August
2007
Even if the shoe fits… forget it.
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When was the last time you left your house without shoes? Hard to say? When was the last time you ran without shoes? Summer, circa 12 years old? If you are to listen to the growing number of barefoot runners out there you are truly missing out.
On the other hand it calls to mind visions of happy children relishing the feeling of recently cut grass on their naked and nimble toes as they parade about an expanse of green lawn.
To your average tennie-wearing John Doe these words paint two seemingly diametrically opposed pictures. But viewed through the lenses of the barefoot enthusiast they both embody the essence of going shoeless. That is, the visceral, animal-like use of feet the way they were originally ‘intended,’ while at the same time fully appreciating the extra-sensory and tactile experience you can only get without sneakers.
Don’t get me wrong. No one is suggesting that you head on into the office Monday morning with your ugly feet leading the way. Shoes are great. I have more pairs than I would like to admit. But there may be such a thing as too much shoe.
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Technorati Tags: barefoot, running, runner, Abebe Bikila, Primal Health, feet, shoeless
Shoes; not necessary. A bit dangerous where rocky, but running on the sandy beach is much easier.
And thinking about the beach…
Considering the same Primal Health precepts, will it soon be that clothes are optional, as well?
It would certainly get me to run more!
I’ve been running without shoes for over a month and a half now. I won’t be going back to shoes.
Feet were designed for walking and running.
I do at least one of my runs barefoot on the beach every week. Great stuff….
Barefoot? It would get rid of the sock line farmers tan. I ran a marathon 7 years ago. I noticed a man running barefoot. He also only wore a loin cloth….he finished. Aside from rocks, what about the ground, it’s hot! I’d run barefoot in sand if I had sand. I just don’t know…
I’m glad to hear we have some readers that are part of the barefoot community!
Barefoot running does have some level of danger involved and shoes do come in handy given certain conditions - ice, snow, and glass come to mind. But for the most part running without shoes just makes you focus more on where and how you place your feet.
Crystal-
As I said, it does take some getting us to and you really should ease into it to avoid injury. One of the reasons many people can’t even imagine running barefoot is because they have foot pain even when wearing shoes. To me that is further evidence to get rid of shoes. All that extra support leads to weak, underdeveloped feet, increased incidence of injury, and thusly pain. Give it a try and see what you think!
Great post, Aaron!
I was told when I was younger that if your feet are comfortable then the rest of your body is as well.
Nice read btw.
Their used to be barefoot kickers in college and pro football. I have golfed on occasion in bare feet. Well groomed grass really can be therapeutic and give your foot a messaged sort of feeling with every step.
I recommend that everyone should walk on a golf course barefoot. Just watch out for broken tees!
It hasn’t even occurred to me that walking or running barefoot could be a very pleasurable experience. After reading this post I am going to head down to the beach this weekend and let my feet “breathe”. Thanks.
Aaron- o.k., I’ll add that to my to-do-list. I always ran around barefoot as a kid and hated shoes. Wasn’t too excited about shoes in college either. I have regreted that because I thought it contributed to my feet problems. Maybe not! I had a chiropractor tell me to run in sand, of course I was in hawaii at the time.
Our feet are the first in the line of connection to the earth and movement. Want to find your natural running stride? Go barefoot. Of course I prefer grass and sand. Probably won’t see too many heel strikers like you do with those spring-loaded shoes nowadays. Great article!
As an owner of two shoe stores, I have to admit my first inclination to your blog was; you can’t be serious with all this “barefoot-ology” that you are espousing. After all, if the message of this blog gets out to the masses and really catches on, my livelihood could be in real jeopardy. But I have to say you make some powerful arguments and have definately peeked my curiosity. Just keep this on the DL, please.
I don’t think I would be able to run a Ironman marathon barefoot. I have just started used a new running shoe by Newton. They are designed on striking on the forefoot. They have changed my whole running style for the better. I am able to run faster with less effort. I will never go back to the traditional running shoe again. If I could manage running barefoot during an Ironman race I would give it a try, but I don’t think I would be able to manage that considering how long the overall race is.
Mark Hi….have just started reading yr blog though have read periodic stuff of yr oer the yrs.
My question comes from looking at what you eat and the amount you exercise.
Looking at what you eat do you have a rough estimate of how many cals you eat please ?
I try and walk most days for 40 mins and do daily a series of ATP exercises i designed when loafing around coming back from Africa….. a cross between plyometrics, pilates, yoga and well chaotically variable exercises each done for 20 plus seconds and then again after a mins rest or so.
Anyways i digress BUT i don’t think i could eat as you do and not be plainly hungry……..at 8% body fat and with yr level of exercise/activity it just seems woefully low albeit of course deadly healthful.
Perplexed and off (shoe)topic.
Sinc.
Simon
[...] Mark’s Daily Apple we have this article about running barefoot. I thought it was interesting because of our discussion this week about [...]
Hi Simon,
I recognize you from your many good posts at de vany.
