Copyright evoke
With the Dublin Marathon happening over the Bank Holiday weekend, many of us have been reflecting on runs past, including Joanna Donnelly. The former RTÉ meteorologist Joanna Donnelly shared a throwback photo of herself participating in the marathon, but people were quick to point out her peculiar choice of shoes for the 26.2-mile-long race. Sharing on her TikTok account, Joanna explained that she likes to run barefoot most of the time, saying she has been running like this for years. Joanna mentions in the video that she often faces 'unsolicited advice' for her choice of running gear (or lack thereof), and told her followers that what she does is perfectly safe. 'Yes, I've had gait analysis done, yes, I've tried running in shoes, no, it doesn't work for me. If it did, I would wear runners like a shot, and I would advise anyone who can run well in runners to keep running in runners, cause their feet don't get quite so cold,' said Joanna. @joannadonnellyl I’m a barefoot runner. If I could run in shoes, I would run in shoes. But I have tried and it didn’t work for me. I get knee pain that stops me from being able to run at all. I’ve had the gait analysis, I’ve chatted with physios. This is what works for me. I wear xero shoes because they suit how I run. I wouldn’t recommend anybody just to start running in flat or minimalist or zero shoes. If your gait is adjusted to wearing a shoe with a profile, trying to change it could cause you pain. And it’s unnecessary. Running barefoot isn’t a fad. It’s just how I run. It doesn’t make me run faster. It doesn’t make me run slower. It doesn’t cause more or less injury. It’s just how I run. This is a good read if you’re interested in how I got running again after 20 years. I didn’t realise I needed to run barefoot. I thought I just couldn’t run because my knees wouldn’t let me. But it turns out it was because I was trying to run in shoes. After reading this book I realised I was a barefoot runner. And I haven’t looked back since. #running #barefootrunning ♬ original sound - Joanna DonnellyL Joanne continued to say that her feet do get cold from time to time, but her body has adjusted to the conditions. Sharing the reason why she runs barefoot, Joanna said that she has always run with no shoes on, ever since she was a kid. 'When I was a child, I ran barefoot, I did karate in bare feet, so I spent most of my athletic life only in my bare feet. So when it came to adulthood and I started to run for pleasure in runners, I kept hurting my knees, like quite significantly hurting my knees,' she said. Despite doing more gait analysis and investing in expensive trainers, Joanna said nothing was helping her with her constant knee injuries, and so she gave up the sport completely. That is, until her husband started running and bought Joanna a book called Born To Run by Christopher McDougal, and gave her Vivo barefoot minimalist shoes to help her back into running, barefoot style. Laughing at herself, Joanna jokes that when she does park runs on level ground, people can hear her before they see her: 'Anyone that runs the park runs with me, they say to my husband they can hear me coming because I'm flop, flop, flop in my barefoot slipppers.' Although the unconventional style of running works for her, Joanna insists she doesn't try and force it upon anyone else, or try to convince them to try it, especially if they have only run in shoes all their lives. 'If your gait is adjusted to running in shoes, then just keep running in shoes. Barefoot running is for people who have naturally adjusted their gait to barefoot running,' she emphasised. Over time, people have adjusted their feet to run with no shoes on, but as Joanna says, she doesn't know why people would bother if their body is used to running in shoes. Claiming it is just personal preference, Joanna said her speed or any other running analytics have not changed since she began running barefoot, only her happiness in being able to run again. Fans of Joanna praised her underneath the post for being so honest about her running habit, with one person saying, 'Good on you, Joanna.' 'Great stuff, and keep doing whatever works for you. I knew lots of people who did barefoot running on the beach, it's meant to be very good for us.' said another. Whatever works for you, Joanna! Would you ever try the barefoot style of running?
