Written by Dallin Glenn
I am frequently asked about why I run in sandals or barefoot. If you’re interested in sandals or other minimalist shoes, I definitely agree with Becky’s recommendation (https://highlandcitystriders.org/2024/07/30/how-to-start-running-barefoot/) that you learn the running mechanics barefoot first, and then if you need the protection transition slowly into minimalist shoes. I’ve told many of you some of the reasons that I run this way, including injury prevention, improved running economy, increased strength and control in my feet and ankles, and just because my feet are too wide for most running shoes. But I haven’t told any of you that the primary reason I run this way is not for any physical benefit.
For me, running barefoot (and, to a lesser extent, in sandals) dramatically improves the mental health benefits of running.
Since I began at age 13, running has been a grounding activity for me. At first, it was simply a time for me to be alone and learn about my body’s capabilities. As I progressed into high school and learned running technique, I found myself zoning out my teammates during practice as I took mental inventory of all the parts of my body: lean at the navel, push the foot down and back, footplant under my center of gravity, extend the knees and hips during pushoff, shoulders relaxed, elbows at 90 degrees, one elbow back as the opposite knee goes forward, head relaxed, and eyes focused on my destination.
During races, I learned that if I allowed my mind to entertain worries about whether I was on track to have a “bad race”, whether I would feel disappointed later, or whether others would be disappointed in me, then this ALWAYS reduced my performance. I learned to ignore those thoughts and channeling all my attention into directing every part of my body to do what it needed to do to perform, right now. If something was off, I simply noticed and adjusted, all the while keeping my mind in the present moment. I didn’t criticize or judge myself because that was a distraction from the task at hand.
Only in the last few years did I learn that what I have been doing is called mindfulness and gives enormous mental health benefits. Previously I knew only that for reasons I couldn’t explain, when my mind was focused on the physical actions that made up each stride, suddenly I could see past the anxiety and stress in my mind. When I was faced with monumental decisions, stressful situations, or analysis paralysis, I would go running and focus on my body until the issue I was dealing with had shrunk to a manageable size. And then I managed it.
So why barefoot/minimalist-shoe running? Because more than anything else, ditching the shoes increases the connection between my brain, my body, and my environment. I didn’t realize how much information about my body and environment did not make it past the EVA foam and torsion plates. Without all that, I can feel and make subtle differences in how I plant my foot. I can feel my toes and plantar fascia spread and flex as I absorb the impact of my stride. I can feel my achilles stretch and spring back as my foot leaves the ground. I can feel all of the textures of whatever surface I’m running on: the fine-grit surface of old concrete sidewalk or the smooth finish of new; the rough, massaging teeth of asphalt overdue for repaving; the firm, bubble surface of aggregate concrete; brick sidewalks with their smooth surfaces at odd angles separated by sharp right-angle edges; and of course the oh-so-smooth and delightful painted lines on the roads. I watch for objects in my path by sight and by feel, and when I unexpectedly step on a piece of gravel or an acorn shell I instinctively bend my foot around it as I stride onward. All of this data engages my body and brain to keep my mind in the present, and that helps running to FEEL better and me to BE better. Running has helped me discover identity for myself, but not in the way I expected as a young boy who needed to prove he was an athlete. I find identity through running not because of what I can do through running but because of who I am while running.
Even as a young teenager, I was already learning that for me running, like life, is about the journey and not the destination. It is about being, not doing or achieving. I’m attaching the poem I wrote in high school on this topic, a scan of the original I submitted to my English teacher. It still captures my feelings about running today.
Dallin Glenn
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