I am skeptical of giving this a try due to lack of concrete literature from what I've found so far (I've more to read), but anecdotally there seems to be good results from those that do it right (skip the fibrams/minimalist shoes altogether and dive straight in but take care to build up slowly). Our hunter-gatherers did not jog/run in shoes...but they also didn't run miles on asphalt either.
NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4212355/
Tons of references in the above link for further reading.
Interesting points in the discussion because Russ also speaks to the biomechanics here on the how the foot strikes the ground. Running related injuries are typical in the ankles, knees, and the lower back. As someone with a history of lower back problems, and as someone who jogs a few miles 3-4x a week, I can attest to the lower back soreness. I do wonder now if my shoes could be the cause (and the shoes in turn messing with my biomechanics).
The differences between barefoot and shod running have been increasingly studied in the literature. Runners typically contact the ground with the heel first: a rear foot strike (RFS). In contrast, barefoot runners tend to display a midfoot strike (MFS) or a forefoot strike (FFS), which may allow for absorption of collision forces with the ground and avoidance of excessive pressure at the heel.23 The difference in strike patterns may be related to potential kinetic and kinematic changes in ground reaction forces (GRFs), loading rates, joint moments and powers, joint range of motion, muscle activation patterns, and running economy. These alterations in biomechanics and joint forces while barefoot or in minimalist shoes may protect against RRI [Running-Related Injuries],and/or enhance running performance.
UPMC: https://www.upmc.com/services/sports-me ... ot-runningDespite the different technologies available, minimalist shoe designs cannot entirely replicate barefoot running, possibly because of differences in mechanics and economy in barefoot running. No definitive conclusions can be drawn on the risks or benefits to running barefoot, shod, or in minimalist shoes.
If you're gonna give this a shot, build up to it and take it slow:
Anecdotal: https://youtu.be/y4EuZAWM-1QIf you choose to make the transition from shod to barefoot running it must be slow and steady. First start out by walking around barefoot for about 2 weeks, then start running in place and slowly transition into smooth flat surfaces. You can then increase your mileage and increase your speed again slow and steady, but no more than 10% in distance per week. The important thing is to listen to your body. If you are in pain you are doing too much too fast.
Russ Tedrake is a roboticist and professor at MIT and vice president of robotics research at TRI. He works on control of robots in interesting, complicated, underactuated, stochastic, difficult to model situations. Stated in the video, he runs barefoot to MIT daily about 6-7 miles.