Adam’s journal
As a kid, I occasionally sprinted shoeless across my backyard. And I’ve been known to run barefoot along beachfronts and splash through the waves. But other than that, pretty much every step I’ve run in my life has been in shoes (yes, even that time I streaked around the quad my junior year in college).
Through it all, I’d really never considered the possibility that shoes were an optional part of my running attire. But in 2009, barefoot running became something of a hot topic, thanks largely to the popular book “Born to Run.” In it, author Christopher McDougall contends that running shoes have done little to prevent injuries. He argues that supposedly high-tech running shoes have, in fact, led to poor running form and a rash of injuries.
A small but vocal group of advocates is now urging that runners go shoeless to prevent injury. What do you think?
Dr. Prescott prescribes
I think you’re lucky the dean never got wind of your streaking escapades, or you would have had a lot explaining to do in your law school applications. But I digress. Last month in the journal Nature, researchers published a study analyzing the biomechanical differences between distance runners attired in running shoes and those who habitually run barefoot. They found that the barefoot runners often land on the front or middle portions of their feet, while those in shoes usually strike with the heel first. This difference in stride, brought about by the elevated and cushioned heels of running shoes, caused the nonbarefoot runners to strike the ground with greater collision forces.
The researchers concluded that running barefoot — or in more “minimal” shoes — may offer some protection from impact-related injuries common to runners’ feet and lower limbs.
Of course, the bad news is that running barefoot opens you up to a whole new set of injuries: cuts, puncture wounds and lacerations. So, a safe middle ground might be to try out one of less “bulked up” shoes that manufacturers have trotted out recently.
But if you’re still hankering to go the Full Barefoot Monty, I’d recommend starting slow. Try a short run on a safe, comfortable surface such as a grassy field. If that works for you, I see no reason not to supplement your regular training with an occasional barefoot run.
After all, people have been walking and running on two feet for millions of years. And except for the last half-century or so, they’ve done it all without running shoes.
[ask-drp]
