Barefoot Running: How to Run Light and Free by Getting in Touch with the Earth Paperback – September 20, 2011

I picked this book up about a year ago to learn more after reading Born to Run, like many people who are currently discovering barefoot running. I've found it to be an indispensable reference, even though I had already been running barefoot for a year before I picked it up.It articulates a lot of ideas about running, and answers a lot of questions most new runners have. While others have mentioned spiritual elements or pseudoscience, I don't think this detracts from the book in the slightest. Barefoot running is all about listening to your body, which is not always something that can always be explained using hard science, so I don't find these elements of the book to be out of place. For example I found a meditation technique mentioned in the book helpful for cold weather runs, even though I am generally not the type of person who normally considers meditation to be helpful.Some reviewers have identified some of the content as repetitive (go slow,listen to your body,etc). Again I think this is there for a reason, and I didn't really find it distracting in any way. Most books stress the core concepts repeatedly due to their importance, and I think this is no different here.I found a lot of content in this book that is not mentioned (or barely mentioned) anywhere else. As I have mentioned above, this book talks about running in cold weather, a topic that is barely discussed anywhere else. Being a Midwesterner, this information is indispensable to me, and allowed me to run barefoot into the early winter.Lastly, I recently attended a workshop done by the author, Michael Sandler. I came away feeling far more knowledgeable about a topic I thought I was an expert in!! Yet later I realized that most of what was discussed was directly from the book, albeit a more condensed introduction. I will be re-reading this book with fresh eyes to see what I have missed, since it seems like I glossed over parts of it the first time around. Meeting the author made me realize that this book could not be written any other way, because of the personal way in which the author tells his story, and what has personally worked for him.I'm buying the kindle version of this book also, so I always have it handy when I loan my now autographed copy to (trusted) friends and family.

So like many people who went straight to minimalist shoes, I got injured in just a few short weeks. And that injury sidelined me from doing a half marathon that I had spent three months preparing for. Talk about heart-breaking.After some searching, I came across the paperback version of this book and gave it a thorough read. This book, in addition to ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running helped me get back into running, but this time I was running for fun and not just to complete a half marathon.Probably the best parts of this book (got the Kindle version so that I could refer to it when needed) are the exercises to strengthen the feet and toes. After having recovered from top of the foot pain, I did many of the exercises like tiger walking and picking up objects with my toes. These exercises helped strengthen my feet and arch. I don't run barefoot, except on a treadmill, but many of the exercises from this book, and the section on injuries, helped me a lot. Three half marathons later, all run in my Vibrams and without injury, and I'm looking for my next challenge, but all the while remembering that the joy of running comes first.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've read Born to Run, then Ken Bob's book and loved both of them. I was still craving more information so I picked this one up too.Sandler has a relaxed style of writing that is easy to digest and logical. He comes across as authoritative, but not overly so; I never felt like he was preaching or talking down to me. His personal story was inspirational.He does spend part of the book talking about the "spiritual" aspects of barefoot running. Unlike a few other reviews here, I did not find those to be distracting or pseudo -scientific. To me they were ideas to think about and ponder when running. When you take your shoes off and run a trail in a natural environment, how can you not think of your connection to nature? Good stuff!!The book has lots of pictures to help solidify the concepts (even in the Kindle version) and his word pictures and examples were very helpful. Especially as they relate to running form and stride. I cleaned up my form considerably after reading this.My recommendation to anyone considering running barefoot is this- avoid the pain (not in your feet- but your calves!!) and read this book and Barefoot Running Step by Step: Barefoot Ken Bob, the Guru of Shoeless Running, Shares His Personal Technique for Running with More Speed, Less Impact, Fewer Injuries and More Fun. Together they gave me a very thorough understanding of how to transition from running shod to the joys of running barefoot.