Barefoot running advice: Part 1: Is running in Minimalist shoes better than running barefoot?

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Most people who consider themselves “barefoot runners” (myself included) actually don't run barefoot at all or at least not most of the time. They wear a “minimalist shoe”.

It's hard not to hear about minimalist shoes these days since there is a huge buzz about “barefoot running” ever since the bookBorn to Run
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came out a year or two ago.
The most well-known minimalist shoe is theVibram FiveFingers
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which is also mentioned in the above book.

The reason most people who want to run barefoot use a minimalist shoe is a simple one. While the ancient world of the barefoot running people was mostly comprised of dirt and the occasional rock or two, the modern world is littered with sharp and potentially dangerous objects like broken glass, rusted nails and other modern trash that can not only cut your foot if you run barefoot on it, but also cause some serious diseases and infections if untreated. So unless you run in the countryside, where there are plenty of dirt paths and not much human garbage, you should probably consider wearing minimalist shoes.

What makes a minimalist shoe great is that it negates the support and “correction” modern running shoe companies have become so obsessed with getting into their shoes and lets your body regulate the way you run as if it would if you were running barefoot.

The most noticeable part of a minimalist shoe is the lack of any heel support.

If you compare a minimalist shoe to a typical running shoe, you will notice that in your typical running shoe, you have a very thick heel made of tough rubber. This rubber heel is what allows you to run and heel strike.
When you heel strike (hit the ground with your heel), you send all sorts of shocks up your body. Since your body is not naturally used to heel striking when you run (because it hurts like hell to heel strike barefoot…), it doesn't deal with these shocks very well and you end up with injuries.

Another characteristic of a minimalist shoe is that it doesn't have any support such as an arch, or other hard pieces of rubber or plastic that “correct” your posture.

A modern running shoe is loaded with “correction”. This is a great way for the marketers at the shoe companies to sell new products and add new features to their shoes and is completely unnecessary.

Read the rest at barefoot running advice

Comments

Ihate shoes of all kinds. I wear minimalist shoes only if Ihave to. Even then...I probably don't. In my mind, minimalist shoes are very inferior to barefoot.

But to each his own man. Although Itend to think that anyone who thinks minimalist shoes are better than barefoot hasn't been barefoot running for that long.
 
"Most people who consider themselves “barefoot runners” (myself included) actually don't run barefoot at all or at least not most of the time. They wear a “minimalist shoe”.

I think I disagree with this. Most "barefoot runners" I know run mainly barefoot with occasional runs in minimalist shoes.

"The reason most people who want to run barefoot use a minimalist shoe is a simple one."

Mostpeople who want to run barefoot run barefoot, people who want SOME of the benefits of barefoot running but do not want to run barefoot wear minimalist shoes.



"So unless you run in the countryside, where there are plenty of dirt paths and not much human garbage, you should probably consider wearing minimalist shoes."



I disagree. I run on almost every type of road available from country to city barefoot and probably 99% of the roads out there are NOT littered with glass, nails, needles etc. I have run over 90% of my miles in the past year and a half barefoot (read: unshod) and in that time I have had 1 very small flake of glass in my foot that came out before my run was complete.My opinion is that this is a scare tactic used by shoe manufactures.



I don't want to come across as a hardass, I don't think we have ever come across each other in the barefooters cyber world but I disagree with a good portion of this. Just my humble opinion but I have to say that this post sounds a lot like an ad for a minimalist shoe.
 
ram,

when I started running in VFFs in April 2010, I thought they were "barefoot shoes". Heck, I didn't know what else to call them. I hadn't heard anything about "minimalist" (yeah, I lead kind of a sheltered life). Anyway, I still run in my VFFs more than half the time, so I'm kind of a BF wannabee. But I'm progressing toward BF. My feet need a lot of work after 45+ years in shoes. I am getting there though.

One reason is the BRS. I have learned a lot, and been exposed to the barefoot "language" much more here than anywhere else I visited. Maybe with the exception of Ken Bob's site. Anyway, as we all learn more about BF running, and the associated language that goes with it, our conversations will change.

This guy is a newbie to the group, so please cut him some slack. He posted about the BF world as he currently sees it. I believe his view will change, after being a member for a period of time.

We are in a community here, and I think we need to be able to share our views without fear of being labelled as "wrong". It might be a different point of view than you and/or I have, but it is what he "currently" believes.

So give him some time...I know because I was there once.

