It’s been almost three months since I purchased my first pair of barefoot running shoes. I wrote about my 2 year search for a the perfect pair that weren’t over the top expensive and weird looking in my post from June titled Are Barefoot Running Shoes Hype?
I promised to update you all about how I liked my new shoes in the upcoming weeks, and since this is the last official summer weekend of 2012, I thought it appropriate to give you the scoop right about now.
The bottom line? I love my barefoot runners! These shoes really do give you a connection with the ground that is sorely missing from typical athletic shoes.
I took them with me on our summer trip to Alaska and Canada and found them nothing short of awesome for all sorts of activities: long distance walking, hiking, rock climbing, and even zip lining from the treetops as you really do feel balanced and secure wearing them.
I wore my barefoot shoes as much as possible for the two weeks before I left for vacation to get used to them as recommended by the manufacturer.
I did not experience much if any soreness or problems adjusting. While wearing barefoot shoes for athletic activities definitely felt strange at first, it certainly wasn’t uncomfortable and during those early days of adjustment, I always stopped right away if I felt like I was going to overdo it and injure myself.
We go barefoot year round at my house as do many people in Florida, so it really did surprise me how long it took me to adjust to these shoes despite being used to barefoot living for most of my life.
Observation: walking around your house all day long barefoot is quite a different thing from doing something athletic wearing barefoot shoes!
The Downside to Barefoot Shoes
Now, for the nitty gritty.
Despite the fact that I really enjoy my barefoot shoes and find them very comfortable and even pleasurable for all sorts of athletic activities, I have just one beef to share with you:
I still can’t run in them!
I have tried and tried to get used to running in my barefoots, but I can only get to about the 1/4 mile mark before my calves and Achilles feel like they have had quite enough. I always stop and don’t push it at that point because I have no desire to injure myself as that would accomplish nothing in the long run. Any athlete knows that an Achilles injury is nothing to mess around with as it takes you out of commission for an extended period of time!
I shared my frustrations with Paula Jager, the Fitness Editor for this blog, at our local food pickup this past week.
What she said shocked me.
Paula shared that it took her a full year to get to the point where she could run any appreciable distance in her barefoot shoes!
Ah ha!
So that’s the secret!
I just haven’t given the whole thing enough time.
I guess this makes sense. Having been active my whole life and participated in a wide variety of sports and outdoor activities, my leg muscles have good muscle tone and getting them to stretch to the point where the muscle tone is equivalent in barefoot mode is going to take quite a bit of effort and time.
I think if I wasn’t a very active person, I ironically would have had an easier time adjusting to running in barefoot shoes as my calves and Achilles would not have good tone in the unnatural shortened position which occurs over time when you wear typical athletic shoes.
So those of you who are just starting out with running and haven’t really done much in the past, I think you will have an easier time with barefoot shoes than I have. Don’t be discouraged by what I’ve experienced!
Based on Paula’s advice, I am back to wearing my barefoots for running again after nearly giving up on the idea some weeks ago. I am alternating my barefoots with my conventional runners and am giving it until next summer to fully convert over.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Have you read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall? I did a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I went to his website when I first heard about the book and he has a few videos on there and one of them is a simple method to make sure that you are not using a hard heel strike in your running style. It has really helped me. I have been wearing barefoot shoes for a year now and would never go back.
We love our Soft Star Shoes. What I did is ditch all my other shoes or just not wear them. My daughter and I only wear soft stars now and have for well over a year. When I decided to get active again I bought their running shoe and the transition was so much easier. So, I would suggest (not a professional opinion) making your daily shoe a barefoot shoe as well. I can definitely tell a difference in my joints. My feet don’t hurt now. When I wear “normal” shoes I trip over everything. My husband laughs at me! It is pretty funny. 🙂 Anyway, we’ve decided to only have our daughter in minimalist shoes for now too. She’s 5 so I’ll keep her in them until her feet mature. Sorry for the long post! I think this is such a cool topic and one people don’t even really think about. I have loved reading your blog. I’m new to traditional eating so I appreciate all your insight! Thanks!
I’ll never be able to do that as I still love to rock a pair of heels on occasion 🙂
😀 Haa! I still wear them on occasion as well. I’ve gotten so used to being barefoot though, that they just don’t feel good. I have one pair of cutesy Soft Stars that I use for when I dress up. I wear these , but I have them in silver with a pink flower.
