You’re incapable. Hail the running shoe!
By David • Aug 3rd, 2009 • Category: Features •I find it amusing yet disturbing how mainstream running footwear brands try to enforce their belief that there’s something wrong with your body. Somehow you’re born with deficiencies that prevent you to run, thanks to running shoes a remedy was found. Too funny!
David is an instigator and barefoot runner since 2002.
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This stuff makes me crazy. I was once a “overpronator” looking for a cure to something that wasn’t broken- now after learning natural form, getting rid of insoles and big shoes, and barefoot running- all the problems seemed to have “miraculously” dissappeared. I guess I wasn’t broken afterall…
that is a very bad adversitment by brooks,
I’ve run in their shoes in the past and I’m disappointed to see that.
I don’t know which way I pronated, but I do know that my last couple of pairs of high priced Asics did not help achilles tendonitis at all. The only thing that has done away with AT for me is barefoot running and walking, and spending as much time as is legally possible without shoes on!
All hail the glorious design of the plain old foot.
So your supposition is that despite all the studies that show small differences person to person in how we’re made, that these differences don’t require any supplementing to encourage or “allow” biomechanically correct movement?
I started running in the spring in one of the bootcamp fitness programs. About 2 weeks in I started experiencing a lot of plantar fascitis pain in my left foot (but not my right). That pain persists, it is greater or lesser depending on how often I run and how much I stretch it. At the end of my first month I bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and I can’t say that it’s really helped.
I don’t think that everyone needs a ton of support from high-end shoes but I also don’t think the oppposite is true. There obviously are people that can (an do) run barefoot (or nearly) with no problems but I don’t think everyone can.
I am in a state of confusion and wonderment. I have been in the footwear retail industry for 14 years and I just finished reading “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougal. I am a runner and well read in the world of running and the footwear behind it and I can see the reasoning behind “barefooting”. What I am struggling with is how to address various foot issues that my customers come in to see me about and want to address with their footwear. In particular plantar fasciitis. I hear this problem with feet more than anything else. I was taught and read that the remedy is to “support” the arch which I have received positive results from my customers. Now what? Now I wonder if I have been wrong all these years. I guess I could say that supporting the foot is just like giving it a cortisone shot, just fixing the symptoms and not solving the problem… which is a weak foot. This conclusion maybe inaccurate or wrong. I need help with further discussion and input. To end, I am putting myself through a “barefoot” regime. Purchased some Vibram Fivefingers to walk and run in along with lightweight cross country running shoes for trails. I just purchased some Patagonia Pau loafers, took the footbeds out and put a more minimal liner in them to simulate as close to possible a barefoot feel so I can have an ever day shoe to wear to work. No more wearing arch supports in shoes either. Wish me luck!
@Howard, seems like you may have done too much too fast. Continuing barefoot will ensure that injuries such as PF don’t visit you again.
@Sean, congrats on embarking on your journey and taking the opportunity to try something new!
With respect to the arch. If you think about one of the strongest shapes in nature, the arch (say hello to bridges and windows) imagine for a second pushing UP on the arch right at it’s peak… what would happen? Yup the arch would give in and collapse or break apart. The same thing happens to our feet. By ’supporting’ the arch it’s causing it to collapse. Quick the vicious cycle huh? Only remedy: retrain and restrengthen you feet and body by tossing those over-cushioned and over restrictive and supportive shoes. Good luck and let us know how you progress. *remember: go slow, don’t don your regular mileage, listen to your body, have fun and experiment*
@David I laugh at ads like this too. I currently work in a running shoe store, so I too have to diagnose, overpronator and oversupinators. I’m supposed to recommend a motion control shoe to flat-footed overpronators. What’s all this terminology you ask? Well, it’s needless terminology. Because the underlying fact is that if you are a so-called overpronator it’s only your shoes fault. Why? Because running SHOES CAUSE OVERPRONATION! Shoes make the heel touch down prematurely and then that cushioned forefoot collapses under the ball of your foot
My mom was afraid of me having flat feet so when I was a child wanted to get me orthopedic shoes from the time I could walk. My Dad played hockey, but I couldn’t do it growing up because my ankles were always too weak. I’ve run most of my life and after the academy there was no forced physical training but in flight school we had to be able to do a 7 minute mile if requested or incur a court-martial. Running was fun and easy for me and turned out to be a requirement for me to keep my mind sharp. It also was a self-esteem builder. I was never any good at putting on muscle and the guys built like a fire-plug could muscle me around. However, I got the satisfaction of seeing them after their 7 minute miles when what they really needed was an ambulance and an oxygen bottle. Afterward I ran in shoes that were no more than a strip of thin, flexible, but durable rubber. I always bought the same shoes until I couldn’t buy them anymore, and I ran them until they had holes in them.
