Is barefoot running a fad or running in cushioned shoes?

Yesterday I went running and i was not barefoot, it was my weekly interval session and I decided to wear Carson Footwear zero drop shoes for this run. I ran in these shoes for two reasons, they are awesome and I hadn’t run in them for a while. Normally when I run in sandals, I don’t see too many more people out running barefoot or in sandals. Yesterday I saw two people, I felt like I was the odd one out wearing shoes.

Of the two guys I saw running barefoot, one was a guy I know who has recently started running in some cool homemade sandals. The other guy I didn’t know but I noticed he had some very minimal shoes on and then when I passed him running the other way later in my run he was carrying them and running barefoot.

This got me thinking, is barefoot running the fad or is running in cushioned shoes the fad and is this fad coming to an end? When “Born to Run’ came out in 2009 and a lot of people attempted to transition to barefoot there was a lot of media about the new fad of barefoot running. But people have been running barefoot for thousands of years and only wearing cushioned running shoes for 40-50 years. So isn’t the fad that we decided to run in shoes 50 years ago?

When the barefoot running ‘fad’ started post 2009 there was very little information on transitioning and many people got injured and went back to wearing their cushioned running shoes. Nowadays there is a lot of information about foot health and transitioning advice. The best resource I know is The Foot Collective, this is a comprehensive guide on foot health and barefoot education that your should have a look at.

A few years ago when I started running in sandals it was unheard of to see another like minded runner. yesterday there was two, and if you count me in zero drop, wide toe box and minimal cushioned shoes there was three. Barefoot running isn’t the fad, and fads don’t last forever.

If you run in highly cushioned shoes they will impact your foots natural movement. They weaken your feet and contribute to injuries. If you want to stop neglecting your feet, change to a minimal footwear that allow your feet to move naturally. If you do decide to ditch the fad of cushioned running shoes take your time to build foot strength. Transitioning to barefoot is a marathon not a sprint, take the time to do it right to give you the best chance at a successful transition.

Make the choice, ditch the fad of cushioned running shoes and change your running forever. If you have any questions on barefoot running or transitioning let me know.

Free the feet in 2018.

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