Barefoot Running

So, this isn't really Africa-related (well, kind of) but just want to make a post to endorse barefoot-style running.  I switched over slowly this year and am never going back!  After suffering a very bad running injury last year (stress fracture in hip/femur bone.... took 6 months to heal and almost didn't heal), I transitioned over slowly after reading up on the benefits and philosophy behind it.  I totally believe that it's the way our bodies were created to run .... it's how we would naturally run if we were "barefoot" and distributes body weight with each step much more effectively so that injuries are much less common.

Check out these articles that first got me thinking about it:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

and

http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/technology/4314401


I don't actually run with no shoes on- I run in Nike Free's, which have very little support (basically none now that I've run in them all year) but the difference is that in them I land on the forefront of my foot instead of striking with my heel first.  Again, the short of it is that the front part of the foot is much larger and can take and distribute weight with each pound much more efficiently than the small point of the heel (which running shoes basically force your feet into doing).  [and this summer I'll prob. buy a shoe that is even flatter with less support than the Nike Frees.]


Since it's a completely different form of running, your body uses totally different muscles/etc. so you HAVE to transition over to it very slowly; otherwise you'll incur injuries in the process (most likely in your feet).  I have spent all year transitioning and started with very short runs but am now up to long runs and actually ran the Kili Half this way in February. 

I know there is a lot of debate on the issue and definitely read up on it and do your necessary research, but I highly endorse it.  I'm not going back.  And I believe my injury-free/pain-free runs will continue to prove it.  This is the way tribes in Africa and South America run hundreds of miles on end without injuries and have done so for centuries and the way I believe God created our bodies to run.

Also check out:

www.barefootrunner.com

www.barefootrunning.org


Happy Running! :)


**When I run, I feel God's pleasure.**  -Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire