Barefoot running.

I’ve been running off and on my whole life. If you can call it a sport (which I realize most runners, especially so-called “professionals” do) then it is the only sport in which I’m interested. I started running seriously as a high school student when I gave the track team a try. I wouldn’t say it was a concerted effort, I thought I should be sprinting because the idea of running beyond one or two miles scared me, literally.

It didn’t take long for me to realize I wasn’t cut out for the 100m dash, or any other track event for that matter; I thought I would give cross country my divided attention. Inspired, at least in part, by the fact that a large portion of our sprinting workouts were long distance runs, I thought I could do it in competition as well. Enter cross country. I joined the team not so much to compete, but to push myself to new limits and try something I’d never done before. It was there that I found my passion for an activity that brought (and brings)  me joy, centered my emotional balance, and helped me to stay in shape.

As an adult I’ve ran in a few local 5Ks, spent hours on different treadmills both at home and in the gym, and trained for a marathon. I’ve ran on the road, off the road, up and down hills, in and out of buildings, across highway bridges, and within a secure perimeter on an Air Force base in the Middle East. I’ve ran a lot, but not nearly enough.  I’ve enjoyed my fair share of injuries from shin splints and plantar fasciitis to bloody nipples after a really long distance run.

Recently, I have been re-introducing myself to the act of running (I really don’t like calling it a sport). I joined Planet Fitness nearly two weeks ago and have there spent four early mornings getting sweaty, and hoofin’ it on the treadmill. At this point I’m just walking in order to build my leg strength and to avoid any knee problems (which I began to have after 12, 13 and 15 mile marathon training runs). I’ll spend the next month just walking and slowly add running by no more than one quarter mile at a time.

Many runners have switched to barefoot running for relief from chronic injuries.

It was around this same time that my sister-in-law showed me her pair of Vibram FiveFingers. I had seen these before on the feet of a fellow student at Virginia Tech, but I thought they were just some bizarre nightmare a designer had scribbled on paper after waking in a cold sweat; I was a little shocked at the appearance. I got used to them after she let me hold me them, flex the soles and wiggle the toes. I went home and started reading about them and the barefoot running movement. Evidently we weren’t born to run with our heels slamming into the ground first and remaining positioned higher than the balls of our feet.

I have my concerns, but the more I read about the benefits of barefoot running, the more curious I get. As with any type of change in running, the advice I’ve read discourages you from increasing your mileage by any more than 10% per week, although you have to have a starting point (which I guess will be different for everyone). I don’t see myself walking proud into Planet Fitness and tossing my shoes to the side as I mount the treadmill and start slapping my naked feet on the machine. I do, however, plan to give completely barefoot running a try before I invest any money in these shoes designed to protect my little feet and avoid raised eyebrow stares by passersby.

The human mechanics of running are changed quite significantly when shoes are used – with natural, shoeless human running, the lateral edge of the forefoot is the part which strikes the ground with the most force. Running in padded shoes typically alters this as more emphasis is placed on the heel and the area towards the back of the foot.

I believe there’s some truth to getting back to our roots (pre-footwear) and I’m excited to try and dial back the technology of running and try something new. In other words, I’m not going to shut down the idea of barefoot running until I give it a try. For now, I’m working to build my strength (and lose weight to support my fat frame) and prepare to run, so I can increase my mileage and take my shoes off!