The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010 • Hacker News Board

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#141

Post by ng-user » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:19 PM UTC

RankingMember wrote: post #137

ng-user wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm, interesting. I've recently gotten back into running, however shin splints are preventing me from running as much or as far as I would like. My cardio is good, but my legs/shins are what starts screaming first forcing me to stop. I also currently run almost exclusively on a treadmill (due to winter weather), which may be a self-inflicted issue. Do you have any insight on treadmill or track, vs. running outside? H…

I'd be curious to know whether you're heel striking when running. I'm a natural heel-striker, but I forced a change to mid-foot and my shin-splints disappeared altogether. It took a little time to build up to my heel-strike pace, but I did and was able to continue to avoid shin splints even at the same pace. All of this was done with regular running shoes (not barefoot-style).

I believe I am, but don't have great evidence to say one way or the other. I have very flat feet, and just got new orthotics/shoes actually. Any tips or helpful guides/drills on how to transition to mid-foot you would recommend?

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#142

Post by SapporoChris » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:20 PM UTC

jyounker wrote: post #28

I'd alway been prone to avoiding shoes. I started running when I was 16 (1986). During high school I'd run 10-14 miles a night about five days a week, mostly barefoot. I didn't start regularly wearing shoes until after college. Since I started wearing shoes there has been a significant change in my foot structure. My big toes have moved outward by at least 10 degrees. Before then they were directly in-line with the b…

"I tend to not get splinters or glass slivers because I can feel them before I put my full weight down."

This makes sense at a slow gait, but how do you manage this when running?

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#143

Post by gaoshan » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:21 PM UTC

amunozo wrote: post #51

pandemic_region wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a couple of years, there was this barefoot guy who commuted on the same train as me to work. No matter the season, always barefoot. I must say, purely from a hygiene perspective, it felt uncomfortable looking at his feet. They were dirty and dusty in the same way shoes would pick up dirt. What do your feet look like today ? Honest question.

I agree it shocks at first, but shoes are even dirtier as people don't wash them daily as they would with their feet.

That's exactly why folks remove shoes at the door when going in. I find it strange when people do not do this because they are tracking in whatever they may have stepped in throughout the day. Just pop your shoes off at the entrance and throw on some house slippers or shoes.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#144

Post by RankingMember » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:23 PM UTC

NoImmatureAdHom wrote: post #70

Anecdata: I had persistent knee issues in my early - mid 20s. Lasted for years, doctors were no help. I could only run half a mile - a mile before pain stopped me. I switched to minimalist shoes (zero drop, thinner sole with less cushioning but not toe shoes) and a midfoot / forefoot strike and the issues went away. I can't prove causality, but it did definitely seem like shoes fixed knee.

I had the same issue, but kept the same shoes and just switched to mid-foot striking and had the same result.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#145

Post by damnitbuilds » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:26 PM UTC

czottmann wrote: post #100

persedes wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yes, but you probably also won't wash your feet several times a day going in / out?

You do. Most barefoot folk I know thoroughly scrub their feet first thing when they get home in the evening.

To save people having to scrub their feet, I'm going to patent something they can wrap around their feet while outside and remove when they get home.

Maybe also invent a sort of layer of soft cloth they can put between the hard outer layer and their skin.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#146

Post by cafard » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:33 PM UTC

A neighbor, who I don't think runs much if at all, was greatly taken with the book, and asked me about the minimal shoes. I told her that in my prime running days I usually weighed half again what she has ever weighed when not pregnant--I hit down a bit harder.

On the other hand, I have never cared for the big puffy shoes. My preferred shoe was the ASICS Excalibur GT. They haven't made them in about 40 years, and who knows whether I'd still like them with my older feet.

I was amused by the book's argument that elaborate shoes brought on a rash of injuries. No, the running craze that set in during the late 1970s brought on that rash. It's hard to get running-related injuries when you aren't running, and before about 1975 few adults ran much.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#147

Post by JimDabell » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:35 PM UTC

roxolotl wrote: post #61

To add to all the anecdotes I enjoy barefoot running to this day. I was never able to run with shoes very well and without them I run 10-15 miles a week at a 8:30 pace. Totally get it might not be for everyone but it helps me enjoy something I otherwise hated. I do wear what amount to rubberized socks[0] for puncture protection since I’m in a city. 0: https://www.skinnersfootwear.com/products/comfort-2-0-carmin...

I mostly run barefoot now, but I’ve run in Skinners a lot too (everything up to full marathons), and still do sometimes when I’m unsure of the surface I’ll be running on. I just finished a run in them a couple of hours ago actually. They are great. A lot more minimal than Vibrams or similar. Describing them as “rubberised” doesn’t really capture the benefit though. The sole is tough but bends like fabric, so it’s not like a thin shoe sole – there’s no rigidity. It gives you a much better sense of the ground under your feet, and you can roll them up or squash them flat, so they are very packable.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#148

Post by Melatonic » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:37 PM UTC

ineedaj0b wrote: post #6

i started and ran a barefoot running club back then. it doesn't make your foot stronger. but you do learn to put up with pain. i did real no shoe barefoot running and pushed most people to try that. it did have an effect; no more twisted ankles. i got them quite often and never after 3 months of no shoes. there was a kid who eventually played d1 ball who joined because he had 'bad ankles' and still credits me for sol…

Agreed - I've always naturally landed flat when running even in very padded shoes. I run in concrete with very cushioned runners and still do this. Also run on the soft beach sand a few times a week which builds stabilizer muscles and when hiking or on softer ground I use shoes with almost no cushion but thicker rubber outsoles.

For casual shoes I mostly wear leather boots which also have no cushion and stiff thick rubber soles. I kinda like the variety for different surfaces

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#149

Post by JimDabell » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:40 PM UTC

arthurofbabylon wrote: post #33

This article is rather scant and hyperbolic. > “… was dominated by an aggressive mob mentality around barefoot running” Really? Most of the barefoot running enthusiasts I encountered were super friendly and open-minded. > “… the appeal to nature fallacy: a logical fallacy in which a subject is claimed to be good simply because it is natural” I’m not sure it is a fallacy to revert to tradition (proven heuristics) in a…

Yeah, labelling this as a hysterical mob going after people is weird. Runners are pretty chill as a group. There was certainly a fad, but this article exaggerates it to the point of dishonesty.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#150

Post by 0xbadcafebee » Tue, Mar 25, 2025, 3:42 PM UTC

I trained muay thai before the hysteria, so I was already used to being on my forefoot a lot. It seemed like you had to use your forefoot or you wouldn't be agile enough to avoid injury. So it was kind of odd when other people discovered this.

I also found "barefoot" shoes weird. I used to trail run through rocky forests in leather mid-height hiking boots. As long as the sole is flexible, you can still forefoot/midfoot strike. More specialized shoes are nice, but not necessary.

Looking back, it was the quintessential "secret ancient knowledge that the advanced city-folk forgot"-meme. We didn't forget... plenty of people who needed to run for a living knew about it. It's just that "running" wasn't a thing any normal person did until the 70's.