Barefoot Walking!

Smelph

Barefooters
Nov 5, 2010
597
15
18
ok so this is really just a lead-in to a blog post I wrote, but I thought it was worth discussion here.

Every book I've read on barefoot running has said that in the beginning you need to spend time walking barefoot. Makes perfect sense, but did I do it? Hells no! I spent plenty of time barefoot around the house over the years and thtought that was plenty. I went out and ran bare anyway, and spent all last winter pushing my mileage dangerously fast!

Now that the summer is winding down and I have taken a couple week off running, and spending more time walking barefoot (or nearly so, thank you Bedrock Sandals) it occurred to me that the whole "walking barefoot step" isn't as optional as I had thought. It should have a big freaking "MANDATORY" sticker on it, and underneath that sticker should be another one saying "SERIOUSLY, THIS IS MANDATORY" in case someone took the first sticker off! I had no idea what i was missing until tonight when I was walking to the park with my kids and realized exactly what a relaxed foot feels like.

It hit me like the freaking Hammer of Thor.

if I can translate the way I walked barefoot to the way I run barefoot I'll finally break into the "I got relaxed feets" club and maybe ditch all the nagging aches and pains in my feet that have plagued me for the last 9 months! I swear it feels like a huge weight has been lifted! It just....

*begins drooling and muttering incoherently

Epilogue: I think this post might be more entertainign than the blog post it was supopsed to lead in to... damn!
 
I agree with you. It should

I agree with you. It should be mandatory. Ironically, my feet feel more relaxed when I'm running than when I'm walking. But that relaxed foot feel is something that I try to chase everytime I run. I'm usually relaxed until I hit the upper ends of my running distances. Then my feet, like the rest of my body, start getting tired...Consequently they start to tense up. It's then that I know it's time to call it a night.



Glad to see you've had this revelation.



Aaron
 
yeah I've found my feet to be

yeah I've found my feet to be more tense walking than running as well, although that's not to say they aren't tense while running ;)

now the trick is consciously making the adjustment to how I walk without being conscious of doing it...

(does that sound like a universe-shattering paradox to anyone else?)



I did attempt some barefoot hiking while I was on vacation back in August, but didn't make it very far. The trail I was climbing was just too damn stony! (I wimped out and put my trail gloves on to hike it)

Here's some pictures of the trail

(the most telling picture from that trail is the second one from the top)
 
My first couple times out on

My first couple times out on the road bare foot I could barely take the pain of the road for much more than an 1/8th mile... walking was critical just to acclimate my feet to the rough surface. The road here is pretty old and coarse textured though. It didnt take long though, less than a week of walking 1-2 times a day and I wasnt feeling hardly any discomfort anymore for up to ~ half mile. I continued a few more times before I started running. Its been a very SLOW process for me. And since starting to run just a couple weeks ago I have gone by the every other day run at the most, and on the non running days I still try to go out and walk a half mile or so.
 
I can only walk barefoot up

I can only walk barefoot up to two miles. Anything longer than that and I wear holes in my soles. That's walking forefoot first like running. Walking heel first I couldn't make it a half mile. My heels kill me when I wear my regular flipflops because they force you into heel striking because you can't land forefoot first without pain with clenched toes so I know I couldn't walk barefoot very far with a heel strike.
 
I agree with the walking step

I agree with the walking step - probably because I did it and continue to do it.



One of my experiences that convinced me it was beneficial (in addition to the fact it toughened up the soles) was that after the first couple of walks my *hips* were sore. I'm confident I was changing my gait and the hips were taking greater responsiblity because I couldn't just plop down my foot with each step - in case the body needed to deal with something on the ground. I found it to be quite a learning experience.



Jim
 
I was able to walk barefoot

I was able to walk barefoot for 3 miles, straight, and did OK, on concrete - a couple weeks ago. I was focusing on either a forefoot landing or more even landing across the entire sole... but in actuality I'm sure it was ever so slightly still a forefoot landing. I should try this again. This week I was focused on running without stopping, that fact that I could, I was pretty excited. :D
 
Does anyone know of a video

Does anyone know of a video of barefoot walking technique? I can't seem to be able to avoid heel strike while walking unless I walk incredibly slowly, or do something that looks ridiculous like Ken Bob's groucho croucho walk. Oddly when I'm running it isn't something I have a problem with.
 