I had learned during a health and fitness seminar that one should have the correct shoe for the sport. I bought ASICS gels for awhile because I liked the flexibility of one of the higher end models and the gel concept made sense. After that I frequently had trouble with my achilles which sidelined me a lot, but never considered it to be a shoe problem. After wearing through to the gel on about the 5th pair, I decided to buy some shoes made in the US, so I bought New Balance 992s. No more achilles problem.
About a month ago I was running, and I was running across a side street and hit the ground. My ankle turned and sprained. I limped for half a block and ran another 4 1/2 miles. Everything was fine until night time when the pain told me the additional 4 1/2 miles was probably not wise and that I was going to out of running for awhile. After a little less than 2 weeks and took off again. About a mile out I hit the ground again. As I was getting up, I thought I guess I just didn’t wait long enough. Then I realized it was the other ankle this time, and I walked home. That got me to thinking there was something wrong. I looked at the bottom of the shoes. There were no holes yet, but on the outside I had worn through two different kinds of rubber while the inside tread still looked almost new. My shoes were worn on about a 5 degree angle, and the heel is about 1 1/2″ off the ground, and the inside is probably mashed down on the outside too, so I could see that holes or losing a gel might not work as a reliable indicator for 992s.
I started looking for shoes and found a good deal on 992s, but during my browsing I came across a lot of 5 Finger advertising and barefoot stories. I learned I was a supinator. I decided not to pull the trigger on the new 992s just yet. I decided before I try something like a 5 Finger or barefoot, I should make sure it would work for me. I didn’t want to make fool of myself in front of the neighborhood so I reved up the treadmill. I read the article and they said start out real slow, 100 meters. I thought 100 meters? Whatever, so I tried it. It was nothing. I learned in a few seconds that I’ve been running on my heels and that I had to adjust because it is quite a jar when I ran barefoot. I waited a day. I felt fine. Then I decided to do a very fast 1/2 mile on the treadmill. That gave me time to work on adjusting my stride and getting my foot to the right speed so I didn’t wear all of my skin off. Again I waited a day. I decided those guys must be wimps. The next day I decided to just do 5 1/2. I got back and the bottoms of my feet stung a lot, I couldn’t believe I didn’t have blisters, and there was slight tightness in my calves but no pain. That was Saturday. Sunday morning when I went to bounce out of bed, I wasn’t sure if I should ask for crutches, a wheel chair, or just call 911. I took some time to come up with another stride to mask my pain. I settled on a stride that the highly sophisticated use because it was the only stride that would mask my limp so I wouldn’t have to ask any embarrassing questions at church. Things are getting better, and the past two days I’ve been back to 1/2 mile barefoot on the treadmill. Yeah I decided to be a wimp for awhile, but I do miss the heart and lung workout.
I learned quite a bit over the past month that makes a lot of sense. I learned that I probably could have been a skater boy like my dad if mom hadn’t tried to fix my feet. Looking at my ASICS I noticed they were for pronators and that my 992 New Balances were for supinators like me, so I lucked out when I switched, which may explain why the achilles problem went away. I learned that holes in the soles is not the best gage to use when deciding to replace the shoes. They say 200 miles on a pair of shoes, but with my normal 12.6 miles for 5 days and 16.6 on Saturday, I’d need a pair every few weeks putting shoe costs right up there with car payments. They say the 5 Fingers give the kind of mileage I’m accustomed to, so they are looking good. Barefoot is a very cool idea during the winters in Michigan, and while barefoot would probably work fine during all casual hours the rest of the year, it would get me thrown out of stores and restaurants. So it looks like I’ll need something like 5 Fingers when I go out, and non-skid hospital socks around the house. The winter I don’t have completely figured out yet. When I fall down 5 times on the ice in a mile, that’s my signal to transition to the treadmill, which I hate. That usually occurs late December through early March. I don’t envision 5 Fingers keeping my feet warm. Moreover I own an IT company so I have to look good. What I need is chukka boots with no heels for the winter, and wingtips with no heels for the rest of the year. Perhaps I can leverage this group for some ideas of how to look acceptable without risking time off from running due to injuries.
