Barefoot walking, barefoot running, barefoot shoes

When I blogged about Vibram FiveFingers shoes, I did not appreciate the depth of the movement toward barefoot walking, barefoot running, and “barefoot shoes” (as many people call them).

Then I learned about and blogged about the Nike Free 5.0, and I realized that Vibram was not the only shoe manufacturer interested in combining the benefits of barefoot walking or barefoot running with the benefits of shoes.

My latest find is a Popular Mechanics article titled “Barefoot Running and Shoe Companies”.

That’s right — Popular Mechanics — as in the magazine that I used to devour as a boy who liked to take apart door locks, build Soap Box Derby cars, and so on.

The article refers to Boston Marathon participant Rick Roeber, who publishes BarefootRunner.org and has been featured on KMBC-TV Channel 9 News running barefoot — in the snow!

The Popular Mechanics article also talks about what is called the “22-12 solution” — a standard shoe-industry practice of putting 22 millimeters of material under the heel and 12 millimeters under the forefoot — and whether this paradigm for ultra-marathoners, who tend to run more on the forefoot.

I recommend that you read the entire article and come to your own conclusions about barefoot walking, barefoot running, and so-called barefoot shoes.

And, if you want the perspective of proponents for barefoot living, then you might want to visit LivingBarefoot.info, too.

After you have done your own research, please leave your comment here. Thanks!