Beyond Barefoot Running
“MY CALVES GET A BETTER WORKOUT. I feel the temperature and texture of the surface under my feet, so I’m more in tune with my environment than when I run in my thickbottomed shoes. I don’t go as far in my barefoot running shoes, but the benefits of the run are greater and stay with me longer.”
That’s how recreational runner Mark Dance, 27, explains his love for Vibram barefoot running shoes. But others disagree on the merits of these minimalist glove-like shoes. Last year, the company settled in a $3.75-million class-action lawsuit over alleged unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of Vibram FiveFingers shoes.
“But the end of the barefoot running shoe boom a few years ago wasn’t as much about the shoes as it was about behaviour,” says Geordie McConnell, general manager of Ottawa Fit and a long-time running coach.
“Too many runners put their high-cushioning, more supportive shoes at the back of the closet,” says McConnell, who suggests a better approach is to make the transition to a minimalist shoe gradually. “People were landing on their metatarsals — the balls of their feet — with their heels barely coming down, practically prancing around on their toes, which put sudden tremendous strain on their lower legs and Achilles. Injuries resulted,” he explains. “If barefoot shoes had arrived in the 1970s, they wouldn’t have found a market because we already had minimalist running shoes. In the 1980s, we started to introduce excessive cushioning and excessive ramping, which got people running with a weighted heel strike.” (Ramping is the difference in platform height from the heel to the forefoot.)
Chris Chapman coordinates the running programs at Ottawa’s Mountain Equipment Co-op, which sells Vibram shoes. He believes the barefoot shoe trend was ultimately good for consumers because it created more choice. “You still have minimalist shoes,” he says. “And smaller companies like Hoka are putting out maximal shoes with a greater amount of cushioning from front to back, so you still have that flat foot, the essence of more natural running.”
Ottawa Running Room regional manager Phil Marsh isn’t a fan of barefoot shoes but says: “The barefoot running shoe fad reminded people they need to work on their posture, core strength, flexibility, and all those other things that make better runners.” So what’s a new runner to do? McConnell says buy shoes that fit well and are comfortable. Go to a store that knows running shoes — preferably at the end of the day, when your foot is a bit bigger. If you have access, try them on a treadmill first so that you can return them if the fit is not perfect.
McConnell’s courses introduce rookie runners to the sport with 20-minute walks, which include three one-minute jogging intervals. It’s the tortoise approach, but he insists it’s the healthy way to start running. “The body’s capacity to adapt is incredible,” he says, “but never beat yourself up during a run. Leave your body wanting more.”
Dr. Stephen Hartman, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Podiatric Medicine and a foot doctor in Waterloo, Ontario, agrees that common sense, fit, and comfort are more important than whether shoes are minimalist or maximalist. “Just don’t make a habit of running with no shoes at all,” he advises. “That’s definitely a bad idea.”