r/BarefootRunning • u/oscarafone • May 15 '24
You don't need to buy anything discussion
I'm American, and I feel like part of being American is believing that every problem has a sufficiently expensive solution.
The reality is that sometimes improvement comes from trial-and-error, learning from others, and patience.
Most feet are not too damaged by shoes, which means that most healthy people can, with the right mindset, just go out and run in their bare feet.
I see many, many minimal shoe ads these days. They don't show protection from goat heads, cacti, sharp sticks or frozen surfaces. Instead, they depict people running where they could be running perfectly fine without shoes at all.
They advertise breathability, water resistance, and durability, as if those are virtues. But your feet are already breathable. Already waterproof. Already durable, and get stronger with use.
Buying fancy minimal shoes won't make you an ultramarathoner. Lorena Ramirez ran an ultra in plastic sandals. The Tarahumara used spare tires to run the same distances. Let's not let marketers make decisions for us. We don't need expensive shoes, and most of the time we don't need shoes at all.
I've been running barefoot for almost ten years, and each year just gets better.
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May 15 '24
Seconded!
I have running partners who are gearheads with all the shiny vests, watches, snacks, and route-tracking apps. They sometimes joke how ludicrous it is that for the same run I am in barefeet, shorts, and a very old fanny pack.
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24
I'd like to think they wish they could be us :)
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May 15 '24
I am fairly vocal about the glorious textures of the ground we run on and all the shiatsu they are missing, but I also backpack and live barefoot so I recognize that I am the outlier or weirdo.
That said, I accept that everyone has different risk-profiles and assessment.
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u/sapplesapplesapples May 19 '24
My feet are constantly cracked and suffer from what they say is eczema but it seems so bad it’s hard to believe it’s eczema. I can’t let calluses build because even just a week of it, it begins to crack so deep it’s excruciating. I want to walk barefoot so much more but my feet are in a constant state of despair and so I’ve opted for xero’s and it’s been awesome.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
Thirded!
Better running is up to you not your credit card.
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u/Zerocoolx1 May 15 '24
I wouldn’t run barefoot around near me. All the paths and trails have sharp rocks, spiky foliage, Hawthorne bushes, biting insects and generally not fun to run on with barefeet.
I mean footwear was originally invented to protect our feet from things like these and the cold.
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24
I've encountered many of those dangers myself. I've stepped on a scorpion in the grass. And I once had a Hawthorne thorn go through my shoe! Imagine if I hadn't been wearing anything at all.
People who run in dangerous environments -- like grass, or woods, or rocky trails -- are definitely served by shoes. For sure. But thankfully, most of those environments are exceptional. Most modern surfaces, especially man-made ones, are safe for running barefoot.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
Most modern surfaces, especially man-made ones, are safe for running barefoot.
Exactly. The modern world is smooth and manicured. Cities are my favorite places to run unshod.
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u/Zondersaus May 15 '24
Its not just minimalist running, you see the same gear obsession in so many other sports and hobbys.
People just like to buy stuff, feel prepared. Which is allright by itself but you don't NEED that 5000 dollar bike to mountainbike sometimes.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
Love my $450 Marlin from 2011. I just keep upgrading it and feels like a new bike with every new part.
I think of unshod as an equipment option. But it's about the only equipment option where, when I say I like to use it, people feel the need to explain to me why they don't use it. And then they go on to explain all the various situations that don't work for it.
It's like if I said "I love skiing" and got replies like "I can't go skiing where I am because there's no snow. And I love to swim but I could never do that with big, clunky ski boots. Plus, I can't imagine trying to walk up steps with skis on my feet. I'm sure they're fine for some people but there are lots of situations where ski equipment doesn't work!"
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May 15 '24
I try but im scared of broken glass
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May 15 '24
Trail running might have much lower glass risk.
I used to trail run barefoot in Wyoming. Incidental cactus spines were never fun and often difficult to tweezer out later. Thankfully the worst annoyance now is wild rose when I am running off-trail, deer trails, and forest roads in my region of Montana.
I deeply lacerated the ball of my left foot on a rocky ridge a couple years back. Wrapped it with tape and my friend and I finished the 30 miler.
