The Barefoot Experiment

By now, if you’ve been following the postings on this blog, you’ve realized that barefoot running is more about the biomechanics of running barefoot than it is about running completely free of all footwear.  Sure, there are purists out there who swear by barefoot and barefoot only – skin to ground, and never shall the two be parted – but when it comes down to it, barefoot running is worth pursuing because of the modifications that it naturally makes to your stride, the strengthening of the feet and legs, the redistribution and lessening of impact forces, and the proprioceptive and environmental feedback to the body that comes with being able to feel the ground, rather than pound the ground with shoes.  The closer you can get to actually barefoot the better, and while nothing can fully equal the feedback to the senses that going truly barefoot offers the body, there are some good arguments for at least a super thin covering for the feet, by way of protection.  There will be a slight compromise in sensation, but truthfully, the trade-off is minimal, and let’s face it, life is about compromise.  I’ve split my mileage between barefoot and Vibram FiveFingers, and can attest that they are virtually alike, save for the fact that the FiveFingers give me a bit of psychological reassurance that I’m a smidge more safe from dangers underfoot.  As a person that is deathly allergic to insect stings, it dramatically improves the enjoyment of my run to know that were I to step on, say, a bee, I wouldn’t have to fight for my life.

For this reason – the negligible difference between barefoot and minimalist – I’m proud to run in my Vibram’s, and the thought of putting on actual “shoes” still distresses me, which is why I was so nervous going into Fleet Feet Sports in Pittsburgh this past weekend.

I’m recovering from injury and I wanted another third-party opinion regarding my biomechanics, and these are the guys to do it.  But I remained fearful that they were going to tell me the worst news ever – that my biomechanics are so poor that I’ll have to put on big, clunky, corrective, padded shoes.  This, of course, was an unfounded fear, as I learned very quickly and reported a day and a half ago here.

WHY CONSIDER SHOES

At first, I downplayed my attachment to minimalist running while in the store, if only so as not to cloud opinions, analysis or recommendations.  But in the end, it was confirmed that my feet and ankles are fine, and the recommendation was to keep running in my FiveFingers if I enjoy it, because there’s nothing wrong with my form to prevent it.  It was the best news I’d heard in a long time.  But the problem is this – I’m still recovering from injury, but I want to run! And I know that if I want to run a bit more than I technically “should” while I recover, I’ll probably need some support to ease the burden on my posterior tibial tendon.  It’s not wise, certainly.  I should let it heal completely.  But I figure that if there’s one thing that shoes can be good for, it’s in helping you to run when, technically, you probably shouldn’t.  If, for instance, your feet become so fatigued that you can’t maintain arch structure any more, you probably should stop running.  But everywhere you look there are ads for shoes stating that they will keep you going when your form falls apart.  Yes.  They will.  Even though the wise thing would be to stop.  I suppose though, when it comes down to it, runners are not always wise.  We love running, and we’ll do whatever we can to keep going.

I was viewing shoes as a crutch.  If I broke my leg, I’d be silly to not use crutches if I want to get around.  So while I have an injury, I’ll consider the use of shoes, if I want to run while I heal.  I could sit around feeling like a failure for giving in to shoes, or I could enjoy running.   Personally, I’d rather enjoy running.

THE RECOMMENDATION

Dustin at Fleet Feet was very encouraging of my minimalist running, so much so that I had to come out and ask if he were to recommend a shoe, which one would it be and why.  Whereupon he stood up, retrieved a shoe and handed it to me.  It was the lightest shoe I had ever felt.  It looked like a normal running shoe, and I’ve certainly worn and held shoes before, but never had I held one this light.  It was a lightweight racing flat, the Saucony Fastwitch 4.

Coming in at a mere 7 ounces, there are shoes out there that are lighter, but it’s a small field.  Heck, my Vibram FiveFingers are 5.7 ounces!  I was intrigued.

