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The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

runningshoescore.com

101–110 of 211 posts

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#101
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree it shocks at first, but shoes are even dirtier as people don't wash them daily as they would with their feet.

yes, but you probably also won't wash your feet several times a day going in / out?

I lived in Java, Indonesia for a year and ran barefoot, and only wore sandals to the mosque. You wash your feet 5x per day for the 5 daily obligatory prayers, so it works out well. An earlier post here about a person barefoot in all seasons and on the subway train, well, that's another story. I grew up in Brooklyn in the 60s through the 80s, and I can't see that at all. But then again, NYC is a lot cleaner now than it was then. My foot spread out and feels so much more usable to grab at the trail and less stiff without pain. I started running barefoot in 2007, but not as frequent or as long as a competitive runner would; it was more of a 30-minute run 3 to 4x per week at a mild pace . I'm 60 now and have no back, knee, foot or other joint pain or soft tissue issues. I did run on the front of my feet, and with a bicycle pedalling type of motion of my feet. Now, I wear Xeros and a cheap rip-off of the Vibram minimal sole shoes for my daily town/city walking and running.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#102
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cite me then as far you trust I'm representing my own truth. I don't even know what you are demanding exactly. There's not going to be any universal human truth so its going to be made up of opinionated reporting with arbitrary scientific assignments. You don't believe that the average person has positive feelings about walking on meadow or mud or whatever scientific endpoint? Or you don't think human touch is on ave…

> You don't believe that the average person has positive feelings about walking on meadow or mud or whatever scientific endpoint? Or you don't think human touch is on average perceived positively As noted elsewhere, something being "perceived positively" is different than "good for you". I perceive drinking beer positively, after all. But I think we can agree that it's not good for me. Your whole comment is basically…

Do you need a citation or can I safely assert: "Things are good for me that make me feel good absent it being a poison." I just don't think walking on grass or whatever is that far away from ground truth. Coming by in a thread discussing fairly universal experiences and asking for a citation isn't productive at all. "Ya well my great uncle didn't have feet so it would be excruciating for him to try to walk on grass." is just as productive.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#104
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You don't believe that the average person has positive feelings about walking on meadow or mud or whatever scientific endpoint? Or you don't think human touch is on average perceived positively As noted elsewhere, something being "perceived positively" is different than "good for you". I perceive drinking beer positively, after all. But I think we can agree that it's not good for me. Your whole comment is basically…

Do you need a citation or can I safely assert: "Things are good for me that make me feel good absent it being a poison." I just don't think walking on grass or whatever is that far away from ground truth. Coming by in a thread discussing fairly universal experiences and asking for a citation isn't productive at all. "Ya well my great uncle didn't have feet so it would be excruciating for him to try to walk on grass."…

>Do you need a citation or can I safely assert: "Things are good for me that make me feel good absent it being a poison."

I don't need a citation, no, this is pretty obviously false.

Once again, go ahead do do what you want, but asking for a citation when people are recommending a change in lifestyle because it is "good for you" is a completely reasonable thing to do.

Especially when their first ask was "Just a simple explanation why it is so obvious and so beneficial." (i.e., not a scientific study or anything), to which you responded with some hand-waving and a question instead of a simple explanation.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#105
post #56

Anecdotally, I see a lot of people wearing minimal shoes in their daily lives. But pretty much no minimal/barefoot runners anymore

We're in the goofy looking clown tier carbon plate $400 shoes that self destruct after 50km era: https://assets.adidas.com/images/w_600,f_auto,q_auto/2d9fa49... In 10 years we'll be writing about how dumb this trend is while we revert to barefoot running

The only way we'll be seeing that trend go away is if they're banned. Those shoes improve race times so much they stretch the definition of what should be legal in racing. Nobody's going to revert to barefoot running for racing unless they don't care about their times.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#106
post #89

"The concept of running shoes as we understand them today, specifically designed to improve running efficiency and comfort, did not emerge until the late 19th and early 20th centuries." It's a neat idea imagining what running footwear was like throughout history. Was Pheidippides barefoot when he purportedly ran from Marathon to Athens? Did Indigenous Americans debate which style of moccasins was better for your long…

>> Was Pheidippides barefoot when he purportedly ran from Marathon to Athens?

I doubt it. I would think thin soled leather sandals were quite common at the time. Curious what the evidence has to say about this.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#107
post #91
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the need for an explanation/citation scales relative to how common a given anecdotal experience is. I’ve spent plenty of time walking barefoot outside but apparently have not experienced what people here are claiming. Not saying no one can/does, but at the very least the experience doesn’t seem to be universal.

Definitely there are studies about that, for example: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11211751/ >but apparently have not experienced what people here are claiming Or you did have experience it just did not notice. The problem with experiential comparisons is that different people have different levels of sensitivity and attention. So just because you didn't feel it consciously doesn't mean you did not benefi…

> Or you did have experience it just did not notice.

Exactly my point, and this is why personal anecdotes are just not sufficient for something like this.

Life is full of people telling us to do , because they’re convinced that their personal experience with that thing indicates some universal truth.

In the circles I grew up in, that meant growing up unvaccinated among many other highly questionable things.

The point is that the burden of proof must be higher than “it feels good to me” or what amounts to the naturalistic fallacy.

I have no actual opinion about the efficacy of walking barefoot other than to note that I didn’t knowingly experience what other people passionately describe. I also know there are many things that make me feel good that have no effect on many people.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#108

To add to all the anecdotes I enjoy barefoot running to this day. I was never able to run with shoes very well and without them I run 10-15 miles a week at a 8:30 pace. Totally get it might not be for everyone but it helps me enjoy something I otherwise hated. I do wear what amount to rubberized socks[0] for puncture protection since I’m in a city. 0: https://www.skinnersfootwear.com/products/comfort-2-0-carmin...

Lovely recommendation! Never knew rubbery socks were an option.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Having barefoot connection with soil is definitely good for you Citation needed

Yeah...I'm not saying he's wrong, but I am saying you can get hookworm that way. Choose your soil wisely.

Also plantar warts.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#110
Just adding to the sample size: I wear Xero shoes nearly exclusively. I bought a pair years ago, wore them occasionally and increased frequency over time. There's no question that my feet are stronger, and I can only imagine that being a good thing.
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