Barefoot Running

[KnottedYet]

Toes and Bunions.

(See, I was segue-ing on topic, more or less. Kind of. Maybe.)

Toes are very cool. They do a lot more than we give them credit for. I like to be able to use my toes, which is why I tend to prefer sandals and Birkenstocks. I also looooove Injinji toe socks. VFF are nifty because they are training flats with separate toesies.

Bunions are also very cool, but not in a nice way. They have usually two causes contributing to them: genetics and cramped toes. I like to put bunion patients who can still achieve corrected positioning of the great toe into things like Chaco Z/2 sandals. If I can get someone like that who is willing to try some VFF, I'll be very excited to see what happens. Toes like to be free! Happy toes can lead to less painful bunions. Bring on the toes!

If you've had a bunionectomy, I would suggest asking your podiatrist before you switch into any training flats. For pin placement and retention, you may need to be running in a motion control or stability shoe.

[twin]

I can wear my Vibrams in my classroom and I also have been going barefoot in my room.

[OakLeaf]

Toes are actually the #1 difference I notice between barefoot and shod. Maybe that's just because I'm so wide in the forefoot. When my pinky toes are inline with the 5th metatarsals, everything feels so much better. I can't even do that in sandals. They all pull in.

[moonfroggy]

T
Bunions are also very cool, but not in a nice way. They have usually two causes contributing to them: genetics and cramped toes. I like to put bunion patients who can still achieve corrected positioning of the great toe into things like Chaco Z/2 sandals. If I can get someone like that who is willing to try some VFF, I'll be very excited to see what happens. Toes like to be free! Happy toes can lead to less painful bunions. Bring on the toes!.

so i have small bunions but i have spent the majority of my life barefoot and have always avoided shoes that cramp my toes at all. would that mean my bunions are pretty much all genetic? they don't bother me at all unless i get shoes that don't give my toes room.

i have wanted to take up running for a long time and am finding this thread to be very interesting. i ran everyplace barefoot as a kid it ever occurred to me i could take up running now and do it barefoot!

[katluvr]

Very interesting stuff....since my massage therapist has pointed out the way I stand. Often w/ more weight on one leg and shifting my hip out to the side. Claims that has some stuff to do w/ my back muscles and some over development on one side versus the other. I always thought I had good posture since I am short, I stand up straight, don't hunch--even sitting at the computer I do that. However now that I am in my mid 40's having lots of lower back pain (noted when walking slow, strolling type walking). I do core work and know my tight hamstrings play a role. But until recently I never thought of myself as not having good posture. Hmmmmmmm, guess I need to really look into this.

As for barefoot. I spend a lot of time in flip flops or other sandal type shoes..including birks, croc's, etc. I don't really walk barefoot much (even in FL) since I have a real aversion to my feet being dirty. (It really grosses me out). I keep thinking about trying running either barefoot or trying the VFF's. Haven't made the leap yet. But after losing 2 toenails to my 1st marathon AND noting my big toe on my other foot is bruised underneath (please let me keep that toenail)...I really need to find something to run in that is not causing damage to my feet/toes. I did note that my feet hurt more after my long runs than my legs. So how does one's feet feel after that distnace? And as your speed increases in VFFs or barefoot...how does your foot strike not increase. Probably a dumb question. I feel that if I run faster, it equals harder and worry more impact on foot strike. I may just be all wrong about it.

K

[Red Rock]

Thank you Knott, once again to the rescue.

In my case they (the bunions) are genetic. So I guess I should work more on going barefoot to begin with and then work into some VFF's. When I have a job and can afford such things. I was looking at the Chacos the other day thinking how nice it would be to have my great toe facing forward.

Would the VFF's force the great toe forward by design?

Thank you everyone for contributing, I am learning a lot here.

Red Rock

[indigoiis]

If you can't wear VFFs to your work, try ballet shoes. No one's going to tell you not to wear them, and they have a very barefoot-like feel.

[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.