There is a perfectly good tool for that!, why would I choose to run barefoot?

I bought a pair of Merrell Barefoot trail running shoes over the weekend. Let me start by saying that I’ve been skeptical about barefoot running for some time. I still am actually. I am one of those people who look at forks as the evolutions of archaic tools that have evolved over time and the whole idea of using chopsticks is still ridiculous to me. So why would I choose to run around with shoes that basically mimic me running without shoes? My Vomero +6 Nikes are wonderful and I recently completed my first half marathon in them and the very next day was walking around with minimal muscle soreness. Why am I entertaining using a tool that seems archaic to me?

In my research of barefoot shoes, I noticed that over and over again, people said that running in these shoes forces your body to use different muscles. Having been athletic since my youth, I know that changing up your routine is great for muscle development and as an adult runner, cross training is good for many reasons that help you maintain a healthy and long running life. So why purchase these shoes? In the back of my mind, I wondered if similar to fartlek’s and tempo runs, if weaving in a few barefoot runs into my training for distance races, if it would help my ability to complete distance races with less fatigue and ultimately faster finish times.

A number of people, including the woman at the counter at the sporting store that I purchased the shoes from told me that I shouldn’t just switch wholly over to the barefoot shoes, but should ease into using the shoes in my running schedule.

I did the research on the value of barefoot running, researched types of barefoot shoes, have now purchased a pair of shoes and have run a short distance in them.

The shoes are amazing! Walking around in the Merrell's is very comfortable and I definitely feel closer to the ground. Maybe it is just because the shoes are physically lighter than my Vomeros, but I do feel lighter wearing the Merrell’s. I then went for a short mile run at my 80% pace, which is about 9:15 per mile. Instantly I felt different running without my cushy Nikes. I was nervous that my shins would start hurting, which is my indicator when my cushy sneakers are at the point of needing to be replaced, but my shins didn’t hurt. What I noticed was that the rear sides of my calf muscles were being worked. The mile seemed to fly by and I even kicked up my pace to 9, 8:30, and finally 8 minutes per mile at the end of the mile.

I’m still not advocating switching wholly to barefoot shoes, but am interested in adding this type of running to my arsenal of training tools for preparation for distance racing. Don’t worry my dear Vomero’s, I still love you and you are my loyal partner come race day.