RE: this thread will put an end to "minimalism" and vibram forever

Just thought I'd throw in myself as an example:

Was a 15:49 5000m runner .. had a shin injury and was out for two weeks. Came back and started running in vibrams and a month after coming back I ran a 15:28 5000m.

What I noticed was that when running in spikes it didn't feel as awkward as before and I just had that extra bounce.

Only problem?

I ended up with a stress fracture in my metatarsal.

Make what you want out of it. I'm no scientist, but I've switched back to shoe running. Maybe I would have been fine if I introduced them slower, maybe I would have ran a faster time in normal shoes, maybe ..

But I don't think it really matters. Just do what you think is best for you and let other people do the same.

Well in that case 5 fingers for adults are useless.

By that logic what we need to do to make Americans more competitive on the world scene is outlaw school buses and kids shoes.

It is stated like a rule of nature that a barefoot upbringing produces superior feet, achilles, breath, whatever. Where has it been proven that strong feet, ankles and achilles can't develope in shoes, especially in an active athletic individual?

This statement is as much based on faith as the those made by the minimalist devotees.

Sedentary subjects can eventually reach prodigious bench presses and climb world class mountains but a childhood in shoes limits them for life, in running events? It is a hypothesis that calls out for controlled studies or at least retro-spective history comparisons.

ur self image sux wrote:

vibrams suck wrote:

the thing that bugs me the most are the people that are out there every single day running in them doing that lame short choppy, almost like they are prancing, stride. and the people that buy them because they think that the vibrams are going to make them a faster runner. they are typically the couch to 5k kinda person.

Why does that bother you? Are you that insecure?

I agree with this. I personally think that Vibrams are a fad, but why the hell do you give a shit what other runners wear? Get a life, for God's sake

I wonder if took the five finger concept and made the five Toe, should help you out when doing gardening right?

I feel that a lot of these barefoot/fivefinger "horror" stories are from people who only do drills, or have been running in vibrams for less then 6 months. If you are over working underdeveloped muscles and tendons, its a no brainier your going to get injured. If you look at the Ethiopians and Kenyans that are running barefoot, they don't have nearly as many of these issues because there muscle have grow accustomed to this type of work. And if there is anything we can get from running barefoot or in minimalist shoes, its a better stride. For instance, look at our best marathoners like Meb, Ritz, Hall. Then look at Haile, and Wanjiru, they have much more efficient strides. Coincidence?

went through the early years with minimalist shoes as that is really all you had. Would not still be doing it with out the technological advances in shoes.

Minimal interest in wearing Vibram shoes. Maximal support for people wearing whatever shoes work for them, regardless of type.

Vibrams get way too much hype--and when something gets hyped up as much as they do, the result tends to be that people of all different knowledge levels--and levels of belief in their knowledge--join the conversation and in some cases pontificate. No surprise there. This can sometimes be annoying. Also no surprise.

Just run in what you want to run in, and eventually the hype will fade... or be refocused on the next running fad, with similar pontificating by people whose knowledge one questions.

And so it goes....

p.s. One benefit of all the discussion of minimalism is that although I'm not on board with the Five Finger shoe, I thought it worth experimenting with lighter shoes and discovered I liked them. But I still don't like hype.

Well said.

You wouldn't happen to be the Gallagher from "God on the Starting Line"?

I am not that gallagher.

Barefoot Ted wears vibrams. He's an elite cuz hes really famous right?

Guys.

This is earth. Paging all fanatics.

It's okay. Calm down.

Breath slowly into the nearest paper bag.

I'll go right ahead and come out of the closet here: (whispers) I'm not a runner.

I stumbled on this comically acid-dripping, sarcasm-oozing, snob-nosed thread when I did a Google search about vibrams and Orthotics. I have asthma. I have flat feet. I have a chronic pain condition as well. Running just isn't my thing.

Like, I enjoy running now and then. With my 11 year old poodle. At the park. I enjoy the wild exuberance of breaking into a run just for the hell of it, and then I slow down when breathing starts to burn bc asthma. I enjoy walking around barefoot. Around the house, and, when I was a kid, when I could get away with it, outside. I like how grass feels.

I have NB running shoes with a raised heel that have never felt quite right. I have a wonderful pair of Merrell hikers that I put my insoles in. But I could never resist a pair of slip-ons...

I stumbled across vibrams online... when I was looking for the sketchers version I'd seen advertised 4 years ago in another state I was living in. I'd always wanted to try them but never could find them.

