In hindsight, my path to barefoot running feels inevitable. In real time, though, it was a roller coaster ride that began when my chiropractor recommended that I try Vibrams, aka “the toe shoes.”
My chiropractor is a brilliant healer disguised as a chiropractor, so I trust his recommendations completely. The first thing I noticed when I made the switch was that my weekly mileage immediately jumped from a maximum of about 30 to slightly over 50 miles a week. I’m an endorphin junkie, so once that happened I knew I was hooked for good.
1. The minimalist shoe transition
I was happily running along in my toe shoes when I hit a small snag. When I tried to make the jump to 60 miles a week — yes, I truly am that crazy — the rubber in between the toes of my Vibrams started irritating my skin, so I decided to try some other options.
That led me to multiple brands of minimalist shoes. Lots of minimal shoes. Running sandals with thongs, until the thongs started to bother me. Running sandals without thongs. Moccasins called RunaMocs. And so on.
2. Your skin is an organ
When I shifted from minimalist shoes to barefoot running, I realized in a new way that my skin really was an organ. As a closet science nerd, I’d always believed this, but barefoot running taught me how true it really was.
How so? Well, my skin started adapting. It didn’t hurt — at least not as long as I established daily distance limits and stayed within them — but it did get tougher and more resilient, and without thickening up much. Weird, but definitely fun to experience.
3. Barefoot running shortens your gait
I made a lot of adjustments as I continued to run barefoot, but the biggest by far was that it shortened my gait. By a LOT. I was already familiar with this from my experience with minimalist shoes, but this was a new version of it.
The way I actually ran changed fundamentally as well. I became much more aware of where my feet were landing, even as I got faster and more accomplished. I’m not fast, but I also noticed that I didn’t have to sacrifice speed, which was a pleasant surprise.
4. Bucking current running shoe trends
If you do decide to try running barefoot, you’ll notice that you’re going against the grain when it comes to established running shoe brands.
Hokas are big these days, and all the other major brands feature far more cushioning than the minimalist shoes I’d worn. They also had a lot more stack height, which is the drop from the cushioning in the heels to the flatter front of the shoe.
These conventional running shoes also have a much smaller toe box, which restricts the foot and keeps it from flattening completely when your foot hits the ground. Some barefoot running enthusiasts refer to regular running shoes as “foot coffins,” and they also refer to those who wear them as “shoddies.”
I’m not that intense or biased when it comes to that kind of terminology. I’m all about whatever works individually, but it was intriguing to learn about all this new linguistic twist, to say the least.
5. The kinetic chain is huge in barefoot running
Another thing you’ll notice if you decide to try running barefoot is that your kinetic chain is really important. This is a pretty technical term, but the best way to translate it is via an old song called “Dem Bones.”
You may not know the song per se, but you’ve probably heard the lyrics somewhere. To wit: The foot bone connects to the ankle bone, the ankle bone connects to the bone, the leg bone connects to the hip bone. And so on.
So, why am I mentioning this? Because you follow that chain up your body whenever you run (or walk, for that matter). If you transfer energy efficiently as you go up the chain, you run faster and easier. If you don’t, problems can occur, especially if your gait is especially funky or unbalanced.
6. You’ll learn a lot about proprioception
You probably haven’t read much about proprioception when it comes to running. It refers to how we orient our bodies in space when we run, how we engineer our landing points, and how we organize our stride.
There’s a reasons you haven’t heard about it, though. Running shoes tend to disconnect us from the process. The cushioning and protection they provide makes running more automatic and repetitive, which can be both good and bad.
Your lack of awareness will change immediately when you start barefoot running. Your feet and your eyes will quickly become more connected, but you’ll still be aware of where you’re going, your basic speed, and what you need to avoid. You’ll just be doing it in a completely different way that will be unique to you, and that’s your version of proprioception. Congratulations!
7. I’ve only cut my foot once, and it was NOT on glass
Everybody wants to know about this part of barefoot running, so let’s do a quick review.
I started running on concrete sidewalks, which wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be, as the surface was flat and relatively easy to handle. Macadam was trickier. Sometimes I’d run on macadam with embedded rocks that made the overall grade of the road rougher. Other times the macadam would be smoother, which was easier to handle.
I almost never cut myself, which sounds unbelievable until you experience the adjustments you make when you start doing this kind of running.