I would guess I’am averging 2500 - 2800 calories a day on most days. I try to eat as many veggies as possible, but as you know, am not afraid of fats in avocado, olive oils, nuts, butter etc. I shoot for 120-130 grams of protein a day (500 calories). 100-120 grams of fat (1000). I make the rest up with vegetables (with dressings and butter) and some fruit. I’m going several days at a time with no bread/pasta/dessert/rice/potato or other starchey or refined simple carbs. Don’t miss any of that stuff anymore. When I get hungry, I grab a handful of nuts, which serves to take the edge off. But mostly, I’m never really that hungry. That’s a big change for me, since I was known for my eating prowess at college and later during my training days. I think it’s just a matter of conditioning like anything else.
Hope that helps.
Mark
PS. Forgot the nightly beer or 2.
I got the Vibram fivefinger shoes last week to wear at the beach, and found the experience to be worth the price of admission! I’m not ready to go fully barefoot, but it’s the next-best thing, and you don’t have to worry about cutting your foot on a rock, shell, twig or what have you. It really does make you want to just run up a tree. I can feel the muscles in my feet getting stronger already, and plus, it’s just plain fun. Also a great conversation starter - you can’t help but stare at someone wearing five fingered “shoes”!
The only time i go barefoot is when i go swimming or outside walking in the yard, or sweeping the front driveway, back patio. Other than that, I LOVE MY NIKES!!!
[...] There’s a movement out there that I read approximately on Mark’s Daily Apple called the Primal Health philosophy.They believe that the closer we are to nature, the better. Which mean — you guessed it — the less we rely on shoes, the better, even when running. There are lots of reasons behind the concept of running shoeless, including that one:When we run in shoes, our heels are the first parts of our body to hit the ground. But whether we were to run shoeless, we wouldn’t do that. Running with our heels first adds unnecessary affect to the joints in our leg. Interesting. whether you want to read increasingly, check out the original post. [...]
I’m not a runner, but I am a big barefoot proponent!! I know people who never go barefoot, except in bed and the shower! Me? I kick off shoes as soon as I get home, and whenever possible. Even in work, several times I’ve been “caught” shoeless!!
Personally I hate shoes and only wear them when I must. I can still remember as a kid having to get used to wearing shoes when school started after summer break…yep, my mom was a barefooter too! I always remember what my pediatrician told me when my kids were little….there are 2 purposes of shoes. 1. to keep the feet warm in cold weather and 2. to prevent injury.
I think I’m going to start toughening up my feet…I live on a gravel road, so wearing shoes (at this point) is a must….but the blacktop (and grass on either side) is tolerable.
My wife bought me a pair of Vibram FiveFingers (a.k.a. “MonkeyFeet”) earlier this year and I love ‘em! Kinda pricy, but awesome!
I’m forever kicking off my shoes as soon as I get home. I painstakingly worked my back yard until it was weed-free just so I could pad around barefoot out there.
Hey everyone, i have put at least a couple hundred miles in with no shoes on the past few months. I will tell you one thing, ITS GREAT!, i love the looks/comments/thoughts of non barefooters. I love the quote “Don’t you know there is glass on the ground…?” I simply replay, “Really? Thanks”…..I am the one running hundreds of miles with no shoes on, and some overweight McDonalds carrying human has the nerve to tell me about ‘glass’….thanks
[...] Aaron investigates: Maybe you don’t need running shoes, anyway [...]
[...] well aware of those funny looking Vibram FiveFingers by now. They’ve been mentioned in our barefoot running post, featured in a Top 10 Ultimate Fitness Gadgets post and showcased in Mark’s sprinting video. What [...]
Nice work! Barefoot is so good for the soul.
For other ‘barefoot’ shoe choices check out my site and don’t forget Feelmax who have also put out a great product.
Sorry, for got the link… http://www.barefootongrass.com
This is an awesome article… I have written a great number similar, but just not quite as lengthy. My in-person rant is almost word for word.
I graduated to Vibram five fingers from my Nike Frees (which I still use every now and again, but that’s still a LOT of padding on the bottom… they do travel extremely well :))
I LOVE BAREFOOT RUNNING/WALKING/MAKING OUT
(now I need a bumper sticker)
Anyone help a guy out??
Clinton
I was at first curious about Vibram 5 Finger shoes and contacted Vibram headquarters with further questions. Instead I received trite, manufactured, generic, dispassionate responses from their customer service department - GEORGIA SHAW (this woman has absolutely no idea what customer service is). For a small company trying to break into a very large industry, they certainly think small when hiring such incompetent staff. If they are that bad at customer service how can I trust their shoes on my feet?
[...] Who Needs Shoes Anyway? [...]
[...] just greener pastures, our ancestors spent a lot of time taking the heel-toe express! (Though, it wasn’t exactly heel-toe in those days.) These days, of course, we have planes, trains and automobiles to get us from A to [...]
[...] just greener pastures, our ancestors spent a lot of time taking the heel-toe express! (Though, it wasn’t exactly heel-toe in those days.) These days, of course, we have planes, trains and automobiles to get us from A to [...]