The Xero Blog

While barefoot running isn't new, it's popularity has been going through the roof since Christopher McDougall's book, Born To Run, became popular in 2009.Ironically, Born To Run isn't really about barefoot running. It's about the Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyon of Mexico and how they're able to run pain-free and injury free for hundreds of miles, well into their 70s. It's about the first ever ultramarathon held in the Copper Canyon. It's about the fascinating characters around this race. And it's about Chris's exploration of safer, more enjoyable running.By the way, if you haven't read the book, you must. It's a great, exciting read, whether you're a runner or not. And, admittedly, I make fun of the fact that barefoot runners treat this book like the bible in my video, Sh*t Barefoot Runners Say and the follow-up, Sh*t Runners Say To Barefoot Runners.It happens that around the time the book was becoming popular, one of the people featured in the book published a study about barefoot running. That person is Dr. Daniel Lieberman from Harvard University and, in a nutshell, what Daniel showed was: Runners in shoes tend to land on their heels, essentially using the padding built into the shoes Landing in this manner sends a massive jolt of force (called an impact transient force spike) through the ankles, knees, hips, and into the spine Then... Runners who run barefoot tend to land on their forefoot or midfoot, with the landing point nearer to the body's center of mass (not out in front of the body, like shod runners) Barefoot runners use the natural shock-absorbing, spring-like mechanism of the muscles, ligaments and tendons within and around the foot, the ankle, the knee, and the hip. Barefoot runners do not create the impact transient force spike through their joints In short, running shoes could be the cause of the very injuries for which they're sold as cures!Take off your shoes and you're less likely to land in a biomechanically compromised manner.This seems to explain why people who run barefoot often report the elimination of injuries (that were caused by bad form that they no longer use) and, more importantly, that running is more fun!Now it's not all as simple as this.The shoe companies, realizing that barefoot was becoming a big deal, began selling "barefoot shoes"... most of which are no more barefoot than a pair of stilts.Even the Vibram Fivefingers, which look like bare feet, aren't necessarily as barefoot as they appear.The key to successful barefoot running seems to be the ability to use the nerves in your feet, to Feel The World. Basically, if you try to run barefoot the same way you do when you're in shoes, IT HURTS!Figure out how to do what doesn't hurt and you'll be running in a way that's more fun and less likely to cause injuries.Now, I know it's not as simple as that, and I'm the first to admit that the science supporting barefoot running isn't in yet. But, then again, there's no science that shows that running shoes are helpful.Think about this: people lived for millions of years without shoes, or without anything more than a pair of sandals like Xero Shoes or a pair of moccasins. Runners ran successfully up until the 1970s with shoes that had no padding, no pronation control, no orthotics, and no high-tech materials.The three parts of our body that have the most nerve endings are our hands, our mouths and our feet. There's only one of those that we regularly cover and make numb to the world... does that seem right?Put a limb in a cast and it comes out of the cast a month later atrophied and weaker. When you bind your feet in shoes that don't let your foot flex or feel the earth, isn't that similar to putting it in a cast (or as barefoot runners like to say, a "foot coffin")?There's a lot more on this site about what the benefits of barefoot running -- and walking, and hiking, and dancing, and playing -- may be. If you have any questions, ask them here, or on our Forum. Or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Pinterest.Join the conversation. Join the conversion. Feel The World!

May 5th is an important day in the barefoot running world. And, for the same reason, it's one of the most important days in the Xero Shoes world.What makes it so important?As Brian Metzler from Competitor.com reminded me, "Journalist Christopher McDougall’s best-selling book “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” hit bookstore shelves five years ago Monday—on May 5, 2009."Brian describes 11 ways that Born To Run influenced the running world, from simply being a really great read, to inspiring the growth of ultrarunning, to creating a number of great races, to inspiring people to run barefoot, to encouraging shoe companies to make minimalist footwear (of course, if you've read anything I've written, you know I think most "minimalist shoes" are as close to barefoot as a pair of stilts).The 12th way that Chris's book influenced the world is that it was one of the inspirations for Xero Shoes.If you've read Lena's and my story, you'll know how BTR inspired us. But, more, the success of the book created a wave that we surfed. Were it not for the millions of people who read BTR, Xero Shoes would have remained a goofy little hobby.Now, on days when we work 12+ hours, I sometimes long for those hobby times ;-) ... but given the thousands of people we've been able to help -- people who can now run or walk or hike enjoyably and pain-free -- and the fun we have when a new person discovers the fun of being able to feel the world when they're out and about, we couldn't be more thankful for this anniversary.Congrats again to Chris for his success. Thanks again to him for all he's done for ALL of us. And stay tuned and cross your fingers for the Born To Run movie!