[lonelyasacloud]

So really nothing beats running on a good surface completely barefoot; it is amazing, but it is also not always practical, and is definitely not necessary to get most of the barefoot benefits.

Nor for that matter are odd looking feet gloves, ultra-thin soles, expensive sandals etc.

What does matter though is a) having a shoe that allows the mechanics of the lower leg and foot to work; zero drop, no arch supports and a wide toe box are essential. And b) taking the time to build up the wasted musculature (mostly in the feet) that may well have had a lifetime of being splinted and not being used as it was evolved for.

Least that's the sample size of one experience of a late fifties, 100kg who did multiple marathons, half's etc both before and after switching to barefoot and minimalist shoes after coming across the Born to Run book in 2010 while trying to figure out how to avoid injuries.

(bonus injury prevention tip would be off-road running in the green. Not only good for the head, but the added terrain variety varies the loads on the joints and helps train core stability)