Bare-foot running for fun Critics not so sure
BY JULIA SISLER It was snowing, the pavement was
slicked with ice, and Rod Begg was out running barefoot, as he did from December through March all last winter. For fun. “A lot of people will say, ‘oh my god, are you crazy?’ But to those people you say, ‘take your shoes off and try it’.” Now that the snow is gone, Begg
said there are more runners trying it without shoes in Ottawa and across the country, even though others involved in running say it’s a risky business.
Begg, a member of the Barefoot
Runner’s Society online forum, sees the buzz taking off. Though there isn’t an organized group in Ottawa, there are in bigger, warmer cities like Toronto and Vancouver, and across the United States. There used to be a handful of
well-known barefoot runners, like the record-setting South African Zola Budd, but now more casual runners are choosing to train without shoes or with minimally padded footwear. Begg started running barefoot as a personal challenge just over a year ago, and kept it up through the winter. Now he can run a half- marathon without shoes, injury free – even at 10 degrees below zero. “The first week I was
tentative … you’re like a hawk watching the road looking for little stones,” he said. But it didn’t hurt and even in the early weeks,
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he had no cuts or bruises. And there were other benefits. “My level of enjoyment increased right away,” he said, “you’re playing in the mud, it rained, it brings you back to your childhood.” Barefoot running took off after American running pro Christopher McDougall published Born to Run in 2009. He tracked down members of the Tarahumara tribe in the Copper Canyons of Mexico, and studied how they are able to run long distances every day without routine injuries, wearing only thin sandals. The difference is in the technique.
Instead of pounding down your heels and relying on padded shoes to absorb the shock, barefoot runners touch down softly on the balls of their feet. Begg said it takes time to learn, but eventually it feels more natural. He says it’s the way everyone
learns to run naturally. “If you watch a child and they don’t have shoes on, they run that way.” But Dr. Barbara Rodwin at the
Back to Health Wellness Centre said this technique doesn’t work for everyone. She said she’s seen more runners coming into her clinic this year who’ve tried barefoot running – many with injuries linked to suddenly ditching their shoes.
“Some people aren’t built for it. It’s
like anything else in life … yes, give it a try, but do it gradually.” Rodwin said some of her patients
with back or knee trouble had those problems aggravated by the barefoot approach. Also, there’s a greater risk of shin splints and stress fractures when you take away the cushion shoes provide. And she cautions that “conditions like arthritis or bunions,” could be prohibitive for wannabe barefoot runners.
Phil Marsh, the regional manager
of The Running Room, said more people are asking about barefoot techniques and lightweight shoes. But he doesn’t buy the idea that running without shoes entirely, or in “minimalist” shoes (with protective covering for the soles without padding), is injury-free: “It’s terrible for your body. It’s one of those fads that is hopefully on the wane.” Begg maintains it’s worth it, and his advice is to start slow. “You have to be patient, you can’t say in three months I’m going to run a marathon.” But for him, running barefoot is worth the strange looks and physical risk. “It brings that playfulness back into an exercise.”
~ Julia is a Carleton University master’s of journalism student, who moved to Ottawa to avoid long drives to camp or ski.
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PHOTO BY FLAVOUREDECHOES
PHOTO BY GREG1967
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