Source: Flickr (hardloperhans)

What can be done to improve your running? Many things involve significant effort and investment: interval workouts, tempo workouts, high(er) mileage, better nutrion, and recruiting a coach.

Sometimes we just look for something simple and easily understood to improve ourselves. If that’s you, here’s what you should consider.

1. Consistency

If there was only one thing you could pick to become a better runner, pick this! Running consistency is crucial.

How do you achieve running consistency? Run more often. Instead of running 8 miles 3 days a week, try running 4 miles 6 times a week.

We start to lose our fitness after 2 days off from running. It only gets worse each subsequent day you take off.

Instead of battling regression of progress with runs, provide your body with a steady stream of runs from which it can recover and steadily improve.

Think of it like this: if you were trying to fill a large container of water, one bucket at a time, would you rather have a big heavy bucket, but there is a hole in the container — or would you prefer a smaller bucket and a container which doesn’t leak?

I’ll take the smaller bucket. Easier trips and no waste!

If you’re already consistent with your running schedule, you still have room for improvement. Run doubles (running twice a day) if you can, even if one run is just 2 miles. This gives your body twice as many opportunities per day to heal.

2. Recovery

Recovery Food. After a run, you should plan to consume carbohydrates and protein as soon as possible, ideally within 30-45 minutes. Muscles rely on carbs for fuel. They rely on protein w/the carbs to stimulate faster glycogen replacement and optimize muscular repair.

You can get very specific with that grams of carbs and protein you should consume based on your weight and effort, however it’s best to start simple. If you’re not used to eating after a run, start by just having a healthy snack after the run which you know has carbs and protein in it.

If you want to dig deeper into nutrion, check out Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. This is a comprehensive guide on sports and food.

Recovery Duration. If you’re beating your body up through quality workouts, you need to ensure proper recovery time between the quality bouts.

If you still feel sore or tired going into a scheduled “hard” workout, make it an easy day. You may not gain anything by forcing yourself through a mediocre workout but you risk quite a bit.

Take an extra easy day and let your body rebuild — after all, you get better at running when you heal, not when you break down.

3. Strides, added at the end of an easy run

Pick it up ( 1 mile to 5k pace) at the end of an easy run by running 4-8 quick strides, 30-45 seconds each. Make sure you jog easily between each stride to recovery fully.

Strides help keep the fast twitch fibers recruited even when you’re in a regimen of running easy every day. Strides also improve your running efficiency and form by stretching out your stride length.

As you run, focus on turning your legs over quickly (do not overstride), feeling relaxed (don’t clench your whole body like you’re going to impact a brick wall), and standing tall (you shouldn’t be hunched over).

4. 180 Steps Per Minute

Keep your stride rate at approximately 180 steps per minute. This is a simple method to determine if you are turning over your legs too slowly.

Regardless of how fast or slow you are running, you should be taking approximately 180 steps per minute. It is your stride length that should change, not the number of steps you’re taking for a given set of time.

To check, keep track of how many times your right foot hits the ground in a 30 second period and multiply it by two. If you’re not in the 85-90 range your leg turnover is too slow and you should improve it.

5. Mix up the surfaces you run on.

If you usually pound the pavement, find your way to a trail, if for only part of your run.

Do you insist on always seeing the forest surrounding you while you run? Try running on the roads to your favorite trail spot.

Your body adapts well to a single types of terrain. Changing up the terrain can improve your strength and flexibility while reducing the chance of getting injured (as long as you step over that tree root!)

What simple advice do you have for others to improve their running?

I’m constantly trying to evaluate, assess and discuss the options for running that we have.

Source: flickr - doegox

Winter means many different things, to many different people. To me, it means snow, ice, and a windchill up to -15F (-26C). Based on your locale, you will have to adjust things to fit your needs. I have written at length about barefoot winter running advice, options, clothing, and experience.

The reoccurring question is, “Can I run barefoot in the winter?”

The answer, which rears its head for most running related questions, is “it depends on…”.

Your body.

It’s important to tell yourself that just because someone else can run barefoot in the snow, doesn’t mean you’re capable of it.

Once you’re done with that thought, remind yourself that the human body is capable of amazing, and often mind baffling feats.We are each an experiment of one. Set your mind right, so you’re able to experiment with your body correctly.

Your environment.

There are four key factors which will impact your ability to run in the snow: snowfall, temperature, windchill, and the road salt situation.

