Last summer, JR, a good friend and author of playthink, approached me with the notion that running barefoot may be better than running with highly structured, highly padded shoes. The Barefoot Revolution, he called it. The idea seemed dangerous but simple and alluring. One of the largest instigators for this debate is a book called Born to Run, which chronicles the current state of the shoe industry and a hidden tribe that has members running extreme distances with no shoes or light rubber sandals.
If you don't have time to read the book, see the links below:
Should You Be Running Barefoot? (Time)
Humans Were Born to Run (NPR)
I am currently training for my first marathon, and I have not completely adopted this minimalist running. I have, however, shortened my stride and started landing on the balls of my feet. Anecdotally, I have seen great improvements in my knee pain and my ability to run day after day. While I do believe there are benefits to barefoot running and the shoe industry does not necessary have runners' best interest in mind, I continue to run in running shoes. For me (for now), the take-home message has been run like you are barefoot.
The debate continues, but I encourage more runners to take a seat at the table.
No comments:
Post a Comment