Running Ready: From the Sole Up

Running is one of the most natural things a human can do. Unfortunately, many aspects of modern running are quite unnatural. This is a major reason why runners are some of the most injured athletes around.

As I gear up for BAREfit's Adventure Ready: Running series, I realize more and more how misinformed runners are when it comes to their feet. Your feet are designed to feel the ground, to move and flex and extend and grip and spread and build strength and stretch naturally. Most modern shoes are designed to have the exact opposite effect on your feet. They insulate, cradle, raise, squeeze, immobilize, tighten and weaken feet, treating them like brittle blocks, not the robust and reactive connection with the earth they truly are. Weak, tight, and dysfunctional feet radiate those characteristics up to your ankles, shins, knees, hips, lower back and pretty much every part of your body.

All things considered, there are four main routes to go if you want to run naturally. Big shoe companies don't tell you this because they want your feet to stay hopelessly addicted to their teched out high dollar foam foot coffins! So, consider the following your official buyers guide for healthy and happy feet.

The Full Barefoot

These are the slightly crazy Jedi zen masters of the running world. In an ideal world we would all walk, run and do everything pretty much else barefoot, but the world is far from ideal. Running barefoot provides the most natural option for runners, encouraging a highly efficient low impact stride and literally nothing keeping your foot from operating as it should. On the other side, your feet have no protection from cold, rocks, broken glass, scorpions, roots or other hazards. Your feet will naturally toughen up over time, but this option is not for everyone.

The Gist

The most natural option, but not for everyone. Slightly painful.

Top Picks

Nothing to buy here gear wise, you came equipped with a perfectly good pair. Though some epsom salt for healing foot soaks isn't a bad idea...

The O.G. Huarache

At a certain point in our hunter gatherer past our ancestors got tired of always stepping on pointy stuff so they attached straps to a foot shaped piece of leather and thus the huarache was born. This original "shoe" has stayed pretty unchanged since its conception and is still the go to footwear for many modern hunter gatherers and minimalist runners alike. I'm personally a big fan of them as my go to option for warmer dryer weather. Since it's literally a piece of rubber strapped to your foot, you have many of the same advantages as going fully barefoot while having a little more bottom of foot protection to take the bite off rocks etc.

Where your run into issues though is wet, especially muddy, conditions that can cause your foot to slide around, messing with your stride and just being uncomfortable. You'll also run into general sandal issues getting rocks etc. stuck between your foot and sole and getting the front caught under roots/rocks if your not careful.

The Gist

These are a great option if your want your feet as bare as possible, but still need to function in the modern world.

Top Pics

I've had the most experience with Earthrunners' huaraches and really dig their handmade feel and lo-fi spartan one strap design. Their new hemp footbeds also stay grippy when wet! Xero Shoes' offerings are also really solid, especially if you want something a little more refined with the option for more cush.

The Foot Hugger

Next up we have barefoot shoes, often referred to as foot gloves. These will have a sole similar in thickness to huaraches, but with a flexible "running shoe" upper making them better for cold, wet and muddy conditions. In addition to a minimal flexible sole, they should have a wide foot shaped toe box allowing the toes to splay and spread naturally. The Vibram FiveFingers (aka goofy toe shoes) really jump started the market for these shoes and since their introduction, many larger brands have added minimalist offerings alongside smaller companies that specialize in barefoot shoes.

The Gist

These are a great option for those looking for more protection and don't mind sacrificing some foot freedom, especially when colder, wet conditions are present.

Top Picks

The best shoe is one that fits well, and everyones foot is unique so unfortunately there's no one shoe to rule them all. With that said, the Xero Shoes Prio is my favorite barefoot shoe currently on the market. It's a comfortable solid performer that I often forget I'm even wearing. (Check out my full review for more details) Vivo Barefoot has a really solid wide range of options but at a premium cost. As for bigger companies Merrel and New Balance have pretty decent options too. The fit, feel and design of each are unique, so if one brand doesn't work for you, try another.

The Transition Team

And lastly, we have neutral, but not minimal shoes. By neutral, I mean there is no wedge style drop from heel to toe. This neutral sole mimics a natural no rise foot positioning, encouraging healthy ankle, knee, hip and back alignment with a mid-foot strike while still giving the cushion of a traditional running shoe. The added cushion though, creates a stiffer shoe that inhibits natural foot movement as compared to a true minimalist shoe. These are a good option for those who have only known modern running shoes and want to take a first step to more natural running. Going from a full cushion shoe to zero cushion can be a shocking transition (literally) and neutral shoes can help ease that process for the slow and steady types.

The Gist

Natural positioning, but not natural movement. A good first step to minimalist natural running, but not a solution because they only address part of the issue.

Top Pics

Altra and Topo Athletic are your two best bets in this category. Both offer a pretty solid range of styles and are well preforming shoes.

Now a few notes on transitioning. if you've worn modern shoes your whole life and run with a heel strike, you have a vast number of muscles, tendons and ligaments in your feet and lower legs that at best are very weak and quite immobile. So, in the same sense that you wouldn't attempt to deadlift 300lbs your first time doing the exercise, it will take some time and intention to make up for years of misuse and underuse. A good place to start is just walking around your house barefoot as it's a safe space to begin waking up your feet. Be patient and listen to your body, stretch and tend to sore muscles, and most of all, enjoy the journey.

Stay tuned for more running centric posts, which will dive deeper into how to become a more capable and durable runner!