Baring My Sole

When I was a kid, I used to run barefoot all summer long around my uncles’ farms in Western North Dakota. The sharp, orange scoria rock that lines all the country roads and driveways in that area didn’t seem to bother me or my feet at all. Now, years later, I can barely run to the mailbox barefooted, over a smooth, rocky surface without wincing in pain. That explains the uneasiness I felt as I sat in the doctor’s office last week reading a Time Life article on the phenomenon of barefoot running. The author wrote about the hype in recent months, following the publication of Christopher McDougall's best seller, Born to Run. He also described his own personal experiment with barefoot running.

The idea of running with nothing on my feet during an actual workout is pretty scary to me, I have to confess… but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t intrigue me a little bit, too.

From what I’ve read, barefoot running appears to be more of a trend than a practice based on scientific research. Scan the internet or check your local library, and you’ll find dozens of people writing books, articles & opinion papers on the topic. Most promise that hitting the road shoeless is a more natural way to run (and who’s going to argue with that?).

Here are the biomechanics in a very small nut shell:
When you are not wearing shoes, you run differently. In general, barefoot runners tend to strike the ground on the ball of the foot (closer to the front of the foot, near the toes) and are in contact with the ground for shorter period of time during each stride. This is contrary to those in shoes, who are oftentimes heel-strikers with the back of their foot contacting the ground first, bringing their foot through a full range of motion before leaving the ground.

Advocates for barefoot running believe the change in gait and stride associated with not wearing shoes reduces chronic injury and may actually make you a faster, possibly more efficient, runner. Unfortunately, there isn’t much evidence, from a research or clinical standpoint, to support such claims.

If you are thinking about running barefoot, one internet source stresses the importance of starting out slowly, running or walking barefoot only for short distances at first. This will encourage a natural thickening of the soles of your feet. Once you have “toughened up” your feet, you can add longer distances and rougher Terrain to your workouts. This concept, alone, is enough to make me cringe and lace my shoes up even tighter! I’m a girl and I’ll admit, I’m self-conscience about almost every part of my body, but this is especially true when it comes to my feet! Sure, my self-image may be skewed and irrational at times, but the unchallenged (not even by my husband) truth is … I have ugly feet! So, I’m sure you can understand my hesitation to jump feet first into something that promises to make them even uglier! I’ve been hiding behind cute running shoes for years, so I think I’m going to need a little more evidence or will need to conduct my own personal experiment (on someone else, of course) before I am willing to retire the tennies. How about you?

Barefoot with my first "running buddy" and lil' sis, Caryn!
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Vibram Five Finger socks? shoes? hmmm....
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Totally unrelated: My newest running buddy, Ashley, is training overseas for her first marathon.  Currently in Istanbul, Turkey, she is running the Berlin, Germany 1/2 marathon next month.  Stop by her blog to cheer her on and be sure to tell her you're a "Running Buddy," too! http://ashleyrun.blogspot.com/