I had the same problem when starting……my calf pain was imense!
Now up to about 8 miles in the VFF
How do you find them on the treadmill? as I find my feet a bit sore and the soles get very hot!
Your being up to 8 miles is very encouraging to me.
>How do you find them on the treadmill?<
I don’t own a pair of VFFs yet. They tried to get me to put them on a couple times at the sporting goods store, but I would feel compelled to buy them after having my feet in them without socks. My outside barefoot running was about over when I wrote this. Two days ago the heavy snow and below freezing temperatures triggered my annual transition from wingtips to chukka boots. Winters have been coming earlier and getting longer and colder over the past three or four years. I don’t see VFFs working for me while walking through the slush, snow, salt, and ice when I go shopping or out to eat, or while scraping ice and brushing snow off my car. Thus, I’ve been running barefoot on the treadmill, and wearing hospital sock-slippers around the house.
I’m doing 8 tenths of a mile now. I’ve noticed with shoes, I naturally do a little skid and twist at toe-off. With barefoot, my mind is constantly engaged adjusting my stride to match my velocity to prevent skidding in order to save my skin. I have a deep down purple bruise laterally in the middle of my foot just behind my toes but I’m not sure when I got that. I may have gotten that with my long outdoor foray. I can feel it when I push on it with my finger, but not while running or any other time. Other than that, things are going fine and I have not had any more calf stiffness or pain.
I plan to do a mile next week, and then hang there for a few weeks before going further in order to give me time to perfect my stride and rhythm. You would think the treadmill would be easier on everything than running outside, but whether physical or mental, I can run a lot further outside. I’ve reasoned that if I can work up to 8 miles through the winter on the treadmill, I should be able to do 12 outside. I hadn’t considered running VFFs on the treadmill because I don’t need protection there. I appreciate your been-there-done-that analysis of running VFFs on the treadmill. Huarache sandals and Injinji socks would breathe better but my thoughts are they would be less like barefoot because the sandal doesn’t follow your foot like VFFs, so one would need to compensate slightly for the unanchored front edges of the sandal.
The great unknown for me at spring time is how much VFFs will run like the barefoot I will have grown accustomed to over the winter….maybe. I say maybe because I’ve only done one long foray outside, and 8 tenths of a mile 4 times on a treadmill. I don’t know if I will be able to work up to a consistent 8 miles on a treadmill without some kind of artificial sole barrier. My treadmill belt is the roughest treadmill belt I’ve ever seen. Tribal people see the need to invest in sandals or moccasins, thus it has become my expectation that I may need something at some point as well, and perhaps before spring. Perhaps I can learn from you and other people who have been-there-done-that before I re-discover what everybody else here already knows. :)
you will findthe treadmill very different from outside as the belt drags your foot back slighjtly when the foot hits the floor thus altering your gait, I stay away from it now but I suppose it beats giving up throuigh out the winter. I will see how the vff’s cope with the ice here in uk when it arrives!
Jack from Michigan
I had th same problem with VFF. But I found that Feelmax panka worked for me. I bought them to have at the office but they turned out to be a lot warmer than VFF so I use them for my runs now. You can waersocks in them. I have tried them in -10C and they work fine.
Annika from Sweden
The snow has come and VFF’s have been really good….did 4 1/2 miles christmas day in the snow when it was fresh and I coped far better than my girlfriend in her brooks! Then did 7 miles yesterday in the ice and once again no problem…… never felt cold at all
These companies want our money at the end of the day !