In the world of supportive shoes, orthotics and an obscure infatuation with padded or narrow shoes, I feel that as a species we have lost touch with the thing that leaves us grounded and our main point of contact with the earth: our feet. Initially, it’s something that I too have been oblivious to after being brought up knowing no better but as I’ve got older and become more aware, it puzzles me how we’ve got ourselves into this situation.
I do believe the health of feet is something that can be discussed covering a wide variety of topics, from the physical and biomechanics point of view to the spiritual side, but I’m by no means an expert in any of this. The basis of what I’m going to talk about is my personal experience as I embarked on my journey back to my fundamental roots as a human being.
Why I Went Barefoot
I can’t put my finger on why exactly I started the path towards being barefoot. If I were to try to, I would put it down to me playing football barefoot at school (so that I didn’t trash my shoes and get killed by my mother!) and finding that I felt quick, more nimble and played better. I continued to do this during the weekend ventures to the park with friends and ultimately, it just felt right.
When I got to college, though I ran in conventional shoes most of the time, I utilised the back fields to enjoy running in full contact with the ground again in just my socks. Instead of my mother killing me, it was my housemates this time with wet muddy socks… But it felt right, light and free so when a housemate came in with the Vibram FiveFingers, my interest was certainly spiked. This was followed by some further research of my own into the field and I was sold.
The main inspiration and validation that I needed for this switch though came further down the path when I came across the book Born To Run. An intriguing and eye opening book by Christopher McDougall, it takes you through his encounters with the Taraumara and how this changed his running habits for the better. Alongside the story of the Taraumara, it starts to touch upon the story of how we got to where we are with our relationship with footwear and the research conducted in the field since then.
In particular, the studies that mostly caught my eye were the ones conducted on the level of impact on the body when shoed and not due to proprioception, and why we ended up standing up as a species. To answer both of these in short, you have a higher level of impact when wearing shoes as your body doesn’t properly absorb it like it should and we stood up to be able to evolve into fantastic runners, becoming immense endurance animals for a greater survival rate (though there are several factors that lead into this).
The Beginning – Vibram FiveFingers
As mentioned before, the set of barefoot shoes that I was introduced was the Vibram FiveFingers by a friend at college, who was using them as his go to training shoe. It was from that moment that the seed for me was planted about taking on what was initially seen as the challenge of barefoot shoes from seeing his success with them. However, it took another year or so for it to truly blossom into making the dive and purchasing my own set. Obviously, the FiveFingers were the ones I knew about thus the first set that I purchased.
The pair that I bought were the KSO Evos, the ultimate minimalist shoe compared to some of the more robust pairs, and I was so excited to get cracking, I walked out of the shop with them on.
Walking through central Birmingham at the time, how did I initially find them? Odd I must admit! Going from “conventional” shoes of today to these meant I was suddenly very aware of everything my feet were feeling but the level of freedom I had was alarming in a good way! It’s hard to explain but it just felt right.
Alongside the running, which I’ll get to in a second, over the next couple of years, the Vibrams became my shoe of choice for walking around in day to day. During this time, the two main things I noticed was my walking gait change and my foot shape and structure. This for me translated to a shorter stride, less impact on my heels, my feet widen and the arches of my feet strengthen from what were very flat and weak feet.
The gains weren’t just in my ability to walk (which is odd to say), when wearing the Vibrams in the gym, I felt a lot more grounded and stable when conducting floor based lifts in comparison to the instability caused from being in padded, heeled footwear.
Overall, I feel this continuation of walking and training in them allowed my feet to be retrained in the art of being barefoot again, strengthening muscles that had been left to go dormant and could be one of the reasons for my later success.
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses though, as I’m about to go into…
Mistakes That I Made With Barefoot Running
Thinking that my running technique was already pretty much on the mid foot (landing just behind the balls of your feet), I decided that I would make the dive and go for what was a relatively short 3 mile run as my first time.
Oh what a mistake that was…
Though I felt good during the run, bar the odd stone that was a bit sharp in the middle of my foot, I certainly wasn’t expecting the pain and tightness that I had the day after. Yes, I took all the right precautions and stretched straight after thoroughly but the pain, discomfort and pure inability to walk the next day took me by surprise. My calves were solid as a rock and any ability to flex or extend them had gone. I was simply left waddling around and was in a pretty bad way. This then continued on for nearly another week.
From this, I noted my first mistake of going from supported shoes to barefoot shoes, which was to gradually implement them into your training. I thought I’d taken heed of this advice but it’s clear, I didn’t take it enough. I made sure that I dialled it right back (once I’d recovered!) and started with a quarter mile per run and built it up 10% per week. This turned out to be a pretty sustainable way of building it up until I hit issue two.
The second mistake that I made and continued to make for a significant amount of time was I was actually landing on my forefoot (landing in front of the ball of my foot). I adopted the principles of gradually building up the mileage and using the figure of 10% per week. However, I was struggling to get past just over a mile without suffering the same way that I did after that first run. The root of my problems was my running form and the fact that I was over using my calves. This stemmed from researching the “correct” running form without the support of modern day conventional trainers, resulting in me misreading and being misinformed how to land correctly.
