Heel striking in VFFs
- Thread starter C. Beth Run.
- Start date
I started in vff and never
I started in vff and never heel striked. I now mostly run bf but will wear vff when the soles are tender or it's too wet or cold. I don't heel strike anytime. I've always paid attention to form and maybe your forgetting to do that.
Mike
I started in vff and never heel striked. I now mostly run bf but will wear vff when the soles are tender or it's too wet or cold. I don't heel strike anytime. I've always paid attention to form and maybe your forgetting to do that.
Mike
I don't want to have to
I don't want to have to "keep" paying attention to my form when I'm running. When I run barefoot, I barely think about my form, and I don't heel strike, and I don't get injured, and I enjoy my runs. It's quite the opposite with something on my feet.
I don't want to have to "keep" paying attention to my form when I'm running. When I run barefoot, I barely think about my form, and I don't heel strike, and I don't get injured, and I enjoy my runs. It's quite the opposite with something on my feet.
I definitely pay attention to
I definitely pay attention to form, but not heel striking is so much more natural when bare then when wearing VFFs.
On the other hand, I have to pay MORE attention to where I'm stepping when I'm totally bare, which is one reason I like VFFs...I don't have to think as much about where I'm putting my feet.
I definitely pay attention to form, but not heel striking is so much more natural when bare then when wearing VFFs.
On the other hand, I have to pay MORE attention to where I'm stepping when I'm totally bare, which is one reason I like VFFs...I don't have to think as much about where I'm putting my feet.
stomper
Guest
Barefoot TJ wrote:I don't
Right, this is how I feel too. I finally have gotten to the point where I can do an acceptable, comfortable run in minimal shoes. But it requires so much more thought than doing it barefoot. With minimal shoes I have to pay attention to my form constantly. Without shoes, there is no need to analyze myself if I don't feel like it. Which is most of the time; my few remaining brain cells struggle as it is.
Barefoot TJ said:
Right, this is how I feel too. I finally have gotten to the point where I can do an acceptable, comfortable run in minimal shoes. But it requires so much more thought than doing it barefoot. With minimal shoes I have to pay attention to my form constantly. Without shoes, there is no need to analyze myself if I don't feel like it. Which is most of the time; my few remaining brain cells struggle as it is.
sorry, thought about it and i
sorry, thought about it and i have done some heel striking in my vff. i noticed and changed my stride. bf or shod i will always check my stride. my form was off for a bit but has gotten much better. i meant to edit that post but didn't get to it.with my slight limp i feel i always have to pay attention to my form.
MIke
sorry, thought about it and i have done some heel striking in my vff. i noticed and changed my stride. bf or shod i will always check my stride. my form was off for a bit but has gotten much better. i meant to edit that post but didn't get to it.with my slight limp i feel i always have to pay attention to my form.
MIke
TJ & Stomper, Right on!I
TJ & Stomper, Right on!
I consider myself pretty lazy (is that the term for it?) not thinking about my form now. Thank god. When I was shod I thought about everything - straight back, straight feet, immoble shoulders, slight forward lean, good cadence, perfect heel-strike etc. etc. etc. OBSESSIVE. Now I just don't think and everything feels good automatically. But only when completely barefoot.
Yesterday I was running in my water shoes and I felt like I was really POUNDING the pavement. Heel-striking or not, my feet want to feel the ground and they come down hard trying to find it, even in very floppy shoes. I'm finding barefoot living + barefoot running + barfoot hiking = confused feet when they're not getting imput.
TJ & Stomper, Right on!
I consider myself pretty lazy (is that the term for it?) not thinking about my form now. Thank god. When I was shod I thought about everything - straight back, straight feet, immoble shoulders, slight forward lean, good cadence, perfect heel-strike etc. etc. etc. OBSESSIVE. Now I just don't think and everything feels good automatically. But only when completely barefoot.
Yesterday I was running in my water shoes and I felt like I was really POUNDING the pavement. Heel-striking or not, my feet want to feel the ground and they come down hard trying to find it, even in very floppy shoes. I'm finding barefoot living + barefoot running + barfoot hiking = confused feet when they're not getting imput.
Take someone who has run in
Take someone who has run in shoes their whole life (heel striking and all), stick them on a treadmill completely barefoot, with no other explanation other then "run" and they will automatically, without thinking about it at all, begin running with the same form that we use - their strides will shorten and they will land lightly on the balls of their forefoot. Why? Because we are fearfully and wonderfully made and our brain, nerves, and Feet are Amazing. Basic "good form" doesn't require thought If you are completely barefoot. If you 'learn to barefoot' in minimalist shoes, then you must, for the first little bit, train your body to run with good form. But after you have trained your body to do so, whether you ditch the _________(insert minimalist shoe name here) or not, - stop thinking! Just.... "run". Trust your body to do what it has been (now) 'trained' to do, and Allow your body to run how it was designed.
