Barefoot Running

[Jolt]

Mayanorange, I heard about Lieberman's barefoot/VFF study and it sounds really interesting. Hopefully things like this will improve the understanding of what constitutes good biomechanics and decrease the ridiculous injury rate among runners. I would have liked to participate in his study but am not eligible b/c I haven't been running in VFFs long enough and my IT band injury was too recent.

[OakLeaf]

Do any of you barefooters have Morton's Foot (i.e., the second metatarsal is the longest one)?

I don't have a good sense of whether it's strength, flexibility or bone structure that prevents me from getting my first MTP joint down without pronating my ankles.

[GLC1968]

I'm curious as to the arches of the majority of the women posting here who wear the VFF.
Also, I feel discouraged when I go barefoot outside, because it really is painful. I feel like I'm encouraging my feet to be Pre-diabetic! (normal glucose)
I will keep reading the posts to see everyone's results. And, I will suck it up outside in the yard and force myself to walk on gravel, etc.

I don't have VFF's yet, but I'm thinking about ordering a pair. I am starting out truly barefoot and if I have to, I'll run on the treadmill for the first few short runs (right now, I'm only being barefoot and doing as many chores and gardening that way that I can). I have very, very flat feet.

[Biciclista]

I guess I have Morton's foot. Never been diagnosed but my second toe is the tallest on one foot but not the other. Never thought of it as a problem either!
I have a medium to high arch.

[OakLeaf]

Apparently the toe can be longer even though the second metatarsal is shorter than the first. When you scrunch your toes so that the heads of the foot bones stick out, is the second one still longer? Do you have trouble getting the pad of your foot, behind your big toe, on the ground without pronating your ankles?

Apparently it's a very common variation, but it causes all sorts of problems.

[Biciclista]

You're referring to lifting the toes into the air? yeah, the balls of my feet can sit on the ground with my toes sticking up in the air without pronating.
(I think I understand what you are saying?)

[OakLeaf]

no... I think it's easier if I explain what happens with my feet.

The "four corners of my feet" that naturally contact the ground are the two corners of my heel, the head of my fifth metatarsal, and the head of my SECOND metatarsal, not the first. Because the big toe is so important for balance, my ankle rolls inward to get the big toe onto the ground. If I place my ankles in neutral, then the pad of my first metatarsal is not bearing weight.

There's the problem. It's not just "overpronation" per se, it's all the imbalances in the calf and foot muscles that my body does to try to compensate.

I think what I might try (street shoes first) is ditching the orthotics and only padding the head of the first metatarsal, as the trigger point book suggests. That should help strengthen my feet because I'd be using my muscles, not arch supports, to support my arches; but I'd be using the muscles that ought to be supporting them, not trying to pull them sideways with the peroneus, etc.

[Selkie]

I've thought about getting a pair of Vibrams after hearing rave reviews from several folks at work. However, I am in the early stages of bunion development in both feet and I over pronate. A couple years ago, I ended up with a persistent bout with achilles tendonitis after wearing Nike Free sneakers (I didn't run in them, I was wearing them on walks). I, therefore, am leery of trying anything that might result in a foot/heel issue.

[canonsue]

I just bought a pair of Fivefingers KSOs. I am going to give it a try. One thing, is that when I measured my feet using the method on the five fingers website, I was two sizes away from what I really needed after trying several pairs on.

So if you do have a store you can go to, then that is much better. I had to travel an hour to a store that carried them. Strange that no one in Denver carried them, I had to go to Loveland or Boulder.

I experience foot pain whenever I walk or run consistently. So now that I am down 17 lbs, I wanted to start walking first and then get back into light jogging.

-Sue

[kelownagirl]

Has anyone read Born to Run? I have it on reserve. I believe it has a chapter about barefoot running.

[Jolt]

Has anyone read Born to Run? I have it on reserve. I believe it has a chapter about barefoot running.

