Hey Everybody, Minimalism WORKS!

Well, you didn't give any sources that I could refer to to show how I was wrong in any way. I made some logical statements that you decided to avoid. The ones you chose to respond to were basically just side notes. You are arguing a point, therefore, you can provide evidence for that point. I just thought it would be common knowledge that the shoes you wear will have an effect on the way you run. Why should I give "evidence" for that? It's pretty obvious that different shoes yield different effects on the body according to that shoe's features. All I was saying about the injuries is that any injury you have can be traced down to your feet and the way you land, transition, and toe-off, and since shoes are a big part of that, they can be RELATED (key word) to any running injuries you may have.

Also, the main point about the meaning thing is that I believe there is a meaning to our features, and that is a DESIGN that we have. It's just the way our bodies work, so I would expect you to be able to understand whether or not you believe in the same thing I do, but there is an optimal condition of the body, therefore, there are ways in which it SHOULD operate as opposed to altering it with clunky shoes.

wait a minute II:

"I ran for 4 months with absolutely NO problems. it was the best training i have ever done. but then i went to the doctor and i have a stress fracture in my the top of my femur."

Could you be a little more gradual in the descritpion/

Why did you go to the doctor?

Did you have pain or regular checkup?

What kind of doctor did you go to?

How was the stress fracture diagnosed?

This is the first time i hear of a stress fracture "on top of my femur" which is believed to be running related. But i'm no expert. Could others coment on this?

Glad to attempt being helpful but need more info.

Could you be a little more gradual in the descritpion/

Yea, sure. There was a thread on here a while ago about the same injury, but that is not me. I have a stress fracture in the greater trochanter.

Why did you go to the doctor?

Because of a lot of pain in the hip area for a few weeks.

Did you have pain or regular checkup?

I had pain so I went to the doctor

What kind of doctor did you go to?

Orthopedic Surgeon

How was the stress fracture diagnosed?

MRI

This is the first time i hear of a stress fracture "on top of my femur" which is believed to be running related. But i'm no expert. Could others coment on this?

Glad to attempt being helpful but need more info.

To me, not knowing anything else about your training aside from what you have told us, I would say that minimalism is not the cause of your injury. However, it may have led to it. Stay with me.

After you switched to minimalism, you mentioned feeling much better than you had before. This probably led to increased running. My guess is that you built up your mileage too much too fast (especially after an injury) and did not give your body the proper amount of time to adapt to your increased workload. You likely also changed your form, causing you to use muscles that were weak from lack of use. The two caused increased stress in your hip, leading to a stress fracture.

wow thank you, that response sounds very very accurate.

so do you think when im able to run again, i should continue using racing flats, and just build up my mileage awhole lot slower?

This is yet another post which makes me visit this site on a regular basis.

of course not a doctor wrote:

To me, not knowing anything else about your training aside from what you have told us, I would say that minimalism is not the cause of your injury. However, it may have led to it. Stay with me.

After you switched to minimalism, you mentioned feeling much better than you had before. This probably led to increased running. My guess is that you built up your mileage too much too fast (especially after an injury) and did not give your body the proper amount of time to adapt to your increased workload. You likely also changed your form, causing you to use muscles that were weak from lack of use. The two caused increased stress in your hip, leading to a stress fracture.

You can if you want. If you feel better in your flats, I would continue wearing them.

Remember, you're not only coming back from injury, you're also trying something completely new. TAKE IT SLOW. It can be tough (especially if you're racing for a school team), but it will be good for you in the long run.

If I remember corrently, Jaguar1 (our resident flats expert) went up 10 miles per week per month when coming back from injury and trying flats for the first time (10mpw for first month, 20mpw for second month, etc.).

Most of the stress fractures I've seen have been the result of someone getting too ambitious with their training too quickly.

this is an extremely interesting thread and people considering going over towards minimalsim should read it.

it basically proves what is going on. no one has any legit things to say about training in conventional shoes.

obvs, flats work better..

enjoy.

of course not a doctor wrote:

If I remember corrently, Jaguar1 (our resident flats expert) went up 10 miles per week per month when coming back from injury and trying flats for the first time (10mpw for first month, 20mpw for second month, etc.).

Most of the stress fractures I've seen have been the result of someone getting too ambitious with their training too quickly.

True. I started from scratch on mileage (was coming back from time off) and went +10 miles each month, until I was up to ~70 mpw after 6-7 months. I ran very, very slow the first 7 months. My feet were sore the first 3 months, and then the soreness went away. I'd say it took a full year to fully adapt.

"it was the best training i have ever done."

We've all been there, done that. I agree that you probably got a little anxious and ran too fast, too much, too soon. The body needs time to adapt to any significant change.

The heel does not biologically have extra padding; its simply a bone. The heel only aids in stability while standing, and SHOULD not be used in running. Read Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.

Have you ever seen the c-shaped artificial legs? They don't include heels, yet allowed Pistorias to run with the best in the 400m.

Are you Judy St Hillaire by any chance?

This is a great post about the most overrated book around.

Why not start a new thread instead of bumping this two-year-old troll thread?

Speedstar247 wrote:

The heel does not biologically have extra padding; its simply a bone. The heel only aids in stability while standing, and SHOULD not be used in running. Read Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.

Have you ever seen the c-shaped artificial legs? They don't include heels, yet allowed Pistorias to run with the best in the 400m.

Nor do 400m track spikes. Nobody uses his heel at that speed. Also, just about nobody runs at that speed.

Malcorrectly.

Training barefoot is the only thing that makes sense and if you've been wearing shoes your whole life you have to gradually work your way into barefoot running just like easing your way up to 180 miles a week.

MacShoes wrote:

http://blog.ianandjulia.com/?p=410

This is a great post about the most overrated book around.

Uh, no, this is a crappy diatribe about misunderstanding a book's premise.

Speedstar247 wrote:

The heel does not biologically have extra padding; its simply a bone. The heel only aids in stability while standing, and SHOULD not be used in running. Read Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.

1. Yes it does. It's called the fat pad.

2. Even "forefoot strikers" still have their heel touch the ground.