Feet were never meant to be naked . . . or were they?

Naked Running is a great concept but problematic in ways I won't get into here. Use your imagination.

But one thing that all but the craziest runners agree on is this: running barefoot is a bad idea.

I know that 50 years ago there were African runners who ran marathons barefoot, but I'm still trying to get my mind around that idea.

My feet seem so fragile, and my shoes are there to keep my ankles from rolling over and my soles from getting bruised and battered. Not only are shoes necessary for me to run, but I'd say that good shoes are an absolute requirement.

Even when I look back and see what people were running in back in the late 60s, it makes me a bit woozy. And the times they were turning in were simply phenomenal. So are great shoes necessary for great running? Clearly not, but why would anybody want to deny themselves the added safety and comfort of good shoes? It just doesn't make sense.

There is one exception. Running on the beach. That's one place where running nakey-toed is pure pleasure.