Barefoot Running

A few of us attended the barefoot running talk at the TAF Grand Opening the other week. Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee talked about their new book, and discussed tips/techniques for transitioning to barefoot running. I found the talk really interesting, mainly because I have been very skeptical of this new training trend. While I saw the benefits of barefoot running in terms of improving strength and technique, I was really nervous about winding up injured. They discussed the science behind the barefoot running, which made a lot of sense. And, Michael and Jessica gave the following advice for incorporating barefoot running into your training schedule:

• Start off slow. On your first run, try only 100m barefoot. Slowly add distance, making sure to take rest days between attempts. They said that the distance covered barefoot "feels" like 3x the distance covered with sneakers. Also, they recommended carrying your sneakers with you... it's not too fun to realize you have to run back, especially if you're in pain!
• Run barefoot in the beginning of your workout (versus the end). Not only will this help to encourage good form throughout the workout, but it will help prevent over-working/injuring tired muscles. Also, apparently the interaction between sweat on your feet (i.e., after a workout) and the ground creates a buffering effect of sorts, which destroys the calluses protecting your feet.
• Start off on hard surfaces (versus trails or grass). Part of the "form improvement" comes from the fact that you can now feel the ground and react to it (i.e., the bottom of your feet have a lot of nerves). However, they did admit that this might be difficult in the NC summers because the pavement is so hot. So, track and the grass it is!

In addition to running barefoot, you can also perform other exercises (feet and ankles, toes) to help build strength. I also linked Michael Sandler's and Jessica Lee's blog, which contains a lot more information about proper technique and product reviews related to barefoot running. #20