Vibram FiveFingers are great camping / recovery shoes (standing and walking around after a race), but I haven't run more than 5 miles in them.Actual barefoot running is beneficial once in a while, but I would not recommend running toe-heel. Instead, run heel-toe, usually connecting mid-foot on a flat surface, and extend your ki (tilt your pelvis forward) and absorb the ground as you strike. One interesting thing about the FiveFingers is that the additional coverage over the toes creates a larger surface area which actually acts as a breaking mechanism.
Read the lawsuit article via Runners World here.
The article, in Vibram's defense, mentions they advocate a "transition" to running barefoot, but I wouldn't recommend that, either, as it's usually better to keep the same running form and just take your shoes and socks off and run. Doing this, you'll learn to absorb the impact with correct posture (and tuck that pelvis). This is what takes athletes - especially martial artists - years to learn, but it makes no difference whether you wear shoes, other than the fact that if you're barefoot and the ground hurts your feet, you're probably doing it wrong.
Olympic-caliber athletes have been running barefoot on grass for decades, and and it certainly helps in moderation to strengthen your stride and perfect your form. But there's not neccesarily any advantage to running all your mileage barefoot. Of course, just because there's no reason to do something that doesn't mean you shouldn't. There's no reason to rip telephone books in half, for example, but it's fun.
2 comments:
Interesting to hear about the lawsuit. I have no clue what really is motivating the suit, but this much of the accusation feels true to me... "Defendants' advertising and marketing equates barefoot running with running in FiveFingers..."
In my experience, running with even the flimsiest shoes is substantially different than actually running barefoot. The thing about true barefoot running is that the sensitivity of your skin helps to prevent you from doing too much before the rest of your body is used to it. Minimal shoes tend to remove that effect. E.g. no one will heel strike for more than a few steps while truly barefoot on concrete, yet I see lots of people in VFF's heel striking.
As to WHY run barefoot, one could argue all day and night about the health or performance effects, but for me the bottom line is it's fun and interesting, especially when the terrain gets more difficult. As useless as ripping telephone books in half? Perhaps, but there you go.
I love my VFFs. I've worn them in all kinds of terrain, distances up to 11 miles, and they're great for me. I am a martial artist, so there was very little "barefoot learning curve" for me. I don't like them on, say, heavily eroded soil (Leif Erickson Road comes to mind), but for most surfaces I find them to be just great. They performed admirably at a Spartan Race and the Hybrid Adventure Games (both 5K; Hybrid went through Hood River). Certainly not for everyone, and they're not gonna balance the federal budget, but a useful option.
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