We are designed to run without shoes

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As I was reading the news I couldn't help but notice this gem of an article of which the title said it all: "The painful truth about trainers: Are running shoes a waste of money?"

I used to Orienteer - I raced, went to the under-21 world championships and performed well enough my last time (then I "retired" and took up mountaineering but that's another story for another day.) I trained hard - running, and lots of it. Hours and hours a week. I never ran on the road. I trained off road - grass, beaches, forests, farms, rocks, and everywhere off road. Road running was boring for me - and it seems that according to this modern research that my disdain for road running may have saved me from ever getting those sorts of injuries. I never had plantar fasciitis, or achilles or knee problems, or other runner type injuries. I never wore expensive trainers. My racing (and training) shoes were flexible and had no heel cushioning, and no fancy support of any kind, and they took a beating - they had no support for anything except a cleated rubber sole with metal spikes sticking out for grip on wet slippery logs and mossy rocks.

The linked article is excellent reading and made perfect sense to me as I read through how we are designed to run barefoot and modern running shoes change the way we were designed to run and screw up all sorts of things. Perhaps a pair of Vibram Five Fingers would be the ticket to protect the sole of my foot! Even though they look retarded. Or I could stick to my Mountain Bike. Which reminds me - I need to go and hit Lake Calaveras for a ride this week. Visit site »