience in this sport, so I'm slightly curious why you immediately want to try barefoot. I would suggest that you can get yourself in a real mess injury-wise without a good understanding of traditional running technique in the first instance.

Plenty of very experienced runners give themselves injuries by leaping into barefoot running without proper preparation and gradual conversion of their technique, so worth being cautious. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

In fact, there is a thread halfway down this very section called Best Barefoot Running Shoes?

You could start there, I suspect

Okay thanks for that I'll have a look at them...

 However I don't understand your question " You say you have no experience in this sport, so I'm slightly curious why you immediately want to try barefoot. I would suggest that you can get yourself in a real mess injury-wise without a good understanding of traditional running technique in the first instance"

 I think you missunderstood me, I have done regular running I am not completely new to running I want to try barefoot for the simple reason that I have never done and thus I want to learn how, sorry I don't get what your getting at?

Hi Steve,

My advice before you start buying expensive minimalist shoes is to find a grassy field and do some laps purely barefoot. Start with 10 minutes, then try 15 . . etc. 

While you're doing this, use a transition shoe for your longer runs (but not to long!). The way I did it was to buy some racing flats and cut some of the heel off. They still have padding but there is virtually no arch support or motion control. Also they weigh less than 200 g. After a month or so as you get stronger then you can either get an expensive minimalist shoe or buy a dirt-cheap pair of shoes from tesco which are flat with little padding but will stop you from impaling yourself on a sharp rock.

The initial barefoot part is very import though and while you're doing it listen to your body very carefully for any sensory feed-back. Make sure youre form is perfect.

 Here are some tips for your form:

1) make sure you're landing on your forefoot with your knees bent
2)make sure your back is straight
3)make sure you take little steps (it will feel rediculously small at first) that land almost directly below your centre of gravity
4)try to kick your feet back a bit after each stroke

A useful Phrase to remember is "Easy, Light, Smooth, Fast". i.e. Concentrate on making your new form feel natural, even if it's slow. Once you've got the hang of that concentrate on making your step light. Then concentrate on running on a horizontal line so that your neck and head don't go up and down as you run. If you can master all that you'll be fast already. (If you've read born to run you'll know it already. If you haven't read it buy it now.) 

 I hope you find this useful and not to long-winded.

 Good luck and HAVE FUN!

Best,

 Rob

Born to run is a great read and everything you need to know is in there!

 Im very tempted to try bare foot and have noticed nike make a shoe called free run 2, but im not sure if its just nike jumping on the band wagon and trying to make some easy money!

Robert - that's great advice and I would concur with everything you have said. After I read Born to Run I wanted to go out and buy a pair of Merrell or VFFs immediately but thankfully I calmed down a bit and decided it made far more sense to see if BF running is for me or if I actually need my stacked up heel Asics!

And Daniel - I think Nike are definitely jumping on the band wagon but so are all the major running shoe manufacturers. They have all either released a 'minimalist' shoe or are in the process of doing so. 

 What is encouraging is the increasing number of people showing an increase in BF running. Maybe one day soon it won't be seen as odd seeing runners in VFFs or similar. A guy was wearing huaraches at a recent 10k  trail run I was taking part in and I swear people were giving him a wide berth! 

I also think Nike are jumping on the bandwagon! But they are a commercial company and rightly or wrongly, they need to progress to keep going and keep surviving. Seeing as it was they that came up with the Cortez and built up shoes it does seem a bit ironic but I'd imagine they have put in some research into the shoe so am going to try their TR+ Free range (more barefoot then the Free 2.0s) but need to wait for an injury to recover first! I then will progress onto the Vivos or Merrells (want to say Vibrams but they are just that bit too expensive for me).

I can't see any other mid-way shoe which would work as I want to downgrade slowly rather then all in one go, currently wearing Asics Max support (Foundation 9s) and will need to reduce the support gradually, Nike Free TR+ seemed to work for me when I did a trial a few months back and test drove them on a hour run, must have done something right as I had little if any pain and shins were SO TIGHT! Normally when running I do not ever get tight shins like that but prob b/c I normally run with a heelstrike and not a mid or forefoot strike as I seemed to be able to do with the Nikes.

I do feel a bit of an idiot though wearing 'Nike' branded shoes to run barefoot when infact it was Nike themselves who seemed to start off the anti-barefoot trend with the Cortez!

tricia -  I'm guessing the BF tryout went well then?

jenn - i've shared your experience with the tight shins. After my first proper run after transitioning to forefoot running my calves were BURNING! I had to take a day off because i could hardly walk let alone run. I've been out every day since though and it does get better.

tricia and jenn both seem to have moved to a more minimal approach from ascics which are arguably one of the more bulky shoe. I came from wearing Saucony Triumphs which are the thickest of the Saucony range. I wonder if theres a some corrolation somewhere.

