Running Barefoot

I started this website, primarily because when I began racing barefoot in 1997, people asked me all sorts of questions. They still do, and here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions and the short answers. Click on a question for a short answer, and/or link to posts pertaining to that question.

Can I see the soles of your feet?

Yes, and many more – click here to see more soles

Why Run Barefoot?

Why run WITH shoes?

Were you born with shoes?

Did you grow shoes on your feet as a response to running?

What makes you believe that shoes are necessary?

Were you created, or did you evolve, to run with shoes?

What a cruel trick God, or nature has played on us, if we are so helpless that we could not run until we invented shoes!

But, seriously folks, from the moment when you first stand, walk, or run barefoot, your bare soles are going to immediately, precisely, and emphatically feel the ground. This is going to have a profound effect on the way you choose to walk or run. For most people who have lived with their feet inside shoes for long periods of their lives, it’s going to result in walking or running more gently – much, much more gently.

posts about Why to Run Barefoot?

Pain in the top of the foot?

Pains in the top of the foot, are quite common among those who try to run “barefoot” while wearing “transitional” footwear. Basically, when we wear protection on our soles, we do so, because we want to run greater distances, before taking the time to, both, learn HOW to run properly, and develop foot strength.

Start out short, slow, and start BAREFOOT! Listen to your sensitive bare soles, and stop walking and running, BEFORE you hurt, or injure your bare soles.

posts about foot pain

Isn’t it just Plain old Common Sense that we Need Shoes?

What passes as “common sense” is rarely sensible. Real sense is not common.

posts about Common Sense.

All right, I get that you don’t wear shoes, but what other clothes do you wear while Running Barefoot?

Depends on the weather, and whether, we feel like conforming to fashion. But, seriously, like shod runners, we are each individuals, well maybe even more than shod runners, since obviously, conformity isn’t our primary concern

posts about Fashion to wear while Running Barefoot

Are there rules against going Barefoot in competition?

At this time, the only rules in the U.S.A., against competing barefoot are in high school track and field and in official Iron-man races (though Ironman rules requires shoes, they do not state that the shoes must be worn on the feet).

posts about rules against going Barefoot

Can Diabetics Run Barefoot?

Diabetics who have lost sensitivity in their feet, should check frequently for injuries, whether wearing shoes or Running Barefoot. After all, shoes often cause more injuries than going barefoot.

posts about Diabetics Running Barefoot.

Doesn’t it Hurt to Run Barefoot?

Pain is a message. The message may be trying to tell you that you are running badly. Instead of imprisoning the messengers, try learning from them.

Posts about Pain.

Don’t I need Shoes to Protect me from Infections?

The inside of your shoes is probably the source of most infections on your feet.

posts about Infections.

Do I need special shoes for Running Barefoot?

Technically, if you’re wearing footwear, you are NOT running barefoot!

I don’t have any recommendations for “transition” footwear, because blocking the feedback from your soles, actually delays the transition, and all too often, leads to serious foot injuries – because the transition footwear allows you to run more than you and your feet are ready to run while barefoot.

posts about alternative footwear

Has Running Barefoot gone through the rigorous scientific testing that most running shoes have?

Running Barefoot has been around and gone through rigorous testing since the beginning of feet! Running Barefoot’s laboratory is, and has been, reality.

Seriously, if we believe that feet need to be tested in a laboratory to see if they are suitable to what has always been natural for bare feet, then we should probably go to a laboratory to test our brains, to see if they’re suitable for thinking!

posts about Research.

How do I keep my feet clean and healthy?

Treat your feet with the same respect you treat your hands. Wash your feet gently, but regularly, and don’t imprison them inside shoes all day long

posts about Hygiene

How Far can you run barefoot?

For many of us, shoes limit how far we can run, more than our bare feet.

posts about Running Far Barefoot

How long will it take to toughen my soles for Running Barefoot?

