By thunder road
I enjoy running through parks. Yet, after years of training, I had to
give it up. My left knee, badly injured 25 years ago @ a high school
wrestling practice, was tender, and I could barely bend it.
And then, I got into some fresher training techniques, like plyometrics, TRX and kettlebells. All of the books and websites by the RKC and plyometrics trainers mentioned the superiority of training barefoot.
Always the skeptic, I went online, and found research by a Harvard physiologist. It turns out that, while there may be some hype, a lot of the knee problems heavy exercisers experience come from being over supported. Minimalist shoes like Skeletoes and bare foot exercising force the body to use its built-in shock absorption. Which, it turns out, is pretty effective. For many, it is even better than raised heels and air cushions.
So I tried exercising in bare feet. The staff of my local health club stooped me. "You gotta wear shoes," they said. "No shirt. No shoes. No service."
And, when I thought on it, it made sense. Who else would want to use a Bosu ball after my stanky ole feet have been on it?
So I ran to the nearest sporting goods store. They had these and the Vibram FiveFingers. I tried them both, and purchased these since they were $80 less.
I am amazed. It is comfortable as hell to be able to stretch out your toes freely.
But effective? Well, I tried them on the treadmill the first day I got them. For the first time in ages, I completed 3 miles (with a modified stride) without my knee feeling like hell after. Rapidly, I graduated to 4 miles of road work. Perfect. No knee pain. Ditto for plyo work and jumping rope. And, best of all, the slight pain I experienced when squatted vanished. And, over the course of a month, I found myself able to bend completely at the knee for the first time in over 20 years.
There were drawbacks. Runners have to relearn their stride, striking mid sole as opposed to heel-striking. That was odd to me. But, once I got the hang of the high-knees, it was nothing. Also, since we modern Americans are used to our shoes supporting us, it took a while for my foot and arch muscles to build up. Until then, I felt a bit of muscle pain in my feet and ankles--though about a 1 or 2, as opposed to a 3-6--the pain I've been dealing with in my knee [ed. my knee pain is right now a 0, BTW].
Of course, this is short term. And I have no idea about what will happen over the long run. But, I started my Memorial Day this year with a fun, splashy run through a big creek bed/ conservation area. And had a blast.
I haven't been able to do that kind of cross-country running for 15 or 20 years.
And then, I got into some fresher training techniques, like plyometrics, TRX and kettlebells. All of the books and websites by the RKC and plyometrics trainers mentioned the superiority of training barefoot.
Always the skeptic, I went online, and found research by a Harvard physiologist. It turns out that, while there may be some hype, a lot of the knee problems heavy exercisers experience come from being over supported. Minimalist shoes like Skeletoes and bare foot exercising force the body to use its built-in shock absorption. Which, it turns out, is pretty effective. For many, it is even better than raised heels and air cushions.
So I tried exercising in bare feet. The staff of my local health club stooped me. "You gotta wear shoes," they said. "No shirt. No shoes. No service."
And, when I thought on it, it made sense. Who else would want to use a Bosu ball after my stanky ole feet have been on it?
So I ran to the nearest sporting goods store. They had these and the Vibram FiveFingers. I tried them both, and purchased these since they were $80 less.
I am amazed. It is comfortable as hell to be able to stretch out your toes freely.
But effective? Well, I tried them on the treadmill the first day I got them. For the first time in ages, I completed 3 miles (with a modified stride) without my knee feeling like hell after. Rapidly, I graduated to 4 miles of road work. Perfect. No knee pain. Ditto for plyo work and jumping rope. And, best of all, the slight pain I experienced when squatted vanished. And, over the course of a month, I found myself able to bend completely at the knee for the first time in over 20 years.
There were drawbacks. Runners have to relearn their stride, striking mid sole as opposed to heel-striking. That was odd to me. But, once I got the hang of the high-knees, it was nothing. Also, since we modern Americans are used to our shoes supporting us, it took a while for my foot and arch muscles to build up. Until then, I felt a bit of muscle pain in my feet and ankles--though about a 1 or 2, as opposed to a 3-6--the pain I've been dealing with in my knee [ed. my knee pain is right now a 0, BTW].
Of course, this is short term. And I have no idea about what will happen over the long run. But, I started my Memorial Day this year with a fun, splashy run through a big creek bed/ conservation area. And had a blast.
I haven't been able to do that kind of cross-country running for 15 or 20 years.
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