Robert: still not with the more minimal Asics yet...not so much out of choice more a financial thing! I am also nursing an injury (diagnosed yesterday as a tibial stress fracture!) I want to more onto a more minimal shoe but will probably wait for that to recover then its onto the Nike Frees (TR+) which I see as more minimal then what I have now, but not exactly barefoot. At the moment I am in Fondation 9s which are one of their maximum support trainers with only the Evolution 6s as the next minor step up making that shoe as maximum support as they offer (I actually wanted these when they first came out but couldn't afford them- glad I didn't get them or I'd be kicking myself right now!)

I think the best thing with the tight shins was a good old fashioned stretch which killed but I held out for 2 mins per stretch, did 4 different calf stretches 2 quad stretches then repeated again for 1 min. followed by the normal ITB and lower back/hamstring stretches. I had slight aches the next day but was fine so if you do get this again, stretching for longer then usual (normally I do 1 min on each pose) could be something to try?

I have been running in VFF's (Bikila ls) for a couple of weeks now - alternating with my NIKE lunar racers. They were a b-day present, so did not have to worry about cost

Was a tough first couple of sessions, especially on the calves, but am really starting to float now.

Not sure how physicological  this is, after having also read Born to run, but I would I recommend them for the purposes of moving from the infamous heel strike.... although I wont be running a marathon in them anytime soon!

Viggy - Interesting. I have been looking at the Bikila for some time now too. I see they have a different structure underfoot to the Sprint though... they have these rubber pods which apparently are designed for better shock absorption.

Surely though, they are moving away from the stripped back feel of the VFFs with this? The Sprint seems a lot less built up/simpler in design (and feel?)

Any idea how long VFFs are supposed to last? i.e. compared with conventional 500 miles of running shoes?

I've also just finished Born To Run - fantastic read.

I think the Bikila's your describing sound like more of a transition pair - a bit like the Innov8 range where you reduce and reduce and reduce with each shoe until your at the most minimal.

 The idea with the minimal and shock aborbtion is that it comes from your own body: your feet learn to "see" the concrete/mud/whatever and so tells the rest of your body to cooperate and so your knees for example spring a bit more to take the pressue, its all about your body doing the work that your shoes would normally do. This would mean your body takes alot more stress but at the same time you learn where your limits are and learn to listen to your body and so prevent injury. I'd be wary of any sort of rubber doing this job for you as your body can end up not realising the impact its still experiencing.

 I think some have suggested Vibrams last 200 miles but others have said they last years. You have to remember that these shoes have no foamy rubber: the very part of the trainer which (if built up) would require you change your shoes every 6-ish months.

I see... well, I'm used to running in minimalist shoes anyway. I've never been a fan of the built-up, supportive type and fortunately, I run injury-free without them and have always done.

In fact, my current pair have lasted well beyond 1,000 miles because I have an efficient gait so perhaps the Bikila will last me well too.

Another point - VFF official website mentions the amount of counterfeits out there and also states that no authentic VFFs are sold through auction sites such as eBay... I'm watching a pair currently on eBay but they're not from a shop - just someone who has a pair ex-display. I'm wondering... should I be dubious?

Obviously the £50 pairs from Hong-Kong aren't all they're cracked up to be..

Being that anyone can sell anything from their own home on ebay, I don't think Vibram can make a statement like this! If I had a pair and they didn't fit or didn't work out for me and I was unable to get my money back from the seller (lost recipet, no-refunds policy, worn too often to return, got a bargain and think I can make money by selling them on for example) I'd go straight to ebay and sell them there. I think many others would do the same.

I don't think Vibram can say "no pairs" on ebay are genuine but I think what they do mean is the people who they stock to (and so are verified sellers) do not sell their stock on ebay, the stuff on there being sold by traders selling mass-stocks is likely to be dubious, either stolen, "fallen off the back of a lorry" or fake. I can see what they're getting at but they haven't done so well describing it! With ebay, much of the time its a case of "you live you learn" and I think we've all been there or know of someone who has in one way or another, all part of life and gives you a tale to tell in the pub!

 I am not suprized you haven't had any injuries going barefoot/minimalist: Barefoot ted gave a talk in London a few weeks back, really interesting. Its on youtube at the mo if you want to check it out, he spoke about shock absorbtion: when you run barefoot, your body works differently, your form changes and so you don't really require the shock absorbtion: simple advice: if it aint broke, don't fix it! I'd say unless you have an injury and are hell bent on using products to sort you out, ignore the shock absorbing barefoot types: your body wont be learning anything from them by you swapping your normal shoes for them.

True about eBay Jen - I would most probably do the same and I do find it annoyingly when I list a brand and eBay instantly flags a big counterfit notice up even though I'm adamant that it's an authentic product since I purchased it myself from a genuine retailer.

Don't get me wrong, I've had a few niggles here and there over the years but nothing dramatic. My form has definitely altered just from switching down to more minimalist shoes. I used to run in built up Asics but have run in lightweight Nikes for years now with no problems.

If I'm honest, the novelty value of the VFFs are somewhat appealing to me... but then, as you said if it ain't broke...... I'd rather stick with my current shoes and stay injury-free than switch to something alien and risk sitting on the bench for my upcoming races..