Why I Started Running Barefoot

Many people have asked me about why I run barefoot or in very thin sandals or minimalist shoes. I actually discovered barefoot running by accident, and then later I read about the benefits and understood why highly-cushioned running shoes are bad for your feet and will likely lead to running injury.

I discovered barefoot running one day a couple of years ago when I was jumping rope for 20 minutes and wanted to segue directly into a run. I didn't want to stop and put my shoes on because I wanted to go straight into the running without taking a break, so I just took off running barefoot. I ended up running for an hour, which was longer than I had ever run before at that time. I noticed immediately that I could run faster and further when I was barefoot. However, I was doing too much too soon by running for an hour barefoot the first time out, so the bottoms of my feet were hurting when I finished the run.

Because my feet were not ready for that level of barefoot running yet, I went back to my running shoes. However, the more I ran, the more problems I had. First it was my knees, then it was my ankles, then it was my shins, then it was my calves. Finally, I just gave up on running for a while.

Then I read a few books about barefoot running that explained that the injuries I was suffering were due to the cushioned running shoes I was wearing that were causing me to run with bad form and ironically were increasing the impact on my joints. I started running again, rotating between running barefoot and running in minimalist footwear. This time I started out slowly and gave my feet and legs a chance to get used to running barefoot.

Since that time (5 months ago) I have been doing a lot of running and have had absolutely no injuries, knee problems, shin splints, etc. I have also been doing a lot of running on steep hills and slippery slopes at South Mountain in minimalist footwear without so much as a stumble or twisted ankle. I have run 8-10 miles barefoot multiple times and felt great. I have run for over 3 hours straight in minimalist shoes and felt great afterward.

This is my daughter, Rebecca (age 4), who has had absolutely no running training or instruction. Yet she naturally runs with perfect form in bare feet. Why? Because this is the way God designed us to run.

Becca loves running!

Notice her bent knees, foot flat on the ground, straight back, and slight forward lean.

Running in a skirt like a lady!

Here is another picture showing a different stage of her stride.

Because your feet are one of the most sensitive parts of your body, they are great at telling you immediately if you are doing something wrong. If you run barefoot, your body will instinctively change the way you run to minimize pain by minimizing impact. The biggest thing that will instantly change is that your stride will shorten (i.e. you will take smaller steps), and you will land with your forefoot first instead of your heel. After landing forefoot first, the rest of your foot, including your heel, will make light contact.

Shoes provide a false sense of security by cushioning your feet and making them comfortable. This causes you to come down much harder than you would in bare feet. Your feet don't feel the impact, but the impact is still there and shoots up your leg into your knees, hips, lower back, etc.

By cushioning and babying your feet in high-end running shoes, you are also making them weaker. Since they are being supported by the shoes in so many ways, they no longer need to support themselves. Therefore they become weak and lazy which leads to poor running.

Remember, running barefoot is much different than running in traditional running shoes. Therefore, you must start very slowly, even if you are an experienced runner. Running barefoot should be treated as a new activity and should be eased into. For example, if you are running 20 miles per week in running shoes, you can't just start running 20 miles per week barefoot. Start by walking barefoot and then graduate to running very short distances.

Running Every Single Day

Here is a riddle for you: I run every single day, 7 days a week, and yet I have a full day of rest from running each week.

Ever since January 1 of this year, my goal has been to run at least 1 mile every single day. Most days I run more than that, but even on my worst day, I still run 1 non-stop mile. So far I am 69 days in and haven't missed a day!

Running everyday is the greatest thing that has ever happened to my running and has taken my training to a whole new level. In the past I had always tried running 3 days a week (every other day) in order to allow my body to rest between workouts. The problem for me was that it was hard to maintain a habit of doing something only 3 days a week. I am not very good at following rigid training schedules, and I am a very busy person, so I would plan on running 3 times a week, and before I knew it, I had gone 7-8 days without running. Where did the time go?! By running everyday, however, I never go long stretches like that without running, and therefore I never lose progress. Even on my busiest day, there is always 7-9 minutes to go out the front door in my bare feet for an easy 1 mile run in my neighborhood.

I am not denying that there is probably a physical benefit to getting proper rest between workouts and following a strict 3 day a week running plan that contains long slow runs, tempo runs, and track repeats, etc., etc. However, I find that the psychological benefit of running every single day outweighs it. By running every single day, running becomes a much stronger habit. It is much easier to get in the habit of doing something everyday than 3 times a week. The habit has become so strong, that I crave running (it's become an addiction!) and look forward to it everyday.