I feel nothing short of AWESOME in heels 🙂 I love them and will never stop wearing them. My Mom is in her 80’s and still wears them 🙂 We gotta be girls once in awhile right?
These are the reason I broke my foot. Never again.
I don’t really have brand to recommend. I’m sure they are all pretty good. I have Merrells and I got them because they were a good price and snazzy looking more than anything!! Evidently, Merrells are a decent brand though. Vibrams are good but they have the toe thing going on which didn’t appeal to me. Try a few different ones on and see which feel best to you.
Sarah,
What brand of these shoes would you recommend? I am starting from scratch to get back into shape. This sounds like a good pair of shoes to start with.
I have yet to check these shoes out myself but I’m so surprised that these shoes even last that long considering running even short distances! How is it possible that the material holds up after a year or even 2 years? I typically have to buy new shoes about every 6 months if I am that active in them. I’m intrigued to try them out!
I was wondering the same thing!
My shoes are only 3 months old.
The hype of constant rebuying of worn running shoes is on par with the wash-rinse-repeat mantra to sell more product. It’s ironic that as shoes wear, the heel cushion diminished and the body begins to compensate naturally by shifting the foot strike forward, away from the heel.
Have you tried running REALLY barefoot?
Then go back to the shoes.
It can take a few weeks running really barefoot to learn the proper form and foot strike. For many people, the so-called barefoot shoes still allow them to run poorly. There is still enough protection to allow a heel strike and other poor movements.
Mmmm. Hadn’t thought of that. Definitely worth consideration. Not sure I want to deal with blistered feet on top of it all though 🙂
I have to say, though, my foot strike is really good. I really do think the lengthy adjustment is just because my muscle tone is really good from years of athletics in conventional trainers.
I crossfit and run in minimalist shoes, as well, as the vibrams 5 fingers and i have to say that they are not meant for pavement. crosstrainig with some shorter sprints on pavement, yes, but nothing over a few miles if that. They are meant for off terrain and trail type runs. I have run on both trail and pavement. Ran up to 12 miles with them off road with no problems and anything over 3 on pavement is not feeling great for me. I have run several marathons and played sports throughout my life and that is just my experience with them.
I second Michael =) It’s instantaneous feedback. There is a saying, if you want to learn to sing, you wouldn’t cover your ears, right? Again, take it slow. As soon as you feel a “hot spot”, stop before blisters form. Good barefoot runners actually have objectively nice soles. At a clinic, Barefoot Ted showed us his. They looked perfectly normal, and felt soft, supple, but strong, like quality leather.
Have you ever heard of Invisible Shoes? http://www.invisibleshoe.com/ I bought a pair of these and actually wear them as my sandals. They are awesome because it really feels like you are barefoot. The gentleman that sells them runs in them. I haven’t gotten the gumption to run a full run in them yet. I have done a little and I can definitely tell the difference. I like the protection the 5 fingers offer on my feet since I run through neighborhoods where there is lots of construction.
I was encouraged by your post today. I have running in my 5 finger for almost 8 months now. I was going to try to run in a 1/2 marathon at the end of October but I felt like my training was really taking a long time. It finally occurred to me just this week that maybe I just haven’t adjusted to my shoes. My calve muscles start yelling at me right after I start my run. I have to stop and walk for a bit and then I can start back up. But I do love running in them. i had a friend who almost talked me into going back to my regular shoes. I tried it for one run and I knees hurt. I actually turned around to go home and change my shoes. 🙂
Hi Sarah, as I have followed many of your informative post and enjoy each one.. thank you! I woke up frustrated this am and wondered if you could help.. as a mom of 13 i feel very frustrated… we have 3 neighbors (one particular that leads them all) that call the police on our children almost everytime they are outside riding bikes.. our children ‘stop’ when a car comes, we put soccer cones out for them to ride in, and i am always out there with a megaphone to tell the kids when a car is approaching.. we live on a dead end street however, many cars run thru it for a short cut to another street. we found out they have 3 gotten together trying to get a fourth and will press ‘child endagerment’ charges agaisnt us, because they do not want the kids riding their bikes.. our nieghbor who has 2 kids that join in, was ‘warned’ to not let her kids play with ours so her kids ‘wouldn’t be involved’.. on top of that, when they were jumping rope one of the ring leaders came out and told them ‘youre gunna die” and went back in the house.. i know youre not a lawyer or an official city person… but do you have any counsel? wisdom? help??? I feel we are being harrassed… we have 6 police reports of the officers coming over to ‘check out the call of ‘lots of kids in street’ and the police reeporting ‘mom outside’.. we were thinking of fileing ‘harassment’ charges.. but just really want to be left alone.. but must think about being proactive…. your thoughts? .. i know i am not alone…
HI Christa, perhaps you could try inviting them over for a cup of tea or dinner (or a backyard bbq maybe you are having one day) and then casually bring it up to talk about? I wouldn’t go over and ring the doorbell and have a talk that way as they will likely get defensive. But if you talk to them Mom to Mom and express your feelings about it then you might find out their side of the story and why they keep doing what they are doing.
