I can tell that attitudes towards barefoot running are starting to shift. Instead of the usual podiatrist supported rant about glass and hookworms, now the advice is starting to be a little more helpful.
Instead of a blanket “don’t do it” approach, they seem to be more resigned to the idea that people are going to try it, and so more useful and practical advice is offered.
A recent article in the New York Times asked, “Are Barefoot Shoes Really Better?” [1]. Again, instead of being the typical hack job rant, the article provided a more enlightened angle and looked at some potential problems with people’s implementation of barefoot running. Specifically, a study by the American Council of Exercise [2] discovered that some folks still land on their heels when running barefoot, even when instructed not to.
The researchers found that half of the women who switched to barefoot running or minimalist sports shoes failed to adjust their form, resulting in more wear and tear on their bodies, not less.
First of all, let us establish whether or not heel striking is always bad or not. So, is it?
Usually, sometimes, it depends.
While wearing shoes, you might be able to get away with it. But, and this is a big but, your ability to handle heel striking while wearing shoes will depend on the quality of your running form. For instance, Pete Larson author of RunBlogger.com wrote an interesting analysis and commentary of elite runners form [3] with respect to heel striking.
Some elite level runners do land on their heel, but their shin and foot angle upon impact suggests that it is a proprioceptive heel landing. They seem to be aware enough to be able to land on their heel softly. Also, the roughly 90 degree angle of the shin probably reduces the impact spike that would otherwise shoot up through their knees. This is in stark contrast to an example of a probably recreational runner who lands on their heel with the toes up and foot way out in front.
Now, trying to do this barefoot is an entirely different matter. Without that cushioning provided by the shoe, the impact being transmitted through your legs is going to be significantly more severe. Review some of the analyses of running form, shod and unshod, done by the Harvard Barefoot Running Lab [4]. I think it is safe to say that the women mentioned in the NYT article should avoid heel striking like they were told.
So, why did half of them do it anyway?
It’s got to be said that a lifetime of wearing and running in shoes is going to alter not just your bone strength and musculature, but also your running form and biomechanics. And apparently, switching to minimalist shoes like Vibram Five Fingers for two weeks isn’t enough to fix this. Old habits die hard, and so it seems that with running this is especially true.
I think one thing that is commonly believed is that minimalist shoes are just as good as being barefoot. This isn’t true. They’re close, and are certainly better than the thickly cushioned alternative, but there is ultimately still rubber between your feet and the ground. If you sensory nerves are impeded at all, and if there is some amount of padding between the ground and the bottom of your foot, your body is going to compensate to some degree, even if just a little.
That is why I typically recommend people start out with barefoot running before using minimalist shoes. Give your body a chance to learn what a natural and efficient running stride should feel like. Going straight to minimalist shoes might keep you from ever fully devolving your running form from the inefficient and injury prone stride that traditional running shoes let you get away with.
Also, it can’t possibly be repeated enough, if you are new to barefoot running you need to take your time. Treat it as a completely new skill, rather than just a different manner of doing something you’re already good at. And of course, the tissues in your legs and feet need time as well to grow and adapt.
For additional reading, here is a great article by Dr. William Rossi on why shoes make normal gait impossible [5]. I think that to a lesser extent, this same problem can be applicable to minimalist shoes, though there is much more room for effective compensation like was demonstrated with Pete Larsons article.
If you’re looking for more in-depth advice on barefoot running, feel free to check out the excellent book Barefoot Running: How to Run Light and Free by Getting in Touch with the Earth by Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee.
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14 Responses to Heel Striking While Barefoot Running
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David,
I guess it’s hard for some folks to lose the habit of heel striking. I love walking barefoot and I keep telling myself, “Short, choppy steps.” I concentrate on lifting my feet more than on stepping. I do not land on my heels.
I’m not really in shape yet, but once in awhile I sprint for 30 seconds or so, usually when I’m going uphill. The road I walk on, which goes from one park to another on Buddha Hill in Pattaya, Thailand, is “old asphalt,” which means it is rough in places where the smooth stuff has worn away. So it is taking time for my skin to get tough enough to do a lot of running.
