If you missed Chris McDougall on the Daily Show last night, you can see it here.
The book, which I loved, has caused quite a few people to look into the minimalist footwear thing. I'm not sold on it, and think it's a fad that will go away soon. Yes, injuries among runners haven't dropped with the advances in footwear over the years. But we've also seen such a huge number of runners who now do team-in-training type stuff and train so horribly they're setting themselves up for injury no matter what they do or do not wear on their feet.
But who knows. I've been injury free for my 20+ years of running, and those years were built on a foundation of high school cross-country (racing two to three times a week in the Nike Waffle Racer) and following that with track season, spending winter and spring running around in circles in track spikes. Maybe that near-barefoot stuff toughened up my feet and legs a bit.
I did see a few people during the Ascent wearing the Vibram 5 Fingers. I asked each person how their feet were doing, and each one had good things to say. Of course, all the people wearing the glove like sock/slipper things were way towards the back of the pack and I would guess they had been walking since the Cog Railway.
Bottom line in my book - the best way to avoid injury is to train smart and train hard. Shoes are a minor part of the equation. Not quite as sexy as a hidden civilization of barefoot ultrarunners, but it works.
4 comments:
Hey now, some of us just like stripes on our feet!
you beat me to a post about this fad. dammit.
and I couldn't agree with you more. It's a total fad, and soon enough most, if not almost all those people will go back to running with shoes. one reason will be that they get tired of the 2 inch thick calluses they're building like tarzan.
I have a friend that has horrible foot issues and runs barefoot on grass a couple of times a week, because it helps his pains. BUT, he runs long runs in racing flats, not in VFFs.
Also, this one guy i see running ALL THE TIME has always worn shoes. On Tuesday i spotted him doing a pre run out and back for maybe half a mile shoeless.
I guess I just don't get it.
what cracks me up the most is the local trail runners that are experimenting with VFFs. trails around here as you know are rocky and technical as shit. It isn't going to make you any faster by tippy toeing over all the crap around here. then again, maybe it's not about becoming faster, and all about getting slower and the sensation of burning your toes/feet on the hot ground?
more power to them. just don't get mad if i "inadvertantly" step on you as i whizz by
I enjoy a run in the grass barefoot occasionally as much as anyone ... but personally I am thankful for well soled shoes with the scars on my dogs.
I like the suggestion on corn mash.
I tried running barefoot once, but I was really slow, so I started wearing shoes.
Huge mistake. Barefoot running must have screwed up my stride because I was horribly slow when I ran with shoes and have been ever since.
In all fairness, I was only 2 at the time, so I can't really take all the blame.
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