Barefoot Running

XC_Guitar17
XC_Guitar17 Posts: 93
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
So I was at a track meet yesterday, and what do you know, I was just causally watching the women's 5K when I noticed a girl running barefoot. It was sunny and 75 yesterday so you know that track had to be hot.

Barefoot girl snagged third place in the (fast) heat of the 5K.

And then a girl from another team killed it in the 400 running sans shoes.

So now I'm curious. Has anyone tried barefoot running or used minimalist shoes before? I'm much too in love with my bright orange Nike Pegasus to abandon them for a season of shoelessness, but I guess some people just feel better without shoes?

Replies

  • TheBeachgod
    TheBeachgod Posts: 825 Member
    I do it all the time but I jog on the beach so that might not count.
  • vegwrangler
    vegwrangler Posts: 143 Member
    I love minimalist/barefoot running so much! I have tried an assortment of minimal shoes, my all time favorites are the Newton trail runners. It really makes me more aware of my form to the point where if I try to run in traditional neutral cushioning shoes that I just end up with shin splints and/or a wee bit of hip pain. I highly recommend going to a ChiRunning or Pose Running coached class, it really helps nail down a form conducive to barefoot running. Happy trails :-)
  • XC_Guitar17
    XC_Guitar17 Posts: 93
    I've done it on the beach before, too - which is so fun by the way ha - but in my opinion, running barefoot on a beach with nice soft sand and running barefoot on a track in 75 degree March heat are on two different levels.

    And don't even get me started on cross country. I've heard of/seen people run barefoot on trails with rough terrain - with rocks, sticks, mulch, rivers, spiders and other creepy crawlers, and just about anything else you could think of that would be unpleasant to step on barefoot. My feet would be a bloody mess.
  • XC_Guitar17
    XC_Guitar17 Posts: 93
    vegwrangler wrote: »
    I love minimalist/barefoot running so much! I have tried an assortment of minimal shoes, my all time favorites are the Newton trail runners. It really makes me more aware of my form to the point where if I try to run in traditional neutral cushioning shoes that I just end up with shin splints and/or a wee bit of hip pain. I highly recommend going to a ChiRunning or Pose Running coached class, it really helps nail down a form conducive to barefoot running. Happy trails :-)

    It's awesome that barefoot running works for you! :)

    I'm definitely open to the idea because I know barefoot running is probably so much more natural than encasing your feet in nylon, rubber, and whatever other man-made materials shoes are made of. I just don't think I could ever make the switch personally.

  • cindytw
    cindytw Posts: 1,027 Member
    I am a minimalist convert after YEARS, actually a lifetime of foot and ankle problems! I will run or walk on sand and grass or run, barefoot, but if there are rocks or hard things like pine cones I use minimalist shoes. I have never felt better, and I even had 4 pairs of prescription orthotics that all weakened me and made the problem worse! One of my prescription orthotics threw out my hip and knee so bad I had to go to the chiropractor 3x a week!! You DO have to transition though! I went out and ran 3 miles in Vibram Five Fingers the first day and was not walking right for a week! Or if you like pain, get the transition done in a day like I did! :D
  • Marianne802
    Marianne802 Posts: 91 Member
    Here's an interesting read:

    http://www.chrismcdougall.com/born-to-run/the-barefoot-running-debate/
  • cindytw
    cindytw Posts: 1,027 Member
    @marianne802, I LOVED Born To Run!
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    I've been running for just short of 2 yrs. I started in Vibram Five Fingers and have only run in traditional running shoes once. When I did that, I came home with a blister in the arch of my foot. I avoid pavement as much as possible and stick to unpaved roads or natural trails.

    I have different models of five fingers depending on the weather and the ground I will be running on. As I started running in barefoot shoes, that was my transition period. I had also been wearing the shoes in my free time anyway. If you are not used to them and already run, a transitioning period is key. Also you need to avoid heal striking. Land on the fore / midfoot and let your heal down gently. Heal striking in minimalist shoes will lead to problems in other joints.
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
    I wear the 5 finger shoes. Only way to prevent blisters between my crowded toes! I feel like I have bricks on my feet when I run in regular shoes. I need to have that direct connection to the earth to enjoy running at all. :)
  • cindytw
    cindytw Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited March 2015
    flumi_f wrote: »
    I've been running for just short of 2 yrs. I started in Vibram Five Fingers and have only run in traditional running shoes once. When I did that, I came home with a blister in the arch of my foot. I avoid pavement as much as possible and stick to unpaved roads or natural trails.

    I have different models of five fingers depending on the weather and the ground I will be running on. As I started running in barefoot shoes, that was my transition period. I had also been wearing the shoes in my free time anyway. If you are not used to them and already run, a transitioning period is key. Also you need to avoid heal striking. Land on the fore / midfoot and let your heal down gently. Heal striking in minimalist shoes will lead to problems in other joints.

