Barefoot Running

Running shoe companies like to brag about all of the new advancements in running shoe design. From the invention of cutting edge materials for cushioning to fancy “stability” shoes, there have been remarkable improvements in running shoe technology in the last 30 years.

However, do these shoes actually help to prevent injuries? Some people say that high tech stability shoes weaken foot and leg muscles, which leads to injuries. In response, companies such as Nike have began to make “minimalist” shoes such as the Freewhich has very little material and makes it feel like you are running barefoot. Of course, some people have decided to ditch shoes altogether and run barefoot

My take on all of this? Call me skeptical. Perhaps it’s because I have a lot of bio-mechanical problems with my running gait, but I’m 100% certain that minimalist or barefoot running would not work for me. Because of the way my feet pronate, I would have serious IT-band and/or hip problems if I tried to run without shoes. I’ll speak about this more in a future post, but some people (including me) simply must have stability shoes and orthotics to be able to run. Of course, what do I know? Running barefoot worked great for former world record-holder Zola Budd.


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