Happy Hump Day! Is it really already Wednesday? This week is flying by. Honestly every day seems to fly by since we have moved and I don’t feel like I am getting THAT much done. Still so much to unpack, and a race to run Saturday! (Which I have not trained for in the slightest, oh well!)
Today I want to talk about a hot topic. Barefoot running. I have read articles, blog posts, debates, and discussions, but I have yet to totally form my own opinion. In my mind, this is how the idea runs through my head….
“Well, I have TERRIBLE running form. I run heavy and pronate. Maybe barefoot running would teach me how to run properly? Also it couldn’t hurt to have stronger leg muscles and feel the freedom of barefoot running….But…I tend to NOT be a bandwagon type of person. After all, it took me over a year of refusals to finally read the Twilight series….Also these Vibram things are expensive, and I have very sensitive feet, and I just know I will step on something sharp and hurt myself….not to mention the fact that the debate is still heavily out on if these ape feet are even good for you or not….”
Yeah, I have a college degree and was allowed to teach children. Scary inside my head huh?
Here are a couple of the articles I have read if you would like to form your own opinion on the subject:
hhhmmm….I don’t know about you but I am still totally on the fence. Anyone have any thoughts or personal experience? Why you love them or why you hate them? Convince me why I need to try this or never ever do it?
While you are formulating your thoughts on why or why not….take a look at this!
There is something kind of cool happening soon!
MY RUN, the Terry Hitchcock Story is coming to movie theaters nationwide for a one night event on March 31 at 7:00
We’re all running a marathon one way or another. Whether it is staying afloat as a single, working parent, battling a disease or trying to conquer a fear, it all involves a fight. Join us for an unforgettable, inspirational story about a man who ran 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to raise awareness about the struggle of losing a loved one and becoming a single parent.
Terry Hitchcock battling the grief of losing his wife to breast cancer, sets out on a journey to bring awareness and a voice to the struggles faced by single parent families and their children. Narrated by Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton, this powerful and uplifting documentary exemplifies a commitment to something greater than yourself and achieving something deemed impossible.
Following the feature, audiences will take a deeper look into the story through interviews with the star Terry Hitchcock and his son, support team member Chris Hitchcock. A portion of proceeds from the MY RUN Premiere event will benefit the Livestrong Foundation. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at www.fathomevents.com/myrun.
I don’t know about you but this looks pretty cool! I love a good true story. Having a mother who almost died of cancer makes things like this very interesting and inspiring to me. I hope you will take a look and consider going!
QOTD: Ok, so, Vibrams. Let me have it!
I also heavily pronate when I run but I don’t have much desire to try barefoot running. I feel like the padding on my shoes is what keeps the bones in the ball of my foot from cracking. Maybe I could train my muscles to land differently but I kind of don’t want to. When my running shoes need to be replaced and the padding starts to go it HURTS. I like my comfy shoes.
Plus, I’ve never seen a single elite runner in Vibrams. Yes, racing shoes are lighter but if those people want something between their feet and the ground I’ll follow their lead 🙂
I was actually in a running store on Monday and had a conversation about this with the shoe expert guy. I wanted to try on the really light Nike shoe just to see how it felt. I definitely like the cushioned feel of my Asics better but as I get more in to running the guy said they’d be good to work on my form in. He said Vibrams do just about the same thing. He didn’t suggest running in them all the time but that they do help build muscle and form.
My boyfriend, on the other hand, wants to buy a pair of Vibrams just because he thinks they look cool and because I think they look terrible.
I bought some Vibrams last summer as a treat for myself. I wasn’t planning on doing any running in them. I just thought that they looked kind of cool, and I figured I could wear them while I lift weights or just walking around to help strengthen my feet and leg muscles.
Well, $75 gone and year later, I have probably worn the shoes a total of 10 times. They are not comfortable at all. I kept trying to give them a chance (since I spent so much money on them), and thought that if I kept wearing them, they would feel better and become more comfortable. Unfortunately, that never happened.
As far as I am concerned, they are a fad. I would count them as one of the worst ways that I have ever spent my hard earned money.
I have always, and I mean always had feet issues when it came to shoes. I have not found one brand of shoes that actually fit my foot and felt comfortable.
That is until I did research on barefoot running. One of my friends gave me her brand new vibrams, that actually fit me perfectly. I was nervous to try them out, but once I did I have never looked back. It took awhile to get use to them, as in I had to walk .5 mile, then 1 mile, then finally run .5 mile and walk 1 mile. I can finally run 5 miles in them 🙂
They do look silly and many people have said things about them, but they have helped my running form and also my posture. I have ZERO issues with my feet and the muscles in my legs are amazing looking! I plan on running a half in them this fall!
Trust me (or not) when I say your feet toughen up to the point you can not feel when you step on a rock or anything else.
Any who, I do not think running barefoot is a ‘bandwagon’ thing, it truly is something not everyone can do and one’s choice. You should give it a try, it could change your life.
I’m with you on the barefoot running – just not sure about the whole thing, but pretty darn sure that I’m not going to try it…
I’m super excited about “My Run” – friend and I already have plans to go see it. it’s such an amazing story, and I can’t wait to hear/see it!
ehh, i still have no opinion on barefoot running. Actually….i do have 1 personal theory…ok, so i think A LOT of people overtrain, maybe not if you compare what they dot o other people, but the RATE at which they built up to that level or that much exercise/running may have been too much for THEM…well when you start running barefoot, you have to start slow, you can’t go out and run 10 miles barefoot, you have to start with a few miles here and a few miles there. So my personal opioion is that SOME (not ALL) people find they get injured less running barefoot but i think it;s because they backed off and are running less.
Interestingly enough, i took part in the largest barefoot-only race in the country in 2010. It was a 5k that ran through the woods, it was fun and i giggled the whole time. I had heard a lot of people say that barefoot running is better for you bc you don’t heel strike, but when i watched the video on youtube i noticed that more than half the people WERE heel striking still. But the winner ran 5:17 pace, barefoot and through the woods!!
I haven’t run barefoot since that 5k but I probably would again someday. I have no issues running in my sneakers so i don’t see a need to change anything.
oh, i have a friend who runs barefoot and has run several marathons barefoot, including in the winter, one time he got a blood blister so big it popped out the side of his foot!
Hmm, I probably wouldn’t run barefoot…something seems wrong about that. I also easily trip, and the gravel on the roads would hurt I imagine. haha. nope. not even gonna try that one.
I don’t really feel like barefoot running is a fad. I’ve been hearing about it for at least 10 years now. However, that Born to Run bookd (BORRRRING, btw) and Vibrams have certainly made it more popular. I have to say, I love my Vibrams. It’s difficult to find the right size, but totally worth it in my opinion. They’re definitely helped me run faster and helped my running form.