barefoot running makes the big time

[Jose Jimenez]

Scott, Mesquite was a doozy.  What a tough marathon, definitely the hardest I have done.  However, it was actually a lot of fun.  I probably won't do it again for a couple of years but I will definitely be back sometime for some more pain and agony.  What's your next race?  I'm sure our paths will cross again.  Next on the docket for me is Riverton Half and then the Ogden Marathon (hoping for a BQ).

I guess what you are saying about using the Five Fingers for training makes a lot of sense.  At our home we encourage the kids to exercise by giving them a vacation reward if they run at least 7 miles each week.  Yesterday I heard my youngest (9 ys old) on the treadmill putting in her miles.  When I went in to check on her she was running barefoot!  She said "Dad I love running barefoot!  It feels so good."  So I guess you all have a new young believer in your midst.  Maybe there is something to it...

[Scott Ensign]

Jose, I am signed up for the Riverton half so will see you there! I have lost a lot of my training since Mesquite, hopefully I can get some back by end of March. Looking forward to meeting you!

[Sasha Pachev]

After some experimentation I settled on clogs (aka, crocs).

For an adult, to fix biomechanics you need to understand why you run the way you do and address the root cause of inefficiency. This is easier said than done. It is easier to just run the miles and become an aerobic animal.

[Sean Sundwall]

When i say barefoot I mean minimialist shoes like five fingers which sole purpose is to protect against cutting your foot wide open. I doubt you can "fix" your bio mechanics by simply thinking harder about it, especially as an adult. Zola Budd was a successful barefoot runner in part because that's hw she ran during her childhood years. Thats why it didn't thrash her calves...because she didn't spend 20 years running on pillows. For the rest of us, the most viable option appears to be an integration of "barefoot" running as a portion of the overall mileage one is doing. My last two days of runnning I have run 1 mile barefoot...literally barefoot...on the turf. It was wonderful. When I get my five fingers, I will probably take them out once or twice a week for five or so miles at a time in the middle of a run.

[Steve P]

After Zola Budd hit the big time, she started wearing spikes. Not sure what she wore/wears in training though. I wonder what she thinks about the barefoot movement.

[Craig Lloyd]

Just joined the discussion. Sorry I'm late. I run up to three days a week in my VFF KSOs on the road. I do up to 7 mile sessions in them without any problems now. I used to get really sore calves, but now that I've completely changed my running form to coincide with how I run barefoot I don't get the soreness any more. I also don't get ITB pain, and my runners knee has decreased.
The key to running in VFFs or barefoot is getting into it as slow as possible. If you are running 50 miles a week you should still only be doing 1 - 2 mile sessions once or twice a week barefoot until you build strength in your foot, calves, and achilles. If not you run the risk of shin splints and really sore calves.
This summer I'll start doing more trail runs in them. I can't wait.

[Sasha Pachev]

Sean - regarding your question about how fast you can go. I ran 2:35:45 in Utah Valley in Five Fingers, as well as 32:30 in DesNews 10 K. I felt that in those races I could have gone a bit faster in shoes but not much. Maybe 2:33 and a little under 32:00 respectively. I would say on a flat surface up to 10 K there is hardly any difference. If you go longer, or if it is downhill the pounding and the friction gets to you. At least in my experience.

I also ran 27:16 in a 5 mile workout that was not optimally paced on purpose - 5:15 pace to failure (happened around 2 miles), then regroup and hang on to the finish at the best possible pace. My PR on that course is 26:48 optimally paced in shoes. I do not think in that workout the Five Fingers slowed me down any.

[baldnspicy]

I understand the attraction and reasoning for using Five Fingers and the like, but part of the OP's question was around the pronation issues.  Does running in VFFs "fix" that type of problem?  Does the strengthening of the muscles in the foot, achilles, calf, etc. "fix" an overpronator or underpronator?

