Today’s New York Times has an article on barefoot running. At JackRabbit, we have always encouraged people to run with the most natural form possible. The Times article highlighted a growing trend toward more efficient running, and shoes like the Nike Free, which encourage a more natural gait. But we also caution all of our runners that it takes time to develop the strength to run correctly, and that it is far more productive to make the shift gradually than to jump cold turkey into a new way of running.
Human beings evolved to run barefoot. Long before there were stability shoes, or shoes of any kind, humans were regularly running 5-15 miles every day to hunt, forage, migrate, and raid competing tribes. Over long distances, a human being can outrun a horse, an antelope, a buffalo, and almost any other animal. Native Americans had many coming of age rites that involve long distance running, including bringing down a deer barehanded. Buddhist monks in Japan continue to practice long distance running as a form of meditation and self-awareness. Our only rivals in this niche are dogs, which might explain the close relationship we enjoy with our four legged friends.
Our bodies are marvels of engineering that work best when we run as though barefoot. Try this test: find someplace with a hard floor and run a few yards in your sneakers. Chances are good that you land with your heel first, then roll onto the ball of your foot and off your big toe. Now take off your shoes and try to run the same way. If you can do it at all, you find that it hurts! Your body is not built to absorb the impact of landing on your heels first when you run. The only reason we can run this way at all is that modern shoes cushion the impact. In fact, when you run barefoot your natural tendency is to land first with the ball of your foot (that is, the bony area about an inch behind your big toe). The impact of your landing is absorbed in your calves and your quads as your heel comes down toward the ground and your knee straightens out. Study after study shows that this form of running results in greater efficiency, which means you can run faster while burning fewer calories and working at a lower heartrate. It also engages all the muscles in your foot and leg, so you naturally stabilize yourself instead of relying on your shoes for stability. Simply put, the best way to run is to run the way nature designed us.
BUT evolution does not account for our modern lifestyles. In the US, almost every child starts wearing shoes by 6 months old, and we wear shoes of various types for almost every waking moment of our lives. We also spend a large fraction of our time sitting at our desks, in cars, trains, and planes, at the table, and on the couch. And where our ancestors routinely ran long distances every day, modern Americans run only a few miles, and at most a 3-6 times a week.
SO while humans evolved to run barefoot, in our modern lives we do not develop the muscle strength & flexibility, bone density, ligament strength, vascular capacity, nerve distribution, and other attributes that our ancestors developed routinely. That means that while the human body is at its most efficient when running as though barefoot, most of us lack the strength to maintain that form for any length of time. While there is a vocal minority of people who have switched to running methods like Pose Running and ChiRunning with no problems, the vast majority of people who make the shift (including your humble author) end up injured, and some are unable to run at all.
So while JackRabbit recommends that everyone try to develop a more natural running form, we also recommend making the switch very slowly. When we help our customers find the right running shoes, we use our treadmill to find the shoe that results in the most natural gait – that is, the combination of forces from your feet and from the shoes result in a natural running form. Modern running shoes do a very good job supplementing the strength that our feet would have if we ran more than we do. As you run, you develop more strength in your feet and as a result you need less from your shoes. The more you can rely on your own muscles, ligaments and bones, the better runner you’ll be and the less prone you’ll be to injury.
Anyone, at any level, can develop a more natural running form. The exact program will vary depending on your level, strengths and weaknesses, and susceptibility to injury. But almost everyone can benefit from making a few changes in the way they run.
First, try taking shorter strides more frequently. Use a stopwatch and count your steps, and see if you can take 90 or more strides per minute (that is, your right foot hits the ground 90 times in 60 seconds). At first it takes a lot more effort to run that way, so try it for a few intervals during your regular runs, and gradually increase as it feels more comfortable. When you start out, each step will be shorter than it is now, and you may be slower. But as you adapt, your strides will lengthen back out and you'll end up faster than you were.
Second, (and this is harder to describe) try to eliminate up and down motion when you run. You can do this by “squatting down” when you run, so your legs can move under your pelvis without your torso moving up and down. A good way to practice this is on an elliptical machine in your gym, where you can try to hold your torso in place while your legs move underneath you.
The third change is not for everyone. You may be able to do a small portion of your running in very lightweight shoes with little support, such as racing flats, “lightweight performance” shoes or the Nike Free 5.0. Running in less supportive shoes forces you to use all the "little" muscles in your ankles and feet that don’t get enough of a workout in normal running shoes. However, some people don’t have the strength to do even a little running without support from their shoes. There’s a reason those muscles are small, and they’re easily overworked and injured. Better to work them too little than too much. (We can help you decide if this is an experiment you should try by analyzing your form on our treadmill.)
Lastly, on the days when you’re running in lightweight shoes, add intervals where you land on the ball of your foot first instead of on your heel. It’s easier (and more productive) to do this running on flats or uphill than running downhill. Gradually increase the length of those intervals, being conscious that you’re using all the muscles in your leg in a completely different way and it is very, very easy to overdo it. You may feel rapid gains in the first few weeks, but don’t expect to maintain that pace of improvement. The first few weeks your calves will probably hurt; that’s natural, but it’s also your body sending you a warning that you should listen to. Ignoring the pain can lead to tendonitis, plantar fascitis, and heel spurs, all of which can hinder your development as a runner far more than you benefit from the improved form.
