I thought it pertinent to mention that the decrease in pain that I've seen from barefoot running is most likely due to the way that running without shoes has forced me to alter my running stride. I now take shorter steps and land on my forefoot, rather than my heel. My foot then flattens to distribute my body weight equally to the front (toward my toes) and to the back (toward my heel) with each step. Although I knew heel-striking was poor form when running, I couldn't seem to stop myself from doing it while wearing shoes. I tried increasing my strides per minute and it just seemed to make me run with a choppy, clunky step. I think it actually did more harm than help.
I just don't want to give anyone the impression that barefoot running has, by itself, made my knee and hip pain go away. Barefoot running has been a catalyst for changing my running form to create less impact on my skeletal system. The impact from running has not only been decreased by running barefoot, but I have also changed the way in which my body absorbs the impact. Now, with my new stride, the impact is absorbed mostly by my calves and quadriceps thus resulting in some sore muscles, but no joint pain.
I also can't stress enough the importance of making the transition to barefoot or minimalist running slowly. Depending on your running form prior to the switch, you may have extremely weak muscles in your feet and calves. It's important to allow these muscles to build gradually over a period of weeks and months.
During my first week running with Vibrams Fivefingers Bikilas I ran every other day and didn't run more than 2 miles. This may even be too much distance for some people. When I got to a point where I felt that my feet and calves were recovering easily by the next run I upped the distance to 4 miles. I'm now in my third week of running barefoot and I am alternating between 4 and 6 mile runs, but I am still only running every other day to give my feet time to recover. I will continue this for at least 2 more weeks before I begin my marathon training in June.
Keys to Making the Transition to Barefoot Running Injury Free:
1) Take it SLOW!!! Don't run more than 2 miles at a time for your first 1-2 weeks, and allow a day of recovery between each run. Slow down your pace too. Don't be afraid to add a minute or two or even more to your normal pace.
2) Listen to your body. If it hurts to get out of bed in the morning, you're pushing your body way too hard. When running, feel how your feet meet the ground with each step, and focus on your form. Identify what causes pain and what doesn't. It's okay to feel a little soreness in your muscles, but joint and skeletal soreness is a bad thing. You should also stop running and allow some recovery time if you experience pain that doesn't go away after 10-15 minutes during a run.
3) Stretch and massage your feet daily. Look up stretches and exercises done by ballerinas or other dancers to strengthen their feet.
4) Have fun with running and enjoy the organic feeling that running barefoot brings. When done properly, running barefoot can make you feel alive, and connected to the Earth in a whole new way.
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