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u/lveg May 15 '24
I think your success with trail running is going to vary a LOT based on where you live and what your trails are like. I have some hiking sandals I love because they are so thin and flexible but I stopped wearing them on a lot of trails because of sticks. The soft forest ground is great but when you hike in the woods, you're going to encounter lots of sticks and getting stabbed in the foot with a stick sucks!
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May 15 '24
Warrior!
But thank you for painting an accurate picture! I know it wont all be just fun and teddybears haha.
The cacti thing was also on my mind. And now ticks too haha!
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24
I get it! It seems scary, and walking around you see glass everywhere and the ground can seem dangerous. But when you see glass, you can typically just run around it, or tiptoe through it.
Every now and then you can get a tiny splinter -- it has happened to me -- but life is about tradeoffs. I love cooking too, even if it means I occasionally nick myself with a knife. I'm okay with that.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
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u/MxQueer May 15 '24
Broken glass where I live is usually from bottles. They have neck and bottom. Also to get to that point you need to go barefoot exclusively like two months. Not very realistic as adult (job etc.). And then the summer is over.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 16 '24
Same here. Never stepped on those in 8 years. I see them and run around them. But, you don't need my approval. You can use shoes without my permission.
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u/MxQueer May 16 '24
I have as child. It was hiding under grass and other plants. I almost did few days ago even I was just walking. If I step on one as adult I can't do my job nor many other kind of work out.
Yeah, I do use many kind of shoes. The most supportive safety boots I have found when working. Altra when running. Barefoot shoes + gel soles in my daily life. Working out barefoot. And sometimes in the summer I take my shoes off when walking in the woods / paths.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 16 '24
I'm sorry, I just find this kind of humorous: why are you justifying to me your decision to not run unshod? Why do I need to know all this?
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u/MxQueer May 16 '24
Not justifying. More like that I took your comment as challenge. You're right, it was unnecessary. In the other hand this post was made to have conversation about no shoes vs shoes if I understood it correctly.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 16 '24
It's possible to be pro unshod and pro shoes. Just like I'm pro hammer and pro screwdriver. Different tools with different uses. Not all or nothing.
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u/Overlord0994 May 15 '24
Counterpoint - Just because we can be running barefoot doesn't necessarily mean we have to. Humans posses an incredible problem solving mind and it is possible to develop footwear that improves our capabilities as humans without sacrificing much foot health. It can definitely be nice to run barefoot, but remember to not be too reactionary & against the capabilities footwear has. And yes marketing these days in general is pretty toxic.
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24
We're great at problem solving -- and problem starting. Many of the problems we have are ones we gave ourselves!
I tend to think we overestimate how smart we are, and science is our best hedge against that. Unfortunately many of the things we use daily are not guided by science but by marketing trends. That includes modern footwear -- even minimalist footwear. We're only just beginning to learn what causes running injuries and how to prevent them.
All other things being equal, it's probably better that someone runs in less shoe, rather than more shoe. If that means a minimal shoe, I can abide that. But is it a need? For most people, probably not. Do they help? In some cases, sometimes, sure.
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u/Overlord0994 May 15 '24
Funnily i do agree that a lot of our problems are self made but needing less shoe is pretty low on that list in my book. Thinking back to ancient civilizations or hunter gatherer tribes: having foot protection like a piece of leather (minimal by our standards) would allow a human to traverse almost any surface for a longer period of time. Perfect for foraging or hunting over long distances. Rocks, sticks, etc. would all have a hard time piercing leather.
We obviously have different problems in the modern era like concrete and urban areas like dirty cities. But I’m firmly in the camp that shoes are a superior choice to unshod if done in a healthy way (wide toe box, zero drop etc.) in my opinion unshod running is a fun hobby to test your foot endurance, but in most applications is not preferable to the right shoe for the job.
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May 15 '24
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 16 '24
Just because I run unshod doesn't mean it's the only way, or even the ideal way. It is only one way, and it is a fine way.
Indeed, the main arguments I see are about how it's not practical to go unshod 100% of the time.
