Any tips on athletic running?

Question

This coming Monday (10th) i have athletic try outs!!! I never tried professional running before, but now i have no choice, other wise my team will have to forfeit because we dont have enough people!
Do you guys have any tips on how to run faster in short distances? (not that short)
I find it easier to run barefoot, but is it not allowed or something? Or are the "orange rubber olympic running floors" too hurtful on your feet?
Is there a special diet i should go on to give me more energy?(i'm 5 foot 3 and 38 kg- thats borderline underweight)
Is there something about running on your toes that make you faster???
I have no room to practice at home, so any recomended exercises?
Thanks yall!!!!

P.S. its short distance running and i need an answer before monday 10th of August! Thankyou so much!!!! :)

Sorry my mistake! its not the 10th of august its the 10th of september!

Answer 1

I think if you're used to running barefoot, you should. And you should be allowed to; there's nothing unsafe or unhealthy about running barefoot if you're used to it, only when you always wear shoes and suddenly switch is it harmful. Even on hard surfaces, our feet do not need support or cushioning footwear, see this excerpt from "Survey in China and India of Feet That Have Never Worn Shoes"

One hundred and eighteen of those interviewed were rickshaw coolies. Because these men spend very long hours each day on cobblestone or other hard roads pulling their passengers at a run it was of particular interest to survey them. If anything, their feet were more perfect than the others. All of them, however, gave a history of much pain and swelling of the foot and ankle during the first few days of work as a rickshaw puller. But after either a rest of two days or a week's more work on their feet, the pain and swelling passed away and never returned again. There is no occupation more strenuous for the feet than trotting a rickshaw on hard pavement for many hours each day yet these men do it without pain or pathology.

Also the source link has several sites about barefoot running, take a look at them, especially if you need to convince your parents and/or coach to let you run barefoot!

Answer 2

Hopefully the mentioned date of August 10 was an unintentional error......this is September. : )



Short distance running means sprinting. Acceleration is important, and you do this ONLY on the toes/balls of the feet.

They are not necessary, but there are shoes designed just for this, pre-formed to keep your foot in the forward position.

Shoe fit is very important, because there is a different strain on the feet and the shoes when you shift your weight onto your toes and run hard. Once you are in motion all contact with the ground is very brief, but the pressure is not focussed only on the contact part, but across all the toe section of the shoe, and your foot will tend to move downwards, toward the tip of the shoe. The shoe must fit well, and be tied snugly, but not tight.

The shoe must maintain contact with the soles and the arch, to provide support for the rest of the foot.

If your shoes do not fit well then you will have problems.

You can wear any shoes that are comfortable, but you must try them in a few runs before your official try-out, to be sure your feet will not suffer.

The main benefit of this foot position is forward motion, as it allows you to shove your weight in that direction with the entire effort concentrated exactly where needed.

Placing the heel in contact with the ground when running forces you to roll your weight over the foot before being able to shove off on your toes, and this will invariably slow you down.

Any exercise that lets you move ALL your weight up and down will be of help, as you need to get maximum effort out of your legs, but Monday is only three days away, so you should not expect major changes.

Aerobic exercise that uses the legs will be of the most benefit. Do it strongly and repeatedly today (Friday) and Saturday and then only a few times on Sunday, preferably two hours apart. Sunday's exercise should be enough to get your breathing rate up, but it should NOT be strenuous at any time and should be of short duration.

Note that this change in pace is VERY important, as it will allow the muscles a brief recovery time from the two days of hard exercise, and allow them to be ready for Monday. Doing a smaller amount of exercise on Sunday will keep the muscles in the working tone you established and it will prevent them from tightening too much, as they might do if you relaxed all day.


Food/diet changes will be of no benefit as there is no time for them to take effect. Sprinting requires energy NOW, so plenty of sleep the night before and a small....note small...sugar snack shortly before the race will be of the greatest help.

DO take a few moments to stretch your body and especially your legs before the tryout begins. A brief run of a minute or so, not at sprint speed, will be of considerable benefit, to get the legs loosened, breathing improved and the heart rate up.


Good luck.

Answer 3

run it barefoot,who cares