From the Readers: Varying Terrain and Joint Impact?

Barrett shares about his transition to VFF after running a Half Marathon in runners. He has a good question about joint impact while running near barefoot.

Wanted to let you know that I just came off of a hiatus from running since my half (with running shoes) at the end of February.

I decided after the half I would start running in VFF's exclusively.  Yesterday I went out to run for the first time in a couple weeks and my planned 3 miles turned into 6+ with virtually no effort.  I was constantly speeding up and ended in a sprint.  I think sprinting was the most amazing part, I could really feel my feet pushing me forward.

Also a question about Vibrams/ barefoot running:

I know running in grass is better than running on the sidewalk to reduce impact on your joints.. Is this irrelevant when you're striking with your forefoot instead of your heel?

I would say that ground hardness is still very relevant in running with a mid to fore-foot strike. Although your arch, the beautifully engineered spring that it is, works well to minimize the harsh joint impact when running 'near' barefoot, that impact doesn't magically disappear (comparative to a heel strike, the impact is significantly reduced). When running on grass or soft trails, the give in the ground will aid in your foot's suspension. The practicality, however, is that we live in a world of varying landscapes, from cement to sand, and, especially if you are racing, grass may not always be an option.

I have found a lot of enjoyment in varying the terrain that I run on. I'll include pavement, gravel, trail, grass, and mud/dirt in a single run. The divergence gives my feet some relief as subtle changes in muscle use strengthens my foot without overburdening it as repetitive treadmill work often does. Good luck with the transition, Barrett.  It already sounds like you have found new joy in running VFF style.

Related Post: The Barefoot Professor

Comments

[Nathan Clark]

Although still new to even the concept of running on varying surfaces, I think there's a lot to be said for learning the POSE or Chi running techniques. Both are similar in that they are much more efficient ways of moving your body forward (I've noticed the Chi techniques work even for walking). By using these techniques you can greatly reduce the amount of stress your joints are under than simply by changing how your foot hits the ground.

Birthdayshoes.com had a recent post on Chi running which was very interesting:)