Barefoot running

Only cooling down on the infield of the track after a workout. Other than that, no.

I won't recommend barefoot running on the grass ever since I heard of a runner who stepped on glass and another who stepped on a hypodermic needle left by some druggie. Wear shoes. Even the Tarahumara Indians are known to strap old tire treads to their feet.

2010 called and said it's awesome.

I only run about 10-15 miles a week barefoot . But I do it mostly on a soft High School artificial turf. In the winter I wear very thin soled Merrels which feel about the same. Sometimes I will also run barefoot on the track. It helps my form because there's no way you can overstride barefoot without it being quite painfull.

Of course I built up to even this amount slowly. My achilles would first get a little sore.

I think it has strengthened my lower legs somewhat. But, it's also a way to get in more miles with less pounding. What I notice is that after running barefoot, my legs don't at all get the same "pounded" feeling afterwards compared to running in shoes even on soft trails.

I'm keen to try it but would only do so on track. Far too risky on a public field as I'd probably end up with my feet full of glass or ripped open by a shredded drinks can.

Barefoot running on track can be rough on the feet. Find and nice field to run in free from human and canine leftovers.

You don't need to build up thicker skin, just look where you are going and stop before you get blisters.

I often do my cooldowns barefoot, or sometimes when I double, I do part of my easier run on grass barefoot.

My form is already pretty efficient but it definitely helped in the past. I do it now because it feels good and I think it helps with my recovery, as well as keeping fresh proper biomechanics. It also puts a bit more of a workout on my calves, achilles, feet, and just various ancillary throughout my upper and lower legs.

I think I would be a little worse off without it, but I’m not sure if it’s a deal-breaker or anything. Like I said though, it is enjoyable.

if done wisely, and intermittently in training, can be beneficial for keeping lower extremities strong. Have been implementing this for a number of years, 10 min here, 10 min there a couple times a week when the weather is nice on a controlled surface. Seldom struggle with injuries.... I also have a 800m 1 inch cut grass loop at a private high school I do this on. Otherwise, be very careful. A close friend ended his running career stepping on glass that they couldn't get out.

Markmiles wrote:

Anyone tried this to any reasonable degree?

I like the idea but I'm certain I'd either end up with bloody stumps for feet or they'd get covered in dog dirt. Or both.

I ran barefoot for about a year or so. It really helped with my form and transitioning to forefoot striking. I did a few 5ks, one 10k, and a 13.1 completely barefoot.

You have to transition slow. Try running the last mile of two of your weekly runs completely barefoot for a few weeks. Then ramp it up to the last mile of 3-4 of your runs for a few weeks. Then try doing one short run (3-5 miles) a week completely barefoot. And so on. It's all about making a gradual transition.

Only on my favorite running surface.

It's hard to find road or path already covered by this, so I carry my own portable barefoot running surface. To make it more practical to carry around, they are cut about the size of my feet. Rather than having to place it by hand, it is easier to just attach them on the feet, by some flexible mesh cut to fit snugly over my feet.

I think Lydiard said something similar to the above as the ideal way to run in one of his book. No, it's not a complicated way to say "just wear shoes". It is neither the traditional "Dad's running shoe" approach (making them like armor to protect your feet), nor the minimalist approach (turning your shoes into feet-like structure for running on hostile surface, ignoring your feet). I believe his approach is the closest to what running barefoot is about. Luckily many mainstream shoes are now taking this approach.

Don’t walk, RUN away from the idea of barefoot running.

There are plenty of other ways you can strengthen you foot muscles and ankles and attain the other benefits of barefoot running.

And honestly, where does one go to run barefoot risk free other than a turf field?

yeah man, it's good to run barefoot.

like others have said, start with 10-15 minutes barefoot strides and cool down. or do the last 2 miles of a 7 miler barefoot on the turf around the soccer field or whatever.

