Testing the Theory: Shod vs. Barefoot Speed
Barefoot Terry
A few people have noted in various blogs and articles that runners who decide to go barefoot sacrifice speed. I set out to test the theory. Here’s what happened.
Five years ago, I started racing. In my first race, the 2006 Cowtown Half Marathon (now the Urban Cow) in Sacramento, California, I set a 1:50:05 (8:23/mi) personal best. I was 33 years old at the time – and shod.
Over the next two years, I ran three more half marathons and three full marathons. Only once did I come close to beating that PR – missing it by only 53 seconds in a 2007 race. At that time, I aspired to achieve a 1:30 half marathon and a sub 4-hour marathon.
After my third shod marathon finish, a 5:00:52 (my marathon PR 4:58:19), at a cold and rainy 2008 Surf City Marathon, I was starting to doubt whether I could hit the 4:00 mark or ever break my 1:50 half marathon time. The rainy Surf City Marathon left my feet badly blistered. That race was my last in shoes.
Not long after the Surf City Marathon, I came down with a horrible chest cold that left me with a pulled intercostal muscle. It resulted in a “break” from running that lasted nearly two years.
Fast forward to New Years 2010 – when I discovered barefoot running.
Like many newbies, I did far too much too soon. I encountered the dreaded “top of foot pain” (TOFP) and my feet blistered regularly. The TOFP came from running too many miles and the blisters from inexperience (i.e., poor form) and “pushing off” for speed. Like many newbies, I read blogs and other postings of people sacrificing speed for proper barefoot technique. But I didn’t totally buy into it.
Many runners touted that barefooting was about enjoying the run, not about speed and competition. I wondered, Couldn’t there be a middle ground?
In my first barefoot race, a 5K, I finished in a respectable 26:42 (8:35/mi). I had planned to do a half marathon that day, but TOFP kept me humble. Later that summer I did my first barefoot trail run, a 10K in 1:35 (15:17/mi). It was my first experience on a trail run…and it kicked my butt.
Late in the year and the following spring I did my first barefoot half marathons with times of 2:06:17 (9:38/mi) and 2:20:01 (10:41/mi). While my times were not fantastic, I found that my body felt immensely better following these races than it ever had when I’d run shod.
I started to wonder if I was just getting older and slower. It had been five years since my first half marathon and personal record. Maybe I had peaked right at the start? At this point, I tried to resign to the fact that I might never beat my half marathon PR and to focus on enjoying my many barefoot runs.
Around this time, a new thought had entered my mind – how far could I run barefoot? I set my sights on a 50K ultra marathon.
In August 2011, I ran the Skyline 50K in Castro Valley, California. I completed the entire course barefoot.
Following that race, I was still haunted by thoughts of speed and that half marathon PR. I’d run an ultra – now could I beat my time?
During the weeks following the 50K race, I was training two ladies to run their first half marathon that coming October. Almost all of the miles I did while training were done at a 12-minute/mile pace.
I had very little time to do extra speed work that I would need to guarantee a shot at beating my record. On the few occasions I had to run on my own, I managed to do sub-8 minute and 8-minute/mile paces for short distances (up to 3 miles). I wasn’t convinced that it was going to be enough. All I had to go on was the knowledge I could hold the right pace for short distances, time on my feet, and the positive image of accomplishing my goal.
On October 23, 2011, I wished my trainees and my mom good luck on their half marathon and took off running.
Mile after mile, my Garmin chirped lap times of 8:00 to 8:20 per mile.
I was slowly building a small cushion of seconds with each passing mile. As I reached the halfway point, I began to wonder if I could continue this grueling pace. By mile nine, there was a war going on in my mind between thoughts of success and thoughts of doubt. I wasn’t sure if I could handle another finish just seconds beyond that elusive PR.
Then, as I reached mile 11, I looked at my watch and saw that I had roughly 20 minutes to cover the remaining two miles. I knew I could hold sub-10 minute miles – I just had to hold it together for a short while longer.
With a quarter mile left, I broke into a dead sprint and rounded the final corner in time to see the clock click just beyond 1:49:00. My mind flooded with exhilaration as I crossed the finish line with an official time of 1:49:22 (by my watch 1:49:07) – nearly a minute faster than my previous shod PR.
I’d proven – at least in my own mind – that running barefoot does not mean sacrificing speed. It just took time, training, perseverance and a belief in my abilities.
Next stop – a four-hour marathon finish.
~ Barefoot Terry