I actually have had better

I actually have had better luck with allowing myself to land heel-first while walking. If I try to walk with a mid/forefoot landing I really tense my feet and wind up semi-tiptoeing aorund anyway. I've actually noticed that even though I land on my heel while walking the force with which I land has actually decreased as I've increased my time walking barefoot, so it's gotten more and more comfortable. I'm now stepping more lightly with a heel landing than i was before while tiptoeing around. I still have a way to go though. Plus, the moral of my blog story was that I was having problems beacause I was overthinking my stride and trying to consciously alter my gait.

so the short version is actual "barefoot walking form" doesn't seem necessary as long as you're patient and allow yourself to adjust.
 
I often walk my dog barefoot

I often walk my dog barefoot - I'm barefoot, that is; of course the dog's barefoot. It does help with my barefoot running, but not because it teaches good running form. Like you, HairyBeast, I usually heel strike when walking, or at least plant the sole down all at once. I just can't walk by planting forefoot first. It feels too much like I'm sneaking around - not natural. There was a research article shared here awhile ago about the difference in the economies of walking and running. It explained that walking is more economical with a heel plant, but running is better with a forefoot plant. That made sense from my experience.

I think the benefit of walking barefoot is that it keeps the soles in shape, or toughened up. I suppose it can be a good way to practice a relaxed foot plant, too. However, I think it just takes practice and time to learn to relax. Walking just gives you more practice and time on the soles, with a different movement.
 
i walk forefoot first. it

i walk forefoot first. it took some time to learn and don't have to think about it very often. if i heel strike, like when i'm working, i notive it with back pain. my hips will hurt and my knees hurt from it last night. work is the only place i wear shoes. even though i wera Merrell TG i will overextend my leg and heel strike. it's a little faster but more painful, for me.

i always wear huaraches so i can easily tell if i'm heel striking. if you want to do it, it will take time. a long time. heel striking is what you're used to doing and very highly ingrained muscle memory. forefoot walking is completely natural, if you grew up bf. i take it you didn't. it has many names, only one i can remember is Indian walking, american indian.



Mike
 
Barefoot Gentile wrote:Heel

Barefoot Gentile said:
Heel striking is completely normal, it's the way should be walking. The only difference is be lighter on your feet. I think barefoot running is a bit over-analyzed, if you start doing that will barefoot walking you will drive yourself nuts.

I agree, and the book I am reading warns about this too... that people will worry to much about specifics of form. It goes into great length about how you must find your own form, by listening to your body, and not take overly specific advice from others on exact form. If its comfortable to you, you dont get blisters, etc, then sounds good. I think when it comes to walking, whatever naturally lands first for you might be fine, as long as it is 'light' and the rest of your foot soon follows.

Personally, the only way I can forefoot strike while walking is if I am either power walking fast like I am running but with no flight, or if I raise my knees up more like I am marching. But for plain old walking for keeping my soles tough I still heel strike but have lightened the strike.
 
I guess I'm with Mike.  It

I guess I'm with Mike. It took me a while to learn to walk forefoot/midfoot first and I had to walk slow at first, but now I feel much better when I walk and I don't think about how to walk anymore. Another thing I noticed a couple weeks ago when experimenting with my walking form again, which really surprised me, was that even a soft heel strike while walking is a big jarring motion to my body compared to walking on the forefoot or midfoot. Maybe after my back surgeries I am just super sensitive to being jarred. I didn't realize there was that big of a difference until then though.
 
Heel striking is completely

Heel striking is completely normal, it's the way you should be walking. The only difference is be lighter on your feet. I think barefoot running is a bit over-analyzed, if you start doing that will barefoot walking you will drive yourself nuts.
 
I went walking about for an

I went walking about for an hour or so today, and I just can't get on with midfoot landings, they feel clumsy as if I am plonking my feet down. Landing lightly near my heel and rolling forward seems to be the most comfortable way for me on most surfaces that I walked on and when my feet felt most relaxed.

As an aside I trod on a piece of glass today and it just bounced off! Admittedly it was a squarish piece but seems all the walking I've done over the past few weeks has worked it's magic with my soles.
 
I have found this to be an

I have found this to be an interesting thread. It would seem that some of you find it hard to hike barefoot despite being acomplished runners.

I did it the other way having been a barefoot hiker for many years. I am able to hike over 10 to 15 miles every day on pretty much any terain without problems. The benefits of improved balance and grip with less path erosion and noise means that I could not contemplate hiking any other way. Perhaps this is why I have had no foot problems with my running so far. My first half marathon in India is 4 weeks today! I have now completed the full distance on 5 occasions, the last 2 on rough English country roads. My feet are absolutely fine. My legs ache a bit and my times are bad but I am happy and enjoying my running.

My experience suggests that hiking is a good preparation for barefoot running. You can see lots of pictures of my worldwide hiking on my fickr page. Search for footloose3 There are some pictures of trail surfaces such as the limestone nightmare I had recently in France!