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
The most well-known minimalist shoe is theVibram FiveFingers
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&hellip, 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