How many people include barefoot running into there training?
Also is barefoot running now recognised among fell runners as a valuable part of strengthening & progression to becoming a better runner?
I'll stick to shoes thanks
How many people include barefoot running into there training?
Also is barefoot running now recognised among fell runners as a valuable part of strengthening & progression to becoming a better runner?
Last edited by SEFTON; 09-07-2010 at 08:34 AM.
Should this include a poll?
I don't. And, no I don't think it is.
Edit: Aha, I see it does now. Nice one Sefton.
Last edited by noel; 09-07-2010 at 09:07 AM.
I am completely flat footed and use orthotics in my shoes (all the time not just for running), so it would take a lot of work to get my feet to work properly... I don't think it's really worth it - orthotics work fine!
That said I would quite like to give it a go. Just to see
I keep thinking about giving it a try but never get around to it.
Hoping for a far more successful 2009
The whole idea of barefoot running seems bonkers to me; I mean running over gritstone and limestone rubble, boulders and crags or over scree and slate or through cotton grass, heather and ferns or through bogs, mires and becks all barefoot is nothing short of fricking stupid I'd say.
Okay if I lived near a sandy beach or even those big open horse trimmed lawns like you get in the New Forest then yeah okay, but I don't
Having spent 15 mins digging a splinter out of my heel this morning using a mirror as I couldn't actually see it with my own eye I think I will pass on the barefoot running. :thunbdown:
No country for old men.
I assume by "barefoot" you're also including minimal footwear such as Vibrams... if yes then I'll always do about 2-3 of my weekly runs in them.
Do a fair bit on Dartmoor - miles of soft grass and peat and I carry aquashoes for the knobbly tracks. Wouldn't fancy bf in the mountains unless I bite the bullet and invest in VFFs.
I met, ran with and interviewed Chris McDougall a couple of weeks ago and he was a really sound down to earth guy. I think a lot of people miss the point of barefooting and that includes 100% barefoot only evangelists as much as the nay sayers. Going completely au naturel 100% of the time is unnecessary, pointless, potentially dangerous and unrealistic. Chris agrees 100% with this and, if running rough trails, will don his FiveFingers or fell shoes. However incorporating regular barefoot sessions into your training, if only strides/repeats on a playing field, hardwires better running form which can then transfer to your shod running. This transfer is obviously more effective if you adopt more minimal footwear that allow the foot to behave more naturally. I find that my barefoot strides, full-on off road runs in my Fivefingers and regular running, primarily in Inov-8 F-lite 195's and X-talon 212's, is a perfect blend. By doing this for about 18 months now my niggle quotient has dropped to zero and I'm definitely a quicker and more efficient runner.