The soles will toughen as you learn to run barefoot. In many cases, TOO soon, and if you start running further and faster, simply because your soles are ready, there’s a good chance that you will injure tendons, ligaments, even bones, in side your feet. So, be patient, don’t try to rush the sole-toughening process. Long before you are ready to run further and faster, your soles will already have toughened more than enough.

posts about toughening the soles

How Many years can you Run Barefoot?

Charley Robbins ran and competed barefoot for 65+ years, from age 15 into his early 80s.

I’m age 54 right now, and still Running Barefoot, since I was a kid.

The earlier you begin, the more years you will have to enjoy Running Barefoot!

posts about Longevity Running Barefoot

I get Blisters when I wear shoes, won’t they be worse barefoot?

The blisters we get from running with shoes are caused by the shoes rubbing against the feet. Some of this rubbing is because there probably isn’t a mass-produced shoe that fits either of our feet perfectly. Part of the rubbing is caused by sloppy running technique, which is often the result of our feet being unable to feel the ground as we run, and consequently, we learn how to run, without being aware of how badly we are running. The best way to prevent blisters, is to not to rub your feet repeatedly against any surface, whether it be the inside of your shoes, or the earth beneath your bare soles.

posts about Blisters

Won’t people be Staring at me or making smart alec Remarks?

Probably. Say hello, or something of equal intelligence, and they might realize you are a more than just a crazy idiot.

posts about Social Pressure

If I’m Running Barefoot, how can I wear spikes on the track?

Like traction control in an automobile, slipping is better controlled by feedback, so you avoid using too much torque, and wasting energy.

posts about Sprinting

posts about Traction

Is it Difficult to Run Barefoot?

I don’t have to cram my feet inside prisons. I don’t need to pick up the extra weight of shoes. I get instant feedback from my soles which teaches me to run more gently and efficiently. NO, it is not more difficult. It is easier to run barefoot!

posts about Difficulties Running Barefoot?

Is it necessary to tape the toes in order to run barefoot on roads and tracks?

No. It is only necessary to gently bend the toes up, away from the surface, for long or very fast running.

posts about tough soles.

Is it possible to Race Barefoot?

Yes!

posts about Raciing Barefoot?

Is it possible to Run a Marathon (26.2 miles) Barefoot?

Yes! I have seen many cases of people who couldn’t run even a few miles in shoes, without serious knee and back pains, within a year of starting to run barefoot, complete a full marathon!

posts about Running Marathons Barefoot

Is it possible to Run an Ultra-Marathon Barefoot?

Yes! (see the previous question)

posts about Ultra-Barefoot Running

Is it possible to Run Barefoot in the Cold?

Yes! However, your limits may vary, from those of others, and from day-to-day.

posts about Running Barefoot in the Cold

Is it possible to Run Barefoot in the Heat?

As with most things, it takes time, and practice to get used to hot pavement. However, it’s actually, hotter inside your shoes, than out, at least the air temperature is. And, as far as hot pavement, it’s much easier to run, than to walk, or stand still on hot pavement. While running, properly, the feet barely touch the ground, and while our feet are flying through the air, they are being cooled.

It is possible to “summer-ize” the soles, as any rural child who lives where there are more drastic seasons than Hawaii (or where I now live, in southern California) can tell you – we (I used to live in northwest lower Michigan) did it every summer.

Just stand, walk, and/or run on hot pavement, or sand, starting with short intervals, and increasing as the soles could tolerate without pain or blistering.

But, toughening the soles will happen as you run barefoot in the heat (over increasing distances, as your feet can stand – without injury), whether you think about it or not. In the meantime, may as well think about practicing improving your technique, specifically, lifting the feet, quickly, and frequently, so you’re reducing the amount of time your feet are actually in contact with the hot surface.

posts about Running Barefoot in the Heat

Isn’t going barefoot sacriligious?

In many religions and cultures, removing the shoes is a sign of great respect and strong faith!

posts about going barefoot and faith

How can I run barefoot without my special corrective footwear or orthotic inserts?

