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

Barefoot Running is Bad For You!

Ever since Chris McDoguall's book, Born to Run, became popular (interestingly, long after it came out), the debate about barefoot running has become heated. There was no big argument when Zola Budd ran barefoot, or when Abebe Bikila won the marathon without shoes. But once "regular folk" started kicking off their kicks, it's become a rhetorical battlefield out there -- the converts touting the great benefits of barefoot running, and the critics assuring everyone that taking off your running shoes is akin to playing Russian Roulette. Then the Harvard study came... Read full post here

Phil Maffetone On Invisible Shoes Barefoot Sandals

I don't get starstruck, but I do get excited when I meet someone who's work I've admired and appreciated for years. And Phil Maffetone is one of those people.I got my copy of Phil's book In Fitness and In Health in 1997 and, way back then (even earlier, really), he advocated minimalism and barefoot running. Reading his books almost made me want to switch from sprinting to marathons.So, I was thrilled when Phil responded to my email asking if he wanted to try a pair of Invisible Shoes, even more thrilled when he said yes, and ecstatic to read his... Read full post here

4 Reasons NOT to Run Barefoot

Being barefoot and running barefoot is a blissful and consciousness-expanding endeavor. The feedback supplied from the ground is powerful enough to force even experienced runners to try it for only a mile or so, if they make it that far. Barefoot running, however wonderful, should not be subscribed to dogmatically.There are myriad resources available expounding on the benefits of being barefoot. Most of their reasons, methods, and warnings have merit. Unfortunately many of them sway to heavily towards the one-size-fits-all solution.Experiencing life unshod isn’t always the best option. Putting on a pair of huaraches or other minimalist shoes can serve... Read full post here

Jordan Flowers' reviews Invisible Shoes and...

Jordan Flowers just posted his review of Invisible Shoes and often mentions "other huaraches", without mentioning names... but it's kind of obvious who the comparison is to if you've been looking at huaraches.I must say that I'm thrilled to see someone independently discovering what we've been saying for 2 years ;-)Enjoy his review of Invisible Shoes here. Read full post here

The important barefoot running blister

Getting a blister from barefoot running was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Let me back up and tell you the whole story so you can understand why. On my second barefoot run ever, I was so fascinated by the sensations, and so transfixed by experimenting to see the effects of different stride patterns, that I didn't even notice I had run 5k. Now that may not sound like much to you ultra-marathon guys, but I'm a sprinter. I'd never run more than a mile before! About... Read full post here

How NOT to start barefoot running

I was recently on a panel discussion about barefoot running. At one point, someone in the audience asked “So how do I transition to barefoot running?” Before I could respond, a well-respected physical therapist suggested the following: “First, switch to a slightly lower heeled shoe than what you have. Run in that for a few months. Then add a racing flat, maybe one day a week for a while… then add an extra day every month, until you can run in those. Then maybe try something like Vibrams on a soft surface, like grass in a... Read full post here

Hey Barefooters: do you have Shoeguiltitis? We have your cure.

Oh, the joys of being barefoot. We will all be able to look back and think of this time as “the enlightenment” when we finally ditched our constrictive foot coffins and let our toes emerge, shaking and crooked, to see the light and heal. The more you adjust to ditching the shoes, the more you find yourself heading out shodless or in something minimal (not everyone wants to get kicked out of a restaurant or pay attention to every shard on the street).  Unfortunately, this pedal liberation does have its costs. You may now find yourself struck with a case... Read full post here

Happy Anniversary to us!

This Anniversary is a year old... but we're having a NEW Party... Click Here to find out more! We're having an anniversary party, and you're invited! Fifty weeks ago, I came home and said to my wife, Lena, "What do you think about making a real business out of making running sandals?" "I don't think it's a good idea," she said. "It's a distraction from other things we're doing." "You're probably right," I said. So, after Lena went to bed, I built www.InvisibleShoe.com. ;-) It took about 2 hours to do the... Read full post here