Are we better runners when the shoes come off? That's the question more runners are asking, thanks to the growing popularity of barefoot running, one of this year's biggest running trends. It's not a new trend, however. Serious runners have been braving the asphalt sans shoes professionally for decades (some have even competed in the Olympics without them!), but the movement started gaining Read more

Sneakers with articulated toes have been all the rage since barefoot running came onto the scene. It wasn't until Fila sent me a pair of Skele-Toes Voltage sneakers ($75) that I finally tried them out for myself. Like most minimalist running shoes, they're extremely lightweight (6 oz.), but unlike shoes designed with barefoot running in mind, these have a thick, hard sole. Intriguing design, Read more

Has the sight of celebs traipsing around town in Vibram FiveFingers made you anxious to start barefoot running? Responding to the minimalist shoe craze, the American Council on Exercise decided to test out those barefoot running shoes to see how they fared for normal everyday runners. The council tested Vibram's Bilkia model on 16 recreational joggers and compared their performance running in Read more

For some it's a lifestyle thing about getting back to nature, for others it is all about efficiency; regardless of the reasons, barefoot running is taking off. When teaching Pilates, I often preached the merits of strong feet and walking barefoot. Every time your foot hits the ground when taking a step, the contact initiates a chain of muscular events that create dynamic support from your heel Read more

If speed ain't your thing, don't worry — humans aren't really built to go fast. As we evolved and moved out of the trees, humans began to walk upright with obvious benefits to "hands-free" locomotion — look how far we've come. But one major drawback about becoming bi-pedal: it slowed us down. A recent article on the subject on NPR explains that "in a tiger-eat-monkey world, two legs were Read more

The idea of running barefoot seems like some new age, hippie movement to get people to be free in their bare skin. Or some eco-friendly push to persuade people to forgo sneakers so they don't end up in landfills. Although the freedom and environmental arguments for barefoot running are valid, Christopher McDougall, author of the best-selling book Born to Run, believes running without sneakers Read more