12-02-2023, 04:48 PM
We're talking about very minimalist (light, flat) shoes that forego all the stiffness and padding that has been added into shoes since shortly after Nike showed up on the scene. The idea is that when we're barefoot, or nearly barefoot, we move more naturally and rebuild the lost foot and leg strength that has resulted from a lifetime of padding and jacked up heels. All the bells and whistles that go into modern running shoes were supposed to make us faster and keep us running more healthy, but that didn't turn out to be true.
There was a book called "Born to Run" back in 2009 that helped ignite the "barefoot" craze, about a tribe of runners in Mexico. But even before that you had barefoot kids in Kenya growing up to be world class runners. Also, all the way back in the late 90's my high school running coach had us doing barefoot sprints. Its nothing new really, but its about getting back basics. Its something that really worked for me in the prime of my running life.
When I'm running with almost nothing on my feet I feel free, fast, and at ease... especially going up hills. Of course it takes some adjustment to be able to endure it, if you've spent your life in more typical footwear, but I found it well worth it.
I ran my first, and still fastest mountain ultra marathon in a pair of paper thin shoes and while wearing no socks.
There was a book called "Born to Run" back in 2009 that helped ignite the "barefoot" craze, about a tribe of runners in Mexico. But even before that you had barefoot kids in Kenya growing up to be world class runners. Also, all the way back in the late 90's my high school running coach had us doing barefoot sprints. Its nothing new really, but its about getting back basics. Its something that really worked for me in the prime of my running life.
When I'm running with almost nothing on my feet I feel free, fast, and at ease... especially going up hills. Of course it takes some adjustment to be able to endure it, if you've spent your life in more typical footwear, but I found it well worth it.
I ran my first, and still fastest mountain ultra marathon in a pair of paper thin shoes and while wearing no socks.