Barefoot running and the Achilles tendon

Another 7 days with 36 miles total and only one barefoot run of three quarters of a mile.

Cutting down now for the coming marathon, I’ll not be running any more barefoot miles for a while to give the Achilles a chance to heal.
The problem (I won’t use the word injury) with my Achilles tendon has become quite a feature of my barefoot running experiment. It’s never stopped my running — it’s not that bad — but it has meant that I have had to cut my barefoot miles. Of course the change in shoes hasn’t helped either. I am running all my miles in Inov-8 Roclites which are essentially an off-road shoe, with little cushioning and practically no structural support. I have kept using them, despite the Achilles issue, because they seem to be helping my longer term plantar fasciitis. It has become a bit of a balancing act, between the benefits of running in less cushioned, low heeled shoes, against the strain they inflict on my tendon.

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2 Comments

  1. ahmed
    Posted January 24, 2010 at 9:09 pm | Permalink

    i am 30 years old male runner with achillis tendon pain in my right feet and heel bone under the tendon,do running barefoot could be usefull ? thanks

  2. GC
    Posted February 1, 2010 at 11:11 am | Permalink

    I’d not recommend running barefoot with any Achilles tendon injury. When running barefoot the calf muscles work harder than usual to keep the heel off of the ground (this is especially true if you are normally a heel striker). The increased action of the calf muscle transfers through the tendon and places a heavy load there. Indeed, many new barefoot runners experience Achilles tendon strain if they do too much too soon.
    As for the pain on the heel bone under the foot, barefoot running could benefit this as running without shoes greatly lessens heel impact.
    However, it will be best for you to get your condition assessed by a therapist with experience of running injuries before running without shoes.

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