In 2006 I created a scale of running surfaces, including man-made and natural surfaces, both to illustrate that natural and “unnatural” surfaces cover the scale from good to bad, and also to give people a method of relating surfaces to others in their run/walk reports. note that the hardness of the surface is not a factor in this chart. While running or walking barefoot, using gentle technique, the landing is gentle regardless of the hardness of the surface, so that is really a negligible factor in determining comfort of terrain on the bare soles.
My recommendation is to run and/or walk on a variety of surfaces. The hard rough surfaces are best for learning and changing your technique to more gentle landings and take-offs (not push-offs). The smooth and soft terrains are basically dessert. They are enjoyable to run and walk on while barefoot, but they will not necessarily teach you to correct bad or harmful technique.
Those with sensitive soles may get the same amount of helpful feedback from less rough terrain than others might get from extremely rough terrain. Of course we can’t know how something feels to others compared with how it feels to ourselves. The outward reaction of people to various surfaces is not necessarily an accurate way to gauge how uncomfortable they are. Some people may complain less even though they’re in extreme pain, while others may complain about the least pain.
The important thing is to be honest with yourself. If walking or running on a surface is painful, the first thing to try to correct is NOT the surface, but rather they way your foot is interacting with the surface. Hint: Tensing up will not make the surfaces more “bare”able.
More information about gentle walking and running technique: How.BarefootRunning.com
Ken Bob’s Scale of Surface Textures
Posted in: Extremes, Hazards, Sensitivity, technique, Terrain