Snowfall is important to consider because running in snow above your ankles will have a drastically different feel and impact on your body heat than running with the snow solely beneath your soles.

Temperature and windchill both affect the duration of the time you can experiment before you reach a dangerous situation.

Road Salt can cause all sorts of problems. If your neighbors salt the sidewalks you may find them painful to traverse. Even more problematic is the effect of the salt. Water that would have normally been ice, or remained snow is now a liquid whose temperature is below freezing. Stepping in a road “puddle” or getting your feet wet with this below freezing mixture can accelerate foot damage.

Your ability, and desire, to adapt slowly.

Just as learning to run barefoot took patience, learning to run barefoot in the snow will take a similar patience. The risk of too much, too soon though is vastly different.

In the warmer months, you find yourself with blisters or cuts. In the winter, you will find yourself with frostbite.Be sure you learn the warning signs so that you can take corrective action immediately.

Don’t let barefoot run scare you though, just be safe — try it, experiment and see what works for you. I’d love to hear about your experiences, both success and failures. It helps me learn more.

Just remember: always have a backup plan to prevent frostbite and don’t push it!

Resources for learning more:

• Frostbite. Know what it looks like, what it feels like, and how to heal it if you find yourself with it.
• Barefoot Rick’s Winter Running Diary and Discussion. You’ll find 5 years worth of anecdotal information and his discussion with the NY Times.
• Additional guide and thoughts from the MapleGrove barefoot guy.

I was never a runner. Oh, I tried. I can think of a half a dozen times between 1980 and 2007 where I would head out the door and try to put in a couple of miles.

Never could do it. Never liked it. I’d get about a half a mile out and think, Okay, this is NOT fun.

On the other hand, I was a sprinter.

Up until the time I was 16, I was the fastest person I knew. Then everyone got taller than me and my attention turned full-time to gymnastics (which worked out well; I was an All-American).

So, cut to 2007, when my friend David joined me for brunch, ecstatic, “I just won my first 5k!” and I congratulated him and told him my story of unsuccessful attempts and jogging.

“Oh,” he chirped, “You should just go back to sprinting. They have Masters Track & Field.”

WHAT?

David explained that, totally unknown to me, was a running subculture of masters athletes, aged 35+, and an international competitive track & field circuit.

I could barely contain my excitement as I scrawled down the number of a local coach that David knew.

Now let’s spring forward 2 years.

I’d connected with the coach, started training, loved competing, and was doing okay. I’d dropped 16 pounds without trying, I was loving the camaraderie of other older athletes (almost everyone I trained with had a medal from some Masters world championship race), and I was totally engaged with figuring out how to train an aging — at this point, 47 year old — body.

And I was almost always injured. I don’t think I had more than a 2 week stretch where I didn’t have some pull, tear, twinge or other injury in my glutes, hips, hamstrings, or calves that would sideline me for a couple of weeks.

That’s when my training partner Simon, handed me a copy of Born To Run and suggested I take up barefoot running.

Needless to say, I inhaled the book — it’s a great read whether you’re a runner or not — and then I got online and searched for more info about barefoot running. It just happened that Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee, the authors of Barefoot Running, not only lived nearby, but were giving a workshop that weekend. So, off I went for my first barefoot run.

We did a bunch of drills and then took a slow barefoot run on the Boulder Creek Path. I found it fascinating, but at the end of the mile or so that we ran I said to Michael, “This isn’t my thing. I’m a sprinter. I don’t want to do long, slow running.”

“Why don’t you think of it as an off-season calf workout?” he replied.

That got me to come back the next week, which turned out to be the second most important run of my life.

See, that week, I was so fascinated by the sensations of running barefoot, by trying to find ways to run lighter and easier, by the changes in my stride that different arm angles or core tightness made… that I had no idea I ran over 5k! Me. A sprinter. 5k!

And while running 3 times farther than I’d ever run before was important, the more important part of my 2nd most important run is what happened next: I got a big blister on the ball of my left foot.

What made this so pivotal is that I instantly realized, “Well, I’m clearly doing something different with my left leg… the one that I injure 90% of the time!”

That realization is what got me to my third barefoot run, the most important one of my life.

It was a week later and I wasn’t fully healed. So I figured I’d go out and try to find a way to run that didn’t hurt my blistered foot. After all, I thought, if I could stop doing with my left leg the thing that caused the blister, I should be able to run with it hurting.

