Going Barefoot

[Bowriter]

I remember when I was a kid, I never wore shoes. My feet got tough and it seemed I could run all day. Then I got old. In the past five years Ihave gone through some pretty serious health issues. A while back I started getting back in shape was doing about 3-miles a day just at a good walking pace. It made my back and knees hurt.

Three weeks ago, I started walking in just quite heavy wool socks. Still doing three miles at about a 13-minute mile pace. No back pain, no knee pain and walking stronger than ever. Feet are starting to toughen up and are pain free.

Might want to try it. Start on an indoor track, just wear heavy socks. Maybe at some point you graduate to those ridiculous shoes that look like bare feet. Keep at it and your feet will toughed to handle the mountains.

[JPH]

Good topic! I'm a big fan of minimalist or barefoot running. Don't knock those crazy shoes until you try them, I swear by mine!

I would urge caution as a runner used to traditional running shoes makes the transition though. Your foot strike and form must evolve or you will invite injury. Developing that form takes time. I have several articles and videos that address some of those issues. I'll link them later.

I've personally settled on different shoes for different surfaces and different styles of workouts. I wear my toe shoes for weight lifting, martial arts and short sprints. I have a pair of minimalist runners that I wear for running on a track or natural surfaces (I don't like to have my pinkey toe vulnerable to snagging. Finally, I still traditional runners for road work or weighted ruck marches.

[JPH]

From my nerd vault:
http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=uxdv79mlme
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2 ... t-strokes/
http://runluaurun.com/2009/11/19/its-go ... the-shoes/
http://www.trailspace.com/articles/2011 ... undup.html
http://birthdayshoes.com/
http://naturallyengineered.com/blog/the ... ning-form/

[Bowriter]

I don't run at all...unless a bear is chasing me. But I walk every day. today I did three miles in 42-minutes, barefoot and felt fine. I wear heavy wook socks and walk on an indoor track but I can tell the difference already. Two years ago, I could not walk at all, could not even stand so I am happy I can do what I can.