I’m with Sarah-try some food! 🙂 We JUST read I Samuel 25 in the Bible this morning. Abigail used some food to win over those upset with her husband. Worth a try for sure!!!!
Lawyer up. That’s ridiculous! Especially if they are harassing your children.
What an odd situation . . . Assuming your kids aren’t screaming and carrying on like a pack of banshees, could it be that your neighbors simply resent the fact that you’ve got 13 of them? There was a time when children were universally regarded as blessings — the more, the merrier. But nowadays there are many people who hate children and aren’t at all shy about revealing their hatred. In particular, people with more than one or two carefully coddled designer kids are viewed as freaks and “breeders.”
I’m afraid Linda might be right. I see this a lot with my brother’s large families. People have been brainwashed into believing the world has too many children, (among other things). Recent population studies show that most countries aren’t even producing enough children to replace the current generation. It’s part of what is causing the economic problems of Greece and Spain. Not enough people coming into the workforce with an aging population. I think “talking it over” with your neighbors isn’t going to do much good if they’re on “that” bandwagon.
Being friendly can break down a lot of barriers. I know it sounds ridiculous, but try taking over a tray of cupcakes your kids made with you. People cannot resist cupcakes, let me tell you 🙂
You can always do the lawyer thing. Best to try something else first and getting to know them really can work well. You mentioned that “you just want to be left alone”. This could be part of the problem – they see you as an outsider taking over the neighborhood and the street. If you get to know them and spend a little time, they won’t feel like this anymore. They will look out for your kids and even defend your right to be outside enjoying the outdoors. Shutting yourself away makes it worse.
Are you serious???? There are not enough people? I’m flabbergasted. Overpopulation is a major, MAJOR problem for our planet. The population has more than doubled since the day I was born. We live on a planet with limited resources. You want grass-fed beef? Well, how do you expect to get it, when
farmland is being paved over for subdivisions? I believe having too many children is irresponsible and selfish. Just as driving a Hummer is. As a childless person by choice, I would venture that the problem is the fact that you are blocking off a public street for your own use. I would get sick of it too, if someone continually blocked off a part of the street for what amounts to almost a whole classroom of kids. You had the kids….YOU make the sacrifice. Maybe riding bikes on the street is not a good option. It is not your right and it is an annoyance to your neighbors. Play in the backyard, or go to a public park. Personally, I am sick of people who think that anything goes because they have children! I mean for Heaven’s sake, you even hijacked a conversation about barefoot running for your own “needs”. Why didn’t you send her a private message?
I agree with Jason on that. I believe our nation and many will be falling apart due to the low amounts of children being born. It’s a sad situation, but by the time people realize this, it will most likely be too late.
Plus, if you believe having too many children is irresponsible and selfish, how many are too many? Are we going to vote to say how many are too many? Shall we be like some communist countries that will now dictate how many we should have?
I’m glad you like them. I also have barefoot running shoes, and I absolutely love them. Other shoes feel heavy and clunky now. Give it time….you’ll get there!
I wore my vibram barefoot shoes for almost two years (for normal everyday activities, walks. and bike rides), and then when I finally got to the point where I was ready to run again (after my baby was born and older) I had very little adjustment left to make. It still took me a little longer to get back up to my longer runs, and even now I still have to pay attention to my foot strike. It’s hard to break the habit of heal striking after all those years of using ‘modern running shoes’.
‘Heal striking’ do you run different in these kinds of shoes? I go barefoot all the time but I don’t run so i’m trying to imagine how to run barefoot! lol
Yes, you do run differently with barefoot shoes! Regular running shoes promote heal striking (the heal of your foot hitting the ground first). In barefoot shoes you run more with the fore foot- but just a little. You also bend your knees more (and keep them bent more) with barefoot running. There’s not much over extension of the knee.