What I was doing was by making sure that I landed on my forefoot, I was pointing my toes that whole time, keeping my calves under tension and trying to ensure I kept that position every time I landed. This was resulting in all that force not being absorbed correctly by my natural biomechanics and overusing my calves. Unfortunately, how I went about correcting this comes a little later into the story as it took a while for this to be pointed out.
I wasn’t deterred though and I continued to walk around with the feeling of freedom that the Vibrams allowed me, be it with the odd look or two in public and near loss of some friends of mine as they daren’t be seen with me!
As for running, I returned to my Nike Free Run training shoes to be able to get the mileage in that I wanted to hit, temporarily putting the ambition to become a barefoot runner on the back burner.
Reigniting The Barefoot Dream – Vivobarefoot
After a few years of using Vibram, I decided to transfer my shoe of choice over to Vivobarefoot. In all honesty, I’m not sure exactly what it was that made me change but ultimately it brought about me finding the key to running success and reigniting the barefoot dream for me. I feel the main drivers were the look they had, looking more like “accepted” footwear, and the success seen with them by an athlete that has become a huge inspiration, Ross Edgley.
Once my interest was spiked, I headed into the shop when passing through London and from there, things only went upwards. The thing that really took me aback was the customer care that the guys at Vivobarefoot give you from the moment you enter their shop. You’ll usually find a staff member waiting just inside the doorway, greeting people as they step over the threshold and aiming to help them out straight away. When it comes to helping those individuals, all staff members are knowledgeable about the barefoot experience, what shoe will fit your need and this is all backed up with the fact they all wear the product they are advertising. Knowing that a variety of people come into the shop, from barefoot veterans to first timers, they know how to tailor their style and they really don’t rest until you’re satisfied.
As if they hadn’t done enough for me during my visit, when I explained a couple of the issues that I was facing with my barefoot running, I was invited into the rear of the shop where their running coach lives and was beckoned on to the treadmill. In a short 20 minute free coaching session, my idea of running had completely changed for the good. This is something that I have already spoken passionately about in my blog about the lead up to my half marathon so would invite you to head over and take a more in-depth read. Not only had I been informed what I was doing wrong but given very useful cues and techniques how to make it for the better. From that moment, I haven’t looked back and can only thank Vivobarefoot and the team for this. If this what can happen in a 20 minute freebie, I can’t imagine the experience you’d receive in one of the full paid 90 minute ones.
As you can guess, I walked out with a pair. The weapon of choice was a pair of Vivobarefoot Stealth II.
Upping The Mileage
After all the trials and tribulations that I’ve faced with the making the transition back to living a barefoot lifestyle, which still to me sounds crazy that I would have to go through such an experience to get back to a state that we spent thousands of years evolving to, how have I managed to get up to running as much as I do? Currently, at the time of writing this blog, I’m running around 40 miles across three runs a week, with a long run on the Sunday. How I got here was to make sure I followed the guidance about my technique and started off with just 2 mile runs and building up by half a mile a session per week on those barefoot runs until I was around the 5 mile mark and returning home feeling fine. From there, I continued to raise the mileage, making sure I was controlled with it and if at any time I felt discomfort in my calves or any other part of my body, to stay at mileage until the next week.
Another key to making sure that I was upping the mileage and still enjoying it was to aim for natural places. What do I mean by that? Aiming for somewhere that gets you away from the concrete and tarmac of being in a town or city and getting out to run along a beach front, though a nature reserve, the local park or through a wooded trail. Then as the mileage increased, I could aim for further out locations to explore and enjoy. This ensure that I continued to enjoy running when surrounding myself with cool places to explore. Ultimately, this was the secret to staying when running 10+ miles.
As well as that steady progression, another required principle is that I make sure that everyday I take great care to stretch out and foam roll everything properly. Ensuring that I stay on top of muscular imbalances and knots is key to staying injury free and able to stay relaxed when out running. Add in some rehabilitation exercises to balances the hips and it gets things moving smoothly.
Going Toe to Toe – Vivobarefoot vs Vibram FiveFingers
After experiencing both of these barefoot shoes, I felt the experience was different, even if slight, meaning that I see each having their own use. The essential point though is that both shoes main aim of giving you the “barefoot” experience, without going that extra step of removing your shoes (just yet), is accomplished.
Vibram FiveFinger Positives
Having your individual toes available to move individually gives you your foot dexterity back, something you lose in modern day shoes. Walking around the streets of the modern day world, this isn’t really a major issue for you. However, if you’re out in nature, having that dexterity in your feet gives you extra grip, especially if you’re scrambling over rocks on an exciting hike. Alongside this, using your whole foot is going to start activating the small muscles in your feet that have been allowed to be wasted.
