No. Not here. Not now. Seattle for all of its beauty is not the ideal running environment for your first foray into barefoot running. I know, you’ve read the book, and you want to maximize your muscle potential and ligament strength. You want your ankle optimized for subtle terrain changes. I get it. It just feels “right.” You were, ‘Born to Run.’ Until you step on a needle, a screw or something squishy. Barefoot running is predicated on two things: favorable terrain and what I call tissue dynamic range or TDR.

While our terrain in Seattle is varied, most runners need the convenience of pavement running for a majority of their run. Pavement heightens the stress on your feet while running. In other words, it doesn’t “give.” That lack of spring results in more direct stress to your feet. Ouch! Softer terrain includes hard pack, trails, grass, softer tracks, sand or anything with less firmness. It doesn’t have to be wet or sloppy, but just less hard than pavement. These options can ease the barefoot stresses, but still pose an injury threat related to...