1234

Holy Cow - shoes are evil? (Read 1291 times)

C-R


    Well not really. Just a clever marketing ploy to read the post. I read this article last night (and yes its long and yes I do have a life) and wondered what others might think about the subject. Cliffs notes version - shoes are wrecking our feet. As a disclaimer: I am not trying to stir any pots or bait any trolls, I do not run barefoot except on the beach when playing games with my kids, I do not subscribe to either end of the bell curve spectrum regarding shoes so I sit comfortably in the mean. I do run in flats and this developed over time and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express. Just curious of others opinions. http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/ If by some chance I have now opened up some holy war between shoe company reps and the Chia running world (HT to Scout), please accept my apologies and I will run a few extra miles as punishment while I contemplate my agreigous forum sins. Big grin


    "He conquers who endures" - Persius
    "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel

    http://ncstake.blogspot.com/

    Scout7


      HERE They don't specify what's considered "healthy" vs. "unhealthy". I'm not sure how they've determined that shoes alone have caused our gaits and feet to become "bad".
        How did Scout get here before Zoomie?

        E.J.
        Greater Lowell Road Runners
        Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

        May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.


        over 9000!!!

          i agree with this article. here is another article from NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89830802 this whole barefooting thing is becoming more and more popular. more ppl are running barefoot and more scientific studies are being done. i am on the trek right now to becoming 100% barefoot (vibram fivefingers are ok in my book as well) it makes nothing but sense. are we really saying to God/Evolution (which ever you subscribe to) that their design sucks and we need a whole bunch of cushioning and support in order to use our feet? the foot has sooo many bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons. it a very complex system. so is it just there for show? is all that stuff just a useless mass of flesh to be restricted tightly by a $120 shoe with all the latest technology? i dont think so. i think the human foot is perfectly capable of walking/running long distances just fine. the only human invention that we need (if any at all) is a thin layer of rubber or leather or something that can protect us from sharp objects, hot cement and grass pickers. we dont need all that cushioning and motion control ect... really tho... these running shoes have heels with 3 inches of padding. oh ya and the nike free... nice job nike. u got on board with the barefoot thing. didn't want to lose a buck there did ya? they are flexable but the heels on those things are thick! why did they do that? ----> So you will continue to run with a heelstrike and not fully become a barefooter, thus continuing to buy shoes from nike. think about it... bottom line ___ shoes have been making our feet dumb. i am afraid that as we evolve, our feet will become deformed. they have there place of course: fancy dinners, shoveling snow, ect.. but i dont think we should be wearing them 99% of the time. i have spent most of my 27 years in a pair of shoes. its going to be a long road to strenghten and re-teach my feet to be independent. but it is worth it to me hey feet... HTFU


          The Greatest of All Time

            are we really saying to God/Evolution (which ever you subscribe to) that their design sucks and we need a whole bunch of cushioning and support in order to use our feet?
            Modern homo sapien's feet have not evolved or were not designed to run long distances on asphalt and concrete. I'll keep my Asics thank you very much.
            all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be

            Obesity is a disease. Yes, a disease where nothing tastes bad...except salads.


            over 9000!!!

              Modern homo sapien's feet have not evolved or were not designed to run long distances on asphalt and concrete. I'll keep my Asics thank you very much.
              this is the main misconception that anti-barefooters hide behind. modern man has evolved to run on hard surfaces. lots of flat hard dirt in Africa. the modern homo sapien foot is uber super great at absorbing impact. even on concrete. it has a better spring action than any shoe! but dont take my word for it. Check out ol' barefoot ted. he runs 100 mile races barefoot or just with Vibrams. http://www.barefootted.com/


              Supa Dupa Fly

                Do you think this hold's true for all shapes and sizes of feet? I'd think a flatfoot or extremely high arch may have a harder time with running barefoot. Perhaps running barefoot may be benefical to some but not to others? I just have a difficult time going with a hard and fast rule for all types.
                ~TC --There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't--


                The Greatest of All Time

                  I smell a Vibram Five Fingers salesman...
                  all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be

                  Obesity is a disease. Yes, a disease where nothing tastes bad...except salads.
                    I only run in flats... I can't disagree with any of these articles. Heavy, high heeled, overly cushioned shoes do not feel right to me. I have high arched feet and grew up in the country running around barefoot most of the time. Not trying to force it on anyone, just stating my opinion. Smile


                    over 9000!!!

