Barefoot running

After running my second marathon, the Ocean Drive Marathon, I had some persistant pain in the outside of my left hip. A few weeks after the marathon, when all of the other aches and pains had long subsided, the hip pain remained, and seemed to be getting worse. Hmmm. So, I did some research (google is always my first opinion) and went to the ortho doctor for a second opinion. Both opinions pointed to trochanteric bursitis. I was a textbook case–which made my at-home google diagnosis much easier. The simple definition of this condition: inflammation of a fluid-filled sac that normally allows for easy movement in a joint – in this case, my hip joint. (For a picture of the condition, check out this image.) While bursas (in our hips, shoulders, elbows) are always filled with fluid, turns out their optimal state is to be partially full. With bursitis, they become over full.Once the bursa becomes inflamed, the iliotibial band (ITB), a ligament that runs from the hip down the side of the leg, rubs against the bursa with each stride, making the bursa even more angry. In short, it’s rather painful in its most acute stage, with pain shooting down to my foot at times–not to mention the constant nagging in the side of my hip. I wasn’t able to run comfortably or normally for about 2 months. I can’t express how frustrating that was. If you like to exercise (whatever your passion), you know what I mean about the frustration when you can’t enjoy your favorite activity – running, cycling, swimming, whatever.

I have good reason to believe the injury came from my running shoes. At the time, those shoes were Asics GT-2140. Now, I’ve been an Asics user for years. They have been the only type of running shoe I’ve worn for most of my adult running life. But, I always bought the cheap ones – the $40 or $50 pairs that didn’t have much beyond a sole, some laces and fabric to hold my feet in the shoe. When I started training for marathons, I was persuaded by the marketing hype and figured I needed to step up to the next level of running shoe. And, the Asics GT-2140’s had motion control, extra cushioning, and are designed to keep the foot from overpronating. Sounds great, right? Except what they really do is cause injury because they encourage bad form (at least for me) in two ways: 1) heel striking and 2) supination in place of pronation. In fact, the product’s description says, the shoe has “linked componentry that enhances the foot’s natural gait from heel strike to toe-off.” Uh, sorry Asics, heel strike to toe-off IS NOT the foot’s natural gait. Our natural gait is a forefront strike (either toe or mid-foot, depending on the person and the speed). Just run barefoot for a few feet and you’ll see what I mean. You will NOT heel strike.

So, what does all this have to do with barefoot running? Well, quite a bit as I learned a few weeks ago.

Three weeks ago, I read Christopher McDougall’s book, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. I originally grabbed the book because my husband is training for an ultra marathon, and I thought he would find it inspirational. I had no idea the effect the book would have on me. According to McDougall, the book was inspired by a “simple question that no one could answer. […] ‘How come my foot hurts?'” (p. 7-8). Runners of all types can substitute “foot” for whatever ails us: hip, knee, ankle and so on. The simple nexium answer to this question: Our X hurts because of improper form encouraged by running shoes that inhibit our natural gait.

In his search to answer this question, he found the Tarahumara, a people who live in the Barrancas del Cobre (the Copper Canyons) of Mexico. The Tarahumara run hundreds of miles on a regular basis – all without sneakers. They wear huarache sandals (see image here), which are basically a thin piece of rubber tied to the foot with a thin strap. In other words: they run practically barefoot. The rubber is meant only to protect the soles of the feet from damage from the rough trails of the Barrancas. I strongly encourage you to read the book–it’s fascinating–but to sum up: it turns out that barefoot running, or running in minimalist footwear encourages proper running form. In fact, it’s almost impossible to run incorrectly when we run with our natural running “shoes” – our feet! Running shoes weaken our arches, and prevent us from feeling the ground beneath which makes it difficult to adapt to the terrain. McDougall describes how our feet are the most effective vehicles for running, and provides a fascinating account of our evolution as running people who relied on persistance hunting to eat in the early days of human beings. (For an excellent article on this evolutionary process, see “Endurance Running and the Evolution of Homo,” published in Nature in 2004.)

Since I’ve read the book, I’ve tried running completely barefoot a few times for short distances. Because I’ve been running incorrectly for quite some time, and because running shoes have weakened the musculature of my foot, I’m easing into it. One of the most immediate changes I noticed was a lightness in my running. I can run faster without exerting as much energy (as measured by my heart rate). One downside to the transition is seriously sore calves, but as I build those muscles I’ve been ignoring through my improper form, that soreness will go away. I’m still wearing shoes for the bulk of my mileage, but not those clunky ones. I have light shoes that allow me to continue with the good form encouraged by my barefoot runs. Yesterday, I wrote that more does not equal better when it comes to overall training volume. Well, turns out the same is true of running shoes – more money does not equal better in terms of form and injury prevention.  I’ve been logging 35-40 miles a week – with no hip pain.

I’m still working through the transition from shoes to running barefoot, so I’m far from expert. If you are interested in learning more about barefoot running, there are more experienced barefoot runners with great information. Here are just a few links (in addition to some of the ones I’ve posted throughout the entry):

  • Barefoot Ted’s Adventures http://barefootted.com/
  • http://runningbarefoot.org/
  • Study on the benefits of barefoot running versus shoe running: http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm. (Some of the conclusions: “Running in shoes appears to increase the risk of ankle sprains, either by decreasing awareness of foot position or by increasing the twisting torque on the ankle during a stumble. Running in shoes appears to increase the risk of plantar fasciitis and other chronic injuries of the lower limb by modifying the transfer of shock to muscles and supporting structures. Running in bare feet reduces oxygen consumption by a few percent.  Competitive running performance should therefore improve by a similar amount, but there has been no published research comparing the effect of barefoot and shod running on simulated or real competitive running performance.”)

If you have barefoot running links you’d like to add to the list – please do!

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