What type of person is attracted to barefoot running/vibram five fingers?

laughingostrich, I'm glad you can run a 16min 5K. i think that's a great accomplishment. Myself, I'm just getting into running more seriously in the past couple years (after losing about 70lbs.) It's ridiculous to me that all the shoe-defenders are so defensive (AND INSULTING) because people are trying something reasonable to correct their running form and prevent injuries. Slam it all you want but I'll take God's engineering over Nike any day of the week. I'm a basketball/football player by history (played basketball through college) and am now trying to transition to running. After all those years of basketball, the knee abuse was substantial. The fact that I was able to take pain off my joints by tossing the Nikes, I think that's a sign that the barefooters are getting something right.

FineLetsGo wrote:

laughingostrich, I'm glad you can run a 16min 5K. i think that's a great accomplishment. Myself, I'm just getting into running more seriously in the past couple years (after losing about 70lbs.) It's ridiculous to me that all the shoe-defenders are so defensive (AND INSULTING) because people are trying something reasonable to correct their running form and prevent injuries. Slam it all you want but I'll take God's engineering over Nike any day of the week. I'm a basketball/football player by history (played basketball through college) and am now trying to transition to running. After all those years of basketball, the knee abuse was substantial. The fact that I was able to take pain off my joints by tossing the Nikes, I think that's a sign that the barefooters are getting something right.

While I agree with the idea that you should do what works...

Did "God" consider concrete when he built you for running?

If you dont see how ultras are trendy and the current fad, I dont know how to explain it too you. Oh i know, 2 words: Dean Karnazus

Congrats on your love of vibrams, one day you'll look back at your vibrams and ed hardy t-shirt and wonder wtf you were thinking. but by all means.. follow the fad while it lasts.

btw: still sportin' a trucker hat?

you want someone who has run a fast race in vibrams?

i ran in the open race at paul short at lehigh last september and finished around 27:30. around mile 3.5 i remember getting burned by 2 guys in vibrams.

please take this time to tell me that wasn't a fast race, i still can't break 20 for 5k, i'm an idiot, something involving the stupid word "f'tard", etc

Here's your poster boy:

http://blog.timesunion.com/running/files/2010/02/Barefoot-Runner.jpg

"Posterboy" looks like he's about to do a little heal-striking.. OUCH! That's gonna hurt.

What did he eat? Did he believe in isometrics? Isotonics? Ice and heat? How about aerobics, est, ESP, STP? What did he have to sayabout yoga, yogurt, Yogi Berra, VIBRAMS? What was his pulse rate, his blood pressure, his time for the 100-yard dash? What was the secret, they all wanted to know in a thousand different ways the secret. And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as it did with that most unprofound process and sometimes heart-rending process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of his training shoes. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials. How could they be expected to understand that?

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Sums it up. Now I understand why it took 15 years for this book to be re-printed and Born to Run is a best seller. They just don't get it. Start thinking about the miles and less about the feet. They tell you what they want, you don't tell them how to be comfortable.

It's HEEL. That thing on the bottom of your foot is a HEEL. And after he HEEL-STRIKES on a piece of glass, his HEEL will need time to HEAL.

You're welcome.