The Biped
Barefoot running is all the rage right now in the world of human locomotion. There are those who argue it leads to a more natural run.
But I’m not convinced. Humans have been wearing footwear for at least 5,000 years and the soles of our feet have evolved such that wearing shoes is probably more natural for the average runner than not. As a colleague of mine once said, shedding your swim trunks does not make you Michael Phelps!
The fact is the shoe/barefoot debate misses the point. The most important innovations in running over the last 30 years are found in form and technique, not in technology or equipment.
But let’s first go back a bit further. Running speeds improved in the 1950s with the introduction of interval training, a method that interspersed periods of high-intensity work with periods of rest.
It took a leap forward when races began being held on synthetic tracks and runners began wearing track-spiked shoes. World-class results for five-kilometre runs improved by 30 seconds virtually overnight. Sprinters could improve race times by ~0.2 seconds on a 100-metre dash. These were huge gains in a sport where performance is measured in the hundredths of a second.
The heart monitor, which entered the mainstream in the 1980s, was the next major advance. It allowed runners to track their heart rate in real time, and optimize effort as they ran.
The story of running technology in the 1980s and 1990s is a case study in innovation gone wrong. “Air,” gels, and other cushioning materials meant to reduce running related injuries had the opposite effect. These shoes cushioned locally but did not reduce overall impact on the body. Foot injuries declined, only to be replaced by a spike in knee and other injuries. Minimalist shoes are now de rigueur.
Today, the science is focused on technique. Recent advances suggest support time — the amount of time each foot spends on the ground — is the key driver of speed. Shorter support time means faster running. Instead of landing on the heal, experts recommend runners land closer to the forefoot for better performance.
Looking back on the last 100 years of running innovation, probably the most interesting achievement came from neither technology nor technique. In 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man ever to run a mile in under four minutes. People had been trying to run that fast for decades without success, yet within months of Bannister breaking the record several others had done so as well. Today more than 25,000 have broken the barrier once thought impossible. Innovation in running is as it is in most things: the perception that it was possible made it so.
All very interesting and true EXCEPT that 5000 years isn’t long enough for permanent (heritable) changes to the anatomy of the whole of the human species. In evolutionary terms it’s really not very long at all.
If we were able to put shoes on the early humans of 200,000 years ago, then It’s likely that their feet would also become weak and the soles soft within the lifespan of an individual.
Comment by Jonathan Gledson — November 9, 2011 @ 4:20 pm
I believe you have faltered in your reasoning. First of all barefoot running as a recent phenomenon refers more to the technique of running, not literal barefoot-ness, hence the popularity of Vibrams and the slew of new minimal type shoes coming out from Merril et. al. Yes, we have been wearing some type of sandal or shoe for at least 5,000 years, but only in the past 50 or so, have we done so to augment/supplement/ or correct biomechanical shortcomings (like the absence of metal spices coming out of our feet!). In that sense, we have been running barefoot in all of those 5,000 years save for the last couple/few dozen. Merely protecting our feet from elements and abrasion doesn’t count except to absolute barefoot purists.
Comment by Runner X — November 9, 2011 @ 5:27 pm
“support time is the key driver of speed. Experts recommend runners land closer to the forefoot for better performance.”
I’ve been using these teqniques recommended to me by a “barefoot” running physical therapist. I have learned in order to do this I had to strengthen the use of my hips and core. As a result I can minimize my chronic knee pain and have gone from an improved walk to jogging short distances. I seek the zone when I’m not so focused on the strike of my forefoot as the lift of my foot after the strike. That tends to keep my hole body involved and dissapates the pain.
Comment by John Cifala — November 10, 2011 @ 11:28 am
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Pingback by SATURDAY, 11.12.11: WOD « CrossFit South Shore — November 11, 2011 @ 5:19 pm
I completely agree with Dr. Romanov. GO POSE!
Comment by George W. Mustard — November 12, 2011 @ 9:53 pm
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