    I forgot to add the part of different shoes for different terrains and conditions. I also use other brands depending. Vivobarefoot EVO 2 with waterproof spray for winter, Altra for the cement track at the YMCA, Puma and North Face boots (totally flat), Merrell Barefoot line, I would use Innov8 but the toes are too narrow for me.
  • XC_Guitar17
    XC_Guitar17 Posts: 93
    flumi_f wrote: »
    I've been running for just short of 2 yrs. I started in Vibram Five Fingers and have only run in traditional running shoes once. When I did that, I came home with a blister in the arch of my foot. I avoid pavement as much as possible and stick to unpaved roads or natural trails.

    I have different models of five fingers depending on the weather and the ground I will be running on. As I started running in barefoot shoes, that was my transition period. I had also been wearing the shoes in my free time anyway. If you are not used to them and already run, a transitioning period is key. Also you need to avoid heal striking. Land on the fore / midfoot and let your heal down gently. Heal striking in minimalist shoes will lead to problems in other joints.

    Yeah if I ever considered making the switch the minimalist shoes or barefoot running I'd have to work on my stride a lot because I land kinda heavy when I run. My heels tend to kinda thump the ground, especially in my left foot, which is weaker and creates a gap between the "turn over" in my left and right legs when I'm running. In other words: my left leg has to work a little harder to keep up with my right haha.

    Hoping all of that will improve as I strengthen my core though.

  • XC_Guitar17
    XC_Guitar17 Posts: 93
    cindytw wrote: »
    I am a minimalist convert after YEARS, actually a lifetime of foot and ankle problems! I will run or walk on sand and grass or run, barefoot, but if there are rocks or hard things like pine cones I use minimalist shoes. I have never felt better, and I even had 4 pairs of prescription orthotics that all weakened me and made the problem worse! One of my prescription orthotics threw out my hip and knee so bad I had to go to the chiropractor 3x a week!! You DO have to transition though! I went out and ran 3 miles in Vibram Five Fingers the first day and was not walking right for a week! Or if you like pain, get the transition done in a day like I did! :D

    My ankles are weak so maybe if I got them a little stronger minimalist shoes wouldn't be a bad idea eventually.

  • XC_Guitar17
    XC_Guitar17 Posts: 93
    cindytw wrote: »
    flumi_f wrote: »
    I've been running for just short of 2 yrs. I started in Vibram Five Fingers and have only run in traditional running shoes once. When I did that, I came home with a blister in the arch of my foot. I avoid pavement as much as possible and stick to unpaved roads or natural trails.

    I have different models of five fingers depending on the weather and the ground I will be running on. As I started running in barefoot shoes, that was my transition period. I had also been wearing the shoes in my free time anyway. If you are not used to them and already run, a transitioning period is key. Also you need to avoid heal striking. Land on the fore / midfoot and let your heal down gently. Heal striking in minimalist shoes will lead to problems in other joints.

    I forgot to add the part of different shoes for different terrains and conditions. I also use other brands depending. Vivobarefoot EVO 2 with waterproof spray for winter, Altra for the cement track at the YMCA, Puma and North Face boots (totally flat), Merrell Barefoot line, I would use Innov8 but the toes are too narrow for me.

    I find it intriguing that there are different types of minimalist shoes for different running conditions depending on terrain and weather. That's pretty cool!

  • DaveyNH
    DaveyNH Posts: 23 Member
    I don't get the point but respect each persons right to do what they want. Plenty of reads about conditioning your feet over time to do it.
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
    I run the beach barefoot, and it takes a little conditioning because I do the road in shoes. But I don't run anything but the beach in spring/summer, so I'm not going back and forth. I think that might be tough.

    No problem with the ankles, but I do get some really nasty black blisters on the bottom of my feet from acclimating to the sand. It takes about 2 weeks to get my feet used to the change. Be careful though, because it's easy to cut your feet on broken shells in the beginning, and it's never fun to run back cut. You know it's bad if the salt water actually feels better than ground sand. Well worth it. Well well worth it.

    Having said that, I would not do the road or a track barefoot.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    XC_Guitar17 wrote: »
    I find it intriguing that there are different types of minimalist shoes for different running conditions depending on terrain and weather. That's pretty cool

    There is a distinction between minimalist and zero drop.

    I practice there is a range of fit, and suitability. Racing flats, of the type that you'd routinely see on the track, are pretty much zero drop anyway.

    I know when I transitioned to lower drop trail shoes for racing then it took some effort, the change in height meant a lot more stress on my calves, so I had to work up from short 3K to running a half in them.

  • troytroy11
    troytroy11 Posts: 180 Member
    I used to walk and run all the time barefoot. But now there are way too many loose dogs so I broke down and got a pair of running shoes.
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