your inclination might be to try this on trails. wrong. trails are full of rocks and tree roots. if you run barefoot or in vibram toes, you will have broken toes. any trail runner seriously bonks their toe box once per run. this is why trail shoes have toe boxes that are rock hard
i don't understand what the fascination is with barefoot running, and i say this as someone with 50+ marathons under my belt. its not something that elite runners do and novices aspire to...its more like the token town freak who shows up to the marathon in cutoff jeans. there is always one.
I tried Vibrams on a day hike up a small mountain with my brother. We walked quickly the whole way, breaking into a jog a few times. The mountain was rockier than I'd expected--about 80% of the trail was midsize to gigantic rocks. I didn't break any toes, but I did have very sore feet for about a week after that.
Sometimes those token "freaks" show up and kick the shit out of everybody.
That's what happened with the three Tarahumara went to Leadville, CO in 1993 and took first, second and third places in the premier 100 mile trail race. Seven came back the next year, wearing hats of their sponsor Rockport, but sandals made of tire-treads instead of Rockport shoes. The slowest of them finished 11th.
AFIK, they lost their sponsorship, and were unable to come back the next year.
your inclination might be to try this on trails. wrong. trails are full of rocks and tree roots. if you run barefoot or in vibram toes, you will have broken toes. any trail runner seriously bonks their toe box once per run. this is why trail shoes have toe boxes that are rock hard
i don't understand what the fascination is with barefoot running, and i say this as someone with 50+ marathons under my belt. its not something that elite runners do and novices aspire to...its more like the token town freak who shows up to the marathon in cutoff jeans. there is always one.