Newton's First Zero Drop Shoe

I have not tried this shoe.  I doubt I will since I've read repeatedly how narrow the toe box is.  The shoe is 5.8oz, $125, removable sock liner, and includes a 3mm heel raise pad.  I'm NOT a fan of the lugs under the forefoot.  Newton has a comical origin where the applied for a patent for lugs under heel+forefoot and they were rejected - so they removed the heel lugs and said it's a "new way to run".  I can't find that patent submission, but here's Newton's springy heel patent.  (Who it's bad.)  There's a nice extended review of the MV2 here at runblogger.

Try this shoe on before you buy, seems like you need to size-up for proper fit!

Quote from runblogger: In summary, the MV2 is an extremely light, zero drop shoe that will appeal to both Newton fans and those looking for a flat shoe that retains a bit of midsole underfoot. The lugs are not as noticeable as those on other Newton shoes, and the fact that they extend to the edges on each side is a big design improvement. I suspect that this shoe will retain the excellent durability of other Newton shoes, and thus may outperform many EVA based racing flats in this regard. Minimalist runners who prefer a wide toebox will probably not enjoy the feel of this shoe, but if you are accustomed to running in racing flats or XC spikes then this shoe will feel fine.

The Newton MV2 is set to be released in September 2011, and the MSRP is $125. They are currently available for pre-order on the Newton Running Website.

The Air Force Has the Right Man on The Job!

They complain about shinsplints, tendinitis, pulled hamstrings and a laundry list of other running-related injuries that will cost about $15 million to treat over the next five years and an incalculable amount in lost workdays, according to the Air Force.

AF Marathon winner, and barefoot advocate is going around teaching how to succeed in running... injury-free!  

When Cucuzzella visits a base, he knows what he’s going to hear from airmen because he’s heard it so many times before: Teach us how to run without getting hurt.

 <<Two-pronged approach. 

The training program that’s in the works is both preventive and corrective, according to Cucuzzella. Airmen will get tips on how to run better and PT leaders will learn first how to identify basic flaws in running form, then how to help airmen fix those flaws with special exercises.

Cucuzzella contends injuries occur for any number of reasons — improper balance, limited range of motion or muscle weakness, for instance — that often involve several muscles or joints. Yet, most doctors treat a running injury much as they would a combat wound, immediately and without much consideration to what else is happening with the rest of the body.

“Running injuries can’t be looked at in isolation,” Cucuzzella said. “There are whole kinetic chain issues. If your knee hurts, what’s going on at your foot, at your hip, how you land, how your footwear is affecting you? Are you running too much or too hard? There is a whole set of questions that go into why the injury occurred and we need to standardize these things instead of just treating symptoms.”

Running shoes and their effect on a runner’s gait will get a hard look from Cucuzzella, who is one of a growing number of runners and medical experts who think what they call traditional shoes — heavy with large cushioned heels and stabilizers — do more harm than good.

Here’s why, as Cucuzzella explains it:

When a man walks, his foot lands on the heel and rolls to the forefoot before he pushes off with his toes — a motion that doesn’t work for a runner because of his speed and the force with which he’s hitting the ground.

When a runner lands, his heel strikes hard and stops his body, sending a shockwave to the knees, ankles and hips, as well as the leg muscles.

“We’ve put shoes on people and it’s allowed people … to then run heel to toe. We call that jogging,” he said. “It’s a complete breaking motion.”

>>

Entire Article Here:

Are Barefoot Shoes really better ? NewYorkTimes article.

Are Barefoot Shoes really better ? NewYorkTimes article.

Read the full article, it is quite short…… but here is the gist of it…..
“The American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit group that reports on fitness, recently sponsored a small study to learn more about the popular footwear. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, asked 16 women, all healthy recreational joggers ages 19 to 25, to spend two weeks getting used to running in the Vibram FiveFingers, a snug, glovelike shoe that weighs less than five ounces. The women were advised to use the shoes, the best-selling brand of barefoot sports shoes, three times a week for up to 20 minutes a day.”
“The researchers found that half of the women who switched to barefoot running or minimalist sports shoes failed to adjust their form, resulting in more wear and tear on their bodies, not less.”


Really? 2 weeks to “get used to them”? As we have said, countless times; you must earn your right to go minimalistic or barefoot. Foot competence is not created in a day, or in 2 weeks for that matter….

Barefoot Running: Dr. Nicholas Campitelli Reviews Medical Literature That Supports Running

Excerpt From "Survey in China and India of Feet That Have Never Worn Shoes"

Amazing how many things we need to 'relearn'.  I tend to use that word frequently, relearn, we are born with instinct and reason and frequently it's beaten out of us so we're more obedient consumers, or just better lemmings.  Hopefully this - like all other things- is cyclical.  Note in this excerpt, the mention of the gap betwee nthe first and second toe.  This is something frequently discussed on the mobiltywod.com.

Samuel B. Shulman. "Survey in China and India of Feet That Have Never Worn Shoes," The Journal of the National Association of Chiropodists, 49, 1949, pp. 26-30.

The low incidence of dermatomycotic infection here noted might be attributed to the fact that most foot fungi require dark, warm and damp interdigital spaces for growth such as that provided by shoes and stockings on a foot that has no free outlet for its perspiration. In addition, these bare feet get the beneficial fungicidal effects of the sun's ultra-violet rays.

...