I must admit that I tried the same thing back in 2014 and failed after only a few days. My body just wasn't ready for daily running back then, but this year it has been great. Maybe for someone who is at the point in their training where I was in January 2014 (i.e. not physically ready for a minimum of 1 mile per day), a plan of 1/2 mile minimum per day would work? I'm not sure because I never tried that.

Right now I am running about 30 miles per week and am training for my first 50k ultra-marathon later this month, so we'll see how it goes.

A few other notes about my current training:

- No training plan. If I feel good, I run far. If I feel bad, I run 1 mile. If I feel like going fast, I go fast. If I don't, I go slow. One reason I'm able to run everyday is that I enjoy every run. If I were forced to do certain types of runs that I didn't feel like doing because of a strict training plan, I may burn out or stop enjoying running.

- The majority of my runs are done on pavement completely barefoot. My longest runs are done on hilly trails wearing my ultra-minimalist luna sandals.

- Every single run I eat organic dark chocolate peanut butter cups while running. Since I love peanut butter cups and only eat them while I run, sometimes I'm not sure whether I am craving running or craving peanut butter cups! It has become a Pavlovian response where running and peanut butter cups have become inextricably linked in my mind. I will admit that 69 days into my daily peanut butter cup binge, I am starting to branch out into other chocolates, but I still always eat at least one peanut butter cup to keep the streak going!

- My children have been running with me a lot more lately since they seem to have caught the running bug, too! (or maybe they just love chocolate peanut butter cups). My 6-year old daughter Rebecca just recently clocked an 8:10 mile!

In conclusion, running everyday has been a major breakthrough for me. In the last few years, I've really struggled to make progress with my running. By the time I was 29 years old, the furthest I had ever run in my entire life was 1.5 miles, and I hated every minute of it! I've been improving slowly but surely over the last few years, but the last 69 days seems to have been a giant leap in progress. The biggest success has been learning to love running.

Riddle answer: Once per week I run in the morning one day and in the evening the next day. This puts about 36 hours between my two runs allowing my body adequate time to rest and recover. By doing this, I am allowing my body a full day of rest (a day and a half, really) while still running every single day, 7 days a week. Even the Old Testament sabbath day only lasted from sundown on one day to sundown on the next (i.e. 24 hours), so even the Old Testament saints could have "run everyday" the way I do and still been in compliance!

Running Program for the Absolute Beginner

Recently I heard about this running program called C25K or "Couch to 5K" that is designed to help an absolute beginner go from not running at all to running a 5K (3.1 miles) three times a week. The program takes 9 weeks and is easy enough for just about anyone to do it. Running 3+ miles three times a week will get you in great shape and probably add years to your life.

In the beginning of the program, you start out alternating between jogging and walking. For example, the first week you alternate between jogging for 60 seconds and walking for 90 seconds. To make it really easy, I have put together a series of audio recordings that tells you exactly when to jog and when to walk, so you don't have to keep looking at your watch. The audio also keeps you entertained while you run/walk by reading you the book of Psalms.

This program will require an investment of 25 minutes, 3 times per week. Mon-Wed-Fri would probably work best. That investment is definitely worth your time to dramatically improve your health and fitness, especially since you will also be multitasking by getting some Bible reading in!

Here are the audio files for the first few weeks:

Week 1: Day 1 (Psalms 1-15)
Week 1: Day 2 (Psalms 16-27)
Week 1: Day 3 (Psalms 28-39)

Week 2: Day 1 (Psalms 40-54)
Week 2: Day 2 (Psalms 55-68)
Week 2: Day 3 (Psalms 69-78) 

Week 3: Day 1 (Psalms 79-91)
Week 3: Day 2 (Psalms 92-105)
Week 3: Day 3

Week 4: Day 1 

Here is the rss feed for the audio files:

http://www.faithfulwordbaptist.org/c25k_bible_running.rss

To subscribe to the rss feed as an iTunes podcast, open iTunes, then go to the file menu, click "subscribe to podcast," and paste in the url of the rss feed.

I do not recommend going out and buying expensive running shoes. They can actually do more harm than good and can cause you to run the wrong way. I personally run barefoot or in very minimal shoes.

Here is an overview of the entire program:

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 22 minutes) with no walking.
7	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).