                      Do you think this hold's true for all shapes and sizes of feet? I'd think a flatfoot or extremely high arch may have a harder time with running barefoot. Perhaps running barefoot may be benefical to some but not to others? I just have a difficult time going with a hard and fast rule for all types.
                      i understand what you mean. 1) first of all. its true that barefoot running is not possible for some. if you have extreme foot conditions, you will have problems. but that is just true of everything. but those things are more rare than most. 2) most people do have low arches or high arches. you were certainly born that way. but does spending the rest of your life in a shoe strengthen or weaken this condition? 3) the pronation issues that are associated with arch type can be strengthened with barefoot training. if you spend most your life in shoes and you have had foot problems before, it will take years to getused to it. i Story: i have low arches and over-pronate pretty good. i started out with stability shoes. no problems. i begain to search for lighter shoes. put on a lightweight neutral shoe and it gave me pain. then i ran across a barefoot site, got excited and went out for a 2 mi barefoot run. my leggs hurt bad. so i went back to the shoes. then i thought maybe i should start slow and walk at first. one year later... i can run 3-5 miles once or twice a week with no probs. i can even wear neutral shoes with no problems. i can actually notice that i do not over pronate as much anymore. this may not work for everyone but with 6 billion ppl out there at least a few million can get these results! 4) sure its not for everyone. i am not putting this out there for those who are not interested at all about barefooting... i am puttin it out there for ppl like me who where curious but didn't think it was possible. and now i know


                      The Greatest of All Time

                        I only run in flats...
                        Let me know how your achilles feels when you hit 50 miles per week running only in flats. Not trying to be snarky, I am being genuine.
                        all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be

                        Obesity is a disease. Yes, a disease where nothing tastes bad...except salads.
                        C-R


                          How did Scout get here before Zoomie?
                          I think Zoom is still under the weather and you could probably blame it on the meds..... but I will let her speak for herself as she is eloquent to say the least (according to Globule Wink ) I had a snealing suspicion this would start working an ember so let me throw some gas on the fire.... As far as running barefoot on concrete - I only have one comment - broken glass shards! No way I run on downtown streets without soles or shoes. I like walking too much. For short distances around the pool/track -ok, but if it were so good, you would have seen more than that one Olympic marathon winner (from the 60s if memory serves me) repeat or redo on a weekly basis. I also notice that the elite Kenyans and Ethiopians run in shoes - albeit flats. I would agree that today's shoes are overdesigned in that they create a crutch for those not needing one. Anectodal evidence to this - personal friend and Div 1 football player wore a knee brace as protection from injuring a knee. Muscles adapted over time and now he wears always in games since in his words "it doesn't function as well without the brace". Now this is a test group of one and may be outside of the margin of error, but it follows other medical reports I've read in passing. Can a running shoe cause the same? eg. you wear a motion control unit for pronation reasons and over time can't run in anything else. Now the shoe companies reseearch this stuff but don't share since its a trade secret. Has anyone seen medical or physio studies posted regarding shoes (besides the one's referenced in the article) that can "show you the math over time" to make their case? Ok, you can see my thoughts. I like running in minimal shoes but I may also be a statistical outlier. Either end of the extreme seems too far IMHO. Update - Marcus - I've no clue as I just cleared an average of 35 mpw. I use NB950s and have a pair of 152s on order. I plan to watch carefully to what my feet and legs say as I go over 40 mpw and so on. I may need to go to a lightweight neutral trainer with some padding but I will test and watch. I'm an engineer by nature and would rather test and verify than go by blind hypotheses. Based on my slow buildup I don't believe my injury risk is too high if I pay attention every day.


                          "He conquers who endures" - Persius
                          "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel

                          http://ncstake.blogspot.com/

                            Let me know how your achilles feels when you hit 50 miles per week running only in flats. Not trying to be snarky, I am being genuine.
                            I will. If it becomes a problem as I increase my mileage I'll be the first to admit it. Smile
                            Scout7


                              Did anyone read the link I posted? Here's the thing: The jury is still out on whether shoes themselves cause problems. There are studies that show no ill effects from wearing them. The problem comes from wearing the wrong TYPE of shoe. I agree with the article in that high heels are stupid. However, I see nothing wrong with have some sort of cushioning in my dress shoes. I also see nothing wrong with wearing a properly fitted running shoe. Are most shoes over-designed? Probably. And guess what? The market is changing to reflect this. Companies are starting to come out with more neutral, lighter shoes. Barefoot running is great and all, but is hardly the best answer. Wearing properly fitted shoes seems to do the trick for most people.
                              C-R


                                Did anyone read the link I posted?
                                Link went to nowhere.


                                "He conquers who endures" - Persius
                                "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel

                                http://ncstake.blogspot.com/

                                1234