Why Walking Barefoot Is Better For Elderly People

Thanks to our friend Chris Highcock of http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com and the author of one of our favorite ebooks, Hill Fit (about strength training for walking and hiking... and running, too) for pointing us to this great study:Altering gait by way of stimulation of the plantar surface of the foot: the immediate effect of wearing textured insoles in older fallersThe gist of the study: by stimulating the feet of "older fallers" with textured insoles (I think with something like a "reflexology" insert), they got an immediate effect of a slower and more cautious gait.What does this have to do with barefoot walking... Read full post here

Run in Peace, Micah True

There's no way to adequately thank one of the great inspirations in the running world, Micah True, also known as Caballo Blanco ("White Horse"), who was found dead just hours ago. Micah, arguably the "star" of Christopher McDougall's best seller, Born To Run, went out for a run on Tuesday and did not return. There's no news at this moment about a cause of death.As Micah would often say in signing off, "Run Free!" Read full post here

Vibram FiveFingers Class Action Lawsuit -- Does It Have Merit?

BIG news in the barefoot running shoe world today. Vibram has been named as the defendant in a class action lawsuit seeking $5,000,000 in damages for the use of deceptive statements about the health benefits of Vibram FiveFingers.Is there anything to the case?Well, I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on TV.But I read the case (posted here), and have some thoughts (and I'm looking forward to yours).My first few thoughts, having nothing to do with the merits of the case, are:a) I like Vibram. Even though the products don't work for me, and as you know I've... Read full post here

University of Colorado Barefoot Running Study

The media is having an anti-barefoot running field day thanks to a study published by some people right up the street from me at the University of Colorado (BTW, I've been living in Boulder for 19 years and nobody has been able to explain why they call the university CU instead of UC.).Each of the dozens of articles about the study has a distinct flavor of elementary school playground taunting, "Nah, nah, nah, nah, boo, boo… barefoot running isn't good for you!" I mean, check out some of the headlines:Debunking the Barefoot Running Myth - Sydney Morning Herald (barefoot running isn't... Read full post here

Dr. Mark's brilliant Natural Running video

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella is not only FAST (he won the US Air Force Marathon this year), he's committed to understanding the facts of barefoot running (and minimalist, too).As a physician, professor, and owner of Two Rivers Treads running shoe store, Mark is all about getting people running safely, enjoyably, and easily. Plus, he's a really nice guy.Mark just released an incredible video about "Natural Running." His emphasis in the video is about running barefoot, but his point is that if you run with a natural gait, you may be fine in a minimialist running shoe, too.Check out this video and... Read full post here

Barefoot in Asia - Regev's Review

I just realized that I have a strange history with barefoot running, barefoot walking, and minimalist shoes.First, like most of us, I spent a lot of time barefoot as a kid in the Summer. I went to a camp in the Pocono Mountains (Camp Shohola just in case any readers also went there) and whenever I had the chance, I was barefoot (made easier by the fact that I spent half of my days doing water sports). I was a competitive diver, too, so that kept me out of shoes.In junior high school and high school, I was a gymnast,... Read full post here

Sh*t Runners Say to Barefoot Runners

Okay, barefoot runners, friends of barefoot runners, people who think running barefoot is silly, and anyone else who has ever seen, heard of, made fun of, or been married to someone who maybe heard of running barefoot or saw a picture of some Vibram FiveFingers (in other words: Hi, everyone!)...Here's the follow-up to the viral Sh*t Barefoot Runners Say (almost 100,000 views as I write this).Inspired by, well, all the things I've heard runners say as I trotted about town without my shoes, or in my huaraches running sandals, it's Sh*t Runners Say To Barefoot RunnersArrrrrhhhhh! Read full post here

Barefoot Sandals - the best minimalist running shoes

Every now and then, someone will smugly say to me: "Barefoot Sandals is an oxymoron. If you're barefoot, you're not wearing sandals, and if you're wearing sandals, you're not barefoot!" Yes, technically, that's true. Barefoot is barefoot and shod is shod. And, I'll admit, I'm normally a stickler for grammar. I hate when people say "very unique" (something can't be VERY one-of-a-kind), and don't even get me started on "a whole nother" ("nother" isn't a word! You mean "another whole"). But for "barefoot sandals" or barefoot shoes or even bare feet shoes,... Read full post here

How To Run Barefoot

"How do I start barefoot running?""What's the best book/course/coach for learning to run barefoot?""Can you show me what barefoot running form looks like?"I get these questions a lot. And, frankly, I don't want to answer them. In fact, I've resisted writing this post for, well, months.Here's why (in no particular order, even though I'm using numbers to delineate my reasons):Frankly, if all you did was take off your shoes, go for a run, stop when it hurts, and experiment to find ways of running that don't hurt, you would learn more than I, or anyone else, could tell you.Those of... Read full post here