As the barefoot running boom continues to explode, itâs important that we debunk the mythology thatâs sprung up and face some facts. And perhaps the most obvious fact is this:
If you run with anything between your skin and the ground, you are not barefoot runner.
Let me say that again. If you wear Vibram Fivefingers, New Balance Minimus, Merrell Trail Gloves, Altra Adams, Vivobarefoot shoes, Newtons, Inov8 shoes, even our Invisible Shoes huaraches running sandals, you are not a barefoot runner.
I donât care if your previous shoes were padded stilts and your new shoes are a âzero-dropâ natural movement minimalist shoe, if youâve got something on your feet youâre not barefoot running.
Barefoot running means that you run in bare feet. Period.
Now, donât get me wrong, Iâm not saying that if youâve just spent $125 on your Vibram Bikilas you need to throw them away, or that if thereâs a barefoot running Meetup you canât be part of the cool clique. And Iâm not saying everyone needs to be barefoot. And, clearly, I’m not saying “don’t buy Xero Shoes” đ
But itâs important that we differentiate actual barefoot running from minimalist running.
Why?
Because more often than some would like to admit, barefoot running and minimalist running do not produce the same results.
The promise of barefoot running is that the sensations you get when your skin contacts the ground â often known as pain â teach you proper running form. That is, if you change your form to make the pain go away, youâll have a more efficient, lighter, easier stride, and youâll be able to run pain-free for life.
Anything that you put on your feet reduces the amount of sensation you feel and can interfere with the feedback loop that barefoot running gives which produces those benefits.
Again, Iâm not saying that you donât get feedback from minimalist shoes. You certainly get more than you do when youâve got 2âł of padding in your Nike I Canât Feel The Grounds. As the developer of Xero Shoes, I know hundreds of people who switched to our sandals, improved their running form, eliminated life-long aches and pains, and now enjoy running ultra-marathons. As one of our early customers put it, “Xero Shoes are just like being barefoot… if they covered the world in a thin layer of comfortable rubber.”
But, Iâve also met a LOT people who bought a pair of Vibrams or Merrells (or any other minimalist shoe), soon became injured, and now tell everyone they know that âbarefoot runningâ is dangerous⊠and theyâve never run barefoot!
Iâve been on a number of barefoot running panel discussions and, inevitably, there will be some number of doctors, physical therapists, podiatrists and other medical professionals who say, smugly, âHey, stick with this barefoot running thing. All the people getting hurt by doing it are putting my kids through college!â
Before they can finish chuckling, I fire back:
Me: âYou know, of course, that all you guys made the exact same joke 40 years ago when running shoes were invented, right? And you know that people who have no problems running barefoot â and ones who get cured of injuries by running barefoot â will not come to see you, right?â
Them: âUhâŠâ
Then I pull out the bigger guns: âAnd when a patient tells you they got hurt from barefoot running, did you ask if they were actually in bare feet? Did you check to see if they simply over-trained by doing too much, too soon? And, maybe most importantly, did you take a video of them running so you could analyze their form and see if they were simply using the same injury-producing mechanics they used when they wore shoes? Or did you see if they were trying to stay on their toes, putting extra strain on their calves and Achilles, because they have a mistaken ideas about proper barefoot form?â
Them: âUhâŠâ
Barefoot running is more than switching to a minimalist shoe. And itâs more than simply removing your shoes. Donât believe me? Go to a barefoot running event, find the people in their minimalist shoes, and see which ones are still landing on their heels, as if theyâre still in motion controlled running shoes.
In fact, be on the lookout for runners who are actually barefoot doing the same thing! Some of us are either unable to feel those important form-changing sensations, or unable (without coaching) to actually make form changes in order to find a painless way of moving.
For an example of this, check out Pete Larson’s video of the recent NYC Barefoot Run. Most of the VFF wearers, and a handful of barefoot runners are still landing on their heels. (I was there and noticed the same thing, but I didn’t have the brains to video tape it… so, Thanks, Pete!)
Letâs wrap this up with a wish: If youâre one of those âbarefootâ runners who has never run barefoot, I canât encourage you enough to try it. Donât think thereâs some transition you need to go through before youâre âready.â Ironically, the best advice I can give you is: Just Do It!
Get on a good clean hard surface (a bike path is great, streets work too) and go for a run. Listen to your feet, if they hurt, try to move in some different way so that they donât. And if you canât figure out how, then stop and try again another day. Donât think you need to build up callouses; none of us who successfully run barefoot have any (theyâre another sign that youâre doing something wrong). If you can find a coach or some training, get some guidance.
Report back here with what you discover.
The goal is not to be barefoot all the time. The goal is to be flexible. To be able to run comfortably, easily, and enjoyably under any circumstance. To know when barefoot is the best option and when something under your feet is called for. I wear my Xero Shoes for all my walking, hiking, and getting into restaurants. I’m barefoot for a lot of my sprinting training. But, hey, I still wear running shoes, too⊠when I have to shovel a 2âČ Colorado snowfall.
The content of this post does not constitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.