Take off your shoes and go run.  That's all I did.  You'll be surprised how easy it is.  On the other hand I think the benefits are minimal, at best. 

Len

No, it's not mine.

I haven't run barefoot much.  So . . . not to make light of your efforts.  There probably are techniques that would be helpful if you're doing it a lot.  It is NOT quite the same as running in shoes, despite the basic similarities.

Len

I don't think so.  My biomechanics aren't terrible but I don't think they're great either.  There is a distinct and noticable difference between my two feet.  I'm a mild overpronator.  I'm an average heel striker on my right foot and a light heel striker on my left.  I'm the same with shoes or without.  The heel strike seems more noticable barefoot.  Downhill it is particularly noticable.  One thing I think is barefoot seems to build foot strength.  I feel like my stride is shorter barefoot, maybe because I'm a little tentative.  You don't really notice pebbles and small stones.  On the other hand, you can feel the "grain" of the road, smoother surfaces being more pleasant.  If you put the shoes back on to finish the run, they feel like pillows.

Len

AsphaltRunner wrote:

 

Len -

I bet if you put in appreciable mileage into BR your footstrike will change.  If you truly do heel-strike barefoot, your body will start signalling to you that there is a lot of impact from that footstrike.  BTW I think there are other advantages too.  If you run barefoot, it will strengthend your foot muscles/ligaments/tendons, achilles tendon, and calves.

Admittedly, I haven't put in a lot of miles barefoot, but I've seen no evidence so far of any inclination to change my foot strike.  My body doesn't seem to mind the heel strike at all.  With shoes, I've been slowly changing to more of a midfoot strike, on my right foot particularly (injury related).  Barefoot, I find it harder to midfoot strike.  The heel strike feels much better and more natural to me.  Which is not to say the experience will be the same for everyone.  Rather that many of the supposed benefits of barefoot running are, at best, anecdotal.  At the same time, I find it surprisingly enjoyable.  I think it would be a worthwhile thing for many runners to do, for few miles per week anyway.

I think I mentioned that it seems to build foot strength.  I could not go beyond that at this point.

Let me add that I was the ultimate skeptic before I tried it.  Like you said: "While it's definitely not for everyone, I believe most runners could benefit from some barefoot running to help strengthen their "running" anatomy."  I agree with that statement.

Len

It's not actually that simple. Your feet have to get used to it. When I first started, I could only do a mile or two before the arches of my foot got too tired.

I went barefoot when I first started running.  Ah, to be young again!  I'd run around the lake (a little over 3 miles).  I would, infrequently, follow the run with a swim across the lake.  Being barefoot made the transition easy!

At the time I was barefoot almost all the time, living in rural Georgia.  I never really thought about running barefoot since I've restarted running.