Why do you run barefoot?

#21
I forgot about a few

I forgot about a few additional reasons. I'm usually in a hurry, I'm lazy, and I'm cheap. It's just a lot quicker to go out the door and not have to take the time to put on shoes. Plus, being faster than running in shoes allows me to get more running in a shorter amount of time. It's easier than running in shoes -- I don't have to concentrate on form or anything like that. And why pay money for running shoes if I don't have to?

I'm sure there are other reason, but those will come later.
 
#23
It just feels good, like a

It just feels good, like a road pedicure, and I really enjoy the leg-buzz when I'm done.

(Never got that in shoes, just shin splints, angry blisters & sprained ankles.)
 
#25
it allows me to run again.. I

it allows me to run again.. I was complaining once again to my cousin the physical therapist and my friend the teacher of massage therapy about missing running and that everytime I've tried to return to it for more than 10 years I've given up in severe pain and injured within a mile.. and they pointed out my preference to be barefoot/stocking footed whenever possible even though docs have always put me in orthotics... and suggested I try barefoot..

That was December and I'm past the 5k mark (hit over 4 miles as a max distance so far), building slowly indoors, and will start on the gravel and cement outdoors on Sat. I have minimalist shoes if the roads are too cool for my feet, but once the weather warms I imagine they'll be in hand in case of bad surfaces (and for the days right after the roads are graded- there is too much loose gravel to run on them bare then!) I have gotten one outdoor run in already this spring and I LOVED it.

Amie
 
#26
Because someone told me I

Because someone told me I couldn't.

It is really cool doing something that most people think is impossible, dangerous, and knowing it is normal, safe, and fun.
 
#27
I can never come up with

I can never come up with answer as well.

I started running barefoot for the hell of it, and got hooked. But decided I need some kind of answer so I say it's the natural way to run, it's much more comfortable running barefoot than with shoes on, and of course it's fun.



That whole injury thing never applied to me, I ran in the biggest over-cushioned running shoes you can buy and never got injured.
 
#28
pbarker wrote:....It is like

pbarker said:
....It is like our lips and fingers, our feet are packed full of nerves for a reason so we can feel the ground and not hurt ourselves.
Click to expand...
When you think of all the other body parts that are full of nerves, they are their for a good reason. Either for survival, procreation, or enjoyment, or all three. In any case, it's no accident that our feet are so full of nerve endings.
 
#29
It was good to read through

It was good to read through this post again. I am prepping for interview and the question " why" is not as easy as it sounds.

I think the sound bit answer will be.

Because its fun and I know it is good for me. It strengthen my feet and corrects my running form. When I take off your shoes I can feel the ground, and make adjustments to my running form. Like our lips and fingers, our feet are packed full of nerves for a reason so we can feel the ground.

If you look at a five year old and the best runners runners world, runners from Kenya, Ethiopia, they run the same, they land on their forefoot, the heel gently comes down and they lift the foot off the ground, they do not heel strike. I will never be fast a Kenyan but I can run with the same technique.
 
#30
Absolutely Matt.It makes so

Absolutely Matt.

It makes so much sence.

It is fun prepping for this interview and consolidating some of the info I have gained over the last three years of researching good running form.
 
#31
I finally have an answer for

I finally have an answer for this thread!

Shoes are to running as earmuffs are to watching a movie. I never realized what I was missing out on, till I started running without shoes! Miles are no longer markers on my runs to be clicked off, but, instead, are the end of a page I just read with my feet. Like a good book, I want to keep reading to see what the next page holds, see how many pages I can read and enjoy the feeling of my body moving the way it's supposed to! Now, I don't try to shut out the run with music or distracting thoughts my attention can get tangled up in trying to 'get through it'...I notice everything, I love it, I get lost in it and it makes me feel like a kid!



Oh yeah...it also made my arches, shins, knees, hips and lower back stop hurting when I run and I can run a lot further now! Suppose that's why I started trying to run this way. I read a bunch of people like y'all's comments on how you ditched your running pain and gave it a try. Sux it took 38 1/2yrs to fin this out!