I've read it--highly recommended! I got a copy from Amazon as soon as it came out. It does talk quite a bit about barefoot/minimalist shoe running. Really quite inspiring as far as the possibility of running a lot without getting injured.

[ginny]

VFF KSO: okay, girls... since I saw this thread this morning, I have been looking at these shoes. I have been running nearly every day since I was 13 - I am 34 now. In the past couple of years, age or gravity or something has snuck up on me, and I have really noticed things coaches have been telling me my whole life. That is, one leg is a fair bit longer than the other. I (apparently) compensate in my pelvis. I also pronate fairly severely. I did, however live barefoot the entire time I lived aboard a sailboat. I don't remember any aches or pains then (I was a fair bit younger though). I enjoy running long distance in the high country... so, whaddya think? Should I give these shoes a try? I mean, if I can't run in them, at least I can wear them around and about... I hear they stink (as do all cool shoes ... chacos), anyone have a solution for this? I work in a lab. It is feasible that I could wear them to work if I can control the stink... What do you think about this leg length issue? About the pronation? I think I'll buy them anyway - if I can't run terribly long distance in them, at least I can pretend I live aboard again

[Jolt]

VFF KSO: okay, girls... since I saw this thread this morning, I have been looking at these shoes. I have been running nearly every day since I was 13 - I am 34 now. In the past couple of years, age or gravity or something has snuck up on me, and I have really noticed things coaches have been telling me my whole life. That is, one leg is a fair bit longer than the other. I (apparently) compensate in my pelvis. I also pronate fairly severely. I did, however live barefoot the entire time I lived aboard a sailboat. I don't remember any aches or pains then (I was a fair bit younger though). I enjoy running long distance in the high country... so, whaddya think? Should I give these shoes a try? I mean, if I can't run in them, at least I can wear them around and about... I hear they stink (as do all cool shoes ... chacos), anyone have a solution for this? I work in a lab. It is feasible that I could wear them to work if I can control the stink... What do you think about this leg length issue? About the pronation? I think I'll buy them anyway - if I can't run terribly long distance in them, at least I can pretend I live aboard again

As far as the leg length issue, it seems to me that it could be compensated for by how much you bend your knees, but I'm not an expert on that type of issue--maybe someone with a background in PT etc. could speak to this. The pronation, from what I understand, tends to be less of an issue when barefoot or in minimal shoes because of the difference in how your foot contacts the ground (as was said earlier in the thread, heel-first running barefoot would be really unpleasant). The VFFs certainly can stink after wearing them for a while, but they can be washed in the washing machine and air-dried. Another thing that is helpful for getting rid of the "funk" is soaking them overnight in a vinegar/water solution and then rinsing thoroughly. Wearing Injinji socks/toe socks also helps keep it from getting bad as quickly.

[ginny]

thanks for the vinegar idea... I will also look up those socks. I wonder how in tarnation I will use these shoes in the winter here... alas, a river I will cross in a few months. I bought the shoes I will keep you all updated. I had a sneaking suspicion part of my issues in my old age have to do with all the orthotics/shoes etc I am wearing these days... well, we will see

[GLC1968]

So, I spent a good deal of my weekend working around the home. I was barefoot and on my feet for *most* of it. Funny thing I noticed? My heels started to hurt long before my forefoot did. I think I've now trained my feet to hit heel first and it hurts when I am not wearing shoes. I think that once I start running, that'll change because I know that I run more on the balls of my feet.

Another funny thing I noticed? I spent a LOT of my time in the kitchen (making & canning strawberry jam - yum!) and for the first time since we moved in, my back never hurt. Usually, extended time in this kitchen makes my back hurt something awful (I haven't figured out why). Maybe without shoes, the counter is a better height for me? What ever it is, I'm THRILLED about it.

Other than the achy heel, my feet felt fine. I think it's time to start jogging around the yard a little each day. If I can't do that safely, then I'll do it on the treadmill until I can swing the cash for some VFF's.