I've been happening upon numerous barefoot running articles on the internet lately. They all boast the benefits of running barefoot - less joint impact, less effort, more natural. The idea is that we evolved running barefoot, but shoes have changed the way we run today. The main difference is that we land on our heels when we run with shoes on. The shock travels up our leg and is absorbed by the knees and hips.
With barefoot running, we don't have the shoe padding on our heels and we are forced to land on the balls of our feet. The impact is absorbed by the foot's arch and by the calve muscles.
When you first start running barefoot, make sure that you do not go for too long. The calve muscles required to run barefoot will be almost non-existent when you first start so you have to take it easy. I ran for 10mins my first time and the day after I had a lot of trouble walking because I was so sore. Also, extended runs can cause blisters if the shoes don't fit as perfectly as you would hope. I haven't found a solution for this yet, but I will most likely pick up some toe socks for my barefoot shoes. I'll let you know how that goes.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/barefoot/
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