I've had an operation on both feet, back in high school, bc i was born with my big toe pushing inwards. Afterwards I went from being able to WALK 3 miles without horrible pain to being able to WALK 6 miles.

I can do about 8 now.

WALKING.

My only specialty in life is that I'm a good artist. But Jesus, I don't go off the rails about art supplies and start talking mad sh*t about artists who dare use regular #2 pencils instead of drafting pencils or vice versa.

Seriously, crank it down a notch. If anyone was thinking of getting into running and found out this was what the community was like they'd either stick to watching Netflix or run somewhere far, far away from this douchery.

I walked into an REI to TRY a pair of vibrams bc my toes tend to want to grow back to all pointing uncomfortably inwards and I miss the brace I used to have that kept them separated at night after my operation. I wanted to know if the vibrams would help with this, and if it was possible to strengthen my arch and not need my orthotic anymore.

I like feeling what's under my feet just bc it feels nice. Not for any ideas of it improving my performance.

I am trying to fix my stride so I can stop having knee and hip pain from just DAILY ACTIVITIES.

I went to REI instead of ordering them cheap online bc they allow you to return anything for up to 1 year no-questions-asked.

I figured I would simply try them out, and, if they felt more comfortable and improved my stride or arch without harming my knees or hips, then I'd keep them, and if not, I'd return them.

The jury is still out. I've had them for a month. I really do enjoy walking around on grass and trails more with these, just bc it FEELS GOOD, not bc I think it's the RIGHT way to run, or think it looks cool. Christ, where I live I'm actually always worried someone will NOTICE them bc they are goofy-looking, but figure that if they're comfortable than, honestly, who gives a rats booty what they look like? I think for people who live in the city, but like feeling barefoot, this is just a practical solution to GLASS shards. I'm not some hippy idiot who thinks I'm going to become one with the earth by getting blood poisoning from an infected glass shard embedded in my foot that got rubbed in road-kill remains on the pavement. Can't I just enjoy being ALMOST barefoot and not getting cut?

My friend wears those ridiculous 2-inch thick sketchers and you know what? She does it bc they work for her, not as a fashion statement of her superiority as an athlete.

Like, seriously people, are runners really LIKE this? I sure hope this is just your typical Internet-hyped-up-troll-drama.

Bc people just CANNOT be this evil. To each their own, man.

So far, my left foot loves my vibrams and my right does not. My left has an arch when before it didn't but I seem to be doing something funny with my right leg stride bc it's not under my center of gravity and it makes my right knee hurt.

If I can't resolve this issue after walking around in these, at the park, doing yoga, at the beech, at the GROCERY STORE, then I'll decide THEY DON'T WORK FOR *ME* and return them. I bring a pair of regular shoes with me everywhere so when my feet get sore I can switch back, which seems to be the recommendation for "transitioning". I'll give it 4 months.

I don't plan to become some big snob who brags about the Boston Marathon or the even bigger snobs who talk smack about how lame people who run the Boston Marathon are bc they aren't running with the endurance of wolves or the speed of cheetahs yet.

I'm going to keep on walking my aging poodle, in my vibrams or my merrells, BC THEY'RE COMFORTABLE and I'm just HAPPY I'm not in too much pain to be house-bound and that I get to be out in nature, which I enjoy.

I hope I never have the misfortune to be passed up by you 5k snobs in my life. You're the sort of people that made me never want to enter a 24 Hour or LA fitness and only go to Curves or the YMCA. Someone from Planet Fitness pls sound the gymtidation alarm on all you mofos. This thread has been like watching a train wreck: it's so awful you just can't look away, and just when you didn't think it could get any worse, a volcano explodes and the train is covered by lava.

I stopped at page 4.

Like, why?

Just, why?

Ugh.

Please find a hobby that isn't getting mad at people for wearing weird shoes. And vibrams fans- if it really is true that you're telling everyone their "doing it wrong" could you just not? EVERYONE'S FEET (and level of obsessive exercise-or lack therefo) needs to be about what works best for THEM. Even my own two feet aren't alike.

Hope ya'll take the time to chill before this post gets deleted when the moderator realizes I Google searched in order to answer your ridiculous "runners-only" question to say my two cents.

Good night and goodbye (and good riddance). Happy I've never met anyone like this on the trail.

Hard to believe that ridiculous fad peaked 6 years ago!!!

branderson391 wrote:

(full disclosure I'm 5'7 136lbs...need to loose 5lbs)

What? You need to lose five pounds?

Drink a Turkish coffee and take a dump. Unless you're a horse from Boulder in which case you're good for at least ten pounds.

Grow up, dude