Sports

Get the Idiot's Tips for Barefoot Running

Learn about this popular trend at Marin Running Company.

Thomas Hollowell didn’t start out intending to be a barefoot running advocate. He ran in high school and in a Division III program in college – always in shoes. It wasn’t until he had to have surgery while he was in Korea about five years ago due to some foot and leg issues that he visited a homeopathic doctor there.

“She said just go barefoot,” said Hollowell, when he asked how he could lengthen his running career and avoid injury problems.

Hollowell started walking barefoot on reflexology pads in Korea and then on trails. Slowly, walking became running and he started running barefoot. Now, he runs races – half-marathons and marathons – totally barefoot.

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In Morocco, where Hollowell has lived since finishing his Peace Corp program in 2002, running barefoot is not abnormal. Runners in the North African country, which has a gloried history of distance running, run barefoot, in sandals, or running shoes.

“People don’t really look at your feet,” he said.

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Here, in the Bay Area, the barefoot running trend doesn’t have as long a history, but the number of people ditching shoes and running free has skyrocketed in recent years. It’s not uncommon to see someone running around the watershed in the glove-like rubber Vibram Five Fingers, other minimalist shoes, or with nothing on their feet at all.

But just as quickly as people are hitting the trails barefoot, they’re getting hurt for running too fast and far too soon.

Advocates of barefoot running say it strengthens the muscles and tendons in your feet, minimizes the impact by forcing you to run more efficiently and land more lightly, and decreases injury.

Don’t throw the shoes out too quickly, though.

Hollowell says the best thing you can do is to start completely barefoot in small steps. Most people who want to make the transition try to do it step by step, easing into more and more minimalist shoes. “But, then you’ll maintain old habits,” he said.

Instead, go totally barefoot – at least in your own house. Most people wear shoes even in their own home, so start with small steps. Then walk barefoot outside in your yard, the park. Only after months of walking and strengthening your feet should you start running.

“It’s not just about taking off your shoes,” said Hollowell.

Hollowell will give more tips from his book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Barefoot Running, at his seminar Saturday at . The seminar goes from noon to 2 p.m. and past events have packed the store.

Before you decide to hit the trails au naturel, make sure you’re not an idiot.

 


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