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The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

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Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#201

Post by lukan »

scott_w wrote: post #200
lukan wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not always, yes. But in this case I can test it by general wellbeing and shape of feet. The more I walk barefeet on grass and rock, the stronger my feet are. And more sensitiv. With shoes, I don't really feel my feet, with barefeet I can now feel the grass on different parts on my skin. Feels good. Improves my mood -> is good for me.

While that feels good for you, this does not constitute the evidence that "going barefoot is good for you." A sibling posted some studies that would be more interesting (I'll admit I've not read them). What "good for you" would look like to me would be longer life expectancy, better health outcomes at different stages of life, etc. "Strong feet," for example, doesn't meet that standard for me. I'd want to see a link…

Do you need a study for every little thing?

You body does provide you with a quite elaborate feedback system. And you can also objectivly meassure. (E.g. how long you walk without pain)

And studies can be very misleading. For example it matters a lot, if and how often you walked barefeet as a child. If you didn't, your bones will be not so strong developed and then barefeet walking/running can be even dangerous. Trusting a general study that maybe did not take this into account (or did not mentioned it prominently) here vs trusting the feedback from your nerves in your feet would be not wise.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#202

Post by kubectl_h »

ValentineC wrote: post #193
nunez wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This will be a long post, as this is one thing that I actually happen to know a lot about! Vivobarefoot is the best if you want stylish minimalist footwear. They are also my preferred brand, as of my sneakers and boots are supplied by them. I'm a huge fan of their casual and winter boots. You can wear their winter boots barefoot in the winter and still keep your feet warm as long as it isn't extremely cold. US$100-$3…

Vivobarefoot had massive quality issues many years ago. I owned many pairs of their shoes, and most of them eventually had the sole flake off in 1-2 years. I don't know if it's because I live in the tropics with extremely high humidity, but I think their shoes are poor value for money. Lems is my go-to now. I have a few pairs since 2022, and none of them have spoilt on me yet.

For those in the states, Vivos occasionally show up on sierra.com and can be bought at a pretty good discount. Around 60% of retail is about the price point where I can tolerate the long term delamination issues.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#203

Post by Aldipower »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #92
spacecadet wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. Shoes are meaningless, pose, stride, biomechanical process.

If this were the case why don't we see more Olympians running in vibrams?

Not vibrams, but please have a closeer look at those olypians shoes. These are very lightweight and most important _flat_ shoes, encouraging a natural running pose.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#204

Post by eggy »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #188
eggy wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yuck. We used to put the sprinkler cap on the johnny pump (Brooklyn for fire hydrant back then) and run on the curb and into the street with bare feet. In the early 70s there was a lot of dog crap and broken glass, since beverages were in glass or heavy cans vs. plastic. I sliced my feet on glass a half dozen times over the years. Lucky I didn't get hepatitis or other nasty stuff. I do have a very robust immunity sys…

That seems like a more reasonable thing to do, though I think as a parent, I'd have probably swept the area up a bit...

In the summer in the inner city of Brooklyn, you would be sweeping all day, everyday. NYC was a cesspool in the 70s. Newpapers blowing around, overfilled trash receptacles, insufficient street cleaning, and the public's general lack of respect for their fellow denizens. Homicides were at 1890 in 1989 in NYC compared to <400 nowadays and the population was a lot smaller then.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#205

Post by scott_w »

lukan wrote: post #201
scott_w wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While that feels good for you, this does not constitute the evidence that "going barefoot is good for you." A sibling posted some studies that would be more interesting (I'll admit I've not read them). What "good for you" would look like to me would be longer life expectancy, better health outcomes at different stages of life, etc. "Strong feet," for example, doesn't meet that standard for me. I'd want to see a link…

Do you need a study for every little thing? You body does provide you with a quite elaborate feedback system. And you can also objectivly meassure. (E.g. how long you walk without pain) And studies can be very misleading. For example it matters a lot, if and how often you walked barefeet as a child. If you didn't, your bones will be not so strong developed and then barefeet walking/running can be even dangerous. Trus…

> Do you need a study for every little thing?

I didn't say that. What I said:

> What "good for you" would look like to me would be longer life expectancy, better health outcomes at different stages of life, etc. "Strong feet," for example, doesn't meet that standard for me. I'd want to see a link that work to actively strengthen one's feet creates those better life outcomes.

"It feels good" isn't an objective outcome that necessarily means something is "good for you."

> And you can also objectivly meassure. (E.g. how long you walk without pain)

This is a better outcome but I'd say it's not objective because I walk without pain while wearing shoes.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#206

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

Aldipower wrote: post #203
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this were the case why don't we see more Olympians running in vibrams?

Not vibrams, but please have a closeer look at those olypians shoes. These are very lightweight and most important _flat_ shoes, encouraging a natural running pose.

The best I could find was the 2023 berlin marathon, but looking at the shoes the heel and midfoot are flat while the forefoot is definitely raised.

https://www.runningshoesguru.com/2023/09/the-shoes-of-the-wi...

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#207

Post by layman51 »

creaturemachine wrote: post #184
layman51 wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is having a wider foot a good thing for certain sports? It seems like it might be more natural and advantageous but I don’t know if I like the idea of having to buy wider shoes for regular purposes.

I have naturally wide feet, and it's no advantage for any sport requiring footwear. Soccer shoes, climbing shoes, ice skates, snowboard boots, the list goes on, mostly manufactured for average to skinny sized feet.

I see. The main reason I was wondering about this is that occasionally there’s people online who recommend going barefoot or using a special shoe for doing weightlifting. Maybe strengthening the foot arch is the point behind this trend rather than width.

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#208

Post by nsagent »

spacemark wrote: post #138
philipwhiuk wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a wild take.

Seriously. Hasn't the main thesis of that book (a distinct advantage of human upright evolution is our ability to run long distances) and several key supporting points been mostly disproven scientifically (early humans often hunted by running to exhaustion, for example)? Seems to me another enticing narrative with little to no sound evidence a la Guns, Germs, and Steel, Sapiens, and the like. The stuff this site love…

> several key supporting points been mostly disproven scientifically (early humans often hunted by running to exhaustion, for example)

This article from 2024 [1] that discusses newly published research seems to refute your claim.

[1]: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-distance-runn...

Re: The Great Barefoot Running Hysteria of 2010

#209

Post by bloopernova »

nunez wrote: post #181
bloopernova wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What footwear brands do you recommend?

This will be a long post, as this is one thing that I actually happen to know a lot about! Vivobarefoot is the best if you want stylish minimalist footwear. They are also my preferred brand, as of my sneakers and boots are supplied by them. I'm a huge fan of their casual and winter boots. You can wear their winter boots barefoot in the winter and still keep your feet warm as long as it isn't extremely cold. US$100-$3…

Apologies at not thanking you earlier, I really appreciate your comment, thank you very much!!
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