Great article about running and footwear...

[kacie tri-ing]

I am a huge fan of barefoot running! I do all of my runs <10 miles either totally barefoot or wearing a vibram 5-fingers shoe, depending on the terrain (I like the 5-fingers shoe when there are a lot of little rocks or hidden roots/debris on the trail). This is really just because I'm still working my way up to longer barefoot runs- it takes some getting used to!
My left foot used to be flat, and I used to get tendinitis in my right knee. I tried all sorts of motion control shoes and even went to a podiatrist that immediately suggested orthotics. I started doing my own research and decided to give barefooting a try. It makes your feet sore at first... in weird spots, but that went away after a while. Now I have no issues. At all.
I was also incredibly surprised the other day when I was walking around in damp socks on a wood floor- the light caught my footprint just right, and I noticed that my left print was no longer flat! I immediately reached down to feel and, sure enough, I've got an arch now!

When I do wear shoes, I wear Vasque Velocity trail shoes- they don't have much cushion, but they do have a very rugged sole, which I feel that I need to get good traction in some of the places I run.

Did you run your 50K barefoot?

[Andrea]

Nope, I ran in my Vasques. I still find my feet getting sore after about 7-8 miles when I'm barefoot or in the 5-fingers, so I'm slowly working my way up in distance.