-Jonny
 
#32
I've got a couple disks gone

I've got a couple disks gone in my lower back. Was losing some weight a couple years ago and hit a plateau. I needed to exercise more. Couldn't run in shoes. Did some internet searching and found KenBob last year. I'm barefoot most of the time now. MY weight dropped as well as my BP. The real reason is that I had a mid-life crisis (plan on living to 130) and running barefoot was safer than a new convertible and a girl friend
wink.png
 
#33
Quote:Why do you run

Why do you run barefoot?
Click to expand...
Because shoes are heavy, bloated foot casts (or coffins, if you prefer) that have caused me nothing but pain & suffering in a multitude of ways the entire time I've worn them, and I'm sick to death of the damn things.



("run" ... I do far more walking than running.)
 
#34
yea, im that guy, i read BTR

yea, im that guy, i read BTR and it was like he was literally talking to me... "ive never been a 'runner'", etc, etc... ive been saying that my whole life. "oh, im just not a runner" "im not built for it" and on and on... but sure enough, go barefoot, run a mile, feel awesome. and then i was hooked. am still very hooked!i dont run barefoot as much as i would like because of surfaces i have to deal with - but i think i am going to start at lunch at work, which will work out really well!

Good luck at your interview!
AA
 
#35
Why do I run barefoot? Came

Why do I run barefoot?



Came across a tv show. The duo who do the outdoor survival thing? One is a committed barefoot lifestyler who had to make a pair of huaraches for one show. I had to look up Jerusalem Cruisers (Ha!) online and got to the barefoot shoes site.

From there it wasn't long until I found out about the case of minimal vs barefoot. Investigating further my mind was blown that there was such a thing as running without shoes of any kind, not on a beach or grass anyway.

Little voice on my shoulder immediately said we could do this, and the remainder of the time from that moment to the day I took off my shoes and ran was just me having to convince the devil on the other shoulder that this was a good idea for me. I think I won by just being stubborn. Devil:"Alright, fine! Have it your way! Don't say I didn't warn you." Me:"Yay!"

I think this has a potential to change how people think about running, teach running, and basically run period. I also think it's a locally enhanced process. As soon as you can do a run in front of someone and show them your feet aren't going to be bloody stumps, you can really make progress on wearing away the myth that you need shoes to run outside. I hope to be a part of that process.

John T.
 
#36
Jonny00GT wrote:I finally

Jonny00GT said:
I finally have an answer for this thread!
Shoes are to running as earmuffs are to watching a movie. I never realized what I was missing out on, till I started running without shoes! Miles are no longer markers on my runs to be clicked off, but, instead, are the end of a page I just read with my feet. Like a good book, I want to keep reading to see what the next page holds, see how many pages I can read and enjoy the feeling of my body moving the way it's supposed to! Now, I don't try to shut out the run with music or distracting thoughts my attention can get tangled up in trying to 'get through it'...I notice everything, I love it, I get lost in it and it makes me feel like a kid!
-Jonny
Click to expand...
I
 
#37
Jonny00GT wrote:"Shoes are

Jonny00GT said:
"Shoes are to running as earmuffs are to watching a movie. I never realized what I was missing out on, till I started running without shoes! Miles are no longer markers on my runs to be clicked off, but, instead, are the end of a page I just read with my feet. Like a good book, I want to keep reading to see what the next page holds, see how many pages I can read and enjoy the feeling of my body moving the way it's supposed to! Now, I don't try to shut out the run with music or distracting thoughts my attention can get tangled up in trying to 'get through it'...I notice everything, I love it, I get lost in it and it makes me feel like a kid!"
Click to expand...



Well said!

(Apologies...for whatever reason the quote tags never seem to work for me.)
 
#39
I was stumped by a similar

I was stumped by a similar question for an interview podcast I did recently called Run Barefoot Girl. The interviewer, Caity McCardell, asked me what inspired me to go barefoot. I wasn't quite sure. I couldn't pinpoint why I did it. I had very little information, if any, about barefoot running then except for knowing one other person who ran in VFFs (he actually taught me about the Pose method of running). I know I had been wanting to try it for a while, but I was convinced, at the time, I could never run barefoot because of all the issues I have so I don't have a clue why I took off my shoes. I loved it though. I only went maybe 50 feet or so, but it was an amazing experience. Only after I had that first experience did I bother to investigate further into barefoot running.
 
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