Harvard looks at barefoot running

Finally some progress on the scientific side of barefoot running...

http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html

Barefoot running PR is a PR

After a deadlift workout last week I ran my normal route of 1.5 miles of neighborhood hills. My best time is 15 minutes and this time I did it in 14 minutes in the Five Fingers!

The crazy part is I actually walked two small stretches after racing up some hills. It was probably less than 40 yds each time but I never walk this route! I've run this route as many as 6 times in one workout and never once walked it.

A couple days later my brother joined me for a workout and we hit a vertical push/pull and a horizontal push/pull (presses, pull ups, push ups and one arm rows). We did two sets each and went on a run.

Same thing - 14 minutes - however, afterwards we ran a couple 100m races. A couple of the neighborhood kids saw us and joined in. Dave and I tied at 2 and 2. It felt good for 228lbs of 31 year old to keep pace (and even beat) kids younger and lighter.

I'm feeling good about the bad shoes!

Two days later and my feet are sore!

Feet, calves, hamstrings and groin. I figured this much but I didn't expect the groin to be sore. I've never experienced soreness in the adductors from running before and I'm not sure how this relates to barefoot training.

I also have a little soreness in the left heel but this feels like a bruise. I'm pretty sure it was that first heel strike when I set off to run as I don't remember stepping on anything that would have caused it. I do remember my stride changing almost immediately from what I am used to (heel striking as with shoes).

Vibram Five Fingers & Barefoot Running

So I finally broke down and bought a pair of the ugly foot glove shoes - the Vibram Five Fingers - . I got the all black ones because they are the least conspicuous and I figured if I wear them at night then maybe nobody will see them:) My wife said they should come with a face shield for when people throw things at you. :)

All joking aside, they are actually pretty damn comfortable and I'm getting used to their funny looks already.

I'm convinced of the reported benefits to training barefoot and I have held that opinion for years. From proprioception, balance, natural gait to running mechanics; it all makes sense - smart shoes make dumb feet.

It wasn't until I read this article - The painful truth about trainers - and until mc (a fellow KB instructor, and barefoot training advocate) scored a 40% discount for RKC's, did I decide to give the foot gloves a try.

My first time out with them consisted of a 1/2 run and four 100m sprints. The first thing I noticed was there was no heel strike in my stride. Much smoother run. The sprints weren't as fast as in running shoes (I normally wear the Nike Free 7.0) but I felt like I could run easier, if that makes sense. I also noticed my feet started to fatigue; they were definitely getting a workout. It'll be interesting to see if I have DOMS tomorrow in my feet, I've got a feeling I will.