Posted on 04/24/2009 5:47:07 AM PDT by Liberty1970
At Stanford University, California, two sales representatives from Nike were watching the athletics team practise. Part of their job was to gather feedback from the company's sponsored runners about which shoes they preferred.
Unfortunately, it was proving difficult that day as the runners all seemed to prefer... nothing.
'Didn't we send you enough shoes?' they asked head coach Vin Lananna. They had, he was just refusing to use them. 'I can't prove this,' the well-respected coach told them.
'But I believe that when my runners train barefoot they run faster and suffer fewer injuries.'
Nike sponsored the Stanford team as they were the best of the very best. Needless to say, the reps were a little disturbed to hear that Lananna felt the best shoes they had to offer them were not as good as no shoes at all.
When I was told this anecdote it came as no surprise. I'd spent years struggling with a variety of running-related injuries, each time trading up to more expensive shoes, which seemed to make no difference. I'd lost count of the amount of money I'd handed over at shops and sports-injury clinics - eventually ending with advice from my doctor to give it up and 'buy a bike'. And I wasn't on my own. Every year, anywhere from 65 to 80 per cent of all runners suffer an injury. No matter who you are, no matter how much you run, your odds of getting hurt are the same. It doesn't matter if you're male or female, fast or slow, pudgy or taut as a racehorse, your feet are still in the danger zone.
But why? How come Roger Bannister could charge out of his Oxford lab every day, pound around a hard
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I tried running barefoot in my younger years, but suspect I didn't stick with it long enough for my body to adjust. I did find it comfortable on grass but not on pavement. In retrospect that may have been due to a poor stride (too much up-and-down wasted energy, resulting in a lot of stress on the knees), despite the efforts of my kinesiologist father on that score. I suspect that sustained running barefoot may actually have resulted in a better running stride (to minimize stressing my joints) which would have improved my overall performance due to less wasted energy, in retrospect.
For me the deciding factor was simply that I didn't want to step on glass or other sharp debris. In places where that is not a concern, the evidence in this article suggests we might be better off simply relying on the feet God designed us with.
I find it ironic how, further down in the article, they mention how the more money is spent on a shoe, the more likely the runners are to have injuries, after all other factors are controlled. The shoemakers better watch out or they might find themselves facing class-action lawsuits with data like that.
I’m not a runner, never have been, in fact I have MS. Hubby has had his share of back problems and a hip replacement but he works out religiously, even though he can’t run either.
There is only one kind of shoe that has “lived up” to it’s reputation and advertising. Of course they’re not running shoes, but walking or everyday shoes, but we’ve found MBTs do what they say they do. They’re ugly, they’re expensive, but they do get rid of the aches and pains caused by an improper gait.
I always found it interesting the best runners came out of areas with minimal living standards, compared to ours, and no shoes or food stuffs created for runners based on years of scientific research.
The failure to do so in a multi-billion dollar industry suggest that foot design is highly optimized, and that the most optimal design parameters were utilized rather than sub-optimal dead ends chosen by blind evolutionary processes driven by natural selection.
Which is ... where? Where is a person to run, for more than a few steps, over fine soft grass, free of debris, trash, rocks, fire ants, dog plotz, ad infinitum? If anyone lives there, well bless their hearts.
Same here... I tried running while barefoot once.... ouch. It has been my experience that a new pair of running shoes (why can’t we call ‘em ‘sneakers’ like when we were kids) takes a lot of pain from the lower back. As time passes and the soles wear down, I begin to ache more and more. So for this runner, I’ll take the running shoes.
They look great for clamming! :)
You do know what’s on the ground in a barnyard, right?
In Beatrix Potter’s world, I would guess water colors.
In Hawaii, kids grow up playing soccer barefoot on lava beds (cooled ones, obviously). Or so I have heard.
I had come across this after, yet again, trying to figure out on getting rid of shin splints. The extra stretches worked, but I kept thinking about this. I saw a serious runner that was running in what look like spandex like slips. It mad me think even harder. After reading this article I may look into this low profile feet gloves. My concern like yours is my foot coming down on debris and causing injury.
I’m a fairly serious runner, including trail running. Believe me: the right shoes make a huge difference.
Pansies.....
Now those are some interesting shoes. Keeps the design of the foot intact, while offering the protection of a shoe.
Good point.
I had them when they first came out. Very comfy and great as casual “hang-around” shoes for the summer when it doesn’t matter how you look. Mine didn’t held up too well, though. The newer models might hold up better.
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