Running sandals/huaraches

Ultra Sparkly Bridget wrote (see

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Converting those prices gives between £37 and £75 pounds.  Not too bad for things to run in IMHO

Well yes it is when I get the chance to do it, but it's not the point I was making. 

Wearing minimalist shoes is not barefoot running.

Red Squirrel. wrote (see

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Wearing minimalist shoes is not barefoot running.

True, but wearing shoes at times doesn't mean you're not a barefoot runner. In the words of Jason Robillard (one of my barefoot running heroes): 'shoes are tools that allow us to go and do things we can’t do barefoot.'

http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/2012/01/10/15-myths-about-barefoot-running-what-my-experiences-have-taught-me/

Agreed! The thing with barefoot running is that it's a new (although also very old!) discipline.

We know people have run barefoot for thousands of years, so we can infer it's how we were originally designed to run. But modern people and the modern environment are different to our ancestors, so we need to re-learn the ancient technique and see how it fits with 21st century life.

A lot of people are making bold statements about barefoot running (some of them conflicting!), but until we learn more about it and get more research we should probably stay a little bit sceptical.

Jason Robillard's site is very good for that. He seems to have a balanced approach, unlike some other barefoot gurus who seem to treat barefoot running like a new religion and the panacea for all ills!

Last month I saw a guy run a 56 mile ultra wearing what looked like old flip flop soles tied on to his feet with rubber bands. On describing them elsewhere on this forum, I was told they were probably a pair of (which specific brand I can't remember now) expensive minimalist specially designed running footwear.

If I ever feel like trying it for myself, I think I'll save money and just get an old pair of flip flop soles and tie them to my feet with rubber bands....