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The Barefoot Transition

Date:
By JP
Category: Training Runs

Six months ago my mate Wom came to me and said he was signing up with a running coach in preparation for a marathon he was training for.  It was no surprise this trainer's focus was on proper form and running efficiently.  The surprise was, he recommended a good dose of literal barefoot running, which until this point, I hadn't really considered.  During further discussions it was explained to me that barefoot running was to teach yourself proper running form (mid to forefoot strike, gently allow heel to land and then spring off splayed toes) and significantly lower your risk of injury. 

 

Armed with this new information I hit the local oval and after a few hundred–meter repeats I was starting to see what he was talking about.  I found myself naturally wanting to land midfoot as opposed to the heel striking I had been doing for the last 12 months.

 

Fast forward a few months and I was now making the transition into minimalist shoes, with a 4mm drop.  The first few shorter runs felt incredible so I knew I was onto a good thing.

 

After six months of running in the minimalist shoes, it was time to take the plunge into my first pair of barefoot shoes, Merrell Road Gloves.  As with the 4mm Kinvaras, the first few runs felt incredible, although, I could really feel my calves starting to work far harder and my stride shortening up a little.  I was going to need to take this transition easy and let my body catch up.

 

Now, having given my body a chance to adapt and strengthen, I am now in a pair of barefoot Merrell Vapor Gloves, and there is no looking back.  The road feel is incredible and there is a wonderful charm about running with barely anything between you and the road.

 

Time to hit up some events and really test these out!