My left foot/strike is almost "perfect," while my right has some pronation to it.  I got custom made orthotics which have been incredible since they allow me to run in neutral shoes and enjoy the benefits of the high flexibility, etc. of them instead of having to run in stabilizing shoes.  If there's some way to fix my right foot, I could start my new modeling career!

Any thoughts on if they fix these types of problems and/or if they should even be worn by people with mild to severe pronation problems?

Please excuse my question if the articles answer it...haven't gotten to them yet.  I've just been enjoying the discussion so far.

[baldnspicy]

Scott, is it possible for you to post a PDF of those articles you note?  I don't have an account...

Thanks!

[Sasha Pachev]

Jon:

No I mean clogs. If you search for Crocs, you will find the Crocs brand name which is the same piece of foam rubber in the form a foot, except three times the price of a generic piece of foam rubber in the form of a foot. I discovered that that best search term is clogs. I really do not like to promote overpriced patent-hungry trade-mark-infringement-sue-happy brand names, so I decided to refer to this type of shoe as "clogs" in all of my posts.

[Sasha Pachev]

Baldndspicy - I suspect that most of the time pronation problems do not come from the foot. The foot is at the end of a long leg, which attaches via pelvis to the long spine. So a small deviation either in the spine or in the pelvis will show as a big deviation in the foot movement thanks to the amplification of the long leg lever. A small deviation in the foot will still be small.

[Joe Furse]

So, what is a good "minimalist" shoe that is still a "shoe?"  I'm not sure if I want to go the FF route, because, as much as I hate it, I do most of my training on asphalt.  When I'm not running on asphalt I often run on rough trails.  I am going to be getting new shoes here soon and I want to get something lighter that is more like running "barefoot" but without sacrificing protection from hard surfaces and sharp rocks.  One thing I particularly want to avoid is the big fat heel that I have on my current Mizunos.  I hate when I'm coming down for a beautiful fast strike on my forefoot and then all of a sudden my heel gets jammed into the ground, slowing me down, jarring my knees, and ruining my fun. 

[Sasha Pachev]

Eva Clogs. $7 at Walmart. Have put 395 miles on them so far. Only one minor hole that developed recently. No blisters, never fall fall even at 4:00 pace. Smooth feel, like barefoot on thin grass. Make sure you pick the right size. Needs to be a slightly tight fit because they stretch. The best running shoe I've ever had. The only draw back is that you really do have to change them every 500 miles or so, but at $7 a pair it is affordable.

[Michael Laputka]

I took Sasha's advice and became a foam clog runner.  I have about 244 miles in my Crocs.  Why Crocs?  I came across a pair for free so I threw them on and have never looked back.  At first, I ran in them two or three times a week, now I do almost all of my running in them.  I've logged 60+ mile weeks in them, almost all of it on asphalt. 

As far as a minimalist shoe, it seems like racing flats are about the only other option, or of course five fingers.  Either way, you're going to burn a hundred bucks.  Give foam clogs a try, you've got nothing to lose.  I've never had any issues with mine.  Hopefully, I will never put another training shoe on my foot.  Flats and foam clogs for me.

Now for a question, if you've made the transition from a heal striker to a forefoot striker, is there any point to running barefoot?  It seems to me, the point of running barefoot is to force yourself to land on your forefoot and eventually your foot strike changes permanently.

[Joe Furse]

Hm...I guess I'll just have to experiment around and see.  I have an old pair of Nike XC waffles from high school that still probably have a lot of life in them.  Maybe I'll try running in those and see how it is.  I can get those for about 40 bucks or so off the internet.  Something tells me the foam clogs wouldn't stand up very well to some of the trails I like to run on when they're not snowed under.  Heck, maybe I'll pull a Bill Bowerman and just start making my own shoes and start a multi-billion dollar company--only specifically for runners.  haha.  As for my reasoning: I like the lighter, faster feel and if it might help avoid injury or improve my efficiency a little, then why not?