I put them on and was immediately impressed.  Naturally there’s more padding than I’d really like – but even so, the cushioning in these shoes is truly minimal, and I was after all investigating shoes for recovery.  They were comfortable, hugged the foot nicely, and I didn’t feel any weird bumps or contours pushing on my feet.  They were pretty, well, flat…

I took them for a spin around the parking lot and this is where the biggest surprise came – I maintained my form and foot strike!  There was so little shoe in these shoes that I was not encouraged to heel strike, which is not something that I’ve ever been able to avoid.  If I were to wear these, I’d be able to maintain my barefoot-style stride and strike.

When asked why he recommended them, Dustin cited that they were super light and thin, which would allow me to still feel the ground underneath me, they have minimal construction, which would keep me as close to “natural” as possible, and they have an ever-so-slight medial post, which would prevent my foot from flattening out and thereby ease up some tension on my posterior tibial tendon while I recover.  They don’t offer much in the way of cushioned impact protection, but while running on pavement, every little bit counts during recovery. (all words are mine, not his, but I think I nailed the sentiment).  In short, he recommended them because he listened to my story, considered my injuries, analyzed my running and matched me up with the perfect pair of shoes for me. Super customer service!

Now I’ll confess, these were are about the ugliest shoes in the store.  The picture really doesn’t do them justice.  I had to ask – “if you had to recommend a different shoe…”  I mean, why did he feel so strongly about this one?  He gave in and said that, yes, I could consider another lightweight racer/trainer, but he really thinks this is the one for me.  But me being me, I had to try out at least one other, to compare and contrast, so I put on the Nike Lunaracer.

I knew immediately – the Lunaracer is not the shoe for me.  It was uncomfortable.  Plain and simple.  It felt like I was wearing shoes, whereas the Saucony virtually disappeared on my foot.  Dustin was right.  I should have known.

I left the store with a new pair of Saucony shoes.  Though I still had mixed feelings about giving in to shoes, I at least had confirmation that the right shoe for me really is a minimal shoe.  My goal while I recover is to continue running in my FiveFingers, but use the shoes as a supplement for some of my miles so as to allow me to run a bit more while not putting undue stress on my healing tissues.

I’m always a fan of mixing it up anyway.  Sure, running barefoot makes the body strong.  But running the same way on the same surfaces all of the time does not.  By running on all terrain – pavement, grass, trails, and so forth – and by splitting mileage amongst different footwear, I suspect that my body will come back even more strong, as it will have to adapt to changing circumstances.  Too much of a good thing is never a good thing.  One must keep the body guessing.

And yes, they are ugly shoes.  I’m certainly not going for fashion here – though I must admit a love for how my FiveFingers look – but perhaps in addition to recommending the right shoe for my situation, Dustin was also recommending a shoe that would offer some subconscious encouragement to take it off as soon as possible.  Always looking out for the customer…

ON RACING FLATS

Here I was feeling guilty about buying shoes, but what didn’t really hit home until later was that Dustin set me up with the least shoe possible, and one that, as it turns out, still keeps me firmly within the “minimalist” camp!  A quick look at the entry for “Racing Flats” over on Wikipedia reveals this (emphasis mine):

Because of the lack of support and cushioning, racing flats are typically not recommended as a daily training shoe. However, studies have suggested that some running injuries can occur as a result of the significant arch support and cushioning found in “traditional” running shoes. This is mainly because of the use of correctional shoes for people who don’t need them. As a result, a growing number of runners train and race exclusively in racing flats. This is known as minimalism.

And of course, there’s even an explicit mention of barefoot running in the entry (again, emphasis mine):

Another benefit of the racing flat’s design is that the normal padded heel of a running shoe is greatly reduced and the sole of the shoe is flatter and closer to the feeling of barefoot running.

So it seems that all my worry was for nothing.  Dustin knew precisely what he was doing, I’m feeling good about my purchase, and best of all – I’ve started running again!

—-

Fleet Feet Pittsburgh
Saucony Fastwitch 4 Review (woman’s model, not men’s, but hey… there doesn’t seem to be a review of the men’s around yet)

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