The Barefoot Running Book - Jason Robillard [22]
When walking barefoot, there is some disagreement on form. Some barefoot practitioners will recommend using a midfoot strike; others will recommend a heel strike. Either will work as long as it is comfortable.
If comfortable, it is advantageous to use a midfoot strike while taking shorter, more frequent steps (higher cadence, shorter stride length). This will help strengthen your feet and acclimate you to good barefoot running form.
Barefoot walking will also help condition your soles for barefoot running. As mentioned in the previous section, the soles of your feet do not develop calluses. Instead, your feet develop smooth, tough skin.
When beginning to navigate your environment barefoot, your feet will be very sensitive to everything. It is similar to going from a dark room to a lit room—as your eyes experience a short period of adjustment. For those in colder climates, you may experience the same sensation when you start going barefoot for the first time each season after winter though you will quickly adapt to the sensations. New barefoot runners are often preoccupied with this sensitivity. Rest assured, you will quickly adapt to this new feeling.
It is important to remember to look where you are walking by developing the habit of quickly scanning the terrain you are about to walk over. This skill will be critical once you begin running.
As you learn to run with ease and efficiency, you will begin exploring new terrain. Taking time to walk over new terrain prior to running will help build the skills and adaptations that are necessary. Remember, walk before running.
Barefoot walking can be good practice to adapt a run/walk strategy for races. This strategy is often used by newer runners to help cover a distance that would otherwise be difficult to achieve through running alone. It is also a common strategy for running ultramarathons. If you have aspirations to run those distances, learning to walk barefoot now will pay dividends in the future.
Concept—Relax Like a Wet Noodle
Relaxation is one of the fundamental skills all barefoot runners share and is critical to developing the ability to run with little impact. You cannot run softly if you are tense. Like all physical activity, running itself has some degree of tension. Exercise, as with all running, causes the sympathetic nervous system to activate, which increases heart rate, blood pressure, and all the other elements of the human “fight or flight” response system. When the body is preparing for physical activity; relaxation is difficult. However, like every other element of barefoot running, this response can be managed with enough practice.
I find it helpful to use visualization to relax my arms and legs which I pretend loose and free-flowing, like wet noodles. Then I actually move them around as if they are stands of cooked spaghetti. Odd? Perhaps. But it really does help. Try it yourself next time you are walking or running, imagine your arms and legs are loose and free—like wet noodles.
In the next section, I will give you a very basic exercise to help put that visualization to practice in order to help you to achieve a greater level of relaxation.
Activity—Deep Breathing for Relaxation
Deep breathing is a very basic method for forcing your body’s sympathetic nervous system to deactivate and make the “wet noodle” visualization even easier to accomplish.
Find a quiet spot where you can comfortably sit or lie down. The process is easy. I do this by inhaling slowly while I count to five, then exhaling for the same count. Repeat for two or three minutes.
You will notice an immediate difference as the tension leaves your body. Your arms and legs will start to feel heavier as your heart rate slows down. For me the imagery at this point is of the tension flowing down my body to my arms and legs, and flowing out of my fingers and toes.
After a few minutes, slowly open your eyes. Your entire body should feel more relaxed. At this point, you should be able to continue any activities while remaining very relaxed.
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