The design of the shoes a good step back in the direction of going back to our roots, whether it be in the functionality of the shoe or the look of them. Clearly, they are based around nature’s design of out feet and try to function as so. This gives them a lot of flexibility in the sole to aid starting to use more of your foot and the structure within it. This is only further helped by the shoes rightly getting rid of the heel drop that has plagued modern day shoes and hindered the optimal operation of our feet, not adding forces and pressures in areas that they shouldn’t be.
Vibram FiveFinger Negatives
The first of the downsides to the Vibrams are actually the design, which is a small detail by one that soon gets noticed! You can’t wear socks in them unless you invest in the appropriate socks that are shaped like the shoes. Now, there isn’t an issue with the shoes being cold to wear thus needing to invest. Where this does become a problem (reader discretion is advised) is the fact that your feet get pretty sweaty and the dead skin from your feet builds up in them. This means you have to invest in a hard bristled thin brush to scrub it out and wash them on a regular basis, which can be tedious when trying to scrub them out.
The second downside with the Vibrams is that the majority of their shoes, though minimalistic compared to modern day shoes, there’s still a surprising amount of padding on the bottom of them, which in turn makes them quite rigid in places. This means that you don’t get the full sensory feedback returned to your feet and full functional movement of your feet. Having this is key to be able utilise something your body uses called proprioception, which is where your body senses everything in comes into contact with and subconsciously reacts to it. This is key for your feet when you’re running as your feet will sense the different surfaces you’re landing on and change how much of the impact you’re set to absorb.
Unfortunately, the fit of the shoe brings about two downsides. The first one is that the shoes have a very specific fit. They fit very tightly and are like gloves for your feet, which can be great. But there’s a little flaw to this and that’s the fact that if you’re feet aren’t the shape of the shoe, they just won’t fit you properly. Either you’re going to end up with a toe being rammed into the end or like me, having your little toe fall out of the slot designed for it. The other part to this downside is the fact that they can fit like a glove, you are quite set in the position that the shoe is designed. This doesn’t give you the opportunity for your feet to expand and spread as they naturally should. The toes of the shoes don’t go out like a natural foot that’s not been ruined after years of abuse in modern day shoes, they go straight ahead meaning you don’t get the full benefit of being “barefoot”.
Vivobarefoot Positives
One of the main parts of purchasing this footwear is to allow your toes to spread and allow your feet to widen after being forced in narrow shoes, restricting your feet. This is where Vivobarefoot beats Vibram. When you purchase the former, you are told you need to buy a shoe that is what feels too large and this allows that lateral movement and spread, making your feet more reactive. Whereas with the latter, they are fixed by design and don’t have as much freedom as they should do.
Just like the Vibram FiveFingers, the design allows full embrace of all things barefoot, with what I think is a small noticeable difference. You have the no heel drop however, with the sole of the Vivobarefoots, the lack of padding and added flexibility in the shoe is much better than the FiveFingers. This gives your foot both more freedom movement and a higher degree of sensory feedback for your proprioception.
This is a small but key one! No toes mean you can wear normal socks! What does that mean? That build up of dead skin and sweat is less likely to happen and you’re not going to suffer from a funky smell. However, should you wish to wear them without a set of socks on, you can do and they are just as comfy, even when walking around on hard surfaces such as in urban areas.
Finally, the numerous designs across the Vivobarefoot collection allows you to have a shoe for all occasions. There’s something for being a training shoe, a smart leather shoe, a casual canvas shoe, off road trail running shoes and full blown boots for hiking. This is something that I’ve loved, after being retracted to the FiveFingers for the gym or running on roads, I now have footwear that’s good for my feet for all social occasions.
Vivobarefoot Negatives
In comparison to the FiveFingers, with it taking the shape of a conventional shoe, you lose the dexterity of having your toes available to use. This has mainly been noticed when walking around on muddy/slippery trials and rocks. With the flat bottom of the Vivobarefoot, you can have a tendency to slip easily, whereas with the Vibrams, you have the ability to grip with your toes, saving you the embarrassment of ending up on my backside!
A downside to both brands is the price. I know they give a lot of benefits to those that purchase and emabrace the footwear but the usual sticking point is the price, which have starting prices being in the range of at least £100. When there’s a lot of cheaper footwear, even if it’s bad for your feet, most people are going to be drawn to those.
Would I recommend making the switch to someone else? I certainly would. For me, with the right coaching, it has made my running easier, more efficient and more enjoyable. Alongside this, I’m training now in a way that is a lot better for my long term health and my body’s longevity with less impact and using it how it was designed by nature. I would however emphasise the point about gradually building yourself into this endeavour and listen to your body.
Though I’ve said all this, I feel that my barefoot story is only the beginning. Yes, I’ve been able to start running fairly long distances on a regular basis but I’m yet to really test myself in the competitive fields of OCR and ultramarathons, which are where my goals guide me. I do feel though that the switch back to the fundamentals of being human and how we’ve been designed has been a positive with plenty more adventures and development on the horizon.
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