Totally BF... Why??

Anyway, what am I missing here? Are there other health benefits?
One difference that I've noticed is that barefoot trail running seems to require a wider range of motion, exercising muscles in a different way. Particularly, training on gravel seems to act like deep tissue massage and has improved my foot flexibility and aided in further development.
 
...it was quite liberating...

That's why.

Even when running on man-made surfaces, you feel more connected to Mother Earth because you have a gazillion nerve endings in your feet that are screaming out to be set free.

You become more in-tune with yourself, your body, and your mind.

When you keep your feet enclosed in even minshoes for long periods of time, you atrophy your feet and those nerve endings in so many different ways.

Like Sked said, every run is a new adventure. So true.
 
Good question, BTW.
 
Oh yes! Also, the money I save from buying shoes can go towards other things like supporting BRS!
Yes, yes, yes!
 
What's up with the unhappy smiley face? Hmmmm?

LOL that was just my best way to impersonate Butters (one of my favorite cartoon characters). I think the response I gave is something Butters would say to a question like that. Here he is making the face I was thinking of. Those are his parents in the background, they're always mad it him for some reason or other.

bGVb4mU.png
 
LOL that was just my best way to impersonate Butters (one of my favorite cartoon characters). I think the response I gave is something Butters would say to a question like that. Here he is making the face I was thinking of. Those are his parents in the background, they're always mad it him for some reason or other.

:)
 
1. Some people like it more than others, as you can clearly see in the above responses.

2. Sometimes I like it more than at others. A run when it's not too hot or too cold on a surface that is exciting without being too challenging...that can be a truly sublime experience. These days I see pictures of exotic locations like Hawaii, Greenland or Africa and dream of finding runs there to really get the feel of the places.

3. Go find Barefoot Ken Bob's site to read exhaustive explanations of the benefits of pure BF running. He's the real zealot for BF purity....in a nice way, of course.

4. I lost count of my mileage in my Vibram Bikalas after about 2,000 miles. Lining's gone, the bottoms are pretty much smooth, there are holes in 2 toes' soles on the right foot and the sides of the toe pockets are fairly hit and miss. I still run in them. I bought another pair ($42 on Ebay!) for races and when I want to keep the weather out.
 
lowerextremityreview.com/cover_story/the-truth-about-barefoot-running-its-complicated
Skipping down to the section on Variability, Lieberman suggests that barefoot running allows for greater variability. I enjoy running at a variety of paces depending on how I feel and the running conditions. Over time, I've also developed the sense that the foot landing can be variable, too. I can land on all five toes, more to the outside of the foot, more towards the first and second toe, with the toes closer together or with a full splay, or some combination of the above. It just depends on how I feel during that time and the surface. There no such freedom with shoes, minimalist or not. Even sandals will restrict one's movement. Just as gloves restrict the ability to use one's hands for dexterous work, the same applies to footwear.
 
LOL that was just my best way to impersonate Butters (one of my favorite cartoon characters). I think the response I gave is something Butters would say to a question like that. Here he is making the face I was thinking of. Those are his parents in the background, they're always mad it him for some reason or other.

bGVb4mU.png

"loo loo loo i like apples loo loo loo you do too"
 
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I can't add much to all these great posts, it seems we all have some common reasons. For me:

It's fun. Sure the rough surfaces can be a pain, but that makes the good conditions pure enjoyment.

Variety and sole stimulation. Every BF run is an adventure in route finding. Even on pavement runs I seek out variety.

I like having tough feet and ankles. When I do wear shoes, blisters are rare. My last ankle sprain was 4 years ago. I am more aware of my foot placement.

I am an injury prone runner. I am not immune to injuries BF, but it seems like they are fewer. Muscle and joint recovery is faster after barefoot runs.

Barefoot slows me down (not that I was ever fast). I enjoy the run more.

No more athlete's foot.

I'm coming up on 3 years of BF running and even though I'm wearing shoes more lately, I will never give it up completely.
 
Wowzers soooo many replies - and all fantastic, thank you! I've been off the boards for a few days so I've been avidly catching up. I'm really grateful to you all for your input and appreciate all comments. I'm glad to have some "logical" explanations but I get the feeling that the overriding reason for you all is simply because it's fun! I'm looking forward to trying it again although I don't like getting cold feet! I'll persevere though - hats off to all you hard-core "all weather" bf-er's!!
 
the more you use your bf, the warmer they'll get. unless it's frozen outside. then you need to be a yetti.

No, you don't need to be a yeti.
Otherwise all the brave participants of the Winter Challenge would already be yetis. :D
 
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ah, but yetis aren't challenged by being in the snow! :pompus:
 
I'm late some to the party here, but I'll also add my voice to those who talk about just how good it can feel to run barefoot and how much fun it can be. It's really something that can not be known without trying it. I certainly felt some hesitation the first times I accelerated out of walking and began to run. And all the reading I had done of prior barefooters hadn't prepared me for what happened, for just how good it felt for the nerves in the soles of the feet to be stimulated, to be receiving all this sensory information, and to really feel myself running, to fully feel it from up to the top of the head down to the ends of the toes.

A person can really not know how it feels without trying. And certainly there are likely some who may not find it so pleasurable. Just like I've never been able to enjoy the taste of uncooked cheese. It just doesn't happen although I do try some uncooked cheese every now and then and the taste over the years has gotten better to me. But I wouldn't know about that if I didn't try.

But right now, I have to say that running barefoot is one of the most pleasurable activities I know of. It makes me happy and makes me smile and makes me healthier.
 
I started running bf to hone my form and strengthen my feet. Now I run mostly minimal, but will run barefoot from time to time to change things up, slow things down and just to enjoy feeling the ground beneath my feet.
 
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I'll add my 2 cents for why I run completely barefoot .

1. It feels good.
2. It's fun
3. I've never liked shoes and do most everything else barefoot anyway.
4. It makes packing easy when you're travelling - no bulky running shoes to pack.
5. It saved my knees - almost quit running years ago due to knee pain. No pain since running BF.