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 JANUARY 31, 2010 You Can Run Barefoot Safely and Comfortably Contrary to popular belief, you can run barefoot comfortably, and safely. Runners who go shoeless or wear minimal footwear tend to avoid coming down heel-first, and instead land on the ball of the foot or the middle of the foot. This avoids the potentially damaging impact experienced by runners wearing shoes. The main function of the foot is to absorb the shock of the body's weight landing on it. The foot supports up to 4 times your body weight when you are running fast, and it must bear at least 1,800 foot strikes for every mile you run or walk. A new study in the January 28 Nature, led by Daniel E. Lieberman, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, found that most runners who wear shoes, and that's more than 75% of Americans, come down with the heel first. Modern running shoes are designed to make heel-striking easy and comfortable. The padded heel cushions the force of the impact, making heel-striking less punishing. But until the modern running shoe was invented in the 1970s, most runners ran barefoot or wore minimal footwear, such as sandals or moccasins with smaller heels and little cushioning. This leads to a landing with a springy step as the foot flexes to absorb the shock. This might reduce the repetitive stress injuries, such as shin splints, that runners tend to suffer, but the jury is still out on that. Running barefoot or in minimal shoes, such as thin five-toe footwear, uses different muscles. So if you've been a heel-striker all your life, you have to transition slowly to build strength in your calf and foot muscles. Here are the researcher's tips on how to make that transition: -- Build up slowly. The first week run no more than ¼ to 1 mile each day. Increase your distance by no more than 10% each week. --Stop and let your body heal if you feel pain. --Stretch your calves and hamstrings. Massage your calf muscles and arches. --Listen to your feet. Stop running if the top of your foot or your arches hurt. |
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