“I’ll just give it 10 minutes,” I thought, “and if it still hurts by then, I’ll stop.”

The first 9 minutes were hell. No matter what I did, I was rubbing raw skin on cement. Not fun. The whole time, I’m wondering, “How can I stop doing with my left leg what I’m already not doing with my right?”

And at the 9:30 mark, something changed. Suddenly, I was running easily, pain-free, and faster. I felt light. I wasn’t bouncing up and down. I was running.

Only after a couple months did I realize that the change was that I stopped overstriding — reaching out with my foot — and I stopped pulling and pushing on the ground with my feet, instead I was placing and lifting them.

At the end of that same couple of months, I noticed two other things: 1) all my injuries were healed, and ; 2) my life-long flat feet had started to change shape and develop arches!

By this point I was totally sold on the barefoot idea and I wanted to spend as much time barefoot as I could. I had tried on the Vibram FiveFingers a few times since I had gotten back into track, but they never fit me. Inspired by Born To Run, I gathered the materials to make some huaraches running sandals.

I made about 20 pairs for the local runners and then Michael Sandler said, “You should do this as a business. I’m writing a book and if you had a website, I’d put you in it.” Hmmm…

I pitched this idea to my wife, who totally shot it down. So, I waited until she went to bed… and built a website ;-)

We launched www.invisibleshoe.com on November 23, 2009, selling our high-tech upgrade of the Tarahumara huaraches. Since then, we’ve sold over 11,000 pairs to people from 65 countries, aged 6-86. And it’s been so gratifying to be part of other people making the minimalist move.

Since switching to barefoot, I’ve been uninjured for 2.5 years. I’m a Masters All-American sprinter in the 45-49 year old age group. I can’t wait until I turn 50 next year and have an age advantage (for a few months, at least).

About me

I’m 27 years old, 5’11”, around 170lbs, and fairly fit. I have always disliked shoes (all shoes trap heat and moisture in a way I find uncomfortable), and I ran barefoot quite often throughout my youth. I’ve also always lived in shoes-off households, so I spent much of every day barefoot even before changing my outside footwear. My previous outside footwear included Chuck Taylors and today’s conventional tennis shoes.

I changed my shoe preferences two years ago because it fit with my general health philosophy (i.e., evolved mechanics are probably best), not because I was experiencing any kind of pain. Also, I was blessed with an uncanny ability to not give a fuck, which helps when starting out barefoot running.

In the last two years, I have spent an embarrassing amount of money on minimalist shoes. I have VFFs, Vivo Barefoots, Unshoes, and Softstars: i.e., minimalist all-stars.

My story

The exact timeline is fuzzy because it’s been a while.

Months 1-6

Relatively soon after I changed my shoe preferences, my problems began. The first thing was plantar fasciitis in the left mid-foot. It was mild at first, but gradually got to the point where every step was painful. I figured too-much-too-soon, switched back to regular shoes until the pain went away, and eased back into minimalist shoes/barefoot . I also went to a doctor who suggested I perform a variety of stretches and exercises: a regime I complied with. That took about 2 months, but once I finished the slow transition, the PF didn’t come back, so I was pleased.

Months 6-12

I noticed calluses building up in my right forefoot. This didn’t bother me for the first 4 months, but after a while, I noticed the underlying bone was very sore. This blossomed into metatarsalgia, and my arches started to fall. It seemed like what I was experiencing matched up with Morton’s foot-type issues, so I tried putting a Morton’s pad into my shoes. This didn’t really do anything, so I went to a podiatrist for the first time. He wanted me to wear $400 orthotics. My response: “LOL NO. Barefoot, barefoot, etc.,” so nothing came of this visit.

Months 12-18

By this point, every step I took with my right foot was painful; my second metatarsal had “dropped,” and it was like I was walking on a stone. Running was completely out of the question, and I just wanted some relief. I tried fancy insoles for a month or so, and those did nothing. My plantar fasciitis came back in my left foot, and I started having top-of-the-foot pain. The latter developed into a visible bump as the tendon over that metatarsal became increasingly inflamed.

I started practicing a number of foot exercises, foam/ball rolling in the hopes that they would help. I still do all of those (because, hey, who knows), but they didn’t resolve my pain.

