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Your running shoes are a lie

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Re: Your running shoes are a lie

#31

Post by [deleted] »

numair wrote: post #29
peregrine wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best running shoes by far are the Nike Free. http://www.nike.com/nikefree/ I've been wearing the same pair for at least 3 years now and I will never go back to any different kind. When I do wear new shoes I feel like I've got rubber blocks on my feet, I'm clumsy and awkward and uncomfortable. Feeling every crack, in the side walk and letting your feet do anything they want is extremely rewarding. Prior to switchi…

The thing that concerns me about running on concrete in general is the impact on your knees. Would be interested to know if you / anyone else has done research on this matter; I'm basing my concerns on advice given to me by an orthopedic surgeon a few years ago.

[deleted]

Re: Your running shoes are a lie

#32

Post by gcheong »

numair wrote: post #25
gcheong wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe a shoe could be developed with sand in the soles to give one that "running in sand" feeling for those who don't live near a beach?

Interesting idea ... I wonder if it's possible in shoe form. My feet sink quite a bit (half a foot, perhaps more) with each step when running, so perhaps it'd be more of a new form of ultra-high-end treadmill? That'd require quite a bit of mechanics, but I bet it would be a worthy challenge for someone into hacking up physical products. By the way, while we are on this subject - I could never understand why people ru…

The weight of the shoe might be a problem, so perhaps some kind of treadmill type solution would be more feasible.

I find loose sand to be tough to run in and kind of frustrating with the whole running through molasses feeling. In one running book I have (Running for Mortals) it recommends flat, firm sand only but does call it a "treat for most runners". The same running book lists these surfaces as being worst to best for running on in terms of bodily stress: concrete (e.g. sidewalks), asphalt, dirt paths and trails, grass. However, because of convenience, I run on sidewalks almost exclusively and I seem to be able to pull it off so far.

Re: Your running shoes are a lie

#33

Post by ggruschow »

OK, I'm convinced. I should at least try out less on my foot. I'm not willing to go barefoot though because I live in a concrete (and broken glass) city and every business would turn me away at the door. So.. on to find a simpler shoe.

One would assume that putting less on my foot would cost less, right?

http://www.vivobarefoot.com/ - looks nice, but at multiple times the price of my current shoes.. ok thinking back to summers as a kid, let's go to walmart:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1082469... - Not pretty, but 8% of the price.

And for that matter, what about something like these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002TW8A4 - $15 + shipping seems fair, and they seem to resemble the description elsewhere.

Is there some significant difference (well, aside from the sheer ugly of that walmart example) that I should expect?

Re: Your running shoes are a lie

#34

Post by dmh2000 »

i imagine most serious runners spending big $ on shoes are concerned more with performance, less with safety. And since runners go faster now than they did in Bannister's time, something has changed.

Re: Your running shoes are a lie

#35

Post by elai »

mrduncan wrote: post #10

I've always wanted to try a pair of Vibram Five Fingers ( http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/ ), they are about as close to running barefoot as you can get while still having a little protection.

I bought ones to try out. I used it for 5 days straight walking around extensively in banff, and let me tell you my feet were in AGNOY! I did a lot of pavement walking although with it, to see if they would work as a shoe replacement. They did not, and my feet didn't really adjust at all.

Re: Your running shoes are a lie

#36

Post by Radix »

nonrecursive wrote: post #15
mrduncan wrote: post #10

I've always wanted to try a pair of Vibram Five Fingers ( http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/ ), they are about as close to running barefoot as you can get while still having a little protection.

I have a pair and I really like them. They aren't expensive and they feel good :) Also check out Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot shoes. They're more expensive ($140-$200) but they look cool. They're the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. I like them so much I've bought 3 pairs.

Thanks, I needed some new shoes and was about to ask where I could get "Shoes that let your foot function like you're barefoot - they're the shoes for me.", as the article quotes. Even though the TPV shoes are about $100 more than I would normally spend I'll get them next.

Re: Your running shoes are a lie

#37

Post by blhack »

neilo wrote: post #6

As a kid, my siblings and I would practically forgo shoes when summer vacation arrived. When school started we'd grudgingly force them on over our toughened pads and endure the sting of wearing our natural soles down inside them. I remember that, but now my feet are always in a cushioned palace, gellin' like a felon, and soft as a baby's bottom. It seems as though I haven't cultivated the best support for my body ...

I was the same way...

I never EVER worse shoes in the summer time. By the end of it, I could walk across pavement without feeling the burn :)

Re: Your running shoes are a lie

#38

Post by DTrejo »

snewe wrote: post #20
harpastum wrote: post #17

This is an interesting idea for discussion, but I think the author handles it very poorly. Yes, it's entirely possible that high-end running shoes aren't helping us as much as we think they are. Yes, it's possible that there's a correlation between high priced running shoes and injuries. On the other hand, the author claims a lot of things that are simply ludicrous: "Logically, that should be obvious - the impact on…

"Yes, it's possible that there's a correlation between high priced running shoes and injuries." It could simply be that people that buy the most expensive shoe are also the people that jump into running too quickly, train too hard and do not have the body types (yet) for running. I run about 15 miles a week and all good runners that I know (they aren't injured all the time) do not own the most expensive shoes...they…

Don't forget that much of the article is talking about injuries in professional runners, not amateurs.

Re: Your running shoes are a lie

#40

Post by rue »

jusob wrote: post #2

It might be possible to run barefoot on a track, but not on the dirt!

Running on dirt, forest floor, sand, even plain rocks, is quite possible barefoot. The sole does need substantial acclimation to it, though (something we all used to have.)
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