I'm still recovering from two setbacks in my running as of late. The first, a sprained ankle and the second, a poor performance in a race, neither of which I can shake off. Over the last week I have gone back to the practice of running some miles barefoot.
Since man needed to catch his meal, he has been running without shoes until our most recent history in which cushioned sneakers have become the norm for runners, myself included. The benefits of running this way are fairly well documented by some in the medical field, more prevalently by those individuals who run sans shoes.
Thinnmann at Running Barefoot says it best in his first post:
"The consensus is that when done correctly, running barefoot reduces the incidence of injury to the foot, ankle, knees and back. This is a confluence of several factors: The foot is strengthened, along with all its supporting muscles and tendons. Footstrike is altered to a more natural position as evolution has dictated – that is, to not give us raised heels. Sensitivity is increased so we can make better dynamic adjustments that avoid ankle turns and other balance-related injuries."
I'm not a stranger to the barefoot practice, when I had the luxury of a college campus, I rarely wore shoes. But the real world has less green space where one can truly run without fear of glass shards, syringes, and rocks. And I know most golfers don't want to see runners in the middle of the fairway as they step up to the tee box.
I keep tweaking my ankle playing other sports (volleyball and softball) and I haven't felt 100% comfortable going all out with it yet. It's nothing that's stopped me from running, but it certainly hasn't helped me achieve that transcendent run in a while. And while my reasoning for this round of barefoot running at first was due to cool grass and my lack of real motivation. I didn't feel like doing the same old run and this seemed like the perfect way to break up the monotony.
Afterwards, I felt the benefit in my calves and feet, a slight stretching and tenderness from a good workout. While I'm not going to convert to a full on barefoot running streaker, I'm certainly going to capitalize on the summer months for the opportunity to get back to nature. Hopefully it will give me the confidence to pick up the speed again.
A caveat for any runner looking to mix it in: do so slowly, gradually incorporate a couple miles barefoot to your weekly mileage. Look down at the ground as you need to be aware of hidden threats to your soles. They won't be callused enough to handle all the rocks, twigs, etc that will be found in your path.
Also check with some of the more known resources on the web to be better informed.
I'll keep "lacing up" everyday, I hope you'll join me occasionally...
