
The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Barefoot Running - oscardelben
http://zenhabits.net/barefoot-running/
======
Groxx
I've got a pair of the Vibram KSOs, and am loving them.

Dunno where the $125 cost is coming from, given they mention only the KSOs.
The site sells KSOs for $85, and that's what I got mine for. Because I've had
such ridiculously good experiences there, I got mine from Run Away Shoes [1]
near my house (your experience may vary), where you can try them on to check
size / fit / whatnot. Highly recommended you do that first.

($125 is for the kangaroo-leather super-deluxe model, which I'd imagine would
be WAY too warm for any time but the winter. Your toes don't get
cold/pain/numb like in shoes, there's more blood-flow due to their being
_used_. Just cold. At least, in my 30-degree-morning-walks-to-school (1 mile),
and if I jogged they positively warmed up.)

First time I went running in them, I hadn't run more than a mile,
intermittently, in over a year; I got lost, and ran 3.5 miles. Felt great.
Land on the balls of your feet to take the landing-shock, keep your weight
forward, slow down slightly, and take smaller strides; it'll feel right when
you do it right. And _be nice to your feet_ , they take a long time to heal.
Looking at some barefoot running videos and deconstructing the strides helps a
lot.

Speaking of healing, my forever-weak-and-puffy arches have been better from
about the second week. My calves had no problem, but I jump around a lot; the
balls of my feet got sore after ~hour or so walking around on concrete / tile,
however. That cleared up after a couple weeks, and now I'm good all day.

As to washing them, my feet apparently sweat a lot. Hopefully that'll change
in time, but in the meantime I wear them daily / everywhere: they don't air-
dry in a day. If you force air into them (we've got an air purifier, and just
lay them on top), they'll dry in an hour or two, but non-moving air won't dry
them quickly. * shrug __* maybe if you hung them outside?

[1] : <http://www.runawayshoes.net/>

edit: oh yeah, another surprising bonus: your balance improves _tremendously_
, especially as your toes strengthen. At least, mine has.

~~~
tropin
Another KSOs owner here, and I love them.

I only have them about a bit under 100 kilometers, so I still don't know for
sure if they're that great against injuries, but at least the feeling of
running with them has been great until now.

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briandoll
Great overview and guide! I always hated running and went through lots of the
latest shoes. I picked up a pair of Vibram 5fingers after a barefoot-style
running clinic. Now trail running is actually enjoyable and I wear them while
working out and at work on occasion.

Wearing these things makes walking around on this planet a much more engaging
experience. It's not just about ridding yourself of all that cruft that is
your shoes, it's about reconnecting with your body in a more natural way.

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unignorant
> It’s actually a good idea to start with barefoot shoes, as they make a great
> transition into barefoot running.

I would suggest the opposite, that the vibrams become more useful after you
have more accurately dialed in your running form. In doing otherwise, you risk
injury through "too much to soon."

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merraksh
Would you (or did you) use them for hiking as well (on very light slopes and
soft grounds, obviously)? My running shoes are old, so I am considering going
barefoot. Using them for hiking too would be nice, but I can't imagine if
there's any downside.

~~~
unignorant
I've hiked in mine, and they would probably be reasonable for light climbing
as well.

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bitdiddle
I'm not sure I buy all the hype about this latest craze, but I will say I've
been doing it since last winter and I'm able to run again. It forces you to
not extend, keeping the feet under the hips.

The Vibram 5 toes things are good down to about 15 degrees as long as they
stay dry, but barefoot on a soccer field is awesome.

I ran for years, everything from 5K to marathoning and eventually stopped
because of a knee that wouldn't heal. I'm doing an hour plus a day now, albeit
at a slower pace, and the barefoot thing is actually healing the knee.

I also love the Tarahumara diet, essentially corn chips and beer, which is the
real reason we run, that and to chase girls (or boys or whatever :)

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lkozma
Running barefoot is cool, but at least to me these five finger high tech socks
kind of miss the point. Part of the reason for barefoot running is the "back
to the basics" feeling, I wouldn't want to get into another arms race for
better equipment.

