Joy of Barefoot Running

Why go running barefoot?

              You’ll never know until you try…

I run barefoot because it’s the most liberating feeling in the world – and especially so after decades of imprisonment in running shoes.  I feel so sorry for all the other runners I see, still pounding the ground in their trainers, ignorant of the joy of barefoot running…  We all catch a taste of what it feels like: playing barefoot on the beach or in the safe, soft grass of our back garden.  Doesn’t it feel free?  Somehow, though, most of us never put two and two together, and apply it to the road.  Why not?  For millions of years humankind has been running – running for survival, running to succeed, and all the time running without need for shoes.  So put down your trainers and any preconceptions, and just give it a try.  This website will give you all the information you need to get started.  If you’re already running barefoot, there are plenty more articles here to keep you going.

Thanks for reading, Tallis

S  e  l  e  c  t  e  d          A  r  t  i  c  l  e  s

How to get started:

There are two ways to start out on the road to running barefoot.  One is to do it gradually, with a transition period using minimalist footgear, before taking the plunge into barefoot running proper.  The other is to go ‘cold turkey,’ and throw your shoes away from the start.  In this respect, cutting our addiction to running shoes is similar to stopping smoking.  Different things can work for different people…     read more:

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My Story:

I can’t claim to the world’s first barefoot runner.  I’m certainly not the fastest.  I can’t offer you decades of personal insight and experience without shoes.  I’m more like you.  The reason you’re here reading this is because something is missing from your life or your running.  For me discovering barefoot running not only solved the staleness in my relationship with running, it reconnected me to a much deeper part of my being…     read more:

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Form and mechanics:

The most fundamental difference between running in shoes and running barefoot is the way your foot strikes the ground.  The vast majority of shodden runners are ‘heel strikers’ – that is, the first point of contact with the ground is the heel.  To most of us this seems only natural: how else could we possible run?  What we fail to consider, though, is that it is the design of shoes themselves which force the foot into heel striking…     read more:

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Barefoot care:

My foot: not a thing of great beauty, but it’s free of cracks and callouses!

One of the worries people have in contemplating barefoot running is the damage they imagine it must do to the soles of their feet.

What about callouses?
What about cracked feet?

The saying goes that if you’re running with proper barefoot technique, there’s nothing to worry about: the foot requires no special care or extra maintenance.  Basically, this is true in my experience as well, with a couple of exceptions…     read more:

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review: Vibram FiveFingers Bikila

I’ve owned a couple of pairs of Bikilas for over two years now, so I’m pretty familiar with them.  This is Vibram’s (pronounced ‘veebram’) first shoe designed specifically for road running, as opposed to their more all-purpose shoes, such as the KSO.    The Bikila features a 3mm polyurethane insole throughout, plus a 4mm outsole, providing ample protection for anything encountered on the asphalt.  I use mine for trail running too, and they are perfectly solid for this as well…     read more:

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Running, spiritual experience and the origins of man:

Long distance running and spirituality have always shared a deep connection.  The Buddhist marathon monks of Mount Hiei and the Lung Gompa runners of Tibet are perhaps the most famous examples of formalised schools of spiritual training in which running forms a central element.  This article examines how endurance running can and, historically, has always led to spiritual experience, including hallucinations, visions and OBE’s.  Ends with a beautiful video by David Attenborough…     read more:

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Diets, fasts, healing and injury prevention:

When most people think of diets or fasting, they usually have weight loss in mind.  At the best of times this is a dubious practice, since changing the way you eat – especially if it involves reducing caloric intake – usually results in the body conserving energy and using calories more efficiently thereafter…     read more:

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Barefoot walking (1): slowing down and finding time

It’s only natural that as we grow up, we learn to walk before we run.  In returning to barefoot, though, many of us (myself included) do the opposite.  As usual, this carries proverbial dangers: don’t run before you can walk… – ‘Don’t be ridiculous, of course I can walk barefoot!’  Isn’t this the thought crossing your mind right now?  I know this is how I felt, at least, before taking the matter up a little more seriously…     read more:

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Developing core and back strength:

They say that running in general is good for building core and lower back strength.  But during all the years I was running in shoes, I used to get a sore back after standing for too long, just like everyone else.  Since starting to run barefoot, that’s  all changed.  Now I can be on my feet all day without either feet or back getting tired.  The fact is that running barefoot forces you to hold a different, more upright posture compared to running in shoes…     read more:

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Dream running, lucid dreams and the nature of reality:

How many times do I dream about running: running without shoes, barefoot?  Many, if not most nights… A sense of total freedom, effortlessly gliding with and like the wind.

Even during the decades I ran in shoes, my dreams of running were still the same: with a dream-body flowing like water over the terrain, no sign of shoe-shod impact with each step.  It was only after throwing away my shoes that I recognised that I’ve always run barefoot in my dreams…     read more:

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review: Xero Shoes

Xero Shoes, formerly known as “Invisible Shoes,” are about the most minimalist of minimalist footwear.  Inspired by the huaraches of the Rarámuris and other Mexican Indian tribes, they consist of only a simple flat sole and a length of cord to tie them.  But whereas traditional huaraches are cut from abandoned tyres and bound with strips of leather, Xero Shoes consist of Vibram brand rubber and tough nylon cord…     read more:

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