How to start barefoot running

Thought I'd give some quick advice purely from my own experience:

1. Believe that running barefoot is very possible and actually enjoyable, not to mention cheaper

2. Don't expect miracles - it's going to take a while for your feet to get hardened during which time it will hurt a bit and you will need to persevere

3. Take your runners with you to start with - try a patch barefoot and when you can take the pain no more, or the surface gets to knobbly, use your shoes for a bit

4. You need to run regularly, of course. I run three or four times a week and each time for at least three miles.

5. Don't be fazed if you stub your toe: you'll find you do this less and less as time goes on.  Occasionally you will be attacked by a thorn and prickles - so equip yourself with tweezers, pliers and antiseptic for extraction - but as your feet harden you will be afflicted less and less in this way.

6. As time goes on use your trainers less and less until you are ready to leave the shoes behind for good: from this point on you will never look back.

7. If cracks appear as the skin thickens use some moisturiser cream e.g. Silcock's Base, especially between the toes. Mud in particular tends to dry out the skin.

8. Your feet will of course get dirty, that's par for the course. And cold in winter - I find there is no difficulty running barefoot down to freezing point, but it gets uncomfortable below that. You will of course look where you are stepping and thus can avoid landing in nasty stuff. Provided the skin of your feet is not broken you should come to no harm.

9. By all means check it out on the web but don't believe these sites that imply that you will soon be able to run on any surface painlessly. It hurts when you hit a stone, especially if you strike on your heel. On every run I take it hurts a bit on some surfaces and I've been totally without shoes for a year now.

10. Don't be surprised if you become the subject of ridicule and don't expect anyone else to join you - so far I have never seen ( except in photographs) or knowingly met anyone running barefoot.

11.Without doubt running barefoot is enjoyable, liberating and also good for you in that it encourages you to land on the ball of your foot and thus reduce injury.  It is also cheaper, even after paying for the Silcock's Base and tweezers.

Floreat barefoor currit

Running bare feet 4

At last some slightly warmer weather.  I did the forest circuit bare foot again first thing this morning.  This is the first time this year at this time of day.


Here is some practical advice for would be barefoot runners.


Could it be that one's feet are softer after a night's sleep?

It is true that I run slower bare foot than shod when the surface is iffy and that I tend to land on the full foot to spread the load.  This is bad, but I figure that if I don shoes for those hard parts my feet will never harden.

It is also true that on short grass (or sand, or very smooth pavement but grass is best) my feet tend to rise so that I both land and spring off from the ball of my foot, and this greatly increases my speed now that my calf muscles are beginning to adapt.  My body tells me that this is how I am meant to run: it feels good, it lifts you up a couple of inches, it feels more efficient.

Never take your eyes off the ground ahead for more than a moment.  Something caught my eye on the horizon today and my eyes dwelt on it just too long and my left foot landed on a thistle.