Barefoot Running

[qqwref]

Your age has nothing to do with running. 65 year olds can run as fast as a 19 year old.

I don't know whether what you say is true, but my point is that age has a lot to do with injuries, especially running injuries. Among other things, joints deteriorate over time, so that you are much more likely to injure your knees from 5 years of running at age 60 than at age 20. If more older people are running for sport than they used to, it would help explain an increase in running injuries.

You dont think people have always pushed themselves to the max? Spartan warriors were the best athletes in the world.

Were they? Did they do tests back then between elite athletes from every area of the world? (Did other areas of the world even have formalized athletic events?) And anyway, I think we've seen from cubing how what it takes to get to world-class increases over time. So if you want to be the best in the world now, you should expect a lot more difficulty than you would have 2000+ years ago. And harder training means higher chance of injury.

Fatter because people dont exercise anymore. Who would want to exercise in pain?

People are fatter because calorie-dense food is easier/cheaper to get and because modern lifestyles/jobs are more sedentary than they were even 50 years ago.

And its not the shoes that kills you. Its what the shoes make you do. They make you land on your heel.

I can agree with that, but it's an issue of technique. The fact that many people are running with poor technique does not mean it's better to go barefoot, it means it's better to improve technique. With proper shoes and proper technique, I think you would see better results and less foot damage than with no shoes and proper technique.

 

[TheMachanga]

http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/runner-communities/barefoot-running

I've personally not been interested in BF running, but I think it's cool that you bf op.

I've heard VFF will injure you if you don't know what you're doing, so if you're interested in barefoot, you have to know everything about it.

 

[PandaCuber]

I don't know whether what you say is true, but my point is that age has a lot to do with injuries, especially running injuries. Among other things, joints deteriorate over time, so that you are much more likely to injure your knees from 5 years of running at age 60 than at age 20. If more older people are running for sport than they used to, it would help explain an increase in running injuries.

If you ran a 5k in 20 mins at the age of 20. Then kept running for 40 years. And you kept up your health. At 60 you will be able to run that 5k in 20mins or better.

Were they? Did they do tests back then between elite athletes from every area of the world? (Did other areas of the world even have formalized athletic events?) And anyway, I think we've seen from cubing how what it takes to get to world-class increases over time. So if you want to be the best in the world now, you should expect a lot more difficulty than you would have 2000+ years ago. And harder training means higher chance of injury.

They didnt train like we do. First of all, long time ago(spartan time) in order to get news around, you had to run. To get anywhere, you had to run. Then sports has always been around. People always want to see whos the better man, so they couldve had a race. Get it?

People are fatter because calorie-dense food is easier/cheaper to get and because modern lifestyles/jobs are more sedentary than they were even 50 years ago.

People are fat cause you can get food delivered to your door.

I can agree with that, but it's an issue of technique. The fact that many people are running with poor technique does not mean it's better to go barefoot, it means it's better to improve technique. With proper shoes and proper technique, I think you would see better results and less foot damage than with no shoes and proper technique.

Its not always the technique. Think about the sole. .Your foot naturally looks for hard floor to land on. It looks for stability. So if theres cushioning, your foot pushes through that to get to the bottom. Thats why over time, you have a footprint in your shoe .

 

[PandaCuber]

http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/runner-communities/barefoot-running

I've personally not been interested in BF running, but I think it's cool that you bf op.

I've heard VFF will injure you if you don't know what you're doing, so if you're interested in barefoot, you have to know everything about it.

This is true. You can get hurt in VFF.
And you dont have to know everything. Just have good form and everything will come to you.

 

[PCwizCube]

http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/runner-communities/barefoot-running

I've personally not been interested in BF running, but I think it's cool that you bf op.

I've heard VFF will injure you if you don't know what you're doing, so if you're interested in barefoot, you have to know everything about it.

Yes, because VFF don't 100% teach you how to run barefoot properly, so if you go into VFFs really fast you'll hurt yourself pretty easily. It's best to start with totally barefoot and slowly learn from there.

I also wear VFFs to school everyday haha.

 

[pjk]

What about stepping on glass, wood shavings, and other sharp objects? Why not buy shoes that lets you spread out your feet fully and cushions them, as well as protects them? Running barefoot is fine depending on where you're running, but you have to be careful.

 

[PandaCuber]

What about stepping on glass, wood shavings, and other sharp objects? Why not buy shoes that lets you spread out your feet fully and cushions them, as well as protects them? Running barefoot is fine depending on where you're running, but you have to be careful.

