Barefoot Running

[twin]

I have decided to stop running in my running shoes and have been walking with a little running before and after school at about 50 minutes each. So I hope this will eventually increase to more running time with my Vibrams. I also have in really short spurts done a little BF running and walking.

[colby]

Very interesting stuff about posture and pronation - Knot strikes again. I'm going to have to do a little studying on myself there. I have a feeling my heel pain in shoes is some kind of mis-alignment that I'm arguing with and need to un-learn before I am forced to un-learn it with help.

My big toe callous under my right big toe actually hurts when I run on it for significant distance, in shoes and to a much lesser extent in the VFFs, and I'm trying to figure out why - the left one feels fine. Feels like I do have a bit of tough skin formed between my big toe and second toe (have had blisters there, too), and my right big toe callous is MUCH tougher than my left. I've considered seeing a podiatrist or someone that can tell me where the pain in my foot is referring to how I'm running, something in my posture, or something I can/should actually correct ON my feet (soften my over-hardened callous?), or maybe a combination.

I wear my VFFs to work too - I work at a software company (I also bring my dog to work ). I also wore them to a conference this week representing my company, but software/network security/IT people are kind of a different breed to begin with.

I started running in VFFs fairly "aggressively" I'd say, but I do have a relatively strong base and a fairly consistent volume of running under my belt through the last 9-12 months. If my base mileage was 3 miles in one shot or 10-15 miles a week total spread across many days, I would have started out much lighter. As it is, you really have to listen to your body, and don't forget to stretch!

[KnottedYet]

Colby - do you have a running coach or sports med PT who could look at your running form? It sounds like you might be over-striding, and maybe vaulting or whipping on the right foot during toe-off.

(shoes can let you over-stride and get away with it for quite a while)

[GLC1968]

Keep in mind that VFF's don't work for everyone. If your second toe is significantly longer than your big toe, it is apparently hard to get a good fit. And if your pinky toe is really short or low on the outside of your foot, you will again have difficulties. If your pinky toe is just tightly curled under, then the VFFs will help fix that, actually. The problem is that if your toes can't remain in the pockets, running in them would be incredibly painful. I don't know if walking in them would work and if that might help the problem, but it's a pretty expensive experiment, if you ask me. I have no idea how a bunioned (is that a word?) foot would do in VFF's.

Now, if you have basically flipper feet like I do, they'll fit perfectly the first time you slip them on! I also wear mine to work but I do not wear them for running. I'm sticking to true barefoot running and just working my way up very, very slowly. Since I have always had flat feet, problems with shin splints and ball of foot pain, it just blows my mind that even the small amount of barefoot running I've done over the past three months has helped so much. I am 100% foot/lower leg pain free right now! Unreal!

[nscrbug]

Keep in mind that VFF's don't work for everyone. If your second toe is significantly longer than your big toe, it is apparently hard to get a good fit. And if your pinky toe is really short or low on the outside of your foot, you will again have difficulties. If your pinky toe is just tightly curled under, then the VFFs will help fix that, actually. The problem is that if your toes can't remain in the pockets, running in them would be incredibly painful. I don't know if walking in them would work and if that might help the problem, but it's a pretty expensive experiment, if you ask me. I have no idea how a bunioned (is that a word?) foot would do in VFF's.

Now, if you have basically flipper feet like I do, they'll fit perfectly the first time you slip them on! I also wear mine to work but I do not wear them for running. I'm sticking to true barefoot running and just working my way up very, very slowly. Since I have always had flat feet, problems with shin splints and ball of foot pain, it just blows my mind that even the small amount of barefoot running I've done over the past three months has helped so much. I am 100% foot/lower leg pain free right now! Unreal!

THIS is interesting and has given me some hope in trying VFF's. My right pinky toe curls under, quite excessively. After any runs in my normal running shoes (Mizuno Wave Inspire & Adidas Supernova Sequence 2), that pinky toe is beet red and very tender to the touch. The two toes next to my pinky, also have a tendency to misbehave...by underlapping each other, which I'm sure causes some friction and rubbing. I was hoping that with the toe pockets on the VFF's, this might help "train" my toes to straighten out. Is this a plausible theory? I've already tried the Injini toe socks, but they are way too thin for me and induce the toe numbing way faster than a thicker, padded sock does.

