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  1. Can Walking Barefoot Really Improve Your Health? Here's What Scientists Say

    I think you’re right that heel striking will be uncomfortable and may cause injury, but I think there’s a lot of difference between heel-striking and heel-landing, especially while walking. While I feel like my walking gait touches down on my lateral forefoot, I suspect high-speed video would...

  2. Hello from NC: Question

    I’d say to keep this thread going for as long as it is useful, but if any particular topics of interest seem to get lost you could start a new post on that specific issue. Whatever makes sense to you. Someone will point you in another direction if that seems like it might be more productive, but...

  3. Hello from NC: Question

    The short answer for heel pain: shorter, faster strides. My longer answer: running is too complex for any problem to have a simple mechanical solution. If you focus on any aspect of your gait, your body will fixate on that one particular movement, achieve what you want, but throw out lots of...

  4. Wildlife Encounters

    Not unlike motorists, the squirrel had learned to look for cars but simply assumed nobody would be so contrarian as to actually use the sidewalk for transportation. Or, in her words, “chitter chitter,” accusatory stare, “chitter,” then she ran away. Although, she might have just been expressing...

  5. Wildlife Encounters

    I like this topic. This is one of those things that I all too easily forget about, just how many other creatures are out there sharing the world with us. I saw the smallest/youngest deer I’ve ever seen a few weeks ago. At first I thought it was a cat, but cats don’t hop like that. Then I saw...

  6. Hello from NC: Question

    Welcome! The concrete used for most sidewalks these days is perfect for barefoot running. This is especially true for beginners because it is uniform and visible: you can easily see where your feet will land, allowing you to think more about how you're moving than about avoiding painful things...

  7. I got a reply to my sandal questions from Barefoot Ted!

    Interesting stuff. What sort of sole are you using here? (And, off-topic, how’s the leather sole working out?) Last year, when I was getting started, I earned dozens of scabs on my feet from the rubbing of that knot, but I haven’t had a single hot-spot this year. This is definitely not due to...

  8. Specialty running stores are body-shaming people

    Running is amazing. That's my bottom line here. If someone is happiest running in combat boots or on pillow-top mattresses, I'll happily celebrate their successes and achievements. If you think zero-drop shoes might be good for you, I hope you are able to give them a try -- and report back to us...

  9. Specialty running stores are body-shaming people

    Applying pressure to foam compresses it. Feet apply pressure at varying levels and in varying places throughout each step. Midsole foam will therefore compress in different amounts, leading to different amounts of drop. The idea of "zero drop" as a flat, runner-neutral platform is therefore only...

  10. Specialty running stores are body-shaming people

    I hadn’t thought of it in terms of body shaming. I wonder how much of that comes from more typical body shaming, from people who want to look like models and who come to running to help achieve that, and they bring with them the expectations of shaming and being shamed. Also, how much of it just...

  11. Science: aging, ankle strength, and running barefoot

    Like running? Want to keep running well as you age? Consider running barefoot. Here's one of many possible arguments why: Ankles, not knees or hips, are the joints that are primarily responsible for age-related declines in running performance.^1 Barefoot running requires more effort from -- and...

  12. How was everyone's Thanksgiving?

    I had a good, quiet Thanksgiving with the blonder half's family. Have been struggling with foot pain after over-doing it a few weeks ago, but I decided to go for a dawn run anyhow, barefoot in light rain along unfamiliar roads in a strange town. I think starting with a run made the day much...

  13. Mileage Reporting Week 44 (Oct 29 - Nov 4)

    A very quiet week for my feet: one run, nearly 8 miles. Went three miles in sandals, got tired of them, continued barefoot. Got one "wow" -- from a cyclist who looked like an advertisement for cycling products. I'm continuing my discovery of the unwritten social standards among runners. It...

  14. Mileage Reporting Week 43 (Oct 23 - Oct 28)

    This was a good but quiet week for my feet -- 9.4 miles minimalist walking, including convincing a train conductor that my sandals were safe enough for a short trip, 5 miles min running along a course on rural highway I've never been on before, then the same 5 miles barefoot the next day. Rain...

  15. Winter 2018 is coming.

    I missed that. Thanks for pointing it out!

  16. Winter 2018 is coming.

    I think I’ll put together a spreadsheet that’ll allow folks to enter basic data about themselves (username and region), then log each run, and have leaderboards for bare/min, run/walk, temp category and region all calculated automatically. (If Google Docs will let me do that... I’m used to...

  17. This proves Nike is ridiculous

    My favorite is the Gripp. Put your foot in one way if you were raised with bindings on your feet; put them in the other direction if you’re still working up to that level of torture. Hauraches. Yeah. Uh. Huh. ...and this is coming from a guy who grew up in Nikes, and who benefits from having...

  18. calf pain - Transition Hell - Help me out of this mess!

    Welcome, Nathan! Very glad to hear that going barefoot has helped you avoid some injuries. The guideline that has served me well for my calf strain is to not run until ankle dorsiflexion (pulling up toward the shin) range of motion returns. To test, see how far forward you can comfortably bend...

  19. Winter 2018 is coming.

    I had my first wet, barefoot, <50F run yesterday, and I loved how the rain and puddles felt. Then I saw that the Winter Challenge log appears to be for last year. Is there a 2018-2019 log? If not, I’d be happy to put a spreadsheet together and manage that, but I don’t want to step on anyone’s...

  20. Mileage Reporting Week 42 (Oct 15 - Oct 21)

    Nice run this morning, a bit over 9 miles looping around the river downtown before dawn. The water was particularly shiny. There’s something close to camaraderie among those who are up too early to be either sane or still up, especially among runners. I’m finding it rather liberating to wear...
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