A short article came out the other month in "Running Times Magazine" about one man's decision to switch to barefoot running. While barefoot running can be more efficient, making you faster, and can reduce running injuries, one of the main reasons the author runs either barefoot or in minimalist shoes is to allow his foot to "operate more effectively, efficiently and naturally while freely relaying proprioceptive information back to the rest of my body."
Tactile feedback from the ground allows the body to react faster and thus safer, helping to prevent serious injury like twisted ankles, torn knee ligaments, or worse (falling off a cliff would suck!) This is especially important while trail running.
The quote I like best about the author's experience barefoot running is this:
"My best runs are where the felt kinesthetic experience of moving quickly and efficiently through a natural landscape is most fully realized, not necessarily the runs where I make it to the top of the mountain and back down the quickest. However, I think it is not by accident that these two ideals often coincide."
As far as the above picture goes, that runner will experience knee, joint, calf, and other pain over time due to incorrect form. Assuming the runner's left foot is in contact with the ground at this moment, his general center of mass (GCM), which is basically his hips, are behind the ball of his foot. Upon impact, the GCM should be directly over the BOF, and the rear leg should be more forward. Basically the runner in this picture is "putting on the brakes" with each stride. With some Pose running coaching this runner could be running even more efficiently. Remember, just because you're running barefoot, it doesn't mean you're running in the most pain-free and efficient manner possible. To fix your stride, sign up for a running lesson with Barefoot Benny.
Tactile feedback from the ground allows the body to react faster and thus safer, helping to prevent serious injury like twisted ankles, torn knee ligaments, or worse (falling off a cliff would suck!) This is especially important while trail running.
The quote I like best about the author's experience barefoot running is this:
"My best runs are where the felt kinesthetic experience of moving quickly and efficiently through a natural landscape is most fully realized, not necessarily the runs where I make it to the top of the mountain and back down the quickest. However, I think it is not by accident that these two ideals often coincide."
As far as the above picture goes, that runner will experience knee, joint, calf, and other pain over time due to incorrect form. Assuming the runner's left foot is in contact with the ground at this moment, his general center of mass (GCM), which is basically his hips, are behind the ball of his foot. Upon impact, the GCM should be directly over the BOF, and the rear leg should be more forward. Basically the runner in this picture is "putting on the brakes" with each stride. With some Pose running coaching this runner could be running even more efficiently. Remember, just because you're running barefoot, it doesn't mean you're running in the most pain-free and efficient manner possible. To fix your stride, sign up for a running lesson with Barefoot Benny.
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