Be sure to watch the video: Running With And Without Shoes

http://ae.alterarunning.com/

I just went 6 miles in the slippers. I need to figure out how to not get blisters, then I could run forever

you can also pick up water shoes at target that work just fine (the wife has some)

Only $25… hmmm.

http://pocketslippers.com/

I really like them. flexible, stretchy, protect the bottoms of your feet. i wonder how long they will last.

Yesterday morning I ran a few miles in my Vibram Fivefingers (more in a later post), designed to mimic barefoot running.

And then I took off the minimalist Fivefinger shoes, and ran completely barefoot for half a mile. It was liberating.

Later, I walked for a couple of hours, taking my sandals off for a good part of the walk. Today I walked barefoot once again. There’s a sensation to barefoot walking that is light, free, simple, joyful.

Imagine walking barefoot on thick grass, or cool night sand. These are wonderful sensations that shod walkers cannot enjoy.

Going barefoot, I realized, is a perfect metaphor for my philosophy of life: the barefoot philosophy. (continued)

Robbie and Gilly both now have Vibram FiveFingers, purchased at REI.  I’m jealous.

http://wellness.blogs.time.com/2010/01/22/barefoot-running/

I wanted to say, I bought a pair of Newtons from Fit to be TRI’d back at the beginning of December. Tom was very helpful — he had me try both the Biom and Newton and, though he was pretty neutral, if anything he pushed me toward the somewhat less-expensive Newtons. So I was impressed by that.

I can’t give a complete verdict on the shoes yet, but they’re definitely different. For the first couple of weeks, I was switching back and forth between those and my old “stability” shoes; the old shoes (Brooks Trance 9) felt like little prison cells by comparison. The Newtons are extremely breathable, have a much wider toe box, and the effect on form is really noticeable — you’d really have to try to heel-strike in those shoes. Only caveat (and I was warned about this) is that the change in form has caused an almost-unending calf discomfort. It’s a productive-feeling discomfort, but it does get old.

they are also thick enough to allow you to run improperly.

One thing is that the running process, should be the all out running type thing that cheetahs do, or that the tribal members who chew on a bit of  the cocaine like leaf that gives them energy to run 20 miles in a day, to search for food after the nearerby accommodations have run dry. When the food becomes too far to run, they move closer to the available food.

Running naturally is all out and forward, not up and down, like I see so many of the runners running.  The intent, the flow of the body and the sense of strength and freedom are all one and the same.

If you must run in place, build a 6 foot by 4 foot box, fill it with a couple of feet of sand, and run up and down all your want.  Add a fan, to make it seem like a spring breeze, and you’re off!

Science rarely recreates the natural world.

If it’s emotional/physical balance you seek, do some yoga.  I heartily recommend Richard Hittelman’s book.   Tai Chi is also great for young and old alike provided you can find a good teacher.

Disclaimer:  I am not giving medical advice, I am not a doctor or therapist,  just offering up some Brightisms.

Concrete is a different matter, a very unforgiving surface, to be sure.  All the more reason not to heel-strike on it, though.

I can understand both the fervor and the skepticism that such fervor engenders. For me, it’s about three knee surgeries and years of heel-striking.  I was taught to run heel-toe in middle school; so there’s a certain sense of having been misled and now “finding the truth” and “rebelling” against the establishment.

It’s definitely more about encouraging people to run properly to lessen the likelihood or severity of injuries.  Traditional running shoes, with the huge heels and more rigid construction, make landing on the balls of the feet much harder.

I do love the increased strength in my feet and lower legs, which is one of the major advantages of going barefoot.

“Exercise science” is a bit misleading, I guess — just the name of the department, which also teaches true body mechanics, etc. classes.The class is primarily activity. We’ve spent some amount of time on form for sprinting and some time on stretches, but little on form for distance running. Most of the time in-class is spent on runs.