Shoe running, Barefoot running sports where running is involved!

[wodgina]

It's not just your muscles which change on this diet. Tendons etc. do too. My technique for running and walking has improved.

I've noticed my running and walking style has definitely changed. The tendons in my feet and legs are springier. I've noticed this over the last six months. I jog to the beach barefoot and I just seem to spring back fast after the initial impact. So when I run I bounce more than stomping like I used to. I feel more efficient.
It makes barefoot running more pleasurable.
I walk differently too, maybe because I'm more supple or I feel better overall, but I seem to walk with my back now.

Wodgina

[TheWayCreatesTheWarrior]

i enjoy doing everything barefoot during the summer.

have you ever seen these? i was thinking of getting some.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/images/products/112//large.jpg

[wodgina]

Feet Gloves! 

They look pretty cool, they look like they would work too! Who wears those? climbers?sprinters? do many people use them...professionals?

Would I wear them?... don't know..maybe if 'cool' people like professionals wore them...I'm trying to reduce any eccentricities I can at the moment...I care what people think unfortunatley...can't wait till I'm wrinkled and don't care anymore!

Wodgina

[Raw Kyle]

i enjoy doing everything barefoot during the summer.

have you ever seen these? i was thinking of getting some.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/images/products/112//large.jpg

Do you know what they're made off? Looks cool to me.

[Satya]

I've noticed my running and walking style has definitely changed. The tendons in my feet and legs are springier. I've noticed this over the last six months. I jog to the beach barefoot and I just seem to spring back fast after the initial impact. So when I run I bounce more than stomping like I used to. I feel more efficient.
It makes barefoot running more pleasurable.
I walk differently too, maybe because I'm more supple or I feel better overall, but I seem to walk with my back now.

Hey Andrew, that beach shot makes me so envious.  Do you run on the beach barefoot?  That is the best, especially if you are headed straight into the water, to continue to run until the water slows you down too much, and then to dive in; it is sheer bliss.

We have sharp sticker burr seed pods this time of year in the grass so I have to wear shoes in the garden, but yoga and martial arts done barefoot help to keep the tendons and general stabilizing muscles in the feet much stronger.  Have you noticed your arch changing shape?  My son had way flat feet until we started doing taekwondo a couple years ago, and now the arches are higher because his feet have to work more than with shoes to balance and such, and there is no cushy support all over.

What do you mean you walk with your back now?  Please explain, because shoes can mess up your back over time.  Au naturelle, baby.

[wodgina]

Hey Andrew, that beach shot makes me so envious.  Do you run on the beach barefoot?  That is the best, especially if you are headed straight into the water, to continue to run until the water slows you down too much, and then to dive in; it is sheer bliss.

We have sharp sticker burr seed pods this time of year in the grass so I have to wear shoes in the garden, but yoga and martial arts done barefoot help to keep the tendons and general stabilizing muscles in the feet much stronger.  Have you noticed your arch changing shape?  My son had way flat feet until we started doing taekwondo a couple years ago, and now the arches are higher because his feet have to work more than with shoes to balance and such, and there is no cushy support all over.

What do you mean you walk with your back now?  Please explain, because shoes can mess up your back over time.  Au naturelle, baby.

Hey Satya,

It's only 200 steps from my front door to the beach...so I spend a lot of time down there! agreed here's nothing like running and diving into the water, especially when it's stinking hot!
I run on the soft sand. Funnily enough, from what I've read, most barefoot runners prefer the harder stuff to the softer stuff.
I haven't noticed my feet or arches changing shape but I grew up barefoot and have very strong very wide feet. My uncle moved to Australia from the UK and he mentioned his feet were wider and his UK shoes don't fit him anymore so I believe it's possible, especially as he would have been in his mid 30's.

umm..walking with your back. If you look most people seem to just kick out their legs or drag their feet when they walk. They usually slump forward with no energy.
Then watch professional sprinters walk around before a race or even after, they almost prance around! a massive difference. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they move, whether they are happy, self assured etc etc.!

If you place your hands on your back (no shoes), then walk forward with your whole body, head up straight you will feel your back muscles working. To walk properly you use your whole body to move forward methinks.

Wodgina

[TheWayCreatesTheWarrior]

Feet Gloves! 

They look pretty cool, they look like they would work too! Who wears those? climbers?sprinters? do many people use them...professionals?


Wodgina

i think they were originally designed with climbing in mind, but i think there advertised towards, basically everything, mostly water sports.
all i know is that i love bounce around the rocks down at the Gorge near me and they would be great, less likely to slip.

Do you know what they're made off? Looks cool to me.

heres what they say about materials....alittle vague.
i know from what ive 'heard' off of another forum that theyre tricky to size, they recommend to find a local dealer.


"The upper is made with a thin, abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric. Our patented Vibram® sole is made from our TC1 performance rubber compound, it’s non-marking and provides excellent grip and ground feel in both wet and dry conditions. "

[wodgina]

Humans hot, sweaty, natural-born runners

Monday’s cool-weather marathon wouldn’t bring down game
By Alvin Powell
Harvard News Office
Hairless, clawless, and largely weaponless, ancient humans used the unlikely combination of sweatiness and relentlessness to gain the upper hand over their faster, stronger, generally more dangerous animal prey, Harvard Anthropology Professor Daniel Lieberman said Thursday (April 12).

http://www.physorg.com/news95954919.html

[wodgina]

I needs these!