That which are often labeled bad “biomechanics”, are usually bad running techniques, learned, and habituated, without the advantage of feedback from our bare soles when we first learned how to run.

posts about Biomechanics

pPosts about Experts

posts about Orthotics

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

posts about Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Plantar Facsiitis?

Many have cured P.F. by setting their feet free and getting some exercise. Oddly, many experts tell us never to walk barefoot if we have plantar facsiitis. Then they turn around, and tell us that our feet need exercise and flexing.

posts about Plantar Facsiitis?

Can barefoot runners get shoe companies to sponsor them?

Unless you are one of the few talented runners in this world, you are more likely to find sponsors AFTER beginning to Run Barefoot!

posts about sponsors

Can I Run Barefoot safely and comfortably on trails?

Actually, I prefer that beginning barefoot runners start on rough, rocky, uncomfortable terrain But not necessarily running, and certainly not long, or fast right from the start… Start just by standing, and feeling the terrain with your bare soles. Then walking, focusing on walking gently. Then, much later, running barefoot. After you master running barefoot on rocky, pointy trails, everything else will be tasty, sweet, delicious desert!

posts about Running Barefoot on Trails?

What about Ankle Sprains?

Shoes increase the distance between the ankle and the ground, increasing the leverage against the ankle, when encountering uneven terrain, increasing the torque, on the ankle.

Furthermore, being able to feel, with your bare soles, variations in the terrain, increases your chances of reacting appropriately, thus reducing the risk, and severity, of injury when twisting an ankle.

posts about Ankle Sprains?

What about Bee Stings and Insect Bites and other Pests?

Insects don’t only bite bare feet. They can also bite or sting you anywhere on your body. They often get upset when trapped inside your clothing – or shoes.

Don’t wave your arms at the bugs – this will only make them angry.

Don’t wear flowery smelling perfumes or colognes – this will attract bees, and other pollinating insects.

If you’re allergic, carry the medicine you need, in case you get stung.

posts about Bee Stings, Insect Bites, and other Pests

What about Broken Glass?

Watch where you step, and don’t scuff, or pound your feet into the ground.

posts about Broken Glass?

What about Bunions?

Bunions are reported to be more prevalent in people who wear shoes than in barefoot populations. They result when continuous pressure squeezes the toes together, creating gaps in the toe joint, where calcium builds up, resulting in a bony outgrowth, commonly know as a bunion.

Stop squeezing your toes together, and at the very least, the bunion should stop growing, then, and only then, there’s, at least, a chance that they will improve.

posts about Bunions

What about Corns?

“Generally speaking, corns are a disease of civilization. If we didn’t wear shoes, we wouldn’t have them.” -from MedicineNet.com

posts about Corns

What about Flat Feet?

Arches grow strong, and develop with exercise. Flat feet, if they are actually a “deformity” are the result of protecting the foot from exercise, and the opportunity to develop “normal” arches.

posts about Flat Feet

What about Hazards on the roads and trails?

The annoying questions from shod runners about road hazards are among the biggest concerns of barefoot runners.

And yet, the risk and the danger are often exaggerated in our minds.

Scan the road for hazards, with your eyes, watch where you step, and run gently.

posts about Hazards on the roads and trails?

What about Impact?

Excess impact is the result of running AS IF your shoes were protecting you from impact. They aren’t!

Listen as you pound your soles into the ground. If your feet are bare, you will feel the pounding with each and every step. Then you will have a really good reason to start landing more gently immediately. If you wear shoes, you won’t feel the impact in your soles, but the impact will, if not immediately, then eventually, cause injury and pains in the knees or back.

posts about Impact

What about parasites?

Humans have been living with parasites since humans have been living. We’ve only been living with shoes for a short time. Our immune system are designed to deal with parasites. However, we aren’t designed to live with our feet inside the unnatural environment provided by shoes!

more excellent information at Society for Barefoot Living

posts about Parasites

What do you mean when you say Running and Running Barefoot?

