The Barefoot Trend Is Still Running Strong
By Karen Given | Saturday, August 27th, 2011
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Christopher McDougall leads a barefoot running clinic on Boston Common in April of 2010. (Tyler Murray/WBUR)

Christopher McDougall leads a barefoot running clinic on Boston Common in April of 2010. (Tyler Murray/WBUR)

When our feature on barefoot running first aired in May of 2010, the story got more internet hits than any feature we had ever produced.  The highly embarrassing video of me at Dan Lieberman’s barefoot running lab at Harvard University got thousands of views on YouTube.

It’s not just that barefoot runners are passionate.  They are.  But, as more and more runners search for a way to stay healthy, minimalist running offers hope.

It’s been more than a year since I stripped off my shoes and took a barefoot running clinic from Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run.  One cold and painful day on the Common was enough to convince me that shoes are my friend.  Since then, I have not gone running without the benefit of footwear.

A friend asked me the other day if I’m still a barefoot runner, and the answer to that question is yes.  After a little trial and error, I found a pair of minimalist running shoes that work for me.  Closely following the advice of Dan Lieberman, I took up a minimalist running program.

Over months, not days, I changed how I run.  For the longest time, I kept two pairs of running shoes at the ready.  For the first mile of every workout, I’d use my new shoes and new technique.  Then, to avoid the injuries many new minimalist style runners suffer, I’d lace back up my “old” running shoes (which really do start to feel like high heels) and finish out my workout.

Now, all my runs are minimalist runs.  Not only have I shed my old, clunky running shoes, I’ve lost more than a few pounds.  Last Sunday, I finished my first 8 mile run since suffering a foot injury 2 1/2 years ago.  In October, I’ll be running a half marathon.

Minimalist running isn’t for everyone, but it works for me.  How about you?

 

 

Other stories from this broadcast

  • David Hoffman

    I have been a jogger for 34 years, using the usual cushion-y running shoes to manage knee paid.  Then I read “Born to Run,” which makes a persuasive case for barefoot running.  I now use Vibram FiveFingers and love it.  I ran the Boston Marathon in them this past year – my fastest time in recent years.  Two comments: (a) if, like me, you tend to run on the balls of your feet, you’re gonna love FiveFingers; if you tend to run on your heels, not so much.  (b) My physical therapist told me about a study in India, where doctors followed the foot development over time of kids who always wear shoes vs. kids who grow up barefoot; the bone structure in their feet grew differently.  Moral: barefoot (or nearly barefoot) running is simply great for some people, probably not everybody.

  • NT

    Lieberman is sooooo right – it is really simple. I don’t believe it has much to do with “barefoot”, types of shoes, or fancy research. Just pay attention to the jarring impact when you land your foot heel first vs. forefoot first. It’s very obvious and has been obvious for decades. Landing heel first prevents your foot and calf muscles from helping absorb the  shock of landing. It surprises me that what is so simple to experience and discover for yourself hasn’t been widely adopted by now. Oh well, better late than never, I guess.

  • Clay

    It really is all about heel striking.  I accidentally discovered minimalist running while I was waiting for my wife and daughter shopping.  I was drawn to a tv monitor showing a man running on a treadmill.  I ended up buying the book Born To Run, the running shoes and the casual shoes.  Now I am back to running a regular six mile run and thinking about marathons again.  This is amazing to me because after 11 marathons, old age, and the onset of joint pain I thought I had to give up running.  I feel great now and running better than ever.  Read the book, you’ll find to more of the history and science of how we were born to run and you will be anxious to get out on the road.

  • Dkmendenhall

    David
    I was a mediocre x-country runner in high school, ran 19-20 minute 5 k’s and sub-four marathons as an adult – in shoes. I love reading about Paula Radcliffe and Ryan Hall and Scott Jurek and Annie Trason – all shoe-running champions extraordinaire. But I am not them. I was never going to, and never will “win” a marathon or anything else. Most runners never will. So, why do we run? McDougall asked that question and answered it really well. So, sure, read his book. It’s a great inspiration. Read Berndt Heinrich’s “Why We Run.” Also great. Read Barefoot Ken-Bob Saxton’s “Barefoot Running,” if you want to learn more about how to do it. But consider this – maybe running isn’t about “a” movement. Consider that running is movement. Truth is, I can’t run in shoes anymore. Minimalist running allows me to get out on my legs and feet again, and I’m finding joy in the movement again, my legs scissoring through arid heat, slashing rain, gritty sand, tall grass, or crystal blue, as I found them doing this morning, after your show, for five miles or so along a lakeshore path. No splits, just the sounds of my feet dancing along a lakeshore path. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690126991 Vybarr Cregan-Reid

      I cannot tell you how nice it is to read your comments, David.  Running and racing for so many seem to be the same thing, but they couldn’t be more different.  I am writing a book about the aesthetic and philosophical benefits of running and moving through and within the landscape, just for its own sake.  May you run for as long as your legs will carry you!  (vybarr2012.blogspot.com)

  • Barefoot Dave

    “A friend asked me the other day if I’m still a barefoot runner, and the answer to that question is yes. I found a pair of minimalist running shoes that work for me.”–you’re obviously NOT a barefoot runner. You’re a minimalist runner.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dick-Patterson/100002370134866 Dick Patterson

    Running barefoot seems like a good idea, running in minimal shoes also seems like a good idea. Think of this however. 85% of the population will develop a foot problem requiring self or 3rd party treatment. The shoes we have been wearing for decades may be the cause of the problem. It may however have taken decades for the symptoms to show up ( a “straw that the camels back” scenario) it may be very naive to think that problems that were decades in the making can be resolved so quickly. Muscles control the biomechanics of the foot and gait, muscles stride, management and contribute energy to the system. The key muscles in gait require a proprioceptive stimuli for the environment and yet footwear insulates are shoes from the environment, particularly the sole of our foot.  Minimal shoes are a good idea in that they do not possess the bracing structures that encourage our feet to be weaker and prone to injury – however even the minimal shoes insulate the sole of foot from the support surface (terrain), they are better than traditional shoes, but they still insulate. Before even attempting prolonged barefoot activities or simulated barefoot activities you need to work those muscles and specifically target those muscles before they get over stress in the transition to barefoot. So to reduce/or prevent those injuries occurring the transition phase focus on foot strengthening exercises and/or get some biofeedback based insoles (there are some available in the US market called Barefoot Science) to put into those minimal shoes. Something to think about J

  • Steven Sashen

    Barefoot running not only cured me of some form issues (overstriding), but led to my developing arches in my lifetime-flat feet, and got rid of years of running injuries. 

    If I’m not competing (I’m a sprinter) in my spikes, I’m in Invisible Shoes sandals (www.invisibleshoe.com), so I can have a barefoot feel, but with a bit of protection (and they let me in restaurants ;-) )

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