I’ve been at this for 7 months, which was interrupted by a hospital operation that set my training back somewhat. One man followed my example and has been walking barefoot for about 6 months, with an interruption when he visited Canada for a month. He told me that he’d had a bad knee for many years, but the knee has been perfect after only walking barefoot 4 days.
My statistics: Age 77, height 5’10″, weight 155. I feel great!
Jim Shea
I found that barefoot running helped me to get rid of some nagging knee pain as well.
Great info here. I just ran my first 5K in Vibrams and it was easily my best race ever, even if I did have a few hiccups.
When I first started running minimalist, I couldn’t believe how naturally my strike shifted to a midfoot strike. No more shin splints!
Congrats, that’s awesome!
Learning to run barefoot or in minimalist shoes is a big commitment. It takes time to completely unlearn everything, you have to drastically reduce the amount of running that you do, and your body will hurt as it adjusts. To make matters worse, it can be hard to find good advice. Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t willing to make this commitment and they just buy the shoes hoping it will solve all of their problems.
It would be great if there were “running trainers,” kind of like personal trainers who specialize in minimalist running. Maybe as this type of running continues to gain popularity we’ll see this.
I’ve seen some places have folks who put together barefoot running clinics. You might look on Meetup.com and see if there are any barefoot running clubs in your area.
Well i can speak from experience here. Been running in VFFs since January and just ran a half marathon in them. I still heel strike like no ones business. My problem is the majority of my runs are about 3.25 miles. It seems as though i have built up a tolerance to running in my current form without feeling any pain for that distance.
As i increased my mileage for the half marathon my feet started to hurt. I didnt have enough time to properly train and felt the pain because of it during the race. My feet were ready to fall off by mile 10 and i completely tanked. I went from keeping a 9min mile to having to practically walk the entire last mile the pain was so bad.
I have only run barefoot one time and it instantly showed me how poor my form is in the Vibrams. There is no comparison to barefoot running. If you are serious about minimalist running give you feet the opportunity they need and run barefoot…wild and free.
WhatAboutJason´s last [type] ..Cashews: The Popcorn Shrimp of the Nut World
Jason, do you think you might need more calf muscle conditioning for the long distances? I have a feeling that would be a limiting factor for maintaining fore/midfoot landing form at distance beyond your normal training envelope.
Perfect timing as I just started running in pure gloves this morning. 1.5 miles only. I’m not a runner but I’m fit,lean and have read a lot about mid foot and forfoot striking. I had a great time. I’ll be working to a regular 3 mile and then 5 mile runs. I have one question: is it normal that my calves really feel like I worked them hard? I wasn’t sprinting, just running but my calves feel like I did hill sprints. Good feeling, like I used some new musculature. Just checking to see if it’s normal.
Ben, I would anticipate it happening. http://naturallyengineered.com/blog/sore-calf-muscles-from-first-real-run-in-vibram-five-fingers/
I did some high-speed video analysis of runners who were either barefoot, in VFFs, or in Invisible Shoes.
There were a number of barefoot runners who didn’t heel strike when they were barefoot or in IS, but did once they put on VFFs (and they were SHOCKED to see it on video, because they were convinced they were not heel strikers).
Steven Sashen´s last [type] ..Jordan Flowers’ reviews Invisible Shoes and…
That’s the kind of data that really drives the message home Steven. Thanks for sharing that!
Just a few words to thank you for the informative post and links.
Txomin´s last [type] ..A little bit of perspective
I routinely run barefoot at least 5-10 miles a month and prefer 20-30mi per month just to keep my form correct when I wear the VFFs for longer distances.
VFFs will allow you to do so many things incorrectly that if you do them barefoot, you’ll be bloody, blistered or worse.
VFF’s website in fact recommends if you want to start running barefoot, you start *barefoot* and get VFFs later.