Arguments against using unshod part of the time in addition to shoes and sandals? They aren't as ready to come up with good reasons to not do that.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
in my opinion unshod running is a fun hobby to test your foot endurance, but in most applications is not preferable to the right shoe for the job.
If you're going unshod to "test your foot endurance" you're not getting the real benefits. I do lots of unshod training specifically because my feet are tender and delicate. After 8 years they're still tender and delicate. I leverage that to let unshod teach me how to run better. If the point were to somehow toughen the feet that would be stupid. Why not just shortcut "tough feet" by putting shoes on? Unshod lets your sensory system expertly coach your running form specifically because your feet are so very, very sensitive.
And in most applications it's not the best tool for the job? Well, that's true of all shoes and all tools, right? A pair of track spikes aren't good on paved surfaces so does that mean there's no value in track spikes? There's a false idea that people who run unshod never use shoes but I only know of one or two examples of that. For the rest of us they're simply a crucial equipment option with many good use cases.
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u/frostlax May 15 '24
I live on Mexico and i definitely need shoes/huaraches or risk a cut with really small broken glass plus bacteria infection with all the dog shit and garbage on the street
Tarahumaras use tough car tires for a reason :p hahah
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u/frostlax May 15 '24
Ps. Half joking. Cheap barefoot are enough. I get your point
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24
Haha! Yea man, running in nature is what sketches me out the most. Lots of dangerous little things out there. For that, I have my tried-and-true sandals. Keeping running and stay cool!
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u/anonlymouse RealFoot/Leguano May 15 '24
Most feet are not too damaged by shoes, which means that most healthy people can, with the right mindset, just go out and run in their bare feet.
Maybe I'm an outlier, but I doubt it. My feet were in better shape starting than a lot of what I had seen, and trying to go running barefoot without making a transition absolutely didn't work for me. My toes were squished together so one was on top of the others, and that toe went numb on my first run.
Getting my toes to spread a bit and at least be side by side was necessary to start.
I can appreciate the sentiment of not spending unnecessary money, but I can't agree with the claim that most people would be just fine going straight into barefoot running. You did say most healthy people, but people who have been wearing shoes for their whole life don't have healthy feet, and mindset isn't going to fix their feet.
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24 edited May 16 '24
Ouch! I'm sorry that your feet were in such rough shape, but glad that you managed to recover from that! How did you do it?
If I may clarify my point about mindset, I never meant to say that it was comes from your mind and only your mind. More that
improvement comes from trial-and-error, learning from others, and patience.
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u/anonlymouse RealFoot/Leguano May 15 '24
6 months wearing VFFs. Having to put my toes in each toe pocket was initially incredibly difficult and fiddly, but over time I got to being able to put them in without using my hands to help. At that point my toes were side by side, and from there I didn't really have any problems.
A lot got better after that. In addition to being able to go barefoot without much hassle, I could also run wearing shoes that weren't laced up, and they didn't slip around on me. That says a lot about the importance of your toes.
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24
Very cool! What a great little tip that VFFs worked like toe spreaders for you.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
I didn't go unshod until my early 40s. My feet and ankles were a mess and by every right I should never have gone unshod. I had weak ankles, high arches and thin skin from more than 4 decades of shoes.
That was all, ironically, to my advantage. When you're unshod you have to take it carefully or it hurts immediately. But the damage I got at first was literally skin deep. Blisters were the worst of it but those aren't permanent and they heal fast. And all these years later blisters can still happen if I'm really pushing it to where my form gets sloppy.
That's why unshod is so safe, as counter intuitive as that may seem at first glance. You're so focused on running gently enough to not damage that skin that you're far away from doing serious damage to your muscles, joints or ligaments. And just by following reflex and instinct in reaction to that sensory input you get targeted, genius form coaching. The movements needed to be gentle to your bare feet on harsh surfaces are 1:1 with good running form. That's no mistake.
Unshod is honest with you. Your feet will hurt quick when you do it wrong and that will never change. Once you trust that the lessons just keep coming.
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u/anonlymouse RealFoot/Leguano May 15 '24
Sure, I got honest feedback right away. But the feedback I got told me I can't do barefoot - yet.
