Barefoot shoes saved my running! - Running pain free
My shins were screaming.
I was in so much pain that I had to stop.
I looked at my watch.
I had run 2.3km.
What was I aiming to run in only a few weeks time?
50km.
Damn.
That was at the end of 2020. I was training towards an ultra marathon at the end of December. However, with each run that I did, I noticed increasingly severe shin pain. Any type of dorsiflexion (think of your toes flexing upwards) would cause searing pain along my tibia (shin bone).
Unfortunately, the pain was bad enough to stop me running all together. But it also piqued my curiosity. I was only 22 years old at the time, why was I feeling so much pain? Surely this wasn’t normal?
(During a run) Taking note of where the shin pain was, so I could do further research
My curiosity led me down a running-style rabbit hole. I soon learned that the heel-strike running style that I had dutifully performed all my life, was not actually allowing my foot to absorb impact when I hit the ground. By heel striking, much of the ground impact was going straight through my heel into my shin, and irradiating out into the surrounding muscle tissue, hence my discomfort.
From that point onwards, I started to run with more of a mid to forefoot strike. That is, making impact with the ground with the mid foot or forefoot. However, I found that running in a conventional sport shoe, with a heightened heel and padding, didn’t allow for this to naturally occur.
In moody reflection, moments after running 2.3km and deciding to stop, postponing my ultra marathon attempts.
That’s when I discovered barefoot shoes, and in particular Vivobarefoot.
A “barefoot” shoe is one that provides you with as close as possible an experience as being barefoot. This means that the shoe generally has no cushioning, no “drop” (the difference between the height of the heel and the height of the toe), and a flat sole with no arch support or ‘aids’.
The minimal vivobarefoot shoe naturally encouraged me to run with more of a mid to forefoot strike. And all of a sudden, my shin pain disappeared.
More recent, pain free running in my Vivo’s!
Finally, I was using my foot as it was designed. By striking the ground towards the front of my foot first, I was allowing the arch of my foot to spring, through storing and releasing energy via the various ligaments and tendons in the foot. This meant that the impact of the ground was being displaced through the foot and not going straight through my shinbone!
I am currently training towards a trail marathon and my feet and lower legs have never felt stronger!
If you are interested in trying on Vivobarefoot shoes, I have a range of sizes available to try, here in Wānaka. They changed my running game so much that I now distribute them! Visit my contact page to get in touch.
Jordan Berry