Cheers,

mike
 
Good call mike! Ican't say Inever thought like this either. I embrace everyone interested in the sport, and I'm sure Ram does too.
 
I guess my point was that this blog should not be considered "Advise" as the title suggests. Since there are a lot of runners new to barefoot running on this site we have to be careful as to what is given as advise and saying that most roads are covered with sharp debris is just not true.
 
I have to agree with Ram here. I do agree that we are a community and that we should not knock other people's views. However, there is a big difference between viewsand advice. When I read his post it felt like I was reading something from Matt Fitzgerald or some editor from Yahoo, not an actual minimalist or barefoot runner.



Also, I would want someone to call me out if I posted something that really doesn't make sense to a lot of the community. To me his post clearly crossed that line and ultimately might deter someone away from barefoot running.
 
I would suggest that any "advice" given on this forum is based on one's point of "view". Unless you give someone hard data, you are giving advice based on the "truth as you know it".

The post you mention was already posted on his blog "before" he became a member of the BRS. He liked the post and copied it here to share. I'm not saying I agree with the content of the post...I am saying that he should be able to post whatever he wants. Keep in mind that he has been a member for a couple of days, and was willing to share some of his beliefs. We have over 600 members, many of which have never posted. Not that anyone has to, just sayin' cut the brother some slack for trying!

i.e. If he says all roads are filled with trash and thus I should be running in minimalist shoes, I might post a reply or supply photos stating that in my area, thus "my truth", I don't have a problem with trash and that I don't agree with his broad statement. I might direct him to other posts on this site or on Ken Bob's that illustrate my point.

I think this would give him food for thought and perhaps the next time he would state it differently. I don't know for sure, but I don't think people post stuff they believe to be fabricated, they post based on their "beliefs". And when you push, people push back. It's just human nature.

All I'm trying to say is that we all look at BFR through our own glasses. And that doesn't mean that anyone has a better set, just a different set. I believe our long term goals are better served by guiding and educating, rather than labelling.

For instance, maybe instead of saying someone is a Matt Fitzgerald clone, you might say, "Hmmm...that's a different view of BFR than I have. Do you have any evidence that all roads are trashy? I understand that might be the case somewhere, but where I run the roads are fairly clean, with occasional broken glass and the usual sand/grit".

As our group grows, we can either have everybody sign (A) a "statement of belief" or (B) we can foster a community where it is OK to believe different things, and know that "here" they can share openly and learn from each others experiences.

I vote for B.

Abide, I see where you and Ram are coming from. I agree, in principle, with what you guys are saying. I'm probably just more sensitive to your comments because I don't want someone to leave our community before they have time to adjust their base of knowledge of BFR. I believe that unless we educate people about BFR in an open debate, and offer to include them in our community, that long-term we will be less because of that.

Thanks for sharing! :)
 
I've been running barefoot for over 3 years now, and I've notice a difference between urban and suburban streets and sidewalks vs paths found in nature.

I'll take the concrete and asphalt any day over the natural stuff. I'm sure with practice and experience Icould handle more natural surfaces. But they are a lot more challenging than roads and sidewalks. Litter, nails, broken glass, etc have never been a problem.

I see minimalist shoes as helpful in terms of protection from the cold, but in that case, a pair of aquasocks with socks work pretty well for me.
 
Mike you are right, we should embrace everyones idea's here. And we are coming from the same place, I think. You don't want anyone to leave because some of us are too harsh. Iget that. I don't wantsomeoneto leave because theyread something here andthink"even the barefoot running community is afraid to run barefoot". When overall it is clearly not true.

Your advice however is duly noted and next time I will try to respond with a more accepting tone :) Apologies to Thunder if any offense was taken.
 
why is that?
 
the title of this post is a question, you'll have to read part II for the answer :)
 
no problem at all. I've run in several large cities and I've seen everything. From junkie needles, a smashed windshield (that was actually dumped in a park), to some contractor actually pouring a bucket of broken glass on to the road very early in the morning (don't ask me why he just didn't throw it into the trash).

I don't know if VFF would protect me from everything, but i would definitely not want to run on that stuff in bare feet.

I do agree with you that barefoot running created a market gap, and that was filled by shoe companies who want to make a profit.

I don't really consider shoes like nike free to be a minimalist shoe. to me, a minimalist shoe is one step over being barefoot in terms of protection. you pay for that by losing some of the barefoot sensation you get when your feet actually are on the road.
 

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