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.

[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.