Months 18-22

This is where I tried toe-spreaders and had real relief for the first time. My plantar fasciitis went away, along with the top-of-the-foot pain. The pain from metatarsalgia greatly decreased, but remained, as did the calluses and the small bump. After easing into them, I wore the toe-spreaders religiously 24-7 in wide shoes for about a month. I could walk comfortably as long I wore them, and I was thankful for the relief.

Months 22-24

Then the metatarsalgia pain started coming back in force, leaving me pretty exasperated. One day in Costco, I saw a pair of arch supports  for $9. I bought them because I had already spent so much money on shoes and other curatives that I figured it didn’t matter. I put them into my Vivo Aquas and started wearing them around. Within three days, my feet were completely pain-free.

It’s now a month later, and I don’t have any calluses, my metatarsal is back in place, and the bump on top of my foot is gone.

Leftovers

My own feelings about this experience are pretty complex. I invested a lot both emotionally and economically into BR. I can’t say for sure that switching to “barefoot” caused my problems. After all, it could have been part of aging, etc. Given my relatively young age, overall health, and the sequence of events, however, I do think it’s more likely than not that the switch did cause my issues.  And that bothers me.

I’m sharing this story because I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did. Scientific and anecdotal evidence suggests barefoot is good.  It works for a lot of people. But, if it’s not working for you and you’ve given it a fair shot, I suggest trying something else. After two years, all I care about is that I can walk pain-free and run again.

For now, I’m still using the arch supports in case the soft tissue hasn’t completely healed yet. I’m hoping I can eventually take the supports out and my feet will be able to function naturally one day.

I realize that anything written by McDougall comes with a ridiculous amount of hype but I think he may be bringing something very worthwhile to the table with his observations.

The goal of the exercise is to improve your form to a more evolution-tested method which will reduce injuries. Great running strides (no pun intended) are made through consistency. The only way to have the opportunity to run consistently is to minimize time spent injured.

There’s also a website up already with the HundredUp challenge if you’re into that sort of thing. It includes helpful information on the major and minor methods directly from the horse’s mouth.

Check out the video example of the exercise:

Have you done exercises like this already? Have you seen any benefit?

The 100-Up Exercise

By W.G. George, 1908 (from hundredup.com)

“…let me impress upon the student the necessity of maintaining perfect form in every practice, be it in the preliminary or the exercise proper. Directly the correct form is lost the exercise should stop. Beginners should start the exercise slowly and on no account strain or over-exert themselves. Hurried or injudicious training, or fast work while the system is unprepared for it, induces breakdown and failure. On the other hand, slow, well considered, steady practice is never injurious, while breakdowns are practically unknown among those who start their training slowly and who gradually increase distance, time or pace as the heart, lungs and the muscular system throughout grow accustomed to the extra strain and revel in it.”

Good advice from a century ago. As implied in the text above, George outlined two levels of the exercise, which he called “Minor” and “Major”. Here is the key text of the “minor” exercise:

“Draw two parallel lines along the ground, 18 inches long and 8 inches apart.
Place one foot on the middle of each line. Stand flat-footed, the feet lying perfectly straight on the lines. The arms should be held naturally, loosely, and except for a slight forward inclination, nearly straight.

“Now raise one knee to the height of the hip, and bring the foot back and down again to its original position, touch the line lightly with the ball of the foot and repeat with the other leg. Continue raising and lowering the legs alternately. The main thing to remember is correct action. See that the knees are brought up at each stride to the level of the hip if possible, or as near as possible to the point as can be managed … and that the body maintains its correct perpendicular.

The exercise at first sight looks so easy of accomplishment that one might well think it possible to go a thousand up. This is the result of not raising the knees to the prescribed height — the main point of the exercise — or of ‘galloping’ through a short-timed movement in incorrect form. Get a friend to watch at your practice and to correct any shortcomings in your leg action or poise of the body and you will find the difference. Correct form once attained, the exercise may be increased in severity by gradually working from 10 to 20, 30 to 40 and so on to the ’100-up’ at each session, and by speeding up the pace.”

Source: Flickr - Villamon

Most people don’t like to see something they don’t expect. Being barefoot is public is taboo, imagine trying to run around that way? People see barefoot runners as absolutely crazy.

The media has done a decent job recently of improving people’s expectations on barefoot running but you cant still receive quite a few comments. For many more years now the public has been fed by shoe company propaganda and little, if any, working knowledge about the benefits or methods to barefoot running.

In my experience, people fit into 1 of 2 general categories: the inquisitive and the dismissive.

