TheDailyRunner.com

Running barefoot kicks up mixed emotions

There's no way I could ever run barefoot.  My feet are way too sensitive.  If I step on a pebble, I limp for 10 minutes. 

Here's an article about running barefoot.  Even though I'll never do it, I do love to read about those are passionate about it.

The pavement begins to warm under the summer Colorado sun as Michael Sandler jogs up Flagstaff Road near Boulder. Normally, this shouldn't concern a runner. Sandler, however, is jogging barefoot.

"When you are barefoot, you are forced to run the way ancient man ran, which is a soft dance," Sandler said. "Even my upper body got stronger."

He claims he can run farther and with less chance of injury now that he has left his running shoes in the closet. He's far from the only runner who believes so. The number of barefoot runners appears to be a growing niche among the running community. Those who run barefoot maintain it helps them keep a stride that delivers less shock to the foot, helping prevent injuries.

But experts caution that only a small percentage of runners can successfully train sans shoes.

"Your muscles, tendons and bones are balanced if your shoe is properly fit and your foot is properly supported," said Eugene Rosenthal, a local podiatrist, who said he would never recommend running barefoot.

The concept of running without shoes can be hard to wrap your mind around, mainly because so few people in this country have ever tried it.

"I would say 98 percent of the U.S. do not grow up barefoot, walking barefoot, going to school barefoot," said Mark Plaats, a physical therapist and owner of Boulder Running Company. "If you do not grow up barefoot, it is a really difficult thing to do."

But Ehiopian  Abebe Bikila did grow up running barefoot, and he won the 1960 Olympic marathon in  Rome unshod.

The beauty of running barefoot, say its true believers, is that your feet will adapt naturally to almost any surface.

Here's the rest of the article

Baring his soles: Missouri man cruises through marathons shoeless

When winter temperatures in the Midwest head into their single-digit death spiral, Rick Roeber goes for a run wearing tights, a turtleneck, sweat shirt, hat and gloves. But that's all.

Yes, he skips the shoes.

Roeber runs barefoot, and has been doing it that way since 2003. He's logged more than 13,000 unshod miles, including about 40 marathons. (In the first, he wore flip-flops for six miles because it was 110 degrees on the Boston streets, and his soles weren't conditioned yet.)

As of Thursday, he'd put in 558 consecutive days of running barefoot; even a little Arctic air mass doesn't stop him. Snow might, but frigid, face-numbing weather, no way. Roeber's personal best is running outside when it was 6 degrees, but he's had to resort to a treadmill a couple times since his streak began on July 28, 2007.

"I can't go when the snow is over my ankles because then my feet just can't warm up fast enough," he said. "But that's pretty much it."

The 53-year-old from Lee's Summit started running barefoot because he was having trouble with his knees from "running stupid."

Click here to read the rest of the story

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Lose the shoes -- barefoot training can help reactivate neglected muscles

There is a growing movement amongst some runners to abandon shoes and go barefoot. These runners point to famed two-time Olympic marathon champion Abebe Bikila who ran barefoot as well as famed-Olympian South African Zola Budd.

WHAT IS IT?

Barefoot training is gaining popularity with coaches, personal trainers and runners. The idea behind barefoot training is that our technically designed shoes may actually give us too much support, cushioning and stability, making the muscles and neuromuscular pathways of the foot and ankle weak and "lazy."

For more of the story, go to ... http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastlife/story.html?id=f13999c4-2780-499b-a4fe-a8d0655569cc

Lose the shoes and run barefoot

There is a growing movement amongst some runners to abandon shoes and go barefoot.

These runners point to famed two-time Olympic marathon champion Abebe Bikila who ran barefoot as well as famed-Olympian South African Zola Budd.

What Is It?

Helen Vanderburg recommends you try some barefoot exercises on a rubberized mat to get started.

Barefoot training is gaining popularity with coaches, personal trainers and runners. The idea behind barefoot training is that our technically designed shoes may actually give us too much support, cushioning and stability, making the muscles and neuromuscular pathways of the foot and ankle weak and "lazy."

Here's the rest of the article...... http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/reallife/story.html?id=2d5ecba2-aa13-4e8f-8c2a-82baba6990ce

Man Proves You Don't Need Shoes To Run Marathon

Blog:  I know this isn't the first time that it has been done, but I'm still really impressed with barefoot runners.  And, when they run a marathon, I'm seriously impressed. 

Here's the link



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This makes my feet hurt

Blog:  Here's a video from Barefoot Ted, one of barefoot running's elite runners.  The guy is amazing.  I don't know how he does this stuff without his toes breaking and his ankles snapping.

Running debate over going barefoot

Blog:  As the cross-country season begins, a disagreement has emerged over whether kids should run barefoot or wear running shoes.


Click here to read more

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Barefoot runners go toe-to-toe with competition

Blog:  This is a good article about running barefoot.  They talk with a few runners and why they decided to ditch the shoes.  It also has some good ideas for getting your feet ready for this type of running.

Read it here

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Running Barefoot

Blog:  I joined a new email group today through Yahoo called, "Running Barefoot".  I've always been curious about those who run barefoot and want to learn more about it.  Because of my ankle problems, I'm not sure that I could run without my brace and shoes.  However, it is fun to read the posts and be amazed at those who can do it. 

Here's a link to an article about running without shoes.  The author is the founder of the email group.

If you're interested in joining the email group, click here