You tend to "Look-ahead" (Teehee).
I wear these when I know im gunna run in an unknown location or on a long run.

Spoiler

This is not me, but i do have these and they look exactly the same.

 

[PCwizCube]

What about stepping on glass, wood shavings, and other sharp objects? Why not buy shoes that lets you spread out your feet fully and cushions them, as well as protects them? Running barefoot is fine depending on where you're running, but you have to be careful.

That's wear minimalist shoes come in. They spread out your feet and are generally enough to protect your feet. (Most conventional running sneakers cramp your toes) And your feet don't really need much cushioning if you're running properly. But yes as PandaCuber said it's generally much better to look where you're going so you can avoid stepping on anything nasty.

 

[Cool Frog]

I always wanted to just say good riddance to my shoes.
(I hate those things =/)

I would just walk/run barefoot Just that my school doesn't even allow sandals.

 

[PandaCuber]

@ PandaCuber: Does your foot ever get injured when you run barefoot? I mean, what if there is a tiny piece of glass, or any other object that you didn't see, it would cause your feet to start bleeding. Maybe I'm just a little too worried.

There was this one time I went running at night (stupid decision) and on my way home, i stepped on a little piece of glass.
I bleed a little(Not drastically) and it came out fairly easy. I put some alcohol on it and I was good to go.

And if you do step on something, youll definitely feel it and you will stop running. So you wont run till your foot falls off lol

 

[emolover]

@Panda

Nice feet!

I don't see how people get these injuries. The only injury I have ever got from running was that I hyper extended my knee from falling down a hill because I was running too fast.

Also how about everyone post there best 5K.

Mine officially is 18:56 and unofficially is 17:51(Set it yesterday).

 

[TheMachanga]

@Panda

Nice feet!

I don't see how people get these injuries. The only injury I have ever gotten from running was that I hyper extended my knee from falling down a hill because I was running too fast.

Also how about everyone post there best 5K.

Mine officially is 18:56 and unofficially is 17:51(Set it yesterday).

Nice! In Illinois, cross country is 3 mile, so I have a 17:47 3 mile, which is around an 18:25 5k.

 

[A Leman]

When I was young, I always went fishing and decided it was better to fish in streams while barefoot because my shoes would stay dry. So every summer would start by me finding a tough gravel road and running on it untill the pain went away and I gained stong callouses. This made me a big fan of running barefoot since it felt like wearing shoes anyway(pavement and even glass are not bad after awhile). Then over the summer during my senior year, i was running about 70-80 miles a week. I slowly developed bone bruises and by the time fall came, I could barely walk before and after my first race.

The point I am trying to make is that lightweight shoes(not minimalist shoes or barefoot) may be the best solution. They are usually comfortable and wear down very well while still providing protection from the probable year that barefoot running bites back and takes a season away from you.

 

[Carson]

I can't walk inside my house for more than a short time before my feet start to hurt. I won't even go to the mailbox without shoes on... I'm sticking to shoes. I think safety is top priority, and unless you are running on a closed and controlled course, it is not safe to run without shoes. Whether it is better for technique or whatever... doesn't really matter to me.

 

[emolover]

@Carson

You might want to get your feet checked out if you experience pain just from walking around your house. My feet only hurt after a very long run or a difficult hike.

 

[TheMachanga]

@Carson

You might want to get your feet checked out if you experience pain just from walking around your house. My feet only hurt after a very long run or a difficult hike.

Maybe not, my feet hurt just from standing in the shower

 

[emolover]

Maybe not, my feet hurt just from standing in the shower

Most people have that problem because the blood is not circulating as much when you are standing still and putting all your weight on it. But I dont have a problem from walking.

 

[PandaCuber]

Maybe not, my feet hurt just from standing in the shower

Some people wear shoes soo much, that they never develop the barefooot muscles. Thats what could cause your pain.

@Panda

Nice feet!

Also how about everyone post there best 5K.

Mine officially is 18:56 and unofficially is 17:51(Set it yesterday).

A couple weeks ago I did a low 17. Dont remember what the last two numbers were though

 

[Cube-Fu]

With a little time and gentle conditioning, barefoot practices can be very beneficial for your body; helping maintain body heat and improving immunity. Plus it makes you look like a hippy...

 

[PandaCuber]

Heres a quick video of my Huaraches.
In the beginning its just a solve, nothing special and the Huarache part starts at 0:22