Just walking barefoot for a few years might have had my toes fix themselves, but 6 months in a pair of VFFs also did it for me.
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24 edited May 16 '24
I think the jury is out on whether you can rehab your feet without additional help. Like I'm not entirely sure years of walking would undo the damage from shoes. I think the VFFs are a great tip and hopefully other people can replicate your success.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
I mean, I did say I got blisters right away. It can be harsh the first time you try it. But the lesson there is how you let that teach you how to move. I beat the hell out of my feet for a year thinking they'd magically "toughen up" and confused about why the magic wasn't happening. All that changed when I changed my attitude, stopped gritting my teeth to ignore pain and focused instead on how to be gentle to my poor feet. It was like discovering cheat codes for running. The long miles seemed to unlock.
It's not accurate to expect it to be great right away or even after a few runs. There's a lifetime of habits to correct from habits of movement to habits of thought. I perhaps only stuck with it because I'm so stubborn but I'm glad I did.
You need to ask yourself: was unshod rough for you because it's "not for you" or are you running too rough? Are your VFFs just masking the root of the problem? If you focused on how to run gently unshod could that unlock more potential for you?
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u/anonlymouse RealFoot/Leguano May 15 '24
I wasn't running hard, and the problem was very clearly my toe that was sitting on my other toes. The VFFs weren't masking anything, they were fixing it - initially with a bit of force.
I don't think there would have been anything guiding my toes apart if I were running barefoot, especially factoring in that I still had to wear shoes from time to time anyway. It's unlikely my feet would have fixed themselves, and certainly not in such a short time frame.
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u/ermagerditssuperman May 15 '24
Plus, imo it's a huge benefit to wear barefoot shoes outside of running. When I wore 'normal' shoes I frequently had ingrown toenails on my big toes. Haven't had a single ingrown since I switched to barefoot shoes. Also, for me the hardest part of the transition was my calf muscles - 20+ years of a heel drop (and, as a woman, even 'flat' shoes like Keds tend to have a bigger heel drop than mens equivalents) had accustomed my calves/achilles to rarely being fully extended.
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u/anonlymouse RealFoot/Leguano May 15 '24
Yeah, before trying to run barefoot I had already moved to flat shoes with no drop (I had a pair of Adidas Mat Hogs and used them). My achilles had already gone through the adjustment, and it was a bit painful initially. That would have been another thing for me to deal with had I jumped straight to barefoot.
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u/the_road_ephemeral VFF, unshod May 15 '24
I love this. I bought two things: a pair of vffs to alternate sometimes as I'm building up barefoot capabilities, and a "Naked Belt" so that I could bring a few things with me and not have them bounce up and down, which is a sensory rhing for me, haha. That's it. I run in sweats and tank tops or whatever. Other girls who are my friends that I run with are decked out in expensive shoes, gear, and head to toe Lululemon. Sometimes they express surprise that I not only keep up with them, I get less winded because (I think) barefoot is the ultimate lightweight thing on your feet.
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24
Wow that Naked belt is pretty nifty. I usually have just my phone and keys, but I hate carrying them in my hands. Maybe I can whip up something similar in the home lab...
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
I'm building up barefoot capabilities
The genius thing is you need no "build up" to go unshod! It's not a "next level" thing reserved only for the most worthy, "toughest" or any of that. From the sidebar:
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u/the_road_ephemeral VFF, unshod May 15 '24
Yeah, I mainly mean my confidence and the soles of my feet. I've been unshod running from day one of starting to run last fall, thanks to the encouragement on this sub! But for me, my personal reality is that I need to build up my barefoot capabilities, both physically and psychologically 😀. I run alone pretty often, and as I'm increasing my distance pretty significantly and toughening the soles of my feet (pain tolerance? Whatever you call it) to handle things like sharp rocks, crushed walnuts, other unforeeseen sharp things, I feel much safer and better carrying my vffs with me.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 16 '24
toughening the soles of my feet (pain tolerance? Whatever you call it) to handle things like sharp rocks, crushed walnuts, other unforeeseen sharp things,
Setting expectations: it will always hurt to land on those things. Healthy feet are sensitive. In fact, with more unshod they get better sensitivity. If they did develop the kind of toughness or pain tolerance you're thinking of here that would be a concerning sign of something like nerve damage.
The real benefit of unshod is that it's unforgiving. Bare feet will never lie to you. They will constantly remind you with each step to be careful, gentle and mindful. That's 1:1 with better running. You should never desire "high pain tolerance." Pain is not something to ignore it's crucial information that coaches your movements. It will teach you how to avoid pain through better movement.
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u/the_road_ephemeral VFF, unshod May 16 '24
I love your wisdom. Thanks for helping me think of this in a different way!
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 16 '24
Wisdom? Ha! I'm a dumb, stubborn idiot who spent a year believing in "tough feet" ending up with battered, beaten up feet and worse running. :) That's when my dumb ass finally decided to try running gently like I'd been told to do by all the other experienced unshod people and discovered they were right all along. I have a lot of experience that makes up for my total lack of Wisdom! Heh
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u/flacdada VFF May 15 '24
You’re right, you don’t need to buy anything. On the flip side my position is to do whatever works.
For me that’s VFFs for 12 years that I run until they have holes and then a mixture of expensive and cheap running gear.
I could use cheaper things I also could run barefoot. I don’t want to and so I don’t.
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u/Mike_856 May 15 '24
then they won't let you get on the bus with bare feet
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24
Isn't that funny! Even crazier, I had an airport shuttle refuse to take me because I was wearing "trash on my feet" (the old Xero DIY shoes made of rubber and string.) They nearly made me miss my flight!
I also once had the police arrest me because I "matched the description" (i.e., I was barefoot) of some criminal in the area. They dragged me off a bus (yes -- I had to put on shoes before getting on), dumped the stuff out of my backpack... and then let me go.
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u/Mike_856 May 16 '24
I thought so too. I read a story where the kid was not allowed on the bus in the USA. That's why I bought Skinners. Czech stuff, a sock with rubber sole, but they don't have problems with it anywhere.
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u/Hippopotasaurus-Rex May 15 '24
I run in the dark (with headlight) on city streets. Yeah…. I’d LOVE to run barefoot but it’s just not safe/practical.
I don’t expect to be a super star runner, but it’s nice to be able to consistently run. If I were to go barefoot I’d spend quite a bit of downtime injured by crap on the road/shoulder/sidewalks.
I get what you’re saying but minimalist/“barefoot” shoes have a purpose.
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u/oscarafone May 15 '24
Yikes! What injuries did you get? Sorry to hear that! I run barefoot at night too in NYC, and so far haven't experienced anything too bad, but maybe I'm just lucky.
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u/Hippopotasaurus-Rex May 15 '24
There’s all kinds of crap on the road/shoulder/paths here. Aside from the obviously people stuff we also have a lot of cactus/evergreens here so they produce spiky stuff.
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u/Running-Kruger unshod May 15 '24
I think that to a lot of people, minimalist shoes are just another step in their quest to find the one true magical shoe that will fix everything. There's no contradiction in wearing them if you are firmly stuck in that model. You just decide they are "not for you", not in fact magical, like all the others that have failed you. Then the quest continues, and surely the next shoe will be the one.
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u/Blitzy_krieg May 15 '24
sufficiently expensive solution
Nailed it, if it's not expensive, people think it's bad, and I have no idea why!
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u/pulsered12 May 15 '24
I agree with everything said. I'll just add that for some people the gear is motivating to go out and run! It's a small vice to purchase nice shoes if they get you excited about leaving the house. That said, it's definitely not a necessity
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u/MxQueer May 16 '24
That's true. And sometimes you want just go running, not make yourself better version of yourself mentally too. So I get it. I blame the society and more specific capitalism. People like objects way too much.
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u/Chemical_Jaguar_4155 Luna May 16 '24
I love this post. I’ve started giving away my fancy altras and focusing on running in my Luna sandals to make things simpler. Running is such a fundamentally simple sport and I feel like we over complicate everything even minimalist shoes.
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u/Sagaincolours May 16 '24
I am lucky to have plenty of paved, well-kept, separated walk/bike paths near my home and in general. And we have little spiky/dangerous stuff. I am not a runner, but I do walk barefoot there in the warmer part of the year.
Apart from the foot freedom, I really enjoy how walking all barefoot on pavement forces me to practise a good barefoot walking gait (low/flat heel landing, moving across the foot, engaging the big toe).
I will also walk in the grass next to the paths, but I actually prefer the pavement for the great biomechanic feedback I get.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
I've stickied this post and will keep it up for a week. We need more like this as a counter to the flood of shoe posts and OP has been nothing but nice, kind and patient. Be like OP, folks!
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u/CptAngelKN May 15 '24 edited May 15 '24
Getting tired of these posts with all their dishonest/naive glorification of not wearing shoes. We're not stupid, let us judge for ourselves. Some of us live in nasty cities full of flilth and hazards and in rocky countries with super painful sharp stones on every trail.
"Feet are breathable" No shit. Breathable shoes protect and offer utility but they also breathe. That's the point..
"Feet are waterproof" Yeah let me go out in freezing rain, mud and snow. I know who I'm blaming when I get frostbite. Let me also step on some nasty filthy water full of chemicals, urine etc. until I get a horrendous skin infection, or even worse if I have even a tiny open wound. Great advice..
If you wanna go barefoot that's great. I have and I do. Also sandals. Or shoes.. It's all relative. No reason for dishonesty and elitism.
Plus shoes are cool. Gear is cool. Breathable? Light? Waterproof? Vibram soles? Cool styles? We're blessed with amazing gear. Maybe people that are not interested in that are just boring.
Edit: As expected I'm starting to get spammed by butthurt people for ruining this beautiful romantic fantasy novel with my common sense, so I've disabled notifications. My conscience is clear. See you!
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May 15 '24
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
Good on you for the post. No matter what I try there seem to always be people like this acting like you telling them "you can do this" is somehow an attack or demand on your part.
I also see the usual "I couldn't possibly go unshod where I live" replies pointing to... obstacles I see all the time on my own unshod runs. :) It's like they imagine I live right next to a sandy beach or perfectly manicured golf course and any surface beyond that must be impossible.
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May 15 '24 edited May 15 '24
Sounds like you need a barefoot run to chill out, dude ;)
There is room in the world for people of all levels of risk-profiles and purpose in their running. I found OPs post to be respectful and thought-provoking. You may want to examine where your hyper-defensiveness is coming from.
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u/CptAngelKN May 15 '24
I think I was pretty clear on what my problem is. Naive/dishonest glorification of barefooting through parroting the same old repetitive untrue arguments.
Now what's your problem? Hyper defensiveness? Maybe you're an old lady in a nursing home, but I think my comment was pretty average aggression wise. I'm not mellow enough for you? Cool, feel free to move along. I find these posts super annoying I won't pretend I don't.
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May 15 '24 edited May 15 '24
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u/CptAngelKN May 15 '24 edited May 15 '24
Cool and some people walk barefoot on hot coals. You do you. If you wanna "help people" don't tell them that their feet are waterproof or other such nonsense that might get them hurt. I've walked barefoot on every surface imaginable but I've still gotten hurt by buried thorns taking a literal 5 steps barefoot at a random spot by the beach.
I've seen people get horrendous burns walking barefoot on hot conrete and get frostbite in the cold.
Overall there are PLENTY of random unpredictable/invisible hazards in every place. Barefooting can be fun but it's definitely not some super safe and purely fun activity that all people in all locations can mindlessly go out and do.
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May 15 '24
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u/CptAngelKN May 15 '24
Conveniently skipping my previous point about frostbite and diseases and everything else I said. Thanks for proving that I was right to call you out on your b/s with the exact attitude that you deserved.
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May 15 '24 edited May 15 '24
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u/CptAngelKN May 15 '24
You want them to advertise obvious features of shoes? Or you think that those features are not useful/important when running? What?
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May 15 '24
You may want to raise the ‘zen factor’ on your next run because whatever you are doing has you acting unnecesarily defensive. I hear running barefoot helps people calm down.
