The barefoot running shoe
What about running shoes? You’ve decided to start running and you keep hearing all kinds of different ideas about what type of shoes to get.
Here’s what I’ve found works for me – footwear. Yup, simply footwear. Basically any type of shoe can hurt you or help you. I’ve tried all kinds of shoes – cushioned, very cushioned, very thin, the barefoot running shoe (or as I like to call them “the creepy toe shoes”) etc. All of them have failed to work for me at one point and all of them work for me now.
The reason for that is that the most important thing about shoes is how you run. Learn the basics first and this may be all that you need:
1. Keep a good, symmetrical posture.
2. Lean forward, not from the waist but from your ankles.
3. Land on your fore-foot (or mid-foot), not your heel.
4. Increase your cadence not your gate. In other words, your feet should hit the ground 90+ times per minute. If you want to run faster, increase the number of foot strikes per minute, don’t try to increase the length of your stride.
An interesting thing about the barefoot running shoe is that it teaches you in a hurry what you’re doing wrong – there’s no heel striking with it and you have no choice by to increase your cadence. Whatever you do though, don’t run long distances in them right away if you’re not used to running barefoot – my back and calves are speaking from experience here.
Here’s a simple, 3 min video that helped me learn a ton. Don’t underestimate it’s simplicity.
Having seen the video, what are some of the mistakes you might be currently making? What changes do you need to make?
Please let me know by leaving a reply below.
100 FOR 100 Movement 
Thanks for this post Andrea! I’ve recently started doing more running type exercises and my feet have been killing me in my old shoes! Have been seeking out the best vegan friendly pair 🙂
New Balance and Mizuno are the big brands that most running stores carry and most of their shoes are made from synthetic materials only. These are the shoes I wear. The barefoot running shoes are also made of synthetic materials in large majority of cases – but like I mentioned, I wouldn’t wear those for longer runs unless you’re very used to running barefoot. Also, running in a barefoot running shoe in our winters is not exactly “cozy”. 🙂
They’re fantastic for learning to run though because every wrong step hurts a lot more – you learn what’s right in a hurry.