Yes, You Can Wear Barefoot Shoes with Flat Feet or High Arches. Here’s Why

Not infrequently, when someone takes a look at my Xero Shoes, whomever I’m speaking with will say: I wish I could wear barefoot shoes, but I can’t do that. I need support. “Oh?” I’ll respond. “Why do you need support?” Then something happens that I love. I get one of two seemingly contradictory answers. Either: […]

The (Fake?) Barefoot Shoe Debate – Washington Post

Here we have it yet again. Most articles about “barefoot shoes” start by reporting RESEARCH (I’ll keep capitalizing that to make a point) and expert opinions on the pro-barefoot side, and bad arguments (at best) presented as the con-side, most of which don’t actually have anything to do with the RESEARCH. In the rare times […]

“The Infinite Race” – A meta-review about the 30-by-30 Documentary

The new 30-by-30 documentary, “The Infinite Race” about the Tarahumara premieres on December 15th. Outside magazine reviewed the movie and here’s a review of the review… which is important to understand to, well, understand the movie. I’ll be reviewing the movie, too, but this “meta-analysis” might put things into context for you. I’m not completely […]

Do Running Shoes Make You Stupid?

This post is NOT what you think. But then again, it kinda is. 😉 Check out this video and let me know if you’re a SMART runner. In short, there are two aspects to wearing running shoes from “Big Shoe” (note how that = “B.S.”) which could not only affect your brain, but whether you’re […]

Eliud Kipchoge: It’s NOT the shoes!

I’ll admit it. I love being right. What am I right about this time? The importance — or lack thereof — of shoes in Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-2-hour marathon performance. I’ve talked about how shoes were NOT the delimiting factor in Kipchoge’s amazing run here, and in my podcast here, pointing out that the difference between […]

Abebe Bikila Runs Barefoot Wins Marathon

Abebe Bikila and his Barefoot Marathon Gold Medal

While the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are postponed until next year, now as great time to look back at one of the moments that helped shape the modern barefoot running movement. It was 60 years ago that Abebe Bikila won a gold medal in the Rome Olympics running in bare feet. A great article called OLYMPICS […]

How to find TRULY comfortable shoes

The secret to finding comfortable shoes… It’s probably not what you think. And it’s definitely not what “Big Shoe” companies have been saying for the last 50 years. It’s not because you need more arch support or better cushioning or to control your pronation or supination. The secret is actually what humans have been doing […]

Do Running Shoes CAUSE Injuries?

When I talk to many runners who still use “traditional” running shoes,and then tell them about Xero Shoes, they often say “Well, there’s a debate about barefoot/minimalist shoes.” First, the quotes are because what we call “traditional” running shoes have only been around for  less than 0.05% of the time humans have been wearing protective […]

Are you running WRONG?

What’s the difference between “good running” and “bad running”? Those of us who promote natural movement and barefoot running have some thoughts about that. Typically, we talk about: Landing with your foot “under your body” (don’t reach out in front of your body with your foot — “overstriding”) Increase your cadence a bit (there’s no […]

A Rubber Band is the Secret to Better Running?

Could a new form of foot binding be the secret to better running? I don’t mean wrapping up your feet in the infamous style of ancient China, but something developed by some mechanical engineers at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In short, they attached some rubber tubing between runners shoes and found that they […]