A few good articles for barefoot/minimalist people

Thanks for those, they're good articles. Does anyone on here have a list of heel heights of running shoes, that would be really helpful to a lot of us I think.

Here's a highlight:

"For example, over the eight years l99l-1998, all the winners in the clas-sic Boston marathon were Africans.

In 1998, five of the top 10 finishers were Africans. The same pattern ap-pears in other marathons where the Africans have participated over the past decade. Most of these African runners grew up shoeless, and many continue to train shoeless in their na-tive countries. All, consequently, would likely have normal, full-length

Achilles tendons and calf muscles. This would seem to have enormous influence on stride and stamina in a marathon run where there are ap-proximately 44,000 Achilles tendon

and calf muscle “pulls.” "

http://www.nwfootankle.com/New_Folder/Feb01%20p129-138%20Ropdf.pdf

In Better Training for Distance Runners by Martin and Coe, it also talks about how the increased ankle flexibility of the Africans due to running barefoot gives them the advantage of increased stride length and less vertical displacement. Other elite runners should take note of this.

Yeah, I think this is really a must-read for all runners, the sooner the better. I don't know how you can deny this information, it's unbiased and it makes perfect sense.

Do you guys think it is possible for someone who has spent many years, most american citizens for example, to make a complete return to optimal foot health? Spread toes, strong arch, lower leg muscles, etc?

bump

trackhead?

ghost racers wrote:

Do you guys think it is possible for someone who has spent many years, most american citizens for example, to make a complete return to optimal foot health? Spread toes, strong arch, lower leg muscles, etc?

For the most part, yes, however I've heard of some women, for example, who've worn high heels day in and out for 40 years and have permenantly affected achilles conditions.

My arches ache just READING that. Sorry.

It makes sense that humans are built to do most everything w/o significant footwear. It's like having a guy who gets about on wheelchair just because and then thinks about walking.

yes, yes, right wrote:

Yeah, I think this is really a must-read for all runners, the sooner the better. I don't know how you can deny this information, it's unbiased and it makes perfect sense.

unbiased? take a look at the guy's website - he's selling his own brand of orthodics there. and, i only glanced through these articles, but they aren't peer reviewed, they had little or no citations from actual studies.

these articles are interesting - but in no way to they offer anything more than SPECULATION about the way that the foot works.

I am in agreement with "are you sure". The articles do have merit, but I think we need some more MDs study and research supporting this. Is there more that can be linked? I am interested.

I love it! I've been researching this a great deal lately on my own. I don't wear high heels, but I was wondering how I got by for years and years springing around nearly every day on the track in spikes and never had an injury of any type...and with rigid feet arches...became a distance runner - got into those squishy shoes each day, and just like the folks here - IT band, sacroiliac disorders, tight, plantar fasciitis, hips, etc....

I came to the conclusion it is all about the Tush,Rear,Buns, Booty theory. Distance runners for the most part have no backside whatsoever.

If I understand gait mechanics, the heel needs to fully engage, drop down for improved glute power. Not gonna happen in those motion control Nikes.

It explains the booty side of the sprinter vs the distance runner.

any articles on running shoes instead of dress shoes.

Trackhead, do you have the heal heights measured for trainers, racers, etc. that you could post. Any info would be helpful in my transition.

Also, I was wondering if I seem to be going about my transition to minimal shows well. My last pair of shoes were Saucony Grid Hurricane's with custom orthodics

Now I'm in the lightest version of the Saucony Grid Trigon's and I'm walking around in my Tiger Paws and doing workouts in them

Do you think it would be alright to go to all of my running in the Tiger Paws when I'm done with the Trigon's?

If you go to the Mizuno website, they list the specs for all of their training and racing shoes. Their "plush" ride is 25mm/13mm (Wave Creation, Wave Nirvana), their "moderate" ride at 24/12 (Wave Rider), and "performance" ride at (23/11). Racing shoes are lower. I haven't measured others, but I don't notice a significant difference between my Asics DS trainers and the Wave Rider. I would definitely say the average adidas, Nike, or Saucony training shoes seems to come in much higher than even the Nirvana.

are you SURE... wrote:

unbiased? take a look at the guy's website - he's selling his own brand of orthodics there.

The articles were published in the Podiatry Management magazine and the author of them isn't affiliated with that website.

Hi Guys

Some interesting views here!

I'm new to this website, so this might have been discussed many times, but do some of you have experience with training in flats and running on grass?

Is it 'safe' ?

Would some of you please share som knowledge or maybe recommend a former thread.

Sebastian

This topic won't go away.

Agreed those articles are journalistic peices. Be careful. The relevant peer reviewed research on flats in distance running remains fairly speculative. For example there are no good controlled experiments on flats and stress fracture. There are also no good experiments on how anatomical variation affects outcomes.

Remember serious training (80-100 miles plus on paved roads w. interval work etc.) is a modern invention. It presents stressors novel to our ancetral lifeways.

For some flats all the time seems to work very well.

For others, like myself, flats mixed with low heeled trainers (nike milers & nb 900s) works better.

As with all transitions, move slowly. Listen to your body. Don't get hurt.

"Let’s add one further influence of shoe heels, low to

high. The shoe’s elevated heel shortens the Achilles

tendon and there is also an accompanying shortening

of the calf muscles (Fig. 11). Both the tendon and the

muscles are, of course, vital to step propulsion and gait

stamina—which may help to explain the performance

dominance of marathon runners from nations where

the barefoot state is common from infancy to adulthood.

The heeled shoe “steals” much of this propulsive

power from the tendon and leg muscles. This not only

places more stress on them to achieve needed propulsion,

but power must be borrowed from elsewhere—

knees, thigh muscles, hips, and trunk. A small army of

anatomical reinforcements must come to the rescue of

the handicapped tendon and calf muscles."

from the first article.