Running Barefoot in Shoes

My intention had been to buy a new pair of regular running shoes before the Harry Chapin Run Against Hunger to make my step more sprightly and increase my chances of winning an apple pie.  But it wasn’t until after the race that I actually visited the running shoe shop.

I tried on the same shoes I already have, the Saucony Ride.  Remembering recently discussing the benefits of switching between several different types of sneakers with a dinner guest at Ramon’s place in Paris, I decided to try a different sneaker, the Brooks Ghost, which felt very comfortable and light.  But in the back of my mind, I really wanted to try on a so-called barefoot running shoe.

The shoe saleswoman in the Park Slope Jack Rabbit Sports was surprisingly uninformed about the trend in so-called barefoot running, and seemed to me to be bluffing about having any firsthand knowledge of the subject.  But I had already read the research and consulted with Unkie P while in the UK (he is very excited over the Vivo Barefoot brand, which has just opened a shop in London). So I tried on a pair of Vibram Fivefingers.  And given that there are no more upcoming races and that I am perfectly capable of baking my own sharlotka with apples I picked myself, I bought them.

It was only when I went for my first run that I realized how conspicuously designed they are.  The coloring of the toes draws attention to the feet.  But I plodded on.

In order to run in such a shoe, you must land on the ball of your foot, since there is no padding to soften a landing on the heel.  You feel like a prancing animal loping down the concrete on a set of blue and grey plastic paws.  Passers-by tend to quizzically direct their attention at your feet.

In regular shoes, I tend to land on the middle of my foot anyway, so landing on the ball of the foot is not a big change.  However, due to the rolling of the foot around the ball, after two blocks of running, my calves were very sore.  I ran another block or two and then walked for a few miles to loosen the muscle.

It was another 3 days before I would overcome the persistent soreness and run again.  This time, I ran 6 miles at night in the rain.  Running with extremely sore calf muscles required me to take small steps without stretching the foot forward as much as usual.  But it was enjoyable, and eventually my mind wandered away from thinking solely about my sore calves and drifted on to other higher level topics.

This so-called barefoot running shoe is not quite like running barefoot – there is some protection for your foot and you don’t feel every pebble.  However, a brief run over a stretch of cobble-stones reminded me that without the solid padding of a regular shoe, your foot has to be much more flexible and strong in order to conform and grip to an uneven surface.  Off-road running seems to me to be the best way of experiencing the so-called barefoot running phenomenon.

A flock of swans swam over to look at my feet.

I ended the run without the mild joint pain in my knee that I sometimes feel with regular shoes.  But this could have been attributable to my slower and more deliberate pace.

So far, I have no reason not to subscribe to the idea that so-called barefoot running shoes are at least no worse for you than regular shoes.  Whether it will increase my running performance and reduce impact on joints remains to be seen.

Will my feet become paws?