The Inquisitive. These people are floored with the idea and have an endless stream of questions, even if you tell them you’ve just started. They ask for more information, references, and are very interested in why you’re trying minimalism.

Folks in this category tend to be interested in the idea of being barefoot will probe you for the benefits and your experiences. Chatting with these types of people will revitalize your love of feeling the ground beneath your feet.

This is a great opportunity to promote minimalistic running and pass on your thoughts on the expected (and hopefully received) benefits of the practice.

The Dismissive. The snarky comments, the yells out of moving car windows, and the disbelief can be paralyzing to people experimenting.

When you head out the door without shoes for the first time, you feel like you’re running out the door naked. This leaves your confidence teetering on a thread.

Every person you pass, even if they don’t comment, feels like are staring at your feet and judging you — many are. The worst of these people will say hurtful things like “where’d you lose your shoes Forest”. Ok, not that hateful when you think about it right?

Don’t let the haters get you down. Don’t let the embarrassment temper your attempt.  There’s no better time to try barefoot running than the present. Start slow and put one foot in front of the other. Don’t want to go outside? Try a treadmill!

How do you deal with interaction with the public while you’re running?

Sometimes I’m barefoot, sometimes I’ve run the trails with the Merrell Trail Glove, but most of the time I put on my dirty pair of red and grey Five Finger’s.

Why is that?

For now, I’ve settled into a comfort zone of running — the one where things are working, you’re not getting injured, and you’re enjoying yourself. It’s hard to change just for the sake of change.

Change also comes with risks. Who wants to take a risk on getting hurt if things are working out well for them and they have no complaints?

I’ve talked and written about running barefoot quite a bit. I still whole heartedly believe in the benefits that it provides and teaches the body. When I speak to folks, I tell them before they try any type of minimalist shoe they need to be comfortable with their ability to run barefoot.

I would not be the runner I am today without the training that being barefoot has provided me.

At the end of the day though, I want to use what I’ve grown comfortable with and has kept me healthy.

What are you running in these days and why?

This post on his blog explains why he’s doing it, with the actual download being near the bottom of the post.

This is the full version of the book, not just a sample. This is a terrific and free resource to digest when time permits.

Here’s a quick sample from the book to whet your appetite:

Ten Barefoot Running Tips

1. A necklace worn around your neck can be a handy training tool. As you run, the necklace should remain more or less stationary. If it bounces up and down, you are probably overstriding. And if it sways from side to side, your upper body is moving too much or your arms are moving across your body.

2. If you are running on an asphalt road that is too rough, running on the painted white line will often be smoother. The lines can also be cooler in hot weather.

3. Carrying a foot care kit can be helpful should you injure yourself. My kit includes alcohol wipes for sterilization, tweezers for removing slivers or thorns, two adhesive bandages, and super glue to apply to minor cuts.

4. If running with a jogging stroller, stand toward one side so you can see debris in your path. For example, stand behind and to the left of the stroller while pushing with your right arm. This will give you an unobstructed view of the path to the left of the stroller.

5. Sand can be used as an indicator of good form. Run across a patch of sand. If your footprint is almost perfectly flat, you are effectively lifting your foot (this is good) but if there is a divot at the front of your foot, you are pushing off with your toes (this is bad).

6. If you find yourself over-analyzing your form, do something to distract yourself. Personally, I prefer to eat. Small candy works well. Others have reported success with listening to music, running with a partner and engaging in conversation, or running with a dog.

7. When running on a flat surface for a long time, the repetitive motions can cause the same muscles to work repeatedly. This will also apply the same stress to bones, tendons, ligaments, etc. Doing anything to add variety can be very useful. This would include running through a short section of grass along sidewalks, running on the gravel on the side of an asphalt road, or even jumping on or over obstacles along your path.

8. When running in cold temperatures, your feet will lose sensation. Most people will regain sensation as blood flow increases later in the run. To help speed the warm- up process, make sure you dress in warm clothing. Long pants work much better than shorts. Also, your feet will stay warmer as long as you are moving. Avoid stopping.

9. If you ever have to enter a store barefoot and they have a “no barefoot” policy, act as if you were wearing shoes. If you are walking with confidence, few people will notice. Those that do notice will be unlikely to confront you if you act as if you are doing nothing wrong.

