A Passion for Running

Welcome to the home of Mark aka The Running Blogfather – a 40 year-old dad, husband and marathon runner who’s beaten injury and is on the comeback trail!

pose vs barefoot + race plans

passion for running category: barefoot running,pose running method,running on Tuesday, May 31 2005

I’ve been getting comments from people like April Anne and Jon wondering where the stronger pull is – with pose or barefoot running, and whether I plan on doing any barefoot racing.

Overall, I suppose the answer to the first question is that my focus all along has been to improve my running form and to use whatever means I can to achieve that goal.

I found barefoot running first and was intrigued by the promise of stronger, more agile feet. Then, the pose method caught my interest promising a low-impact, efficient style of running. Both “tools” promised fewer injuries – if done properly.

Neither tool has dissappointed me. What’s more, the two have really gone hand-in-hand helping me correct my running form. The pose method suggests doing barefoot running to improve one’s foot strength and agility, whereas well known barefoot runner’s like Ken Bob Saxton and Rick Roeber endorse the pose method as a form that is gentle for people wanting to run barefoot. My own experience is consistent with these thoughts. The tools are complimentary.

However, I’ll now make the distinction that I see barefoot running as a tool for attaining good form whereas I see the pose method as a system for doing so – a system that includes barefoot running in it’s arsenal of tools. Bottom line? I think you can probably become a better runner by doing some barefoot running, but I think you can become a much better runner by learning the pose method. Finally, I think you’ll learn the pose method faster by doing some of it in your bare feet.

So will I race barefoot? You betcha! I’d for sure like to do a 5k in my barefeet and then…who knows?

Why would I do it? Because it would be fun and, if I’m being honest, the ego would get a kick out of being the center of attention. But the bigger reason I’d do it would be to spread the gospel – to get the word out that runner’s have an alternative to running with poor form in heavy, structure-laden shoes.

Even though I’d love to do some barefoot racing, my perception is that doing so will not be as fast as racing in my Puma H-Streets. Why? Because my experience has been that although barefoot running gives you instant feedback with the ground, there is some sacrifice in terms of springiness/elasticity/bounce in one’s step. I could be wrong about this but so far the stats I’ve read of runners PRs before and after switching to running barefoot seem to support my perception.

So, although I look forward to racing barefoot, I think my faster times will not be attained racing barefoot. They’ll be rewarding experiences – just maybe not the same kind of reward as getting a true PR. That’s kinda cool now that I think about it since I’m now realizing I’ll have more reasons to race than I’ve had in the past!

Those are my thoughts at the moment. I’m interested to see if they’ll change as I gain experience.




15 Comments

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Comment by Lara

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

This is great Mark! It seems the more you are exploring multiple dimensions of running form, the more your psychological perspective of running is broadening.

You are on a great adventure!

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Comment by Jon in Michigan

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

I wonder where that “springiness/elasticity/bounce” comes from. If it comes from having big rubber pads on the bottom of your feet, then why would running barefoot be better for you? Seems like that spring is the force of the impact reflecting back to your legs and bones, and isn’t that one of the things that causes all those long term injuries from running?

When I started running on the trails I found that same issue, that the dirt did not give me any “bounce” back and so i had to lift my own legs, rather that let them bounce back up after hitting hard concrete or asphalt. I think that builds stronger muscles, and ultimately makes me a better runner than before.

Now, running down really steep rocky hills and breaking my legs all to pieces is another story…

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Comment by beverly

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

I had been wondering about the POSE/ barefoot relationship, and you summed that up very well.

Funny, I noticed on the track at the gym I go to a new sign: “Shoes are mandatory.” Interesting.

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Comment by Mark

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

Jon: IMHO, there is a fine line between shoes that enhance one’s ability to run and those that hamper running. That is, VERY lightweight, non-structured shoes with a thin, hard sole will increase your lightness without compromising a lot that the natural foot does on its own.

Does that make sense?

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Comment by Jon in Michigan

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

That makes sense, Mark. I’m still wondering where the “spring” comes from though, especially if the soles are hard. Trying to understand the physics of the elastic collision of your shoe w/ the ground, vs the inelastic collision of your foot w/ the ground.

