Through this blog I'm hoping to share my experience of transitioning away from orthotics and motion control / stability shoes to very minimal footwear without orthotics. I've grown increasingly dependent on supportive footwear to mitigate the ankle pain I experience after extended time on my feet and I'm tired of the limitations, and the pain... After reading quite a bit on barefoot running and some of the benefits that many have experienced, such as reforming fallen arches and correcting overpronation, I've decided to perform my own experiment. I'll be ditching my orthotics and shoes for bare feet and huarache sandals in an attempt to strengthen my feet and regain the arches that I never remember having. Along the way I'll be documenting my progress and posting some pictures of the current state of my feet.
I have to give a shout out to the fine folks at the Barefoot Running section of the Runner's World forums for the great information they've made available and the encouragement they've given me to document this process. I also want to mention a book that I found out about on those forums: The Barefoot Running Book Second Edition: A Practical Guide to the Art and Science of Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Running. I just started reading it and have been enjoying it quite a bit.
I'm quite gitty at the prospect of being able to run! It's something that I've never been able to enjoy because of the pain I encounter from misaligned joints. I hope you enjoy my chronicles and hope we can both gain something from this adventure!
ps - If the name of the blog doesn't make sense it might help to know that my name is Ty... ;)
pps - Here's the post that started this whole thing: SEVERE Overpronator w/ FLAT feet interested in BFR...
I've heard that being barefooted is the best thing for your feet. Good luck with this, I hope it turns out well!
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in barefoot workouts. I have read many Twitter feeds and blogs of people running 1/2 marathons barefoot using Vibram FiveFingers® footwear http://tiny.cc/toz5o
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of those?
I have, they're very similar to running barefoot. The biggest difference being that they can/do hide some of the initial pain indicators that you would experience without them that are a result of bad running form. There's definitely nothing wrong with the Vibram Fives (VFF's) but because they mute some of the initial pain that I can use to alter my form I'll be au-natural...
ReplyDelete