Written by Rebekah Tregger, A.K.A. Barefoot Becky
Hello, fellow Striders! My name is Rebekah but most of you know me as Barefoot Becky. I have been running barefoot for almost 7 years. I run 2000+ miles/year barefoot and all 13 of my marathons were run barefoot. The main reason I run barefoot is that it provides less stress on my joints. Other benefits include reduction in injury, better balance and form, you’re connected to the ground allowing instant feedback and it saves you a whole lot of money on running shoes! Are you curious about barefoot running and/or have thought of giving it a try? Here are some tips to get you started!
First, just ditch the shoes. There is no need to transition to lower drop shoes or even minimalist shoes (in fact, it is recommended you don’t go straight from ‘regular’ running shoes to minimalist shoes as you may increase the likelihood of injury – it is recommended you run barefoot for 3 months before transitioning to minimalist shoes to learn the new biomechanics). Your first barefoot run should be only 5 minutes, then wait a couple of days and run another 5 minutes, then 10 minutes and so on. A forefoot landing will magically happen while running barefoot rather than a heel strike. But you will need to pay attention to this as you first start running barefoot. The three things to really focus on are:
1. keeping the knees bent as you run (and even more so when running down hill),
2. landing QUIETLY (the idea is that you should be so quiet that you can sneak up on a dog)
3. and lifting your feet straight up rather than pushing off as this causes friction and therefore unwanted and painful blisters on your soles (imagine stepping over a log as you lift your feet off the ground).
I would also recommend using a metronome app to work on running with a 180 cadence. Use this tool as a cue to lift your foot, not push it down, otherwise you may end up pounding your foot into the ground on each beat. A faster cadence reduces impact, you will spend less time accelerating toward the ground and more steps equals less work!
Surfaces: avoid running on grass, sand etc as these soft surfaces will not give you the feedback you need and will therefore alter your form. Run on rough surfaces as often as you can, especially at the beginning as this will really reinforce the gentle and quiet landing. And yes, you will absolutely step on rocks and possibly glass. Although I’ve only stepped on glass 4 times in the 6+ years, once at mile 16 of the Chicago Marathon where I moved to the side, pulled the glass out and then carried on running. My tip for this: scan the road ahead of you. If you see a bunch of glass up ahead, simply run around it! But when little undetectable pieces happen, stop, pull it out or brush it off and you’ll be fine. Running barefoot in the summer? Run in the morning or evening as the ground is hot in the afternoon. And vice versa in the winter.
My last and biggest tip is to read “Barefoot Running: Step by Step” by Ken Bob Saxton. This book will tell you everything you need to know!