And by the way, I think you might even be selling yourself short on what you can do barefoot. You spent alot of time reteaching yourself how to run in shoes (without busting your legs to pieces), and you found you now have increased speed with alot less effort. Maybe reteaching yourself to run without shoes at all will bring on new speed as well.

Oh yeah. And the fame is cool too. Bare feet are chick magnets. :)

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Comment by Mark

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

A ping-pong ball is the thinnest, lightest hunk of plastic you can find but its springiness is astounding. A softer ball (like a bare foot) will lose some of its energy compressing itself into the ground.

I’m probably full of crap (I’m sure Adeel will tell me if I am!) but it seems to make sense to me?

And thanks for the kudos. I appreciate it. :)

You done any BFRing lately?

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Comment by Adeel

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

No Mark, you’re right. There’s a reason as to why most people who run barefoot don’t have terribly fast PBs. The best results on the roads will come from a low-profile racing flat.

If barefoot running was the fastest thing out there, sprinters wouldn’t wear spikes.

I haven’t done any barefoot work lately, I’m by and large concerned with putting together a few decent races over the next 10 days. I’ll get to that in the summer, starting in July. I figure I’ll also start to do a portion of my easy runs in flats as well.

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Comment by Jon in Michigan

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

So the first question then is, where do you want that reflected energy to go? If you want it back into your legs, then the next question is, were your legs designed to accept repeated elastic collisions with the ground (like the ping pong ball)? Even more important, were your feet (the softball) designed for that?

Then again, we weren’t designed to run on pavement either.

No BFR’ing for me until after the race. I got a blister from running on the asphalt. :)

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Comment by Mark

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

Sheesh. You’re making my tiny little brain hurt Jon!

The answer is that you want to coordinate the reflection with the pulling of your hamstring. As soon as you make contact with the ground, your hamstring needs to fire (using the reflection to advantage) to lift the heel off the ground. There is virtually no impact this way – just a reaction which the hamstring is PERFECTLY designed for.

That’s the approach as I understand it in pose for maximizing efficiency. You can do the same thing in your bare feet but with less springiness due to the softer nature of the foot.

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Comment by Jon in Michigan

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

Mark – So then POSE remains an adaptation of running with things hooked to your feet (hence the use of the reflected force). Remember my analogy of running with stilts on? So then I wonder if the legs can really deal long-term with forces like that. Maybe Chi/POSE running help to minimize the damage, while still being adaptations for real running.

Adeel – I think most BF runners don’t have fast PR’s because most people learn to run shod, and never develop a natural BF running form while young, and are farther along in their running “career” before trying barefoot running. Even Saxton didn’t start running long distance barefoot until he was older, and then times often begin to drop off. I’d be curious to see how 20-year-old barefoot runners do against their shod counterparts in long distance race. Sprinters with spikes on their feet will always accellerate faster than smooth soled competitors, I think.

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Comment by Mark

Wednesday June 01, 2005 @

Jon, I think the form employed by pose is not an adaption of running. It is simply a method/system for getting us back to proper form. Pose running can be done barefoot or not.

HOWEVER, any runner who runs in shoes does so (I think) as a support – an enhancement – something to improve on nature’s gifts.

As for the question, “can humans adapt?”. I think if we are running properly, we are doing what evolution meant us to do. That said, we always have to build up gradually when it comes to increases in speed or distance.

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Comment by Jon in Michigan

Thursday June 02, 2005 @

Heh, heh. I have some doubts about whether running in shoes is an enhancement or not. Time will tell. We’ll have to see your times after your first 5K. :)

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Comment by Jon in Michigan

Thursday June 02, 2005 @

Uh, that’d be your first 5K barefoot, which I suspect will actually be coming soon.

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Comment by jank

Thursday June 02, 2005 @

Uh – after the sweet discussion between Mark and Jon, I’m a bit intimidated.

What struck me about this post (Having little but a cursory interest in barefoot/Pose, but a great respect for those trying) was the words in bold:

Racing
If
Tool
System
Arsenal
Much
Faster

Good stuff; exactly the kind of thing that I rely on the RBF (father and family) for.

Now lose the If.

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Tuesday June 14, 2005 @

[...] 8212;————– Ever since Bill pointed out the words I bolded in one of my previous posts, I am looking at [...]

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