Reddit reviews Barefoot Running Step by Step: Barefoot Ken Bob, the Guru of Shoeless Running, Shares His Personal Technique for Running with More Speed, Less Impact, Fewer Injuries and More Fun
We found 10 Reddit comments about Barefoot Running Step by Step: Barefoot Ken Bob, the Guru of Shoeless Running, Shares His Personal Technique for Running with More Speed, Less Impact, Fewer Injuries and More Fun. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
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I've transitioned to minimalist shoes two years ago by doing all of my running completely barefoot for the first couple hundred miles. I had to basically start running from the beginning during this transition. Not quite couch-to-5k, but close. Also, when I was not running I was wearing very thin soled shoes: no padding, no heel-to-toe drop. Every morning for the first 3 months my feet ached. I had to take it super easy.
But before all that, I have already been reading barefoot running blogs, watched videos and read an re-read this book by Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton: http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Running-Step-Shoeless-Technique/dp/1592334652 (btw, great book on running style whether you run barefoot or not). IMHO, "Born to Run" by itself is nowhere nearly adequate to prepare you to run barefoot. You will be courting injury if you just take your shoes off and go barefoot running without educating yourself.
After making the transition several things happend:
Nowadays I run mostly in Inov-8 Bare-X 180 shoes without the insole. So, there's 3 mm of rubber between me and the road/trail. I try to run barefoot once a week, which is not enough to preserve the nice foot pad developed by running barefoot frequently, but I just like running singletrack too much, so I wear these shoes to get some protection. Basically, after transitioning, I'm using barefoot running as tool to keep my form in check.
That said, you may take a different route to transitioning by switching to shoes with smaller heel-to-toe drop. Your typical Nike-pioneered shoe probably has a drop of anywhere between 12 and 18 mm. So, talk to your running shoe store folks, and see if they have an 8-mm drop shoe that's light weight. Run some miles in those shoes paying carefull attention to how your feet respond. When it comes time for a new pair, get shoes with 4-mm drop, and so on.
On the other hand, why do you want to transition? There is something to be said for "if it aint broke don't fix it."
Exactly this. It's not about toughening up the skin, but rather improving barefoot running form form. My feet are now more soft and supple than when I did everything shod.
To lessen the friction, try not to propel forward with your calf group, instead think of your femur being pulled posteriorly, thus moving you forward. The hamstrings and hip extensors are much larger and stronger than the smaller plantarflexors of the calf, thus more efficient, durable, and longer to fatigue. Springing forward with a toe-off will often lead to blisters of the forefoot. Also in effort to avoid a propelling toe-off, try to lift the foot off the ground all at once, instead rolling off heel first, then midfoot, forefoot/toes. You'll not likely fully accomplish this, but if you are focusing on this, and it sorta feels like you're doing this, then you likely are, but to a lesser degree than it feels like you are, but that can be enough. I try to make it feel like my fore/midfoot is just kissing the ground, focusing on that contact feeling like it's happening behind my me, expecting/hoping that in actuality I'm contacting the ground directly below me. The more the ground contact is forward from the point directly below you, the more friction and blisters will occur. Think of it this way...for every inch forward of the point directly beneath you the foot/ground contact will have a braking effect on your forward momentum, and this has to first be experienced as a sheering force of the skin and concrete, and you can attest to which deteriorate first. (an extreme visual is a pole vaulter jamming the pole into that hole in the ground).
In regards to the toe tip...in addition to the above, try to dorsiflex your toes upward as the foot touches the ground until it leaves the ground. Same thing, you won't truly accomplish this, but the intention and the "it feels like I'm doing it" means I probably am a little, and usually that's enough.
I run almost entirely on city streets and sidewalks with one rule that I won't compromise...never run with discomfort (joint, tendon/ligament, skin) from a previous run. I may try to run through a simple low-grade muscle soreness, but not often. There's a good reasoning to not involve any sort of weaning off of shoes, and progressively switching to barefoot (see Ken Bob's book linked below). I went cold turkey and it was almost completely without incident beyond the initial blisters from sloppy freshman form, and a little achilles tenderness from 45 years of mostly being on vacation. Now cardio is my only nemesis...well, also those damned half-eaten acorns the squirrels drop onto the sidewalk. I also learned to avoid street/sidewalks on recycling pickup days due to glass.