I really enjoy it, and have built up to running 15 milers like this:

-5 miles trail run out to field. (wearing Puma H Street)

-5 miles on 1200m grass loop, on large hill, barefoot deep grass

-5 miles trail run return

I found that a 15 miler like that once per week was great for lower extremity strength training. the 1200m loop part isdull because 35 minutes on the same stretch is tough mentally. There's about 50m of gravel in there, so I have to grunt it out, but it's fine.

i estimate over 3000 miles barefoot over many years, and only ONE time did i step on dog crap. i'm also blessed to live in a good neighborhood with good parks where drug needles and broken glass aren't prevalent.

Lastly, i'll say this: I once did a half marathon several years ago in August, when the starting temperature was 105 degrees at 6am. It was the hottest day of the year that day, and at mile 5, my feet swelled up in my shoes, so i took them off. a mile later, i took off my socks. I ran the rest of the race barefoot, and finished in 1:18 or 1:19, good enough for 11th place. running barefoot did not bother me, but carrying my shoes did.

Fobkr wrote:

Don’t walk, RUN away from the idea of barefoot running.

There are plenty of other ways you can strengthen you foot muscles and ankles and attain the other benefits of barefoot running.

And honestly, where does one go to run barefoot risk free other than a turf field?

Don't listen to that ^^

Running barefoot is a lot of fun and it is good for your muscles and form.

Just make sure you transition carefully, don't be radical (intersperse barefoot with shod) and choose your routes carefully.

Just like other posters wrote before me. :)

Just don't heel strike if you're running barefoot. That's why we have shoes with massive stacks and drops so you don't normally have to worry about that.

Yes. Plenty. I run about 90-110 mpw in a marathon training cycle and do a significant amount of my running barefoot, whether on a treadmill, roads, bike paths, or trails. Of the 1600 miles I've logged this year, almost 600 miles of those have been without shoes (you can see my running log here:

https://www.runningahead.com/logs/5955afbcffb54f489acdc32ef771a86a

). And I'm injury free. I started running barefoot to improve my running form in trying to get faster, and it's definitely worked. Since I started incorporating barefoot running, I've PRed in basically every event, and many of those PRs are barefoot (5k: 14:51, 5 mile: 24:48, 10k: 30:39). Part of that might be from training and experience, but I'd like to think my efficiency has improved as a result.

I never really understood why people thought running on grass was so beneficial. It feels great, sure, but it's just like running in shoes with all that soft cushioning. And if you only do it for strides, it's not going to have any effect on your gait. The main benefit of barefoot running occurs long term as you subtly and slowly shift your gait to a more efficient stride. I always encourage people to run on harder surfaces so that your feed receives immediate feedback about your inefficiencies.

And definitely go slow. I think about the transition in three different stages (more here:

http://phyllotaxy.com/running/run-barefoot/

). Feel free to contact me through that website if you have other questions.

~ Teage

Reverse Logicizer wrote:

Just don't heel strike if you're running barefoot. That's why we have shoes with massive stacks and drops so you don't normally have to worry about that.

Not true. Whenever I do a cool down on the infield on the track barefoot, I land how I normally do. Heel first.

Yes. But I grew up barefoot and running barefoot so it has always been natural to me. I've been running for nearly 50 years and run about 25% plus of my mileage barefoot on grass or indoors if the weather is too bad. When I wear running shoes they are flat. When I wear shoes I prefer them to be flat. I'm always barefoot at home.

I don't know how good barefoot running is for people who grew up wearing shoes with the way shoes change the growth and shape of feet.

I ran barefoot around a field. Trod on some kind of bramble/twig and a thorn went right into the bottom of my foot under the arch. Had to have it extracted. Still have the scar. Since then, no. Not worth it. You can't be sure there's not something like that - or worse - on the floor. Even on a track, and I'd question the point of running barefoot on a track anyway.

Markmiles wrote:

Anyone tried this to any reasonable degree?

I like the idea but I'm certain I'd either end up with bloody stumps for feet or they'd get covered in dog dirt. Or both.

Of course, I rarely wore shoes when young. In fact, the only time I wear shoes now as an adult is when I'm going for runs or walking outside. Otherwise it's barefoot everywhere.

Curious, do Americans where shoes indoors a lot? Like, at home and stuff.