10. This one is a bit radical. For those of us that have to wear shoes in the winter, our feet will lose some of their adaptation to walking and running over rough terrain. You can maintain some degree of adaptation by adding a tablespoon of fine gravel or kitty litter to your shoes. When spring comes, you gain your “summer feet” much quicker.

Each of these people tend to focus on one solution being the best. These people are often the most vocal proponents of their methods, as they see their success and want to impress it upon others.

Surely there must be other ways to run? You don’t need to stick to simply one type of shoe (or unshoe)! If you want to try running barefoot, you aren’t locked in to running all of your miles barefoot. This is obvious but it often bears repeating as it’s easy to lose focus on one’s purpose.

Know your purpose

Since you’re reading this site, you’re obviously interested in exploring different forms of running. Why? Is it injury prevention? Because you read about it in a newspaper, online, or elsewhere? What do you want to gain from this exploration?

Why stray from solely barefoot?

For some, there is no reason and that’s just fine.

Whether you stray from solely barefoot depends on:

1. What you value out of running.
2. What your goals are for running.
3. What works for you — after all, no one cares how you run.

Source: James Rohal

Why mix barefoot and minimalist running

I value running fast over trails and other unstable terrain. My goal is to often traverse the area as quickly and as efficiently as possible. I am able to run faster on trails with minimalist shoes than with barefeet. There simply isn’t the need to think as much about footfalls.

Also, the shoe helps ensure each step is more stable and consistent. This helps reduce chance of injury on trails as it dampens the effects of errors due to bad steps.

Running shod leads to deviating from your natural form. The tendency of those wearing shoes is to get too confident, not think enough, and by extension not run with as good of form as possible. This allows you to run faster, however it can also act as a degradation of your running form.

This is where running barefoot comes into play, this is your reset to zero, the removal of your bad tendencies and your migration back towards natural perfection. I think of running in shoes as a fast progression towards bad form, running in minimalist shoes as a slow progression towards bad form, and running barefoot as the baseline for proper mechanics.

Barefoot running is particularly useful for:

1. Learning to run correctly to begin with, when speed shouldn’t even be considered.
2. Continuing lifelong as a method of perfecting, improving, and maintaining running form.
3. Mental stimulation, due to the feedback provided from unhindered feet.

Utilizing minimalist shoes is particularly useful for:

1. Technical Trail running
2. Mitigating footfall variation

What to look for in a minimalist shoe

To reiterate for the hundredth time, each person will be different. In order of priority, here is what is most important to look for in a minimalist shoe:

1. Zero drop - Nearly all traditional running shoes are twice as thick in the heel than the forefoot.  Zero drop running shoes simply applies a 1:1 ratio — meaning that the heel and forefoot are the same distance off the ground — there is no “drop” from heel to toe.
2. Simplest solution to what you need. Any part of the shoe that exists, but does not serve a purpose for you, is a detriment. 
   
3. Lightweight – minimized weight and sole. The less you’re carrying, the less effort you’re expending.
4. Built for surface. Traction is vastly different when traversing technical trails than it is when cruising through the streets.
5. Forefoot protection.

Forefoot protection is key because having a protective plate of some sort in the forefoot not only makes one less timid on rocky, rooty trails (a definite improvement over the bare foot), but also provides rigidity and energy return in one’s footstrike and stride that would otherwise be absent. By having a solid platform to push off of with every footstep, a greater confidence in one’s footing — the ultimate goal — is achieved. [link]

How to implement in your life

1. Make sure you understand why you want to attempt this. If you don’t have a purpose, you won’t have success.
2. Throw out your preconceptions of how fast and how far you should be running. If you are in a marathon training plan, you can not implement this. This transition in itself is a training plan.
3. Start training by learning how to run barefoot. Only barefoot. Pour all of your running energy into learning how to run lightly and gently on nothing but your two feet. Don’t run with sneakers, don’t run with minimalist shoes, and don’t confuse your body by putting anything else on your feet. Force the change you desire by being in the state which allows your body no choice. This can be hard, which is why you spent time earlier deciding why you wanted to accomplish it. Remember these reasons now and that there is help transitioning.
4. If, and only if, you’re comfortable running barefoot, it is time to add in a minimalist shoe. Do you still get pains when running barefoot? Do your calves still hurt after every run? Then you’re not ready. You will know when you’re ready — when a run feel painless and you end with a smile as opposed to a grimace.
5. Review your shoe needs (trails, street, etc.) and experiment with the least amount of shoe that meets these needs.