For the past six months or so I have gone back to using the treadmill, mostly at a walk, but occasionally at a light jog.
I wear size 14 tennis shoes, wider than usual, and I found them really unwieldy on our treadmill, and so I switched to walking/jogging in socks. It turns out I like it! The only mild problem is that I’ve started going through socks at a ferocious rate, since there’s a lot of friction with the treadmill belt.
There are a couple of threads on barefoot running versus not, but that’s not my question. My question is what sorts of “barefoot shoes“ have you used, and what do you like about them? I’m basically looking for something that will provide some protection against friction for my feet, without being bulky.
I can’t find them with a quick Google search, but I’ve seen someone dance wearing just a thin piece of leather under the big toe and the big pad on the forefoot. (Held on with straps.)
But… If you are just walking on a treadmill, why wear shoes at all, if you are looking for a barefoot feel? You won’t accidentally step on a stone or a piece of dog poop on your treadmill.
I’d think you would quickly build up enough callus to find the friction acceptable.
Suggest you try this: Amazon.com : yoga socks for men
Of course lots of the items shown are for women, but there’s a few male sizes in there too.
From experience, these sort of socks will last far longer than ordinary ones on a treadmill. But they’re still going to wear through after enough miles. Typical beach shoes wear much more slowly than yoga socks, but also much faster than a typical running shoe.
IME beach shoes tend to be very elastic and unpadded. So tend to dig painfully into the skin around the back of the heel and may make blisters. Yoga socks don’t do that at all.
For just a few bucks for each option, buy both and give them a try.
Yeah, I think those are worth a shot & will try them.
There’s a lot of other partial footwear out there (from barefoot shoes to the pads mentioned upthread), but I’m more hesitant about those until I read some anecdotes.
I only wear shoes in two specific environments: hiking and formal engagements, like weddings.
There is really no need, in my opinion. Feet are waterproof in the way hiking boots are not, they self heal in the way that running shoes do not, they are comfortable in the way dress shoes are not.
I got a pair of FiveFingers way back in 2010 and they are excellent for “almost barefoot” shoes.They’re great for hiking on mostly flat trails and as water shoes. Make sure to take it easy when you start wearing them because it’s easy to strain your Achilles tendons. When I first got mine I overdid it early on a trip and had really sore ankles for 3 weeks.
Those are often referred to as “huarache sandals,” after a style traditionally used by native Mexican runners. Here’s one article on how to make your own.
I’ve never worn barefoot/minimalist running shoes, but my old running partner turned to minimalist footwear due to knee pain – she even ran barefoot for a while. So, I learned a lot about the different options she tried.
Vibram FiveFingers – she had two pairs of those. She liked them, though she found that, due to their shape, and very close fit, if your foot didn’t exactly conform to the assumed foot shape of the shoe (and her feet didn’t), they led to rubbing and chafing.
Running sandals – she made her own minimalist huarache sandals (she found kits online for them), as well as one or two pairs of running sandals (which had a bit more to the sole and straps than the super-minimalist huaraches). Those worked pretty well for her.
Aqua socks – she tried using aqua socks / swimming socks, as well. She liked the minimalist feel (and they did seem to have some grip/tread to them), but the soles wore out quickly when used for actual running.
Homemade running socks – she found some recommendation online for making your own running socks; it consisted of taking a pair of “normal” running socks (i.e., what you would wear with running shoes), and putting a layer of duct tape on the sole, for traction and durability. She tried those for a little while, but was dissatisfied with them, and they tended to not stay on well.
That might be a good choice for @Maserschmidt , but it’s not what I was trying to describe. What I’ve seen just had leather under the ball of the foot, and not under the heel, and was even more minimal than those.
What you are describing sound like half-sole dancing shoes. They come in many styles but generally cover the front half of the foot. Look for them in any store that sell dance shoes.
Back when I was an avid runner/marathon runner some 15 years ago I tried some vibram 5 finger shoes as well as some zero drop running shoes. I was having shin-splint pain and did some google/armchair professor research.
The idea with both is you change your running style and how your foot lands. Traditional running shoes are built for landing on the heel, hence the thick heel cushioning angling down to thin cushioning under the ball and toes.
Zero drop shoes have the same amount of cushioning under the heel as they do at the toe - there’s no angle dropping the toe from the heel.
Instead of landing on your heel, you land your stride on the ball of the foot. Your heel might not touch the ground at all while in stride.
For me, they certainly corrected my shin pain problem. But there were other cons. I had to adjust my training as I was using different muscles in my foot and lower leg that were not as developed as the muscles I used when running in conventional shoes. I had no problems on training runs of 12+ miles regularly (aside from the shin pain) in conventional shoes but I had trouble (at first) with half that distance. Eventually that changed as my stride adjusted and those “new” muscles became stronger and better coordinated.
The overall theory, from what I recall reading, is the minimalist or zero drop shoes and running mechanics more closely matches how humans were designed to run and how we ran for centuries while chasing down game with our spears a few thousand years ago. Better mechanics, better alignment with the foot/ankle/knee/hip, less shock to the lower joints/extremities, less risk of injury, etc.
I sort of liked, sort of didn’t like them and settled back to conventional shoes. And I don’t run much any more now because I’m old and bitter.
At the time, the minimalist shoe movement was a niche thing. I suspect there have been more studies/research etc. into how effective (or not) this stuff works for people.
The one thing you don’t want to do is use a minimalist or zero drop shoe and continue landing on your heel. You will injure yourself for sure.
I have put many miles running pretty fast on a treadmill barefoot—no leather or any other padding necessary at all, and it was not particularly hard on the feet. Your own experience may vary, but I would say it’s worth a try. Outside among the gravel, pieces of broken glass, etc. your calculation may be different, but indoors you don’t really need anything. I have not tried running in just socks but it seems like more trouble/less comfort than just taking everything off.
