Running Barefoot: The First Steps

Due in part to Christopher McDougal’s book “Born to Run”, there has been a small but growing revolution in the way we think about our feet. The human hand has always bathed in the spotlight and been universally praised as a miracle of pure functionality and beauty. Meanwhile, the lowly foot has all but been shunned, stuffed into ill-fitting shoes and dismissed as inferior. Sure, the hand may be longer, leaner and more elegant to look at and the foot, more… shall I say, utilitarian. But in terms of importance to the life and function of any human being, the foot is every bit as crucial and capable.

There are 26 bones in the human foot and a dazzling array of 33 joints, which are made up of over 100 tendons, ligaments and muscles (the hand has 27 bones and a similar make-up). So why would the universe stuff all of those crazy parts into something everyone either ignores or thinks doesn’t work too well? Let’s put this into perspective and remember that without the outstanding design of the foot, a lot of the beauty of human movement simply wouldn’t be possible. Activities such as ballet, figure skating, skateboarding and basketball would be pretty much impossible if we had hoofs, paws or talons.

So why is running barefoot so taboo? My honest answer is simply because the idea of it is pretty freaking scary, man. Most of us have grown up in a world of asphalt paving, uneven concrete, sharp gravel, broken glass, garbage and… can I say this in two blogs?… dog poop. It’s a far cry from the dirt, leaves, sand, fallen pine needles and grass humans started running on.

How does one get started then? Slowly! I suggest finding a safe path near your home or your favorite running spot that is free from gravel, sharp rocks and trash. Take off your shoes and socks and start placing one foot in front of the other in a repetitive manner–that’s right, just walk. Take in the temperature changes of the ground beneath you. Let your body slowly readjust to the new posture. You’re going to feel a little off balance to the rear of your body at first because most of our shoes have a little bit of a heel lift. The ground is going to feel hard.  It sounds obvious, but it is honestly a surprising feeling and one that you’ll not only get used to but eventually, if you are like me, you’ll begin to crave the ground’s honest feedback. What do I do with my feet you ask? Trust me; they will know what to do. If your feet are like mine, they have been wanting to do this for a long, long time. Walk barefoot until it no longer feels awkward. This may take an hour, it may take a week.  Everyone is different. Most people will be starting out with a lot of unused muscles in their feet and will need this time to strengthen to avoid possible injury.

Running barefoot is a bit more complicated. Please do not heel strike. Your body will reject this with a strong pain response from your footpad to your ankles, and right up your knees and back. Instead, start by running in place barefoot. Notice how your footfall is naturally softer and how you can’t help but land on the balls of your feet. Your Achilles tendon will stretch and rebound and your calves will start firing like a couple of well-oiled machines. Slowly, and I do mean slowly, start to accelerate. You won’t want to miss this, because as your stride starts to open, little by little, you’ll start to feel your foot strike start to spread from the balls of your feet in a rearward fashion until nearly your entire footpad is striking the ground. When you feel this, stop accelerating and take note of what the rest of your body is doing.  With any luck, it will be smooth and you’ll find that you’re gliding along the ground and not bouncing very much at all.  Now you’re running barefoot. You may find that this style difficult to maintain for long periods of because you are recruiting new set of muscles to stabilize your new form. These muscles will be sore with the use, but will strengthen.

After a while, you may find that knee and back pain reduces, that the musculature in your legs becomes more defined and your balance improves.  The best part is you’ll get to show your friends and loved ones your new pair of monkey feet. Ever watch your dog or cat stretch on the living room floor and notice how their paws spread to ginormous proportions? That is the same kind of joint articulation humans should have in their feet.

Don’t believe me? Check out what a bunch of guys in lab coats from Harvard are saying in an article titled Barefoot Running: How Humans Ran Comfortably and Safely Before the Invention of Shoes. It’s one of my favorite super science articles. Lastly, please be careful. Start slow, listen to your feet and always keep your eyes on the ground ahead to avoid foot injury.