Recommended Reading:
Why We Run by Bernd Heinrich
Explosive Running by Michael Yessis
Lee Silverman
JackRabbit Sports
Human beings evolved to run barefoot. Long before there were stability shoes, or shoes of any kind, humans were regularly running 5-15 miles every day to hunt, forage, migrate, and raid competing tribes. Over long distances, a human being can outrun a horse, an antelope, a buffalo, and almost any other animal. Native Americans had many coming of age rites that involve long distance running, including bringing down a deer barehanded. Buddhist monks in Japan continue to practice long distance running as a form of meditation and self-awareness. Our only rivals in this niche are dogs, which might explain the close relationship we enjoy with our four legged friends.
Our bodies are marvels of engineering that work best when we run as though barefoot. Try this test: find someplace with a hard floor and run a few yards in your sneakers. Chances are good that you land with your heel first, then roll onto the ball of your foot and off your big toe. Now take off your shoes and try to run the same way. If you can do it at all, you find that it hurts! Your body is not built to absorb the impact of landing on your heels first when you run. The only reason we can run this way at all is that modern shoes cushion the impact. In fact, when you run barefoot your natural tendency is to land first with the ball of your foot (that is, the bony area about an inch behind your big toe). The impact of your landing is absorbed in your calves and your quads as your heel comes down toward the ground and your knee straightens out. Study after study shows that this form of running results in greater efficiency, which means you can run faster while burning fewer calories and working at a lower heartrate. It also engages all the muscles in your foot and leg, so you naturally stabilize yourself instead of relying on your shoes for stability. Simply put, the best way to run is to run the way nature designed us.
BUT evolution does not account for our modern lifestyles. In the US, almost every child starts wearing shoes by 6 months old, and we wear shoes of various types for almost every waking moment of our lives. We also spend a large fraction of our time sitting at our desks, in cars, trains, and planes, at the table, and on the couch. And where our ancestors routinely ran long distances every day, modern Americans run only a few miles, and at most a 3-6 times a week.
SO while humans evolved to run barefoot, in our modern lives we do not develop the muscle strength & flexibility, bone density, ligament strength, vascular capacity, nerve distribution, and other attributes that our ancestors developed routinely. That means that while the human body is at its most efficient when running as though barefoot, most of us lack the strength to maintain that form for any length of time. While there is a vocal minority of people who have switched to running methods like Pose Running and ChiRunning with no problems, the vast majority of people who make the shift (including your humble author) end up injured, and some are unable to run at all.
So while JackRabbit recommends that everyone try to develop a more natural running form, we also recommend making the switch very slowly. When we help our customers find the right running shoes, we use our treadmill to find the shoe that results in the most natural gait – that is, the combination of forces from your feet and from the shoes result in a natural running form. Modern running shoes do a very good job supplementing the strength that our feet would have if we ran more than we do. As you run, you develop more strength in your feet and as a result you need less from your shoes. The more you can rely on your own muscles, ligaments and bones, the better runner you’ll be and the less prone you’ll be to injury.
Anyone, at any level, can develop a more natural running form. The exact program will vary depending on your level, strengths and weaknesses, and susceptibility to injury. But almost everyone can benefit from making a few changes in the way they run.
First, try taking shorter strides more frequently. Use a stopwatch and count your steps, and see if you can take 90 or more strides per minute (that is, your right foot hits the ground 90 times in 60 seconds). At first it takes a lot more effort to run that way, so try it for a few intervals during your regular runs, and gradually increase as it feels more comfortable. When you start out, each step will be shorter than it is now, and you may be slower. But as you adapt, your strides will lengthen back out and you'll end up faster than you were.
Second, (and this is harder to describe) try to eliminate up and down motion when you run. You can do this by “squatting down” when you run, so your legs can move under your pelvis without your torso moving up and down. A good way to practice this is on an elliptical machine in your gym, where you can try to hold your torso in place while your legs move underneath you.
The third change is not for everyone. You may be able to do a small portion of your running in very lightweight shoes with little support, such as racing flats, “lightweight performance” shoes or the Nike Free 5.0. Running in less supportive shoes forces you to use all the "little" muscles in your ankles and feet that don’t get enough of a workout in normal running shoes. However, some people don’t have the strength to do even a little running without support from their shoes. There’s a reason those muscles are small, and they’re easily overworked and injured. Better to work them too little than too much. (We can help you decide if this is an experiment you should try by analyzing your form on our treadmill.)
Lastly, on the days when you’re running in lightweight shoes, add intervals where you land on the ball of your foot first instead of on your heel. It’s easier (and more productive) to do this running on flats or uphill than running downhill. Gradually increase the length of those intervals, being conscious that you’re using all the muscles in your leg in a completely different way and it is very, very easy to overdo it. You may feel rapid gains in the first few weeks, but don’t expect to maintain that pace of improvement. The first few weeks your calves will probably hurt; that’s natural, but it’s also your body sending you a warning that you should listen to. Ignoring the pain can lead to tendonitis, plantar fascitis, and heel spurs, all of which can hinder your development as a runner far more than you benefit from the improved form.
Recommended Reading:
Why We Run by Bernd Heinrich
Explosive Running by Michael Yessis
Lee Silverman
JackRabbit Sports