Name: Jeanne Davis
Age: 33
Location: New York City
Profession: SAHM (stay at home mom) to 2 very active girls aged 1 & 3
So what are the top 10 reasons why you should let your child go barefoot?
10. Kids are natural born runners. They love to run & move, let them do it the way they want to
9. Less boo-boos. They will barely trip barefooting -- but when they are in thick soled shoes -- they seem to trip a lot more.
8. Builds up their natural foot strength.
7. It encourages them to listen to their bodies.
6. They pay much closer attention to their environment & where they step.
5. Think of all the money you will save on fancy footwear!
4. Barefoot on the playground makes them more coordinated and improves balance. (If you don't believe this -- try doing tree pose in sneakers).
3. Helps stave off obesity and all the ills that go along with it.
2. You have a live-in running partner.
1. Joy -- Next time you are in the park, watch a child run around without shoes. No pain, no HRM, no watch, that is true happiness.
Did you push your 3-year old to run around barefoot?
I really never encouraged my daughter to run barefoot. In fact, it is something I tried to hide & discourage at first, which of course made her all that more curious. I was afraid she would cut herself or I'd get funny looks & comments from other parents. Eventually her natural curious ways proved to me that it would be really wise to allow her to run barefoot. I got painful shin splints and stress fractures almost every competitive season of my life due to heavy heel striking, "supportive" shoes, and orthotics. I soon realized that the best thing I can do for her is to NOT interfere in the process of her developing her natural running form. Her body is teaching her how to be a runner better than I ever could.
What about safety?
Since Lily is only 3, we had a lot of discussions about running "with your piggies out". It is important to be careful. If it hurts your feet, put shoes on. Now, when we go on the cinder bridle path, she says, "the little rocks don't hurt anymore -- I can run on them now". When she gets tired, I encourage her to go just a little bit further. We'll repeat a mantra like, "I can do it, I can do it" for just a little bit longer.
The great thing about kids (especially young ones) is that they have no choice but to put all of their energy into everything they do, and when they are spent, they literally cannot make themselves go any further. So we really don't have to worry about overuse injuries.
What's your story?
I've been a runner for over 20 years. I started running when I was 12 and I really haven't stopped much since. I had an amazing high school cross country team & coach who really took the sport seriously. This was probably the most motivating experience of my youth. I ended up surprising myself by becoming a much faster runner than I ever thought possible. Running kept me focused & happy and taught me that I can set goals that I may not really believe possible, incrementally work towards them, and eventually succeed. I continued running at a Division 3 college. Running continued to be my focus and stress relief when I was a navy officer serving on board ships in active war zones during Operations Enduring Freedom & Iraqi Freedom.
How did you end up running this way?
When I started running again after I had my second daughter I was plagued with severe pelvic & hip pain anytime I ran longer than 3 miles. I got checked for all the potential maladies (i.e., PID, pelvic fracture, cysts, tumors, etc.) and was fortunate not to have any of those. During the MORE half marathon, I was telling my old running partner about my pains and she suggested I try barefooting. She had just started running occasionally in VFF and thought it was really helping her form. I got a pair of VFF and immediately felt an improvement. Running barefoot forced me shorten my stride and to keep my hips under my spine. This prevented me from heel striking & taking too big steps, thus reducing the shock treatment I was unnecessarily putting my poor pelvic region through.
Do you run barefoot or with minimalist shoes?
Both -- it just depends on the surface. I never hesitate to put VFF on when I see a surface that may irritate my feet
How long have you been running this way?
Since April 2010, so 5 months. I started out only doing a few miles a week barefoot or in VFF. Now, I do all my running barefoot or in VFF. I did 2 triathlons this summer including the Westchester Toughman Half Ironman completely barefoot and I put my VFF on for the trail & gravel portions. The other triathlon was the Anthracite Olympic Tri in Jim Thorpe, PA. I was the only minimalist shoe runner there and I got a lot of support from the teenagers at the water stops!
Interesting observations / anecdotes from your time barefooting?
My 3 year old loves to run barefoot too. I love watching her run in her natural state. Kids have such beautiful running form and they experience great joy from it. What surprises me is the stunned reactions and objections I've encountered from others when they see her running around barefoot on the playground or street.
Also, kids & teenagers totally get it - they think minimalist shoes are "cool" and never hesitate to say so.
Why are you coming to the NYC Barefoot Run?
I'm a member of the Barefoot Runners NYC meetup. One of the things I love most is the amazing people I've met in my running barefoot adventures. The people tend to be interesting, open-minded, and bold. They all tend to be living lives they are excited about. This is a very inspiring & motivating part of my life.
What are you most excited about?
Running the race with my 3 year old. She is so excited to run the race where everyone's "piggies are sticking out"
Comments
Jeanne,It was so great
Jeanne,It was so great meeting you and your daughter this weekend. What an inspiring leader you are! And with your dynamic personality, I'm sure that parents everywhere will be more inclined to let their children run "wild." Kudos for making healthy choices for your children, despite the social pressures!~Daniel
Great to meet you this
Great to meet you this weekend Dan. It feels really good to know some other kindred spirits. I'm going to check out the parents for barefoot living site. PS I'm really enjoying your book. When I was in the navy, I got "hot feet" too. Hours of walking & standing in a hot engine room with wool socks encased in steel toe boots probably did it. Everytime I would get back to my stateroom, I would take off my socks & boots -- and rub my feet on the carpet. It felt so good. It is amazing how happy feet make happier people!
