Body: Barefoot running

"Modern man doesn't know how to walk or run anymore."

That's a pretty bold statement, right? Well, sadly it's the truth! People who know me know that I'm an avid walker. I can walk for several hours without taking a break. It's pretty handy when you live in a town like Leuven, because it's small enough to reach everything on foot. Surely saves some money on transport. Yet, sometimes when I walked for long distances for weeks I started to have problems with my knees, ankles and tendons. I didn't know why. I mean, my legs should have gotten used to my walking regime by now? What was I doing wrong?

I didn't know the answer for a long time and just took those pains for granted until I ran into an article about barefoot running a couple of years ago. It was an eye opener. According to the article I was a 'heel striker', just as most other people who are used to walking with regular shoes. Apparently heel striking isn't the way we are supposed to walk and can cause much discomfort to the feet, ankles, knees and lower back, even all the way up to the neck! I was riddled. If a heel strike was wrong, then what was the right way to walk? Why did I even heel strike in the first place?

From that day on I began my research on this topic and soon came across this video:

That video made it quite obvious what was wrong with heel striking. I had to change to a forefoot strike which would absorb the impact of my steps and wouldn't stress my ankles, knees or any other part of my body. In the next few months I practiced this at home and I saw all my aches and pains go away!

This still didn't answer my question why I was heel striking in the first place, so I also did some research on that. Apparently we learn to heel strike from a very early age. Actually as soon as we start wearing shoes! Yes, shoes are the bad guys in this scenario. Go to tribes where they don't wear shoes and you'll see a natural forefoot strike. Go to the western society and you'll see a heel strike. The reason why we learn to heel strike is because of the weight and the cushioning of regular shoes. It's very difficult not to heel strike when wearing shoes. Even after several years of getting used to a forefoot strike I still find it very difficult to do in hiking boots, mainly because of the weight. The cushioning makes us think that our feet are safe from the impact, but this just isn't true.  

After months of getting used to a forefoot strike inside the house I began to wonder how I could do this all the time. I mean, I couldn't go barefoot outside on the streets, could I? What if I stepped in a piece of glass or something else sharp? With this question I started to look for shoes from manufacturers that had barefoot running in mind. With this search I came across the Tarahumara, a Native American tribe, who are famous for their long-distance running ability. They can do 200 miles (320 km) of running in one session! They use huaraches as footwear, which is some sort of sandal. Very interesting I thought, so I did some more research to see if there existed a modern variant of this shoe.

It was then that I discovered the Vibram fivefingers. I bought a pair and tried them out. Good introduction to barefoot running. It was great to feel almost everything through the soles. You really get more into contact with your environment. Watch out for gravel, though! Still, there where a couple of disadvantages and because of those I don't wear them anymore. One disadvantage: They stink after while. Apparently this is a common problem with these shoes. Another disadvantage: People start staring at your feet when you're walking down the street. There was this one time when I was about to pass this black guy, when he noticed my shoes, which were also black. He started to look at my feet and my face repeatedly with wide eyes, like I was some kind of demon. I then decided to wear them only inside the house.

After the Vibrams it took a while before I became interested again in barefoot running, but it always lingered in the back of my mind. I became interested again during my travels. Because I had to pack light I only had one pair of shoes with me, the ones I would always wear: my hiking boots. They are good quality and I'm really happy that I bought these before I started my big walk to the border of Belgium. Now that the weather's getting warmer I really need some lighter footwear, though. My thoughts went straight to buying huaraches, although I still wasn't sure which ones. This question was answered by Raam Dev. I'v been following his blog for quite some time now. He's an inspiration to me. Coincidentally, just when I was wondering which huaraches to buy he mentioned the brand he uses, on his blog. I asked him for more information and his reply convinced me to buy huaraches from this brand: Invisible Shoes.

I ordered the huaraches a couple of days ago and am eagerly waiting to try them out. As soon as I got them I'll post the good new on here! :) Also expect a review about the shoes after I tested them. ;)

If you experience regular pains in your ankles, knees, lower back and other parts of your body. it isn't a bad idea to use the above information and test out walking the proper way by using the forefoot strike. If you know somebody who experiences these pains, by all means share this information with them!