I'll admit to being a little sucked up into the barefoot running craze (?) sweeping the running nation (?). I think it is of particular interest to older broken-downer-middle-of-the-packer runners (like me) who want an explanation as to why they are not faster, injury-free, efficient forefoot strike runners.
As a kid in the 60's and early 70's in Florida, I can tell you without hesitation that summers were spent barefoot. Bike riding, running nearly everywhere we went, riding horses, and even going to the pick-kwik for icees (before the no shoes-no shirt-no shit thing came to pass). Shoes were for school and church. I don't remember ever having cuts or foot injuries. However, we had pretty filthy feet.
When I ran high school cross country, our coach (the legendary Brent Haley), let us run in old Converse Chuck Taylors, "tennis" shoes, or Keds for a few weeks before putting us into pairs of Brooks Drakes, that had rubbery waffle treads and insanely high wedge heels. And several among us dealt with a variety of lower leg problems. Looking back now, was that a result of the high mileage and intensity, or the footwear?
A few years back I coached a kid who's Dad was a sports podiatrist. I was duly lectured about the absurdity of the human foot, which is apparently loose bag of bones that should not be run upon without expensive cast orthotics that are to be placed within the expensive shoes that are overblown with the latest forefoot cushion goo and are not to be used beyond 300 (or so) miles.
I've seen too many kids run injury free in crappy shoes or running shoes that were deemed "broken down and unusable" (that are often donated to us) to swear that you have to have new shoes, be it of the cushioned, stability, or the dreaded Herman Munster motion control flavor. Yet I'm right in there making sure their parents spring for a 50-75 dollar pair of shoes at the beginning of each season because I'd rather not be a maverick with other peoples' kids' pods.
So between seasons I've read "Born To Run" and every other barefoot and minimalist shoe study I can get my eyes on. And at Christmas I was presented with a pair of Vibram 5 Finger shoes that I've been puttering around in from time to time. I have worn them very sparingly. I also have been attending a weekly barefoot running "clinic" for the last few weeks. The barefoot clinic as it turns out is less about running mileage barefoot than it is about reconnecting with the mechanics of running like you did when you didn't know any better. The feeling of running freely on soft (and often wet) grass is nearly overwhelming. There has to be something to it when the assembled 40-50 year old dudes smile and blurt out how much they feel like a kid again. So far no one has turned up injured, which leads me to believe that no one will. Will I throw my stability shoes away and become a minimalist footwear(er) or barefoot-bible thumping freak?
Probably not.
All I know is that I look forward to "barefoot running" day more than any running day of the week. And that has to be a good thing.
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