Contrary to anything the minimalist footwear companies tell us, Running Barefoot, means the feet are actually bare.

Running means that both feet are off the ground part of each step.

posts about Running and Running Barefoot

What if I need shoes for stability?

Separating and raising your soles from the ground, reduces stability. Getting closer to the ground increases stability. For maximum stability, go barefoot

posts about Stability

What kind of Exercises should I do to prepare for Running Barefoot?

The best exercise to train your body to Run barefoot is, oddly enough, Running Barefoot.

And while it’s true that Running Barefoot is the best training for Running Barefoot, it’s also true that pouring the cement foundation for a wooden house, may not teach you a lot about building the walls and roof of a wooden house, but it certainly creates a foundation to build on… Likewise with learning to stand before we walk, and to walk before we run… so, before you go out and start running miles or kilometers barefoot, take the time to LEARN how to run barefoot.

posts about Exercises

What kind of Lotions do you use to prevent Dry and Cracked Feet?

Lotions treat the outer skin, which is mostly dead skin.

Skin grows from the inside. Eat good, whole, natural, nutritious foods, and your feet (and the rest of your body) will grow new healthy skin, pushing that dry cracked skin to the surface where it will be shed naturally.

posts about Lotions

Why don’t we see more barefoot runners at top levels of competition?

Most elite runners can probably run nearly as fast with or without shoes. However, these days, any consistently competitive runners, have already been offered running shoe endorsement/sponsorship deals. Most of the elite runners we see winning big prize money, wouldn’t be able to enter those races without sponsorship, most of which comes from running shoe companies.

posts about Running Barefoot fast

Will Running Barefoot help IlioTibial Band Syndrome (ITBS)?

Running with good technique will probably help. It is much easier to learn good running technique, when we can precisely perceive how we are running. Shoes block a major part of this perception, from the nerves in our bare soles.

posts about IlioTibial Band Syndrome

Without support from shoes, won’t I be risking stress fractures in my feet?

Yes, especially if you don’t learn How to Run before trying too much, too soon! However, you also risk stress fractures if you continue wearing shoes and not allowing your feet to become strong and healthy.

The solution is to take off your shoes, and start, for short times, distances, and speeds, to stand, walk, and eventually run, barefoot. This will give you time to learn, mostly from your bare soles, how to run, while your feet become strong and healthy.

posts about stress fractures

Won’t I catch a Cold or Flu if I go Barefoot?

Most infectious diseases are passed from hand-to-hand-to-orifice (eyes, mouth, nose, ears, etc.). After all, we don’t often, at least not literally, put our feet in or near our mouth.

posts about Colds and Flus

Won’t I catch a Cold or Flu if I go Barefoot?

Most infectious diseases are passed from hand-to-hand-to-orifice (eyes, mouth, nose, ears, etc.). After all, we don’t often, at least not literally, put our feet in or near our mouth.

posts about Colds and Flus

Won’t I bruise my feet, when I run barefoot?

Run gently, as if shoes weren’t protecting your feet, and you will be landing more softly, rather than driving your feet into the ground.

Posts about Bruises

Won’t the smell of my feet bother everyone?

Put your feet inside shoes for several hours, and they’re going to stink! Shoes are fungus and bacteria incubators. Take off your shoes, wash your feet, get some fresh air, and the smell of your feet will begin to improve.

Posts about smelly shoes

How much can I increase my distance each week?

In general, a runner should not exceed one week’s mileage by more than 10% of the previous week’s mileage. So if we ran 50 miles last week, we should run no more than 55 miles this week. However, one should NOT increase mileage every week. And one should decrease mileage occasionally too. There is a lot of individual variability (age, genetics, training history, training goals, season/intensity of training, etc) in the above statements, so listen to your body, and rest when necessary to prevent injury.

posts about Beginning

How many miles can I run barefoot if I am currently a shod runner?

