:D Barefoot Running

[fellrunnerreuben]

[QUOTE=Rob Furness;402538]Posture - yes, forefoot landing - no. Don't try to land on your forefoot, just try to run with good form and try not to overstride, your footstrike will sort itself out. Deliberately landing on the forefoot is not how barefoot runners run (unless that was their original style anyway).

sorry rob but landing on the forefoot or mid foot is exactly how you need to land when running bare foot, its impossible to land heel first unless your completely mental and never want to run again. to run bare foot its a very good idea to do posture drills, its essential to get this right along with the placement of the foot on landing. its taken me three months of training to run this way but now i get no injuries and just completed a half with no real side effects.

[Rob Furness]

sorry rob but landing on the forefoot or mid foot is exactly how you need to land when running bare foot, its impossible to land heel first unless your completely mental and never want to run again. to run bare foot its a very good idea to do posture drills, its essential to get this right along with the placement of the foot on landing. its taken me three months of training to run this way but now i get no injuries and just completed a half with no real side effects.

Yes you will run mid/forefoot when barefoot but if you try to land on the forefoot you will likely overcompensate and point your toes down which will overstress your calves. Barefoot running should be forefoot > flat foot > forefoot (meaning your heel will touch the floor lightly each step with your calf relaxed) running entirely on the forefoot will very quickly put you out of action (unless you naturally run this way anyway).

I didn't at any point suggest landing heel first, what I said was that if you concentrate on form and relax, your footstrike will sort itself out

[Mandovark]

Yes you will run mid/forefoot when barefoot but if you try to land on the forefoot you will likely overcompensate and point your toes down which will overstress your calves. Barefoot running should be forefoot > flat foot > forefoot (meaning your heel will touch the floor lightly each step with your calf relaxed) running entirely on the forefoot will very quickly put you out of action (unless you naturally run this way anyway).

I didn't at any point suggest landing heel first, what I said was that if you concentrate on form and relax, your footstrike will sort itself out

Agree completely with this. When I first started reading a bit about running technique a few years ago, I made the mistake of switching to a forefoot landing instead of thinking about my whole form. I was still running in cushioned shoes, pointing my toes and overstriding, and I ended up with achilles tendon problems that still bother me now. It's only since I started rebuilding my form from scratch (or as close as possible) that my footstrike has really begun to sort itself out - I've been amazed how much my form has changed in the last year or so since I started running only barefoot or in minimalist shoes.

[martmason]

The guys the question from me is; After running most of the winter in x-talons with no issues the decision to swap to roclite320 was followed by several painfull ankle turning issues and the start of a knee niggle that is probably leading to "runners knee". I have listened intently to both sides of the discussion regarding natural running and minimal shoes to make the most of our long forgotten proprioception and proper running form. So to start my rehab should i go back to using the x-tals for 90% of my fell training, some new f-lites for the commute to work and light trail runs and maybe funds permitting some beargrips for races/fell. My thinking being the rehab weeks will be steady and the ideal time to teach an old dog new tricks, sound idea???. If so how where do i start??

[Rob Furness]

If you're running comfortably in x-talons then it sounds like you're well on the way. Roclites are probably less stable than x-talons (although I don't own any roclites so can't be 100%) because x-talons are very low to the ground. Try the f-lites and see how you get on. I'm at a similar point myself, my current road shoes have died and I only have racing flats left so I'm, thinking of using them permanently for road work from now on.

[martmason]

There's the rub Rob, yes i was running with no issues in my x-tals. In the defense of the roclites though i have upped my training and doing more on road but i do believe they are far more unstable and to be honest that runs through my mind whilst out now which is also having an adverse effect. Never had all this bother on my MTB....

[IanDarkpeak]

so just by running bare foot my "form" should change, I'm trying to run with my body more upright as I'm supposed to?

[martmason]

so just by running bare foot my "form" should change, I'm trying to run with my body more upright as I'm supposed to?

Not sure IDP is that a statement or question? Im getting confused??

[IanDarkpeak]

Not sure IDP is that a statement or question? Im getting confused??

yes !

[Alphin]

Hi Ian,

When I was first moving towards the minimal shoe way I found this website useful: -

http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html

Cheers

Phil