So about 6 months ago a guy ran buy me wearing...Vibram 5 Fingers running shoes. I thought "how cool." I am a big believer in "returning to nature" -so to speak. I spent probably no more than 5 minutes reading about barefoot running on the Internetand then ordered a pair of VFF in hot pink and orange!
I jogged in them less than a mile a couple times and noticed certain muscles were sore that were not usually that sore, but that my low back was not stiff after jogging like it usually was. The intial suddenly slow pace really freaked me out. Not having a heel under me made my brain freak out and caused me to run more up on the ball of my foot, out of subconscious fear of noheel support.
I made a really important decision that week and decided to ditch my everyday shoes, as well, and began wearing slippers during my non-exercise time. That was about 6 months ago. And it was a really good move to help strengthen the correct muscles in my foot and ankle. And thismade a gradual difference in my form.
So since about 6 months ago, I have only jogged the equivalent of about 10 miles a month, plus wearing slippers in my day to day life. One day I was reading about how the human body was not made to jog, but to run, and I decided next time I jogged, I would make a concerted effort to overcome the psychological barrier to "heel-less-ness" and just relax and let my foot do what it wanted to do, instead of what I wanted it to do.
So I tried it. And my body automatically RAN. It just went effortlessly from jogging up and down on my toes, to running. Seamlessly running. I could not stop it. It was the weirdest feeling.But I LOVE it!
One thing I have started doing is stretching my toes, and my ankles, and my calves, and just stopped worrying about stretching anything above my calf. Now that I don't stretch my hips or hamstrings or quads, etc. , and just focus below my knee, it seems to havemade an improvement also.
Mymarathoning friends still give me"the skeptical eye" -butI now realize that I am STRONGER running barefoot than with heels. Whereas they may be in it for speed, I am more in it for strength, andthis is definitely the way to go.
I jogged in them less than a mile a couple times and noticed certain muscles were sore that were not usually that sore, but that my low back was not stiff after jogging like it usually was. The intial suddenly slow pace really freaked me out. Not having a heel under me made my brain freak out and caused me to run more up on the ball of my foot, out of subconscious fear of noheel support.
I made a really important decision that week and decided to ditch my everyday shoes, as well, and began wearing slippers during my non-exercise time. That was about 6 months ago. And it was a really good move to help strengthen the correct muscles in my foot and ankle. And thismade a gradual difference in my form.
So since about 6 months ago, I have only jogged the equivalent of about 10 miles a month, plus wearing slippers in my day to day life. One day I was reading about how the human body was not made to jog, but to run, and I decided next time I jogged, I would make a concerted effort to overcome the psychological barrier to "heel-less-ness" and just relax and let my foot do what it wanted to do, instead of what I wanted it to do.
So I tried it. And my body automatically RAN. It just went effortlessly from jogging up and down on my toes, to running. Seamlessly running. I could not stop it. It was the weirdest feeling.But I LOVE it!
One thing I have started doing is stretching my toes, and my ankles, and my calves, and just stopped worrying about stretching anything above my calf. Now that I don't stretch my hips or hamstrings or quads, etc. , and just focus below my knee, it seems to havemade an improvement also.
Mymarathoning friends still give me"the skeptical eye" -butI now realize that I am STRONGER running barefoot than with heels. Whereas they may be in it for speed, I am more in it for strength, andthis is definitely the way to go.
