Okay, not ACTUALLY barefoot, but it was pretty close. I feel like I’m jumping on a bandwagon by talking about this, but I just can’t help myself. Barefoot and minimalist running has been picking up a lot of steam lately, and it seems everyone is talking about it. So, why not me?

The Nike team was in town this past weekend, offering test runs of their new Nike Free Run+ shoes. Having run a half-marathon last weekend, I decided to give it a whirl. I used to be hardcore into running, doing close to 60 miles per week. But, there was always a problem.

The Problem

Everything would be fine for the first two miles or so. But then, I’d get some pain in my shins. At first, I shrugged it off as shin splints, figuring they would go away with time. Nope. In fact, they got worse. The more I ran, the more pain I was in. It would finally subside after mile 5, but only because my feet began to go numb. I couldn’t feel my feet or lower legs for the last half of my runs. Not good. It got so bad, it was even affecting me during soccer games.

So, I went to the doctor, who referred me to a physical therapist. They diagnosed me with compartment syndrome in my shins, which is similar to carpal tunnel syndrome. Basically, my lower leg would swell up during a run and choke off blood supply to the nerves running through my shin. Not only is this bad for the nerve, but it’s bad for the entire lower leg. I had to give up running. My running partner, Foxy, was devastated.

The Long Hiatus

Enter the Long Hiatus. I had to give up running. I could run on soccer fields just fine, because the grass absorbed so much of the impact, and it wasn’t a constant, repetitive-stress type of movement. My cardio was relegated to spin classes and the elliptical machine. And while that’s fine, it still doesn’t really prepare you for actual running movements (which I will talk about later this week). Everything was good, but I still missed running. There’s really no place around here where I could run a long distance in the grass, unless I just wanted to run circles in a field — no thanks.

I’d heard a lot about minimalist running and barefoot running. Many people claim that it alleviates stress and injury. According to this study, those claims do have some merit, but warrant further study. In other words, it’s not proven that running barefoot will prevent injury. Still, it sounded like a good option, and I had nothing to lose. If it didn’t work for me, well, I wasn’t running, anyway, so there was no difference.

The Experience

The shoes fit me much like a second skin. They had no support, and virtually no padding whatsoever. But that’s the whole point. They’re supposed to force your legs and feet to adapt and grow stronger. They certainly do that.

Before we hit the trail, they warned us that if we weren’t used to running in these types of shoes that we should limit our miles to 4-5 at most. I, of course, disregarded this completely. Turns out, that was a bad idea.

Initially, I felt like I was flying. The shoes pretty much force you to run on the balls of your feet. The time your feet are in contact with the ground is much less than a traditional heel-strike. With traditional running, your feet are in contact with the ground for a longer length of time, as the heel strikes first, followed by the rest of the foot, and then a push is made with the forefoot. With minimalist running, that forefoot strike is both landing pad and take off point. It certainly felt more efficient.

The Solution?

I was sold within 3 miles. I experienced none of the pain that I usually get when running. As I mentioned earlier, the previous weekend, I ran a half-marathon distance in my regular shoes. I hadn’t run for distance in a couple of years, and wanted to see if I still got all the usual pain and numbness. Yep. Not good. But in these shoes, it was all good. No pain, all fun.

Well, that is until I hit the 5 mile mark. There were no warning signs. I felt fine one second, and then terrible the next. Like I said before, this style of running forces the body to adapt. It puts a large load on the calves. Mine simply weren’t used to it and began to cramp severely. I was already out on the trail, so I had no choice but to run all the way back in excruciating pain. I’m still sore. I can barely walk around the house because my calves are so sore. But, I’m confident that if I work my way up to longer mileage, that won’t be a problem. My body just wasn’t used to it. Lesson learned. And as usual, I learned it the hard way instead of listening to those with experience. Hopefully, you won’t make the same mistake that I did.

So, does my experience mean that yours will be the same? Not necessarily. Barefoot/minimalist running isn’t a cure-all. But it does hold a lot of potential. This week, I’ll talk about this running technique a bit more in-depth, and how to train for your specific goals. Maybe you’ll reach the same conclusion I have. I’m definitely going to buy a minimalist pair of shoes, whether it’s the Nike Free or some Vibram Five Fingers. The possibility of being able to get back into running has me very excited!

-Drew

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