Barefoot Shoes

In a moment of renewed enthusiasm for running, after purchasing my new shoes on Monday, I popped into WH Smiths and picked up a copy of Runner's World.

In it I read a short article about how a guy had pretty much solved all his running injuries by throwing his shoes away and resorting to running barefoot, just like we used to in the old days. Just my luck that I discover this after coughing up for a nice new pair of shoes.

Running barefoot actually makes quite a bit of sense as it forces you to run properly, and thus efficiently, as you can feel when you're doing something wrong, right there and then. There's no fancy rubbery stuff dampening your senses. It also has the advantage that it strengthens your feet.

Whilst I don't think I'll be going barefoot full time, I think I'll start adding a bit more barefoot work to my new training efforts. Once my feet are comfortable with running barefoot on a treadmill or smooth surface, I might just have to get myself a pair of these Vibram Five Fingers "shoes" before I head for the road "barefoot":

I think these are pretty cool looking "shoes".