No instances among the barefoot feet were found of: Onychrocryptosis, Hyperidrosis, Bromidrosis, Hallux Valgus, Hallux Varus, Bursitis at the first or fifth metatarso-phalangeal articulations.

...

Almost everyone surveyed showed a marked spacing between the first and second toes such as that found on young babies. The great toe was either pointing straight ahead or slightly abducted to provide a greater weight-bearing base or, possibly, to compensate for a shortened first metatarsal segment.

...

One hundred and eighteen of those interviewed were rickshaw coolies. Because these men spend very long hours each day on cobblestone or other hard roads pulling their passengers at a run it was of particular interest to survey them. If anything, their feet were more perfect than the others. All of them, however, gave a history of much pain and swelling of the foot and ankle during the first few days of work as a rickshaw puller. But after either a rest of two days or a week's more work on their feet, the pain and swelling passed away and never returned again. There is no occupation more strenuous for the feet than trotting a rickshaw on hard pavement for many hours each day yet these men do it without pain or pathology. These figures prove that restrictive footgear, particularly ill-fitting footgear, cause most of the ailments of the human foot.

...

Baby shoes cause great harm to growing, formative feet. The so-called "sentimental" value of baby's shoes might well be dispensed with.

...

People who have never worn shoes acquire very few foot defects, most of which are painless and non-debilitating. The range of their foot motions are remarkably great, allowing for full foot activity. Shoes are not necessary for healthy feet and are the cause of most foot troubles. Children should not be encouraged to walk prematurely and should not wear any footwear until absolutely necessary. Footgear is the greatest enemy of the human foot.

Teva Zilch on Sale (50% off)!

Teva Zilch on Sale (50% off)!

I plan to try these with Injinji Socks in colder weather.  The sale is here.

$40 instead of $80 if you register at the Clymb - i used this site to gt my first pair of vivo barefoot shoes at 50% off.   James at Barefoot/Shoes reviewed the Zilch on BirthdayShoes a few weeks ago.

Sample Paleo Meals

02/10/2011 By Jedha

I thought I’d share some pictures of some of the delicious paleo meals I have been eating over the past week. The thing is, I thought the paleo diet might get boring like heaps of other *diets* often do.
But I am really enjoying the wide variety of paleo diet foods you can choose from and the interesting and satisfying meals you can create with these foods.

2 Days Paleo Meals

	Paleo Diet Breakfast Bacon, Eggs, Pan Roasted Tomato &  Bok Choy
	Paleo Diet Lunch Thai Spiced Fish with a side salad
	Paleo Diet SnackSpiced pan fried chicken (left over from last night) with avocado
	Paleo Diet Dinner Chicken with veges, smothered in pesto & olive oil
	Paleo Diet BreakfastVege Filled Omelete Fry up some of your favorite veges, a couple of fresh diced tomatoes, a bit of bacon and serve it inside an omelete.
	Paleo Diet Lunch Spiced chicken breast with sweet potato, salad & avocado
	Paleo Diet Dinner Beef bolognaise with steamed cabbage and vegetables
	Paleo Diet Snack Hot in the pan! Organic beef, gluten-free, low-fat sausages. I snacked on these over a few days dipping them in some homemade roasted capsicum sauce.

Clunk Clunk Clunk (Adventure Race)

My first adventure race was this past weekend.  It is labeled a 'sprint adventure race'.  Our distance traveled was approximately 30miles.  (No way to track that since no electronic devices were allowed.  I was on a two-man team, competing in male's duo.  We made a funny team since my teammate in an excellent mtn bike rider and I am a better runner - therefore we took turns slowing each other up :).  I'm kidding, we were a great duo placing third in our division.  

Half the participants dropped out of this race or didn't complete the checkpoint assignments.  I don't fault the DNF'ers our conditions were horrible, windy, cold and down pouring rain.  I was one wrong move on a mtn bike from not finishing!  In the middle of a run we had to dive into the lake for a checkpoint and then trudge fwd to the next waypoint in wet(ter) clothes.  The rain, mud, woods, bike riding, canoeing, swimming, etc made me think about our gear selection.  

A guy in the parking lot asked me if I would be wearing my Merrill Trail Gloves for the race, I said yeah-why not.  He shook his head and it was clear that the other competitors were concerned with shoe selection as the park was called Rocky Gap for a reason.  Everyone else had thick, heavy hiking boots or low cut boots.  The lightest pair of shoes I saw were La Sportivas - which are great shoes, but the toe boxes are small!  But I looked at the half worn tread on my trail gloves (having about 1000 miles on them) and shrugged and thought out-loud 'we'll see'.

Maybe I am a little biased, but my shoe selection for this race seemed the only choice that made any sense.  In these conditions, a water proof shoe just meant "keeps the water inside your shoe".  Even the long wet grass would deposit water inside your shoe, why would you choose goretex covered shoes to keep that water against your foot?   We were waist deep in water flowing streams, a few steps later on the shore all the water was out of my trail gloves.  They don't weigh more after such a hike.  Speaking of shoe weight - which I appreciate the lightness of a shoe, AND (more so) the lightness of my steps.  People running in those hiking shoes sound like horses clunk clunk clunk.  It makes me wince.  My cadence is so quick and my feet are on the ground for such a short period of time, I don't have time to to slip.  My foot strike is straight down and straight up tap-tap-tap, there's no sagital or planar forces to send me sliding.  

When are knobby treaded, thick, inflexible shoes the correct choice?