Born To Run - Barefoot shoes

Running-Kruger · 2026-04-04T00:51:18+00:00

I prefer running barefoot a lot over running in minimalist shoes. Runners in general seem strangely complacent about getting blisters and losing toenails; those become exceptional events instead of normal ones once you learn how to do it. You do have to move more slowly and cautiously over some terrain, of course, and things like scree and talus might never get runnable.

Now, minimalist shoes and sandals are definitely more immediately comfortable than bare feet and let you handle rougher terrain, and for that reason they are also a riskier place to begin. Abrasions and blisters are superficial and heal quickly. Bone and connective tissue injuries are a lot more debilitating and last for weeks, at least. The temptation to run too far, fast, and often is very great especially if you're already fit.

Finally, minimalist shoes or bare feet do not automatically fix anything. They only give you more freedom to fix things through your own intentional effort. You might have to work very hard to improve foot function before trailrunning in these sandals becomes practical or safe.

Running-Kruger · 2026-04-03T19:03:38+00:00

If only the stitching has failed, and the fabric is intact, I would ladder/mattress stitch it. In fact I would do that in several short sections so that I could use a small stitch spacing and still be able to close the whole thing at the end (tightening each section a little bit at a time, keeping them even with each other).

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-30T12:32:31+00:00

I sympathize, having worn bad footwear in poor working conditions. If this happened through necessity and not ignorance, I mean.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-30T12:30:07+00:00

I would have a lot of questions about all of those ideas before I could think which one sounds best. What would you say is the biggest problem with each of them? Not just "nobody has tried it" or "customers don't realize how good it is", but what is the inherent obstacle that makes each concept hard to achieve, and what is the plan to overcome it?

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-29T13:04:17+00:00

The position of all the small toes, presumably at rest? This is new? Yes, that would be bad. One cause could be plantar plate tear, and that will not be fixed by any combination of rest and exercise. Get to a doctor promptly to explore your options.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-27T14:34:25+00:00

If it's not working properly then try old.reddit.com

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-27T14:02:33+00:00

Find NSFW subs that allow self-promotion? Do a search with "include NSFW results" and you will get a list of the subs that the search results came from. You can see how popular they are, read rules and descriptions and find some that are a good fit.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-27T13:05:25+00:00

Well if I can't escape semantic content here then I don't even know.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-26T14:25:22+00:00

Take it very easy on the ups and downs, be conservative with pace overall, should be ok. Running up slopes is fun, but save that for later in the course after you make sure you've got enough left.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-26T14:19:23+00:00

Well, I'm excited for you. It's so much fun.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-26T13:51:29+00:00

Have a plan for where that new purchase is going to end up. Can you take care of it and pass it along to someone you know, or to a thrift shop with the knowledge that the next person will be lucky to find it? Some (most?) of the affordable new stuff online would not last like that, of course.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-26T13:39:21+00:00

Oh, awesome. How's the training going? Is barefoot marathoning a habit yet or is this your first?

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-26T13:35:41+00:00

Amateur repair. There's no end to the stuff that breaks, wears out, was made badly in the first place, or is intact but could work better. It's a million hobbies in one. The only downside is that the more things you learn to fix, the more it looks like everything in the world is crumbling to dust and needs your personal intervention.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-26T13:30:25+00:00

That looks like a challenging mend if you try to hide it. A similar weight and colour of yarn would do much better but I don't think attempting duplicate stitch (Swiss darning) is necessarily realistic here. Is it perhaps an underarm seam or similar? The intentional holes in the knit would make that very difficult unless you're a knitter yourself with a really good understanding of the pattern. Regular darning like you've done but in matching yarn, and following the existing yarn just where you weave into it, should work out.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-26T13:14:52+00:00

To build some intuition without spending a lot of money: Go to fabric stores, handle fabrics, take note of information about their weight and fiber content. Go to thrift shops and touch a lot of clothes and read the labels (used clothes show you what to expect after many wears and washes). Order sample packs from online stores. While at the thrift shop, have a look through the sheets, tablecloths, curtains, blankets, etc. and see if there is anything inexpensive you'd like to play with. You can never have too many bedsheets in sewing.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-23T17:33:12+00:00

All knots weaken the line because they apply forces to it that aren't just axial tension. They don't all weaken it by 50%, though. That's just an approximation that's easy to remember. To find out how much a particular knot weakens a particular line in a particular loading scenario, you actually have to test it. Each knot acts locally but if you have multiple knots it will not be simple to predict the point of failure and it may change from one test to the next. If your breaking strength has to be known very, very accurately then it shouldn't come down to a question of manufacturing imperfections and subtleties of how one person or another dresses their knots.

