Barefoot running is a form of running that is meant to reduce the risk of injury to the runner while improving the efficiency of the run.
The theory behind barefoot running, in short, is that the running shoes, with all the technology of cushioning, gels, air pockets, and more, force the runner to step in a way that is not natural to the body. Doing so puts stress on parts of the body - different muscles in the foot and leg, the ankle, the Achilles, and others - that were not designed to hold such stress. Putting stress on these parts of the body will ultimately, almost always, cause an injury. Running barefoot, on the other hand, is using the foot in the way it was meant to be used, using the natural padding built into the foot, and all the stress is distributed the way it should be, stressing parts of the foot and leg that were meant to bear that stress.
Running Shoes
To explain a bit further, the foot, when running barefoot, will generally strike, naturally, using the front of the foot. The reason for this is that the heel is all bone and just about no padding. The front of the foot is very well padded. You can feel your foot with your hand, and you will immediately feel the difference between the different parts of the foot.
The padding at the front of the foot is there because that was meant to be the part of th foot that is walked and run upon. The padding is there to protect the foot and soften the blow to the bones and structure of the foot. Striking in this fashion is using the foot the way it was meant to be used, and the stress will fall and distribute equally on parts of the foot and leg that were meant to bear all that stress.
When striking with the heel, the foot falls differently, and the stress is distributed to tendons and muscles that were not meant to bear the trauma of running. It might last for a while, but eventually the trauma to these parts of the leg, to these muscles and tendons, will be too much to bear and an injury will occur.
Shod running, or running in shoes as it is commonly known, encourages the heel strike. All the cushioning in the shoe lets the runner relax and fall back on his heel. It is like a crutch. This is why, the theory goes, with all the years of shoe technology, running injuries have only increased. Studies also point to the fact that the more expensive the shoe, the greater the technology embedded in a shoe, the chances for injury also increase.
Running barefoot is the solution to all that. Use the foot the way it was meant to be used, and you will run better, and be less prone to injury.
The Theory Of Running Barefoot Rather Than In Shoes
Rafi participates and is active in a variety of team and personal sports. He trained for and ran a marathon, and recently even made the switch from shod running to barefoot running. Rafi talks abotu sports and running at The Ultimate Sports Resource and blogs about his progress running barefoot at the Rabbi Running A Marathon blog.
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