In my experience it is best to run on on grass first (football or soccer
fields) to get used, if it's dewy it feels extra nice, running form surely
improves with barefoot running.

~~~
adbge
Exactly. Buying special shoes to run barefoot is completely unnecessary. The
best analogy I can think of is the guitar: at first your fingers won't be
tough enough and they'll hurt, but keep at it and you'll develop tougher skin
for a pain free experience.

Barefoot running is the same way. Sure, it's going to be uncomfortable at
first, and you'll probably end up with some minor scrapes. Big deal. You've
basically been wearing gloves on your feet your entire life.

I can just imagine some Kenyan reading this and laughing at the excesses of
our lifestyles.

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mhartl
Another technique for keeping VFFs stink-free (other than washing them) is
wearing Injinji toe socks. The socks are expensive, but if you rotate them
they stay stink-free for weeks at a time, so you only need a few pairs. Plus,
they are easy to wash (even in a sink) and quick to dry. Some people (e.g.,
Tim Ferriss) find them uncomfortable, but I've never had any problems.

------
Periodic
Does anyone have any suggestions for some shoes like the various Vibram models
but which do not have entirely separated toes? Perhaps which only have a
separation between the large and small toes?

My second and third toes are fused together by some skin. I'd rather not have
an operation to separate them as they are fun and unique, but they prevent me
from wearing "five-finger" shoes.

~~~
baltoo
I have a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and while my toes are rather normal it
can be difficult when running off-trail. Grass keeps getting stuck between the
toes and if you get tired and slow and then happen to glance a rock with the
pinkie it can easily get too much grip and you can get a really nasty hit as
the toe is wrung out-wise.

To get away from toe injuries I've looked at Terra Plana's Evo shoes
(<http://www.terraplana.com/evo-p-1263.html?colour=271>).

They look like something that might be the thing. But I have not so far
actually tested them.

If you're going to run more trail-running or the like then perhaps a pair of
huaraches might be something for you (<http://barefootted.com/shop/>).

For me they have been a mixed blessing. I tend to sweat a lot from the feet
and thus the airiness of the sandals are really good for me. But it's been
hard to learn how to properly string them on longer runs and small mistakes
makes it easy for my feet to get blisters.

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jrwoodruff
For anyone in Michigan, check out the good form running clinics that
Playmakers has. I went to free one when I first started running and it did
wonders for me. If you're not sure about barefoot, you can try these
techniques to improve your current form.

<http://www.goodformrunning.com/index.php>

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billpaetzke
What are your thoughts on this, HN barefooters:

1) With my VFF shoes, the skin of my feet gets rubbed raw in a few places when
I walk more than about 5 miles (8km).

2) I noticed two areas (you could call them bumps, although I can't see them)
on my right foot that are not flush with the ground. I only notice them when
running/walking barefoot or with VFF shoes. It's annoying.

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antidaily
This week's Real Sports on HBO has more on the topic. The interesting part to
me was that people who run with shoes tend to land on their heel (causing more
of a shock), while people who run barefoot tend to land on the front of their
feet.

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jgambier
I have a few friends that are into this and have been praising it's benefits
for a couple years. I tore a tendon in my ankle last year and am concerned
this could hurt my recovery. Anyone have experience running barefoot post
injury?

~~~
tynman
[http://suburbiarebooted.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-i-became-
ba...](http://suburbiarebooted.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-i-became-barefoot-
runner.html)

Summary: My ankle is probably worse than anyone else's. Barefoot running is
the only way to go for me!

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rjett
Out of curiosity, is this shoe design patented or could nike/adidas/reebok/etc
come in and change the market with their own version?

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albertcardona
I've been running barefoot on the beach since I was a kid. Unaware that such
practice would now be considered better than running with shoes. I did it for
fun, splashing the water or just feeling the moist of the sand by the sea
shore.

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tomjen3
Take of your shoes?

It might just be me, but after having read that article I didn't get much new
information.

Could we please consider a hiatus about barefoot running on Hacker News for a
couple months? By that time, the jury should be in on what the medium term
benefit is of these things and we should have some interesting new information
to read.