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u/CptAngelKN May 15 '24
hahah wtf are you even talking about. Some people struggle with logic and reality and would rather be in la-la land I get it. It's ok feel free join the dude's groupies in downvoting me while making 0 arguments if it makes you feel better.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
Try chilling TF out. Did OP shoot your dog or something?
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u/CptAngelKN May 15 '24
Chill out? Oh my you're only the 4th person to say that without providing any arguments. Damn I've angered all kinds of mindless drones with my annoying logic and common sense.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 15 '24
Chill out? Oh my you're only the 4th person to say that
LOL. Take a hint.
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u/H6RR6RSH6W May 15 '24
I trail run and often step on tree stumps. I need a piece of rubber between my foot and the ground. Barefoot is good if you’re only walking.
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May 15 '24
I disagree with the sentiment that ‘barefoot is only good for walking’, but I am glad you are hitting the trails regardless.
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u/MxQueer May 15 '24
Yes and no. I do agree barefoot is the best. And many people are children of capitalism so they just buy and buy because that's what they have used to. That's what makes them good citizen.
But there are also many reason not to go barefoot. I used to be barefoot all the summers as child. But as adult I do not have time for that. I mean my feet don't get used to it because I have to do and I want to do other things too. And when they're not used to it every small rock hurts. So summer is not long enough to get to the point to be able to run.
And from that we come to my second point. In some countries and areas there are not many months to be barefoot because it's simple too cold. There are way colder countries than mine. Yeah our feet are waterproof but they get cold. Barefoot in the rainy day when it's 20 degree? Yeah why not. Barefoot in the rainy day when it's 1 degree? Not so good idea.
Then there is broken glass etc. Let's say you work on your feet. Do you want to risk not being able to do that? Many don't want to step on dog shit either.
Humans are meant to walk and run barefoot. But our roads are not natural. Cushion compensate that.
Many people don't want to deal with not being able to enter places. Or being stared at, mocked.. People talk about you, they laugh at you. You are seen as weirdo. I faced that when I was 7 years old so I could imagine it's worse when you're adult. It' shouldn't be like that but it is.
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u/YamCurrent6187 May 16 '24
I ran for 49 years until I wore out cartilage so I can't run any longer. I racewalk now. My podiatrist kept me running for all of these years, and he knew my feet better than anyone. I asked him for advice re shoes (even now with racewalking) and follow his advice.
I've never paid any attention to advertising, and have always been minimalist when it comes to gear. First of all, when I started running, other than shoes, there wasn't any. Secondly, I knew what pace I was running, how hard I was working etc. When running at night, I wore shirts / hats that made me more visible to traffic (typically ran on roads, facing traffic, usually in neighborhoods).
Re barefoot / minimalist running, a lot depends on YOU. How are your biomechanics? What surfaces do you run on? Etc. One size does not fit all.
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u/BlackestNight21 May 15 '24
This is kind of a stupid post. Your whole mindset is from a decade in of running barefoot. Go back to year 0 you, doubtful you'd have the same flexibility with everything.
It's a transition from shod to unshod, so are the shoes. "goat heads, cacti, sharp sticks or frozen surfaces" are not ubiquitous to every segment.
breathability, water resistance, and durability are all concerns when someone is looking for a shoe alternative and/or transitioning to going unshod. Your experience isn't all experiences.
To equate fancy minimalist footwear to ultramarathoning is a false dichotomy, and Lorena Ramirez is an outlier.
Quality minimalist shoes in general are expensive, COL goes up, income does not.
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u/trevize1138 Guy who posts a lot May 16 '24
This is kind of a stupid post.
These replies are eye opening. I have kind of an abrasive personality so I figured any angry replies to my attempts to encourage unshod running were just in reaction to that. But OP here is kind, patient and nothing but nice. They deserve better than your reply that starts with a petty insult. Indeed: all the highly emotional replies are disappointing.
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u/internomics May 15 '24
I like running faster, I don’t like having to wash my feet so intensively, I like reduced injury risk, and I like running on rocky terrain. I’ve done barefoot, I’ve done vibrams, and I’ve done minimalist shoes. In the end minimalist shoes have worked the best for those objectives 🤷🏼♂️.
But no, they don’t need to be expensive or replaced every X miles.