If slight shoes are good, what about none? You might think from media reports that barefoot running was invented circa summer of 2009 and that it’s some controversial practice that shoe companies want to remain hidden from runners. And for sure, in classic American fashion, proponents of barefoot running have taken the kernel of a solid idea and run with it past its logical extreme.
The truth is, barefoot running has been part of many runners’ training for decades, even among those sponsored by shoe companies. Coaches have long recommended barefoot striders on the infield of a track or a grass field to build foot and ankle strength and flexibility. It’s quite possible (and enjoyable) to quickly, safely build to doing 30 minutes or more of barefoot running on forgiving surfaces. (In high school, I did a barefoot 14-miler via repeated loops of my school’s grass perimeter. It’s still one of the most enjoyable solo runs in my three-decade running career.) Most runners for at least a few warm months a year can find somewhere sensible to regularly incorporate a couple barefoot sessions a week into their training.
As in almost all areas of running, the thing to avoid is zealotry. In terms of barefoot running, that means avoiding doing too much too soon, especially if you’ve spent most of your life in overly built-up shoes, and not being an idiot about what surfaces you run barefoot on. At some point, the risks of sharp objects and hard asphalt outweigh the benefits of greater foot function if you start running most of your miles barefoot on the roads.
Going barefoot or in socks indoors as much as possible is an excellent way to get some of the benefits of barefoot running.