For a lot of us, that "stop thinking and just run!" is hard. I wrote a blog about it maybe a week or 2 ago because I was finding myself overthinking - here's the gist of my thoughts.... though I don't like to run with ipods or anything else, take a run with an iPod blaring your favorite music (again, I usually don't like this idea at all). You'll get wrapped up in the beat of the song so you can't analyze your cadence, you'll find yourself singing in your head (or outloud... you know who you are /sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/Roving/bigsmile.png ) so that you can't focus on your breath count, and you'll get lost in the fun of the songs that you'll forget to concentrate on your form. And guess what you'll find? You're running. Just running - in near perfect form for the simple reason that you are Not Trying to
Take someone who has run in shoes their whole life (heel striking and all), stick them on a treadmill completely barefoot, with no other explanation other then "run" and they will automatically, without thinking about it at all, begin running with the same form that we use - their strides will shorten and they will land lightly on the balls of their forefoot. Why? Because we are fearfully and wonderfully made and our brain, nerves, and Feet are Amazing. Basic "good form" doesn't require thought If you are completely barefoot. If you 'learn to barefoot' in minimalist shoes, then you must, for the first little bit, train your body to run with good form. But after you have trained your body to do so, whether you ditch the _________(insert minimalist shoe name here) or not, - stop thinking! Just.... "run". Trust your body to do what it has been (now) 'trained' to do, and Allow your body to run how it was designed.
For a lot of us, that "stop thinking and just run!" is hard. I wrote a blog about it maybe a week or 2 ago because I was finding myself overthinking - here's the gist of my thoughts.... though I don't like to run with ipods or anything else, take a run with an iPod blaring your favorite music (again, I usually don't like this idea at all). You'll get wrapped up in the beat of the song so you can't analyze your cadence, you'll find yourself singing in your head (or outloud... you know who you are /sites/all/modules/smileys/packs/Roving/bigsmile.png ) so that you can't focus on your breath count, and you'll get lost in the fun of the songs that you'll forget to concentrate on your form. And guess what you'll find? You're running. Just running - in near perfect form for the simple reason that you are Not Trying to
Last fall, my trail running
Last fall, my trail running club started doing some trail runs for beginners. The leaders mentioned that a lot of runners like to run trails in the winter to give their legs a break from the pounding of the roads. (picture everyone murmuring agreement and nodding heads).
Then they tell them that trail running is different from road running in that you need to shorten your stride and keep your feet under you for balance. Hmmmm..... Sounds an awful lot like bfr to me.
Last fall, my trail running club started doing some trail runs for beginners. The leaders mentioned that a lot of runners like to run trails in the winter to give their legs a break from the pounding of the roads. (picture everyone murmuring agreement and nodding heads).
Then they tell them that trail running is different from road running in that you need to shorten your stride and keep your feet under you for balance. Hmmmm..... Sounds an awful lot like bfr to me.
Once you've run completely
Once you've run completely barefoot for awhile (not in and out of shoes), you won't have to stare and concentrate on where to put your feet. Whatever debris is lying in your way is quickly noticed by your eyes and relayed to your brain, so you know intuitively where to step. It becomes second nature, so much so, that I actually can enjoy my surroundings and take in the entire vibe of the run.
When I have shoes on, like Mary says, my feet are starved to feel the ground, and I pound and plod on along. I would like to learn how to run in huaraches the way I run barefoot, but I have the same mental (and physical) road block.
So then Miker, when you are combo barefoot and trail running, you have to take even shorter strides. Ha!
Once you've run completely barefoot for awhile (not in and out of shoes), you won't have to stare and concentrate on where to put your feet. Whatever debris is lying in your way is quickly noticed by your eyes and relayed to your brain, so you know intuitively where to step. It becomes second nature, so much so, that I actually can enjoy my surroundings and take in the entire vibe of the run.
When I have shoes on, like Mary says, my feet are starved to feel the ground, and I pound and plod on along. I would like to learn how to run in huaraches the way I run barefoot, but I have the same mental (and physical) road block.
So then Miker, when you are combo barefoot and trail running, you have to take even shorter strides. Ha!
That's 'cuz you passed them
That's 'cuz you passed them all way long ago and don't want to make them feel bad for being so slow...and shod. ;-)
That's 'cuz you passed them all way long ago and don't want to make them feel bad for being so slow...and shod. ;-)
