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I got some Steve Madden shoes that are awesome for running. You can bend them in half they are so flexible. Maybe you could try something like a wrestling shoe?
So running barefoot, I'm guessing heel to toe would be the ideal way to run vs slamming the ground?
Actually when running barefoot, the idea is to strike more midfoot. All of the small bones, tendons, ligaments along with the 3 arch structures of the foot are what the body is designed to use to disperse shock and impact upon landing. If you land heel first, the shock and impact travel straight up the lower leg into the knee, then hips.
One of the more important notes of barefoot running is that you learn to run very lightly and land efficiently. It is a stark contrast to running in cushioned shoes which mask incorrect running form by softening impact and reducing the bodies perception of contact with the ground.
Location: Prescott Valley, Az (unfortunately still here)
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I can't run barefoot where I live. There are a lot of rocks and pepples, sharp things, and sometimes glass stuff on the roads where I live. And I could get a twisted ankles too, because the roads are very much uneven too.
So, I have no choice but to wear my running shoes when I go for my daily run/jog here.
But I like to walk around barefoot at the beach or the lake areas. That's fun.
I have a pair of five fingers. Running "barefoot" helped me overcome some issue I have with running on cement, but as a warning dont try to run as far as you usually do barefoot until your acclimated to it. I injured myself from trying to restart my running training (stopped marathon training last year due to plans being interfered with, but was up to 20 miles at my best) at only 3 miles per run.
I would still recommend doing it, but just be careful and realize it isn't just replacing a shoe, it changes how you run and what you are putting stress on.
So running barefoot, I'm guessing heel to toe would be the ideal way to run vs slamming the ground?
My neighbor is doing it, and he goes toe to heel. I have also seen barefoot covers with toes for runners. They run about $75.00 but seem to protect the foot from rocks and glass.
Barefoot running is a very recent mini-fad that is currently being practiced by a very small percentage of serious runners. I'd say about one-half of one-percent at best. This trend was recently spawned by a book by sportswriter Chris McDougall entitled "Born to Run" and it's about (no..not Bruce Springsteen, ya knuckleheads!) a tribe of indigenous natives called the Hamaburatta (sp?) living in Mexico's Copper Canyon. These guys eat like crap and drink huge amounts of homemade corn beer all night and then get up in the a.m. and run 100 miles barefoot. Their ability to do this has baffled kinesiologists, as well as elite runners. These guys have even beaten the fabled Kenyans in ultra-marathons.
Anyway, there's a bit in the book posing the theory that the heavily-cushioned running shoes we have been wearing since the advent of the running craze 30 years ago have actually contributed to running injuries, since they encourage us to heel strike instead of running in normal fashion: landing lightly on our forefoots, as we do when we run barefoot.
But make no mistake guys: if you go out and run a mile barefoot after running in shoes your whole life, you're gonna be one hurtin' mofo the next day. The barefoot thing is meant to be taken in moderation at best! Like maybe going out on a grassy surface and jogging for a few minutes at a time so as to be reconnected with your natural running style. Running barefoot on, say, the street, or a trail, or even one of those rubber tracks at your local h.s. can lead to a whole new host of injuries, most likely plantar fasciitis.
I don't expect this new mini-fad to last long at all; it'll be forgotten about by next year.
But you should read "Born to Run." It's a fascinating and funny book.
The word for themselves, Rarámuri, means "runners on foot" in their native tongue according to some early ethnographers like Norwegian Carl Lumholtz, though this interpretation has not been fully agreed upon. With widely dispersed settlements, these people developed a tradition of long-distance running for intervillage communication and transportation. The long-distance running tradition also has ceremonial and competitive aspects. Often, male runners kick wooden balls as they run in "foot throwing" competitions, and females use a stick and hoop. The foot throwing races are relays where the balls are kicked by the runners and relayed to the next runner while teammates run ahead to the next relay point. These races can last anywhere from a few hours for a short race to a couple of days without a break.
Anyone who has ever visited the area where they live can only be amazed that they can even walk barefoot in the rocks and cactus, much less run at breakneck speed over it.
I tried the treadmill barefoot and after 30 minutes of that, I realized that was not the best idea I ever had. I got a couple blisters doing it. I wear Crocs on the treadmill and they seem to be fine for me.
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