Look Ma, No Shoes! The Truth About Running In Sandals
This past weekend I was out in Elkhart Lake running at the Elktoberfest 5k. It’s nothing remarkable, but we go because:
It’s close to home.
You get a free drink and glass afterward.
People wear all sorts of silly costumes.
Almost nobody takes it too seriously.
And while it wasn’t remarkable, one thing about it was — I was wearing sandals for one of my first times at a race day event!
Why? Well, as you may have read, I’ve been on a barefoot shoe journey over the past year or so. Part of this journey has included incorporating more minimalist sandals. This means they’re very thin and it’s almost like walking around with nothing on your feet at all. I won’t go too much into why since I already wrote about it, but the short of it is I have weird-shaped feet and barefoot shoes happen to work better for me.
What I will share with you though are the specifics of what I use and how I got into it. The sandals I wear are Earth Runners and they’re great! To be even more specific, I wear the Primal model with performance laces.
There’s almost next to nothing between you and the ground when you wear these sandals thanks to the thin outsole and the lack of a cotton footbed. It’s just a piece of rubber between your feet and the road crunching beneath your feet.
This makes for a weird experience running in them for the first couple of times. To start, the laces feel weird around your feet, but if you’ve worn Chacos you’ll be familiar with the lacing system they use. And, just like Chacos, getting the fit right takes a lot of trial and effort. But once you do get it locked in, they will be some of the comfiest sandals you’ve worn.
When you run in them, you feel EVERYTHING. You’ll notice every change in surface and every little rock you run on. This can be a little jarring at first and even a bit tiresome for your feet, but it does make you feel a bit more in touch with what’s going on. This extra sensitivity does come with the drawback of it really working out your feet though. Oh and, because of it being just rubber, my feet usually are a little blackened by the sandal (I have really sweaty feet though so your mileage may vary.)
The first couple of times I went for shorter runs in them, my feet were pretty sore the next day. And that’s after walking and running in barefoot shoes for about a year! Because of this, I would NOT recommend running in these right away, especially if this is your first time getting into the whole barefoot shoe thing.
Instead, I would recommend doing what I did: buying a more padded version of one of their sandals and walking in them for a couple of months to see how they feel and see whether running in them is going to be your thing or not. They have a couple models so you might not be sure what to start with, but they have a nice comparison chart here to help you decide.
For final thoughts, I will say the sandals are AWESOME in the heat. It’s amazing being able to not feel like your feet are burning up even when it’s hot out (again, might not be an issue for you, but I have SWEATY Feet so it is for me.)
Now, you might be asking: what if it’s cold outside? And to that all I can say is:
I don’t know yet!
I’m not sure how this will work out, but I have a couple pairs of toe socks that I plan to try running in during the fall. Injinji is a pretty well-known brand in this area, but a lesser known one is Creepers. They both seem good from the pairs I’ve bought from them, but Creepers seems like it’s built to last for really long runs, regardless of if you’re wearing sandals or shoes. My only complaint: They don’t have as nice of patterns as Injinji! I really haven’t used either of them much yet, so it’s too early to tell which one is a clear winner or loser. (If you’re really that interested in knowing when I do find out, let me know! I don’t want to bore people to death about socks if no one wants to learn about it)
That’s all I really got on my tips for getting used to barefoot sandals so, if you decide to try them yourself, I wish you luck! It’s not for everyone, but for some people like myself, I’ve found it to be a life changer for me!
This Week’s Music Picks:
NEWSKI - Life Upside Down
I couldn’t not mention him this week after seeing him at 3 Sheeps Brewing — our local brewery — this past weekend! Even though he was getting over a recent cold, he sounded just like he did on his albums. Even better, he and his bandmates had a great sense of humor. Aside from originals, he had a great cover of Beck’s “Devil’s Haircut” and Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels.” If you ever get a chance to see him live — especially if you’re in the Milwaukee area — I’d highly recommend.
Behold: the single photo I got of him and his band.
Bowvee - Cool Guy
The opener for NEWSKI’s show was great enough that I had to share his music too! Though young, Bowvee was very down to earth and seems like he’s off to a great start musically. He was a little shy onstage, but I would be too if I was him. Definitely looking forward to seeing where he goes!
Volcano Choir - Repave
While many people know about Bon Iver, not everyone knows about one of Justin Vernon’s other projects he was involved in: Volcano Choir. While there’s only two albums to pick from, Repave is easily my favorite because it found me during a time when life was chaotic. I was a struggling freshman in college who was trying to stay on top of schoolwork while trying to get past a toxic relationship. And when I couldn’t feel like I could do it anymore, this album brought me comfort that was hard to find anywhere else. So, I guess some of it’s nostalgia, but the album is still solid either way.
Ween - The Mollusk
I only started listening to them after watching a video on how the band directly shaped a little show called SpongeBob SquarePants. I’m just going to leave it at that.
Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Denial
A recent gift from Jenn for my 30th birthday! I don’t usually buy new albums, but I don’t turn 30 everyday so I had to make an exception for this album. With its lo-fi sound and ridiculous song titles like “(Joe Gets Kicked Out of School for Using) Drugs With Friends (But Says This Isn't a Problem)”, how can you not love it?!
I started listening to Bowvee! Thanks for the recs! : )