What does barefoot running have to do with eating alkaline? I’ve noticed over the years that many runners and, of course, other athletes, have succumbed to the so-called killer diseases. Outstanding among them, of course, was Jim Fixx, who ran in one of the Boston Marathons in which I competed. (My time of 3:23.13, I cannot resist mentioning, was better than his; funny how one remembers things like that!) His other lifestyle habits, including nutrition, were lousy even by the standards of that time. I’ve seen many good runners destroy their abilities by scarfing down junk food and what seems to be our national poison of choice, beer. I feel excited about experimenting with what could be a technological advance in footwear, precisely because I believe that to eat alkaline is to establish a solid nutritional basis for the body and mind to adapt to new circumstances, to work well into highest old age.
This running barefoot is not as simple as it sounded in yesterday’s blog. Long-time heel strikers who have always run in protected running shoes may experience sore calves and arches and stiff Achilles tendons if we overdo workouts with minimal or no footgear. You’ll find history, videos showing the suggested foot strikes, and training tips at the Website http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu. The site also has good biographies of the researchers working on the footstrike issues. These include Daniel E. Lieberman, PhD, professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard.
While mid-foot and forefoot strikes produce minimal impact force that may lead to lower rates of injury than experienced by conventionally-shod runners, it’s important not to overdo while adapting to barefoot workouts. Dr. Lieberman and his colleagues specify running no more than a quarter mile to one mile every other day, and to increase distance by no more than 10 percent per week. With this slow transition, accompanied by stretching calves and hamstrings, it will take months to make the transition.
The Website videos are especially good for developing knowledge about the “barefoot” way of striking, or touching the ground. This should be a gentle, relaxed landing on the mid-foot or forefoot, gradually letting the heel down.
I’m running five miles a day and preparing to compete in two small races in March, so I’ll heed Dr. Lieberman’s advice to supplement forefoot or midfoot striking with the way I normally run, to stop if anything hurts, and to do a good portion of the daily workout with my “normal” old heel strikes. Having suffered a stress fracture back in the 1970s, I don’t want that again, nor any arch or other pain.
The process of adjusting my foot strike can begin long before my FiveFingers shoes arrive. This is because I’m too cheap to pay for fast delivery; they’re coming via ground mail. And I usually go barefoot, or wear socks, inside the tile-floored house: another notch in the adjustment process.
After listing all the sensible precautions, the Website notes: “Many people who run very slowly find that forefoot striking actually makes them run a little faster.” This is seductive! A couple of weeks ago, in this blog, I noted running something like 12-minute miles. After re-measuring the course, my time was more like 15-minute miles and it’s still in the 14-minute range. For my age groups in the two races, based on last year’s winning times, it will need to be in the 11-minute range. And most of the training will need to be in my dear old Nikes.
No comments:
Post a Comment