There's been some heated debates here about whether to train in racing flats or go for more protection from a heavier shoe. Abebe Bikila famously won the Rome Olympic marathon in 2:15 barefoot, but then he went to to wear shoes in the 1964 Tokyo Marathon and won in 2:12.
Some of the issues are debated in this US
Runners World article.
What do people think?
Comments
I'm happy sticking to shoes though, and avoiding glass and things sticking in.
;o)
I see POSE as a separate issue, altho' I know that POSE advocates like the minimalist shoes approach. Let's not turn this into another POSE thread...
It may take some time to get used to it though.
For me - I've never bothered with racing shoes - I do everything in my NB 854's so I can't test it !
One of my pals grew up in Africa, and she went barefoot all the time, and eventually got immune to the thorns and everything they had out there. Sounds tough to me !
pavement - surprisingly no trouble barefoot (but have never done that much)
track - big problems for me - I think if I could toughen up enough for the track, then local streets would be fine.
I train in flats. Recently got a nasty glass cut from a 'puncture'. I think it would've been less severe in barefeet - would probably not've stuck in, and would've been only one painful step instead of a hundred (I completed the rep I was doing).
The cold is a problem in the UK - I won't go barefoot in the winter. Did some damage a couple of years ago.
Oh boy did it feel heavy and clunky and did my feet ache trying to get used to shoes in time for school in September.
(Great heavy had to be tied things)
Landing on heels barefoot quickly leads to ouch. Try running on any gravel path barefoot - you use forefoot quite naturally!
(but i don't want to get into the POSE thing either)
I well remember picking my way along the paths toes first at whatever speed..
Dave
Running bear - no pun intended actually!
Lurker
Thanks a lot mate! I'd forgotten about that song - it's now stuck in my head ;-)
Never got over 45mpw without problems in "normal" shoes...
Got up to 7.5M barefoot in the autumn, but the weather stopped me going any further. Hoping to make 15M barefoot a weekly session this year.
Built up (support/cushioning) footwear is a short term solution causing long term problems. That we put our kids in such things is a huge long term problem...
Your heel is the narrowest part of the foot, thus if pressure = force exerted / area; then assuming a constant exerted force, then with a smaller area you are putting more force through your legs.
Have jogged up and down the lounge barefoot, but wouldn't dream of doing it outdoors, would get covered in dog sh*t, small stones, fag packets etc.
Have just ordered my first pair of racing flats, will give them a go, but wouldn't dream of doing 140 in them.
bizarre.
Not really a sensible option for running on cold London pavements at night though.
Oh - and Bryan - CMON ROVERS!
However I have just started running in Nike Jarowe Waffles which are lighter than my usual NB150s (which are lighter than any other races left now they have been discontinued) as another step forward.
My son (just 8) does all his running in Nike "Aqua socks" - road, off-road, whatever. But then he can handle the shock. The other day he did a minute on the treadmill at 10mph (6mm pace) barefoot. All you could hear (apart from the motor) was a gentle and soft "pad", "pad"...
Moor man - we got some mini surf shoes by Speedo called "Splash socks" which come in baby sizes for our almost 2yr old. Cost £5 - protects the feet from abrasion - nought else. Most of our kids wear surf shoes outside - Clarks Doodles have become more minimalist in this years range and are OK too. NO shoes allowed inside.
(That one's for TMAP!)
Do you think having low arches and unevenly bowed legs (like I do) makes a difference? I know that Noakes suggests that running shoes have made it possible for people with poor running mechanics to train at higher mileages and not get injured.
But what I'd REALLY like to know is why Bikila switched to shoes and managed a faster marathon. Presumably he tried both?
PS Hope your running is going OK. Your blog seems eerily quiet!
Now I do 70mpw (100 miles last week), all in flats.
I would guess Bikila wore shoes for cash(?) Or maybe he found them more comfortable. I don't see that it changes the fact he won a very tough Olympic marathon barefoot.
RB - if you're thinking of 'The Lore of Running', Noakes in that book seems to assume a heelstrike whenever he discusses footwear or gait. In that sense, his comment is probably true. What he doesn't do is offer a comparison between heelstrikers in technical shoes and forefoot runners in flats, which is what we really need in a discussion like this.