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The barefoot running trend is decidedly not behind us. There are more barefoot shoes (zero drop, wide toe box) from major shoe makers than ever, and you see the

by voisin 3y ago

The barefoot running trend is decidedly not behind us. There are more barefoot shoes (zero drop, wide toe box) from major shoe makers than ever, and you see them way more at races than in the past. What’s behind us, maybe, is the vibram 5 finger (each toe in its own slot) which seems to have waned in popularity significantly.

fsloth 3y ago
The vibram ”5 finger” watersport model is brilliant shoe for swimming in natural lakes summer & winter (works even for ice swimming) but running in such a shoe is not something I would consider.
- malfist 3y ago
  For what its worth, I ran many many many miles in my fivefingers and loved them. But I was a lot younger then, I prefer more cushioning on the balls of my feet, and I mostly walk anymore. My cardio of choice has moved to biking, it's just more fun (for me, YMMV)
coldtea 3y ago
>There are more barefoot shoes Now that's an oxymoron if I ever saw one! Though, in a certain way, shoes can be said to be barefoot from the start: they aren't wearing any shoes themselves.
- voisin 3y ago
  Barefoot Shoes is a common reference to shoes that have zero drop (flat between heel and forefoot), a wide toe box (there are a variety of benefits here) and relatively thin soles to enhance proprioception. So yes, while it sounds like an oxymoron, it is actually just an industry term of art (you’ll see major companies advertise certain of their shoes as barefoot - Merrell comes to mind with their VaporGlove and Trail Glove, both of which are fantastic shoes). The other nice thing about barefoot shoes (since I find myself in full on sales mode) is that due to the lack of padding, they last significantly longer than traditional mass market shoes. My trail runners (the Merrell’s) are in season 5 now, when my old trail shoes by Saucony lasted one season Max, and my mileage has increased substantially from when I used to wear the Saucony’s.

by voisin 3y ago

fsloth 3y ago

The vibram ”5 finger” watersport model is brilliant shoe for swimming in natural lakes summer & winter (works even for ice swimming) but running in such a shoe is not something I would consider.

malfist 3y ago
For what its worth, I ran many many many miles in my fivefingers and loved them. But I was a lot younger then, I prefer more cushioning on the balls of my feet, and I mostly walk anymore. My cardio of choice has moved to biking, it's just more fun (for me, YMMV)

coldtea 3y ago

>There are more barefoot shoes Now that's an oxymoron if I ever saw one! Though, in a certain way, shoes can be said to be barefoot from the start: they aren't wearing any shoes themselves.

voisin 3y ago
Barefoot Shoes is a common reference to shoes that have zero drop (flat between heel and forefoot), a wide toe box (there are a variety of benefits here) and relatively thin soles to enhance proprioception. So yes, while it sounds like an oxymoron, it is actually just an industry term of art (you’ll see major companies advertise certain of their shoes as barefoot - Merrell comes to mind with their VaporGlove and Trail Glove, both of which are fantastic shoes). The other nice thing about barefoot shoes (since I find myself in full on sales mode) is that due to the lack of padding, they last significantly longer than traditional mass market shoes. My trail runners (the Merrell’s) are in season 5 now, when my old trail shoes by Saucony lasted one season Max, and my mileage has increased substantially from when I used to wear the Saucony’s.