Ken Bob Saxton's book, Barefoot Running Step by Step is incredibly helpful in technique, and is very readable.
Hauraches are better than shoes IMHO, no shoes at all is best. I wear Xeros DIY style hauraches, but only when the asphalt becomes too hot, or a race course involves some hateful gravel sections.
the easy way to fix this is to concentrate on placing your other foot gently, your body automatically should take care of lifting the other foot off of the ground.
most of the running form questions are covered in barefoot ken bob's book Barefoot Running Step by Step
good luck
Barefoot Ken Bobs book has a lot of good advice about barefoot running form. The basic thing I got is to lift your foot almost the instant it lands, and also to curl the toes up before landing.
In practice both of these are nearly impossible or at least very difficult to do, but they're a useful mental cue.
I used to get the same thing, but lately with focus on using lean for forward movement, and the above two prompts (aiming for minimal to no horizontal friction on the foot during the ground phase) I don't have this problem anymore.
This video is also a nice summary of good form, and inspiring barefoot running - https://youtu.be/zSIDRHUWlVo
Just to throw out a different idea, what about barefoot running? You should be able to get Ken Bob's book at the library. I've never ran barefooted myself, I don't personally condone this idea at all, just another possibility for running on a budget.
Alternatively: I have a Foot Locker gift card with $63 on it. If you want it, private message me your address and I'll send it to you (assuming you live in the United States).
In the Barefoot Running Step by Step book, Barefoot Ken Bob talks about a friend who uses Plasti Dip to coat the bottom of his socks. Plasti Dip is just liquid rubber so once it dries the socks will have a light layer of protection/padding on the bottom.
Apparently these allow for a more barefoot-like feel of the road as compared to VFF or Minimal shoes and they allow you to run in the winter while still being as close to barefoot as possible. The best part is you choose the socks that fit you best or that you want to use (can even use toe socks). The book suggests wearing the socks when you coat them (use a foam paint brush) which means hanging out in a well ventilated area for 45 min. or so.
For less than $10 you can get a jar of Plasti Dip and a pair of socks, and the jar will last for multiple pairs of socks. Sounds like a good deal to me, I've been thinking about trying it.
EDIT I missed the part where you can't wear the VFFs at work and are looking for a replacement. The rubber coated socks probably aren't a good solution for your problem.
Could be a bit of everything. You should really not peel off your shoes and start running, especially into a run already where your muscle memory has been triggering a different pattern for 6K already.
I REALLY suggest this book. There's a lot of good information in there but the MOST helpful part are the "exercises" including a lot of funny walking in funny positions. You go to a big field and spend a few hours a week doing that and youll be right as rain.
What the funny walks do is teach your body the new muscle memory you need for a different kind of running. I am sure there are other good books/websites/etc with adaptation lessons - the point is take it slow, and learn to run again!
Check this out:
Barefoot Running Step by Step: Barefoot Ken Bob, the Guru of Shoeless Running, Shares His Personal Technique for Running with More Speed, Less Impact, Fewer Injuries and More Fun https://www.amazon.com/dp/1592334652/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0sEmzb5CY811V
Honestly, clean concrete or asphalt is probably the easiest surface to run on. I didn't believe it either until I got the technique down. But, it's true.
When I started barefoot, I ordered a couple books and did some reading.
http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307279189
and
http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Running-Step-Shoeless-Technique/dp/1592334652/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1WV43D698B0HHYCVA8FJ
The first book is entertaining. The second book is instructional, and the most help in understanding the mechanics. Telling someone how to run barefoot is like trying to explain to someone how to chew. Think about that for a second, explaining a basic body mechanic isn't that simple to do because people just do it.
Barefoot running, when you're doing it properly, is like that. If something hurts, you're doing it wrong.
Now, I wont say that I run 6 minute miles. Again, I like running, but I wish I were more into it, I have a desk job and I'm old. My best mile is probably around 10 minutes or just under it. But, I usually keep that speed or around it the entire run. I can usually run the fastest at the end of my runs, after all of the joints have loosened up and my form is at it's best.
Buy a book and read if you're interested in it.
http://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Running-Step-Shoeless-Technique/dp/1592334652/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318434334&sr=1-1-fkmr0
There you go. Barefoot Running Step by Step, written by Barefoot Ted himself.