Great to meet you this
Great to meet you this weekend Dan. It feels really good to know some other kindred spirits. I'm going to check out the parents for barefoot living site. PS I'm really enjoying your book. When I was in the navy, I got "hot feet" too. Hours of walking & standing in a hot engine room with wool socks encased in steel toe boots probably did it. Everytime I would get back to my stateroom, I would take off my socks & boots -- and rub my feet on the carpet. It felt so good. It is amazing how happy feet make happier people!
Wow Jeanne-you have always
Wow Jeanne-you have always been such a strong and inspiring friend! I loved reading this story. My entire life I've suffered from hip, knee and foot pain from event the mildest jogging or doing anything beyond a fast walk (which can even turn painful if I'm not careful!). I remember always having to sit out activities because they were too painful (you might remember me constantly begging my way out of gym class in HS!). I always thought I was just out of shape, but it never really made sense since I felt the same way even when doing body-buidling competitions in college! I've ended up having to find "alternatives" for any cardio I've wanted to do. Now I'm wondering if it has been the shoes all along. I had always invested in more padded, more shock absorbing, "better" running shoes, and with each it seemed worse. I wonder if I should have gone the other way. I was born with my feet almost backwards, and my natural stance remains with my feet angled outward. I wonder if the shoes, which always tried to force my feet straight (thus turning my knees inward) , actually put me in a stance that put pressure on my joints. I know I'm not about to become an avid runner, although I really admire you for it and love that you are teaching Lily such healthy workout habits at such a young age, but I'd love to maybe get myself to the point where I could take a jog around the block or work on a treadmill or stairmaster once in awhile. Can you tell me more about how to find these "VFF" shoes, and what precautions a newbie should take before going full out barefoot? Thanks :).-Susie
Hey Susie,I'm sorry it has
Hey Susie,I'm sorry it has taken me so long to respond -- I was so busy with the barefoot race this weekend. Yes, I do remember you scheming your way out of gym -- and I also remember you always had a long, slender, beautiful dancers body...and dancers feet!You make a very interesting point about shoes trying to move your feet inward. It seems shoes often alter our natural stance & gait. VFF's (Vibram Five Fingers) can usually be found in most running stores. They or any other "minimalist" shoe will work. Aqua socks, flat sandals, vivobarefoot, or plain barefeet work well (though I notice you live in Boston now, so it may be cold for that now). The National Bestseller, Born to Run, gives a great overview of running in general -- I can mail you my copy if you would like to borrow it. Since you have a natural questioning nature -- I would suggest Prof. Dan LIeberman as a resource (http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/). He is a professor at your alma mater (Harvard, not Cornell). I had the pleasure of running with him in August and he gave an amazing talk this weekend on barefoot running. He has a lab in which he can analyze your form & gait.Dr. Daniel Howell, wrote The Barefoot Book, 50 reasons to kick off your shoes. He is another biology professor who focuses more on the benefits of going barefoot -- only one chapter on running. I met him this weekend as well. He has a very healthy outlook on barefooting in general. Jason Robillard, http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/, also has a lot of good information on his website. Barefoot Ted & Barefoot Ken Bob also have informative sites. I hope I didn't overwhelm you. Great to hear from you! Let me know how your experience is going!
Jeanne, This is really
Jeanne,
This is really inspiring! I've been running barefoot on the beach, but didn't think to take it any further. I'm going to give it a shot!
Cheers,
Sarah
All kids should be so lucky
All kids should be so lucky to have a mom like you Jeanne!
Thanks Rob! It is nice to
Thanks Rob! It is nice to get support for my parenting choices!
adorbzz!! way to represent
adorbzz!! way to represent for the barefoot girls!!
Wonderful! I raised all
Wonderful! I raised all five of my children (oldest is now 8) up from birth to wear shoes a little as possible. We only wear footwear when it's too cold or we go out in public and then it's as minimal as we can do.I also love to see my kids playing barefoot. We live on a farm and my children spend their time running, climbing trees, and exploring - all barefoot. It's natural, it's healthy, and I feel so sorry for the children of those uptight moms who INSIST that their kids wear shoes and socks all day every day. :(There's some sort of mental aberration in a woman who thinks that a kid going barefoot is "nasty". What's nasty about FEET? You don;t eat with your toes or touch other people with them! WTF?
I mean come on, would you
I mean come on, would you tell someone who works on a car engine all day how gross and nasty he or she is? Touching tires that rode all over the city, over dead animals? Of course not. They just wash their hands after they are done. After you are done walking and running barefoot everywhere you come home and wash your feet. No big deal. How did this generation become so squeamish?
Cute! Does the ballooon help
Cute! Does the ballooon help her stay light on her feet? I'm going to bring one on my next run. ;)
Haha -- the balloon does make
Haha -- the balloon does make her run faster. That day she was running down the block shouting with joy! That day I couldn't keep up with the stroller & dogs in tow!