THEORY
The theory
Why do people run barefoot? What is the appeal and logic behind ignoring decades of research into shoes designed to help you run well and without injury, and expose your poor feet to the impact and dirt of the streets and muddy trails?
There must be something to it though, because more and more people are trying it, enjoying it and benefiting from it. There are reports of less injury, less niggling pains and more consistent running. Other benefits include a calmer frame of mind, an awakened interest in improving diet and lifestyle, and a sense of liberation; a realization that you don’t always need to follow the crowd.
Don’t be fooled, however, into thinking that barefoot running is your magic ticket to running euphoria. When you first start, it hurts and it hurts for some time, to the point where you might question your sanity. If you can stick with it though, learn from it and take the time to understand it, the rewards are plentiful.
"There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint.
So, too, are you.
Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be."
- George Sheehan