The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do.

-Walter Bagehot

The Barefoot Revolution: 10 Reasons You Should Go Barefoot

1- Injury Prevention
2- Strength
3- Run Faster, Run Longer
4- Feedback
5- As Nature Intended
6- Wow Factor
7- Going Green
8- Simplicity
9- Cost
10- Fun

To quote a relatively unknown song, “The times they are a changing.” Within the realm of runners, this has never been quite as accurate as more and more people are tossing their running shoes into the trash and opting for something more minimalist or –GASP- nothing at all. That’s right, it is the barefoot revolution, so “please get out of the new one, if you can’t lend a hand.” (more…)

Running totally barefoot is for babies, hippies, and dilettantes.

-Anonymous anti-barefooter

The Barefoot Revolution- Minimalist Options

So you want to run barefoot, but just cant bring yourself to actually hit the city streets with those naked feet of yours?  This is probably the most common reason why there are

shoes marketed for being most “like barefoot”.  There is glass, garbage, gum, and generally nasty water and crap everywhere.  Whomever would want to touch any of that with their barefoot could be crazy.  We have compiled a list of different options for those of you who want to benefits of running barefoot, without all of the risks. (more…)

Running is, in actuality, not thoughtless!

- Chris Regnery

And You Thought Running Was Thoughtless? Part 3/3

This is the last part of this 3-part article. Up until now we have looked at what running does to oneself during the act of running, and we have seen how emotions and pain are not things that we should run away from in running.

To fight them is to fight against something that cannot be beaten without making yourself less of a person. In this last part, I get a little philosophical and a bit more in depth with my metaphor of running being like life. Forgive me if it comes off as a little heady, but hey, running for 5 hours at a time, sometimes you cant help but dig a little deeper into things.

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Running barefoot on rolling fields of grass, vibrant green and soft from a recent rain, is like running on velvet, who doesn’t want to run on velvet? No one, that’s who.

-unnamed notorious barefooter

The Barefoot Revolution: Part 4

With yet another successful week under my belt, there are a few lessons that I feel I should share.  The goal of this post is to group all the advice, lessons, and tips that I have shared and learned since going barefoot, and put it all  in one place. (more…)

There are no securities in nature, life is either a daring adventure or nothing

-Helen Keller

And You Thought Running Was Thoughtless? Part 2/3

As the second and middle part of this article, I am going to share with you some thoughts on how emotions and sensations of pain are part of the journey as a

human, and how running can be a great metaphor for life. I will discuss how giving in to these sensations in running can teach you a great deal about yourself and help you grow not only as a runner, but as a person. Trying to suppress your emotions and running away from pain will leave an emptiness that many people will end up filling with money, sex, drugs, or alcohol. Working to incorporate these things also fills this emptiness and unlike the others, helps us to be better people. I think that this is a great metaphor and you can it and apply it to all areas of life. (more…)

Dude, take your shoes off and live a little!

-Barefoot Ted

The Barefoot Revolution: Part 3

These last two weeks, up through today, Sunday October 4, 2009, have finally given me a taste of what it will be like to run for hours on end without shoes.  Imagine being able to leave you house, wearing only a pair of shorts and a shirt, needing no shoes, and being able to run through the rain, through rivers, on trails, and on road without any thought to what shoes I need for today, or what socks would be good for wet weather.  This fantasy is now becoming my reality. (more…)