Barefoot Running

Because the pain in my leg is more annoying then painful, because I went away on holiday and because it is difficult to get a doctors appointment, since you have to book so far into the future, or phone at 7:30 AM to get one that day, I just kept putting it off.

Finally, I kept yesterdays appointment.

The doctor told me I have tendonitis in my Semimembranosus. It’s a big muscle at the back of my thigh. He said the titanium rod in my tibia, which was put in to fix the spiral fracture I incurred in a skiing accident seven years ago, is not a contributing factor. He gave me some anti-inflammatory pills and a referral to see a Sports medicine physiotherapist.

After yesterdays experiment with pseudo barefoot running the tendonitis in my Semimembranosus muscle has flared up so I’m glad I have the pills. I don’t think the flare up has anything to do with the fact I ran in non-supportive shoes.

I’m looking forward to having an interesting conversation with the physiotherapist next week about barefoot running.

Barefoot running is a recent notion suggesting that expensive running shoes may be causing rather than preventing running related injuries. I first heard about it while reading an email sent from the running site, mapmyrun. A few days later the CBC radio show, The Current. did a segment on Barefoot Running.

Since then the idea has exploded into popular consciousness, in the world of running anyway. Many running podcasts, I listen too, are talking about it, running shoe manufactures are making shoes, such as the Vibram Five Fingers to simulate barefoot running, ( shoes offer more protection then barefeet) and Christopher Mcdougalls book, Born To Run, which I haven’t read yet, has become an instant success.

Just to complicate the issue a bit more, a company called Newton advocates that most shoes force you to strike on your heels, causing more shock and injuries. Landing on the forefront of your foot, which is what you do when you run barefoot, is the natural way to run or walk, thus their shoes are designed to help you strike on the forefront of your foot.

Basically the technology in modern running shoes is the problem. Supposedly the less support a shoe has the better it is for you and the lower the chance of injury.

I just want to get rid of my tendonitis. If it means running in cheaper, less supportive shoes great. I don't know if buying any of the alternative shoes to barefoot running is worth the expensive. Maybe toughening up my feet to run on gravel and through freezing snow and ice is the answer, or maybe my injury has nothing to do with my shoes.