Ironically, the one time I did get cut happened when I was running in a well-manicured and maintained soccer field. My “route” was the perimeter of the field; I was basically just looking to get some extra mileage in, and I thought it would be easier using the field.
I got the milage, but I paid a price. I never saw the tiny stick with a sharp edge lurking in the grass that cut me, but it was the only time I actually bled a little from barefoot running. I had to cut back on my distance for a few days, which was a pain, but as soon as the cut healed, I went back at it with no problems.
8. My real enemy when I’m running barefoot on pavement
I mentioned sidewalks and macadam before, but they never really caused me any problems that were insurmountable. But there was one surface issue I quickly came to hate.
Specifically, we’re talking pebbles. Construction pebbles. You’ve probably seen these everywhere if you live in or near a city, but you’ve never really noticed them. They’re produced in quarries and used on a lot of streets and sidewalks, and for barefoot running, the size of those pebbles matters a lot.
Some of the larger ones come with really sharp edges, but the tiny ones can do damage, too. Over time I learned what size to step around if it was at all possible, but there are certain types of pebbles that I will never learn to love.
9. If you try barefoot running, the ten-percent rule is important
To explain this one, I have to go back to the beginning. The stretch of sidewalks I started running on was short, maybe a quarter-mile at most, and there was a turn-off that led to a macadam bike path.
I started by running a tenth of a mile and back, exclusively on concrete. So far, so good. My progress was all about the ten-percent rule, which experienced runners know pertains to only adding ten percent to your current running distance if you’re working to bump it up on a given day (e.g., 3/10 of a mile if you’re doing 3 miles a day).
Then I jumped my distance by doing the quarter mile and back, and from there I added a stretch on the bike path because I was feeling particularly good on that day. My skin responded by giving me a phenomenon I call “hamburger feet,” which sounds worse than it is. Still, having your skin turn rough and oversensitive because you’ve made a dumb mistake is no fun at all.
After that, I followed the ten percent rule diligently whenever I was looking to add distance, and I can’t recommend this too strongly for anyone who decides to run barefoot.
10. Exfoliating is essential
This is where I talk about exfoliating, which I knew nothing about when I started running barefoot. Suffice to say, I learned quickly. If I didn’t, the result was a slow buildup of hard calluses that wouldn’t be painful initially. If I ignored them, though, they made me prone to plantar fascia problems, which is a mortal enemy of every runner or athlete who’s ever experienced the special heel pain that comes with it.
Exfoliating was the answer to my problem, and I still do it religiously. I’ve used pumice and special tools designed to do the job, but I pay a price if I don’t do it for several days in a row.
11. Adjustments you may have to make
Every runner has to make adjustments in their routine, but barefoot running makes you more conscious of these. Specifically, I eventually settled into a routine where I’d do about half of my weekly mileage barefoot, the other half in some kind of zero-drop, minimalist shoe. My current shoe is the Xeroshoe, which I like because it’s a simple, basic shoe that works for me when I need protection.
This process is different for everyone, of course. There are huge differences between discomfort and pain, and those who experience a stabbing version of the latter initially probably aren’t suited for barefoot running.
I’ve also switched to a rubber-slat treadmill for nearly all of my running, mostly because I’m one of those crazy people who really enjoys the convenience of a treadmill and doesn’t mind the boredom. I also run in socks most of the time, just to give my foot skin a little extra protection. Price-wise, a six-pack of athletic socks costs less than $20, and they’ll last a surprisingly long time before holes start to appear in the heels. For me, that’s 6-12 months, so it’s a worthwhile investment, to say the least.
At the other end of the spectrum, I’ve encountered folks in various barefoot running groups who do all their running barefoot, even in cold weather locales where snow and ice are common. Not for me, but there are definitely a lot of flavors out there when it comes to barefoot runners. I’ve chatted with plenty of barefoot runners who have experienced less knee and hip pain once they switched, but the caveat is that you do have to do this slowly and carefully to figure out what’s best for you.
Is trying barefoot running worth it?
This is the “cut to the chase” question, and my answer is an emphatic “yes!” If it works for you, there are tremendous benefits to be realized. Your podiatrist may scold you, but these include more efficient running that lines up your kinetic chain, and you may even go faster or add extra distance, the latter of which made me very happy indeed.
Plus, it’s fun! That’s another big reason to give barefoot running a shot if you’re intrigued by what I’ve written here. You may discover that it’s not for you, but at the very least I hope you’ve been reasonably entertained by my story, so thanks for reading.