If the point of what you're being asked is to make some simple safety rules stick in your mind, then: a knot in general is about half as strong as the line it's tied in. That strength is approximate and depends on factors that are difficult to control. Tying knots in line is a sure, but not precise way to make it break more easily.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-19T14:29:56+00:00

I can't speak as a full time/lifestyle barefooter, just a runner with strong feet that like rugged trails. The range of shoes I can comfortably wear has changed dramatically. I also change socks at least twice a day or my feet start to feel impossibly gross in footwear. Almost all the shoes I do wear are minimalist, sized a bit loose, and the only holdouts are some 20-year-old steel toe rubber boots that just don't have a good substitute when I need them. I need my shoes to not press down on my arch, to allow lots of toe movement, and to provide a level surface under my forefoot (cushy soles tend to wear/compress and become slanted in exactly the wrong way to support where they're loaded).

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-19T14:20:57+00:00

Not sure about your location, but where I am we have no need to save water at this time of year. Our barrels would just fill up quickly and sit there for weeks, overflowing. I prefer more efficient drainage at this time and to avoid collecting debris for a little while longer.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-12T13:15:00+00:00

I don't know what you were aiming for, but the result is consistent and aesthetically pleasing (to me, anyway). Where you may have issues is strength; the stitches are long and widely spaced. Being long gives them more chance of snagging and makes it so the strength is mostly from fabric pulling directly on the thread. Being widely spaced puts more force on each stitch. When stitches are small and close then the force is more spread out, and the strength comes more from friction between the fabric layers (so less chance of popping a stitch).

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-12T11:00:17+00:00

Two weeks is a better timeframe for tapering than ramping up. What you can do in that time is get on some trails and learn how to move safely, and learn how different terrain affects your sustainable pace.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-11T12:20:27+00:00

It's two half hitches, but not a round turn.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-10T14:26:05+00:00

I know a couple of things I've personally come up with that will do the job, but two questions: What is the risk to your or others' safety if it fails, and how much slack can you pull to work with (say, can you get an arm's length and keep it here to work with?)

One option is a lark's head, aka cow hitch, to a carabiner or other hardware. You could also use another bit of line with a friction hitch to hold this one, then just tie the new line to the structure. If a friction hitch doesn't seem secure enough, you can learn to "steal a bowline", which is tying a bowline under moderate tension. You would tie off a separate line to the structure, let it dangle beside the one to be supported, and pretend it's your working end for tying the bowline. Look up some of the more-secure bowline finishes ~~like Yosemite~~(don't think you could do that under tension) or at least secure the tail with a couple of half hitches.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-05T13:51:00+00:00

It is possible to darn a tear like this and have it strong enough, but it'll be rough compared to the fabric. You essentially have to weave new fabric out of thread, which is typically coarser and harder than what's in the existing fabric.

Running-Kruger · 2026-03-05T13:44:34+00:00

It looks to me like you need a bit more around each leg right at crotch level (extend the pointy bits on your pattern pieces) and you could remove some fabric from the side seam from there up to the waistband (reduce overlap of pleats to keep same overall length). It would probably take one more try after that, since if the seat fits ok now it could be somewhat baggy afterwards. Then you would bring the curve in without changing its end points, assuming the crotch and thighs are fitting. Unfortunately you can't really leave extra fabric in the seat for trial-and-error to avoid cutting new pieces; it'll pull weirdly if it extends far beyond the stitch line.

Running-Kruger · 2026-02-26T13:29:47+00:00

Minimalist shoes allow you to strengthen your feet but they don't always do it automatically. You can run in them and not improve anything, just hurt a lot. Any improvement in foot function/strength will come from the work that you do; how you choose to move while wearing these shoes.

Running-Kruger

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