If you have been running long distances in shoes, when you first begine Running Barefoot, you probably won’t be able to run but a small fraction of that distance. One reason is, because you might have picked up some bad running techniques while running in shoes, and you won’t be able to get away with running badly, for long, while barefoot. The other reason, is that your feet have been protected from exercise while running in shoes. So, it will take time, not just to toughen the soles, but to strengthen the tendons, ligaments, muscles, and even the bones in your feet, before running.

posts about Beginning

Keeping aerobic fitness while transitioning to barefoot running

If you don’t have any serious pains or difficulties while running in shoes, you can keep your distances, and aerobic fitness up, by running in shoes, and gradually increasing your barefoot mileage. Be sure to use what you learn, from running barefoot on a variety of surfaces, when you run with shoes.

If you do have problems running in shoes, or you just want to throw your running shoes away, and start, exclusively, running barefoot, then, in the first instance, you probably, either already have alternative aerobic activities, or you are not currently in good aerobic condition – in both cases, just start short, slow and build gradually. In the second instance, you decided to throw your running shoes away, then you may have to find other aerobic activities to maintain your conditioning.

posts about transition

posts about beginning

Sore Calves

The first solution for getting sore calves while starting to run barefoot, is to back off. You’re doing too much, too soon.

The second, longer-term solution, is to run better. It is not true that the heel should never touch the ground while running (barefoot or otherwise). However, the heel should never pound, or hammer, into the ground. To allow the heels to touch, relax the calves (thus removing the tension which causes the pain). To avoid hammering the heels into the ground, bend your knees.

Try standing still, and bending your knees, while keeping your torso vertical, and you will notice, that at some part, the pressure comes off your heels. This is what you should be feeling while running, which means you’ll need to get used to bending your knees even more, than while standing.

posts on Calf Pain

Transition Shoes

There are two major, foot-shattering (literally, in some cases) problems with using minimalist footwear to “aid” in the transition to Running Barefoot.

1. with your sensitive soles protected from feeling the ground, it’s more comfortable to run further than your feet, and the rest of your body, are ready to run barefoot, without injury.
2. With your sensitve soles protected from feeling the ground, and the way you are running, it’s more comfortably to run badly, and injuriously

posts on Transition

What kind of Surfaces can, or should, I be Running on Barefoot?

A wide variety of surfaces is best. To begin with, focus on How to Run, not on how far to run. Running Barefoot on a rough surface for a few meters will teach you more, faster, and better, than Running Barefoot over hundreds of miles of groomed golf courses.

posts about Surfaces

Isn’t Running Barefoot, on Hard, Flat, Surfaces, unnatural?

We are NOT designed to run on any surface, without the ability to feel HOW we are running. Mountains are hard, and yet, they are also natural. And, the African savanah, the great plains of the United States, and countless other surfaces, we tend to think of as nice, comfortable, natural surfaces for running barefoot, are, for much of the year, sun-banked, hard, and flat, just like our modern roads.

posts about Roads

posts about Evolution

Wouldn’t Footwear be an Advantage on some Terrains and Surfaces?

The real difficulty, of course, is not that humans can not learn to run barefoot over a variety of terrains. The real difficulty is for those who did not grow up running barefoot over a variety of terrains – and thus have not learned how to run gracefully, smoothly, naturally, and responsively over a variety of terrains.

And so the dilemma is that many of the people who haven’t learned how to run barefoot over a variety of surfaces, have not yet, really, learned how to run naturally and gracefully on any surface!

Each surface has something to teach us about HOW to run gently, without abrasion, and other problems… on a variety of surfaces. And we should take what we learn with us on each and every terrain we run on, with or without shoes.

posts about Terrain

I’m ready to race barefoot, how do I attach the timing chip to my “shoe”?

Just like in a triathlon, you can attach the timing chip to your ankle with an ankle strap.

posts about ankle straps