I cringe at the thought of running barefoot around here. There are too many sticks and stones and other sharp objects on the roads and the trails. I would prefer a shoes with less heel than normal running shoes, but I want some protection for my feet.

As an aside, I was out walking on a trail with my dogs a while back and a guy came running up from behind me. As he passed me I noticed that he was barefoot except for cloth medical tape that he had on the bottom of his feet to protect them.