Nike free the anti shoe

[Raw Kyle]

Those Nike shoes are a rip off. One of my friends was into them and then told me not to waste my money and just get a pair of wu-shu shoes. Wu shu is a type of kung-fu and their competition shoes are the same type of super bendy design. The difference? Nike Frees are like $60-$70 and my wu shu shoes cost about $13. I've had them for over 2 years and they still are in perfect condition, although I don't use them all that much. My buddies Frees were all torn up after 6 months of capoeira.

[xylothrill]

Humans hot, sweaty, natural-born runners

Monday’s cool-weather marathon wouldn’t bring down game
By Alvin Powell
Harvard News Office
Hairless, clawless, and largely weaponless, ancient humans used the unlikely combination of sweatiness and relentlessness to gain the upper hand over their faster, stronger, generally more dangerous animal prey, Harvard Anthropology Professor Daniel Lieberman said Thursday (April 12).

http://www.physorg.com/news95954919.html

This is exactly the point I've tried making regarding humans as endurance hunters before. Everyone seems to think that running down an animal is like a marathon when in fact, it doesn't take long to run down prey when the prey is anaerobic and the predator aerobic.

From my experience, you don't have to be conditioned unless you are on a high-carb diet. I've found that I can run aerobically without constant training since I'm fat adapted.
In high school track, I'd lose my endurance quickly on a high-carb diet. Going even days to a week without endurance running would cause me to peter out rather quickly unless I jogged almost daily. 

Craig

[miles]

i enjoy doing everything barefoot during the summer.

have you ever seen these? i was thinking of getting some.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/images/products/112//large.jpg

I have a pair.. They're nowhere near as good as barefoot for running (At least on surfaces like tarmac, which isn't too rough and debris are visible), badminton, rock-climbing, parkour etc... They come in very handy sometimes though; I'd say they're better than normal shoes anyway for sure.. Barefoot is still better where possible though.

I've seen 'Elite' Taceurs, rock-climbers and free-runners putting them to good use.

[PaleoPhil]

In addition to wearing only barefoot-mimicking shoes, I've done some more experimenting with barefoot walking. I find cement sidewalks to be pleasantly smooth and soft feeling to my bare feet, but black pavement tends to be rough and full of pointy stones. Grass and sand are nice to walk on, but not gravel.

[miles]

I run frequently barefoot on Gravel, black tarmac, smooth tarmac.. sand seems good too but I'm not near a beach, though I stay away from grass generally because stuff could be hidden like faeces and drug needles. Would be all right if one was running cross-country; off the beaten track.

[SkinnyDevil]

I mostly wear flip-flops. As thin as possible.

I workout barefoot, play with my dog barefoot, work in the yard barefoot...I even play tennis w/ no shoes. Years ago when I worked regular jobs, many (including roofing and stocking shelves) I did barefoot.

Now dancing? I wear some great shoes at the dance club!

[djr_81]

I started serious daily jogging/running two months ago. I do 1.5-2.5 miles each morning to warm up my body for the day and then try to get a longer run in 3 times a week (interspersed with riding my bike).
I definitely noticed a difference from the first month into the second (when I began ZC). Some of it can be explained away with my increased fitness but there was a stark increase in my speed & endurance with the switch. I went from averaging 10 minute miles jogging to 6-7 minute miles and could go twice the distance before feeling wiped out (this is when I realized quick progression can aggravate things like my IT band). After a week or two of the gains my performance took a hit (I agree with the logic of Lex's view on the body using up glycogen stores he mentions in the beginning of his journal). I noticed a similar mental & energy dip at the same time. I'm now beginning to feel like I've worked through the worst of this dip and ran an 8 minute average mile this morning. Hopefully I adapt to burning ketones quickly so I can get back to feeling great after a morning run.

It's not just your muscles which change on this diet. Tendons etc. do too. My technique for running and walking has improved.

I've noticed my running and walking style has definitely changed. The tendons in my feet and legs are springier. I've noticed this over the last six months. I jog to the beach barefoot and I just seem to spring back fast after the initial impact. So when I run I bounce more than stomping like I used to. I feel more efficient.
It makes barefoot running more pleasurable.
I walk differently too, maybe because I'm more supple or I feel better overall, but I seem to walk with my back now.

Andrew

I noticed this early on as well. It's almost a more supple and streamlined motion. Much more economical with the energy.

I have a pair.. They're nowhere near as good as barefoot for running (At least on surfaces like tarmac, which isn't too rough and debris are visible), badminton, rock-climbing, parkour etc... They come in very handy sometimes though; I'd say they're better than normal shoes anyway for sure.. Barefoot is still better where possible though.

I've seen 'Elite' Taceurs, rock-climbers and free-runners putting them to good use.

I actually picked a pair up for myself after seeing them here. Took about a week for my feet to get conditioned to more direct feel of the pavement but after that they've been great. The pavement around here is too littered with miscellaneous debris for me to consider true barefoot but these suffice for me in that regard. My family still thinks I'm nuts for wearing them but if it works for you why stop? Unfortunately it's been 40*F the past few mornings and doesn't look like it'll be warming up any time soon so they're probably going to sit until spring.

[miles]

I actually picked a pair up for myself after seeing them here. Took about a week for my feet to get conditioned to more direct feel of the pavement but after that they've been great. The pavement around here is too littered with miscellaneous debris for me to consider true barefoot but these suffice for me in that regard. My family still thinks I'm nuts for wearing them but if it works for you why stop? Unfortunately it's been 40*F the past few mornings and doesn't look like it'll be warming up any time soon so they're probably going to sit until spring.
[/quote]

Heh, the only weather that got me to bring them out was the heavy snowfall which covered the pavement so I couldn't see what I could be running on =)