Barefoot Odyssey: Rest

Ok, I lied. No running today. Extenuating circumstances. Feeling a little uncomfortable about it. However, I can take this opportunity to post some information about barefoot/minimalist running.

First and foremost. Here is a video that displays the differences between the heel strike and the forefoot strike. This also explains alot of the curiosity I have had, and apparently I wasn't alone, about the history of running being considerably longer that the history of the shoe, let alone the running shoe.

This one is a little journalistic piece featuring the author of "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen", Christopher McDougall. He is a large dude, 6'4" 230lbs. The locals in Mexico call him "Oso" (Bear) in the book. Enough said. I have heard from a few people that they're not built to run, and that they couldn't run barefoot because they're too big to pull it off. Nay! Look at this gargantuan. As for the chunky side of things, I'm proving that wrong with every step I take.

This just lays out some important fundamentals to keep in mind. The website on the video is a good source for info as well. I am subscribed to the newsletter, which is pretty good. They have a program you can buy too, I have no idea how good it is, but, one of the guys involved in the website is running across the country completely barefoot, so they must know something.

Here is a slow motion video of a heel strike without a shoe on . Note the impact on the leg in general, focus on the movement of the ankle and the "crushing" of the foot. No joy.

Now you can see the result of a heel strike in a shoe. Just like the result without. The foot crushes down through the shoe toward the ground. McDougall points out in his book that that is exactly what is happening. You don't run with the thought that the sole of the shoe is an extension of your foot. Instead, the body attempts to find a hard surface to land on. The result is that the heel pushes through the cushioning to find the ground, causing the strike to be just as hard on the body's support system as if the runner was barefoot. Remember the second video, McDougall says that tests have shown that "the greater the cushioning of the shoe, the greater the impact shock on the legs".

Here is the alternate. You can see pretty clearly that the shock is dispersed evenly throughout the leg. There isn't a distinctive shock impact.

This one is an excellent view of a good foot strike. Watch the motion of the foot, it comes out, aligns, and eases down on the pavement, allowing all the tendons and muscles absorb the energy.