Why should you wear real shoes?

Well, here is a video from Yahoo! News talking about just that issue. (They won't let me insert the video directly.)

My thought: their argument is weak. The main point the podiatrist is trying to make is that people should wear what makes them comfortable.

Perfect Landing - Harvard Gazette

I came across this article on StumbleUpon and I thought it was perfect to add to the barefoot running theme.

The tag line: "Study finds barefoot runners have less foot stress than shod ones"

Enjoy!

Barefoot Running

Back in 2006, I read an article in Mens' Health about the Tarahumara Indian tribe from Mexico's Copper Canyon. The article talked a lot about barefoot running- a new concept to me. Later in 2009, I discovered that the same author, Christopher McDougall, had written a book called Born to Run which chronicles his adventure to Mexico to meet the tribe for a long distance race.

The People: The Tarahumara Indian tribe is centered around a long distance running game. Basically, they run very far, sometimes 435 miles in one game, kicking or tossing a ball back and forth. It's like soccer or lacrosse, if the entire playing field was the northern Mexico copper canyons. They are a very reclusive group of people so they have rarely been in traditional long distance races, but it is thought that they are the best endurance athletes in the world. And they run in sandals, called Huarache. This isn't something they do for part of their life, but all of their life. They live well into their 100's and run actively until they are in their 60's.

The Concept: The sandals aren't the whole concept, just the gear. The idea is to become a toe/ball striker instead of a heel striker. You want to land on the front of the foot to keep up the momentum. Plus, the shock will be absorbed by your muscles instead of you knees. You can check out an article here with all the details. This means less force and stress on your body and less energy so you can run longer. Additionally, it helps to strengthen your foot to keep it healthy and happy for a long running life.

What the believers are saying:
Well, there is a lab at Harvard studying the biomechanics of barefoot running. Their website is here: http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html.

I urge you to check out their biomechanics and videos page which shows the differences in form of the heel strike and barefoot running technniques.

Here are some samples:

Join me next time when I discuss the other side of the coin - Supported Running (a.k.a wearing shoes)

Shoes!

I love shoes. In fact, I think I might like the act of shoe shopping more than the shoes. I often shoe shop online, constantly saving items for later or adding them to my cart, but never buying. The problem is that shoes are expensive.

So that brings me to my running dilemma, what should I wear on my feet?

Lately, I have been rockin' the Vibram Five Fingers. (Those are my feet.)

Totally funky and fun, right? I really like the idea of barefoot running and these shoes help me do that without getting quite so dirty and beat up. On the other hand, I haven't gone more than 4 miles in them. Plus, one has started to squeak, the seam started to come undone (which I suppose I could fix), and one of my toes seems to get beat up more than the others. They also don't keep my feet very warm.

My other option is the Nike Free's I've had for a few years now. They kind of look like this, but more purple and pink.

I like them since they allow me to wear socks to keep my ankles warm and they are pretty comfy. Unfortunately, they are pretty old so I would probably need to get a new pair which means spending $80.


I'd like to note that I am not really following the rules on how often you should change your running shoes. I like wearing minimalist shoes, but I've never really clocked the miles required to train for and complete an actual marathon. Will my shoe collection be sufficient?

My plan is to start out with the Vibram's since I have been running in those for a few months. The tricky part will be seeing how/when/if I will switch to Nike Free's. I guess it will be a fun little science experiment.