Barefoot Running

[system]

If you run on surfaces that are clean but manage to step on grass don’t be too worried unless you are a sprinter that believes you shoud be pulling like in Speed Dynamics.

[Charlie_Francis]

@Tom_Green

I tried on a pair of the Nike Free on the other day.

Granted I only walked around the store with them, I don’t think they are all that.

On the plus side- they did come with two different insoles depending on how high of an arch you have.

But what do insoles have to do with Barefoot Running?

The downside would be the heel design does not look as if it is build for much wear (In fact, the employee who assisted me said they had had returns because of the heel wearing out).

Since when did running barefoot come with an $85 price tag?

The alternative I’ve used is the old Nike Aqua Sox (the water sport shoe they had). The Aqua Sox was out in the late 80’s and I found a pair two years ago at a Nike Outlet Store for $16. They have served the purpose well as they are just enough to cover the foot for protection without interruption of foot mechanics that would be the same as running barefoot.

The aqua-sox sound like a good idea. There are also other alternatives at swimming or diving stores that should be pretty cheap. They can double up for use on the beach in shallow water for water resisted drills.
BTW, a client of mine bought an expensive pair of Nike flats here and the bottom tread of one of the shoes fell off in 3 days! Of course, he’d already left town and couldn’t return them. Real craftsmanship there.

[system]

How about “reef boots” made for surfing. You can buy 5mm and 7mm thick soles for around £20 (probably $30).

They are pretty stirdy but will make your feet sweat! I ran in 3mm ones on the beach this summer and had no problems. Probably fine on grass with 5-7mm.