[GLC1968]

I was hoping that with the toe pockets on the VFF's, this might help "train" my toes to straighten out. Is this a plausible theory?

I think it is, based on my experience and what I read here: about toes

My feet are already pretty close to the spread out toe condition which is why my VFF's slid right on the first time and why they feel totally natural to me. Of course, the little device they sell at that podiatrists office (mentioned in the link) might be a cheaper way of getting there, too.

[colby]

Colby - do you have a running coach or sports med PT who could look at your running form? It sounds like you might be over-striding, and maybe vaulting or whipping on the right foot during toe-off.

(shoes can let you over-stride and get away with it for quite a while)

I think my PT might do running form analysis (haven't seen them since I graduated from my hip injury, which of course may entirely be related - we might have fixed one system but not all of them). I did notice that the VFFs increase my cadence and shorten my stride. I try to practice mirroring the right to the left in feel (and the VFFs help that), but I think I need to rebuild some related muscle memory.

Good advice.

[Jolt]

Those of you who are switching to barefoot and/or VFFs: beware! You will find yourself not wanting to wear other kinds of shoes, even when you're not running. They begin to just not feel right. Given the number of situations where going barefoot or wearing VFFs is not considered acceptable, this is a bummer. Especially since just about any "acceptable-looking" shoe (for anything other than very casual situations) will have some degree of an elevated heel, stiff sole, not enough room for the toes to spread out naturally, or some combination of the above. Hopefully this will start to change soon with all the current interest in going barefoot/wearing minimal shoes.

[KnottedYet]

Jolt - have you noticed any cross-over between VFF and Birkenstocks? I have the perfect Birki feet - it's like those suckers were made for ME. (and, oh, do I feel special!) But I wasn't able to fit VFF at all because my great toe is so huge compared to the rest of my toes that to get a size that felt right left me with floppy flaccid toes everywhere else.

Mostly, I'm wondering if the neutral heel, straight last, and broad toe box of Birkis translate well to the neutral heel, straight last, and unlimited toe box of the VFF.

[colby]

I didn't have any trouble going to Keen sandals after wearing the VFFs for a couple weeks pretty much straight, but Keens are well known for their toebox and foot-friendly shape. ANY shoes that squash my toes feel absolutely wrong - even my bike shoes.

I feel like the VFFs are one of those toe aligner dealies that you see in the SkyMall catalog or in the back of magazines. My left pinky toe always feels funny the first time I put it back in the VFFs after wearing other shoes, like it's being put back where it belongs. I wear them for a while, my toes feel great and the shoes go on super easy, then I wear regular shoes, even just for a night, come back to the VFFs, and I have to argue with my toes to get in them.

[Jolt]

Jolt - have you noticed any cross-over between VFF and Birkenstocks? I have the perfect Birki feet - it's like those suckers were made for ME. (and, oh, do I feel special!) But I wasn't able to fit VFF at all because my great toe is so huge compared to the rest of my toes that to get a size that felt right left me with floppy flaccid toes everywhere else.

Mostly, I'm wondering if the neutral heel, straight last, and broad toe box of Birkis translate well to the neutral heel, straight last, and unlimited toe box of the VFF.

I haven't worn Birkenstocks but I would imagine you're right. They're one of the very few shoes shaped like a real foot, and are flat from toe to heel. The only potential problem with them is that they aren't flexible. Check out this link http://barefootted.com/2008/08/my-huaraches.html for sandals you can make yourself (for running or otherwise) that fit all the criteria for staying out of the way of the natural functioning of your feet.

[Selkie]

I capitulated and just ordered a pair of the KSOs from REI. My feet are "pre-bunion," according to a podiatrist I saw a few years ago. If I love these shoes, it's going to be very difficult not to wear them to work....