A Complaint From the Fashion Police (??)

This woman thinks how inappropriate it is to wear minimalist shoes because they look like you're wearing black dress socks. She also feels that such minimally shod people are smug about their choice in footwear. When I got my first pair of VFFs in summer '09 I enjoyed the attention everyone asking "what was I wearing??" I had my 17second speech about foot strength down :). She seems to feel it's a male thing to wear such footwear, we obviously are in different social circles.  Her article is HERE  - (what do you think?  kind of a cVnt?  or she has reason?)


Quoted from the article: <<Because that’s the final thing: I am probably over-analyizing, but the people who walk around in these shoes tend to give off of an air of secret-specialness. They don’t necessarily act like they’re thinking, “get a load of my rad sock-shoes,” but you can tell that there’s something slightly suspicious going in their mind. Something slightly evil made them decide to put on these weird foot-shoes instead of a more traditional shoe.


So just stop. Use your barefoot shoe for what they were made for: running. You wouldn’t like to see a businessman walking around town in a blazer and a speedo, nor would you feel right seeing your lady bus driver wearing nothing on top but a sports bra. Those shoes are made for running, not walking around, so get with the program and stop making us think about your feet.>>

Wilderness Workouts

Next time you're out for a trail run or hike, give some of these moves a try! Make a list like 50 pullups, 50 'jump ups', etc... find a spot to do them in new place!

Adidas Offering a Minimalist Shoe?? (with video)

Adidas is going barefoot.
The world's second-largest athletic company unveiled its first "barefoot" training shoe Tuesday, which is designed to mimic the experience of exercising barefoot while providing the protection, traction and durability of a shoe. The Adipure Trainer, which is a cross between a glove for the feet and a traditional shoe, hits U.S. stores in November priced at $90.  Read More Here,  pics Here

Good News, Today We Received the Barefoot Runners Society's Stomp of Approval

http://barefootrunners.org/page/stomp-approval

Plantar Fasciitis, 3 'simple' steps for Prevention and Treatment

Step 1) Reduce Inflammation

-          Ice (Rolling a frozen Dixie cup works well)

-          Topical Anti-Inflammatory, preferably Myomed

-          Anti-Inflammatory

-          Soft Arch Supports (When not strengthening)

Step 2) Break Up Scar Tissue/Stretch

-          Deep tissue massage every 3^rd day

-          Roll a Foot Rubz ball (preferable) or Golf/Tennis Ball regularly

-          Stretch Calves & Feet (Especially before getting out of bed-Lots of stretches on the internet)

Step 3) Strengthen (Most Important Part)

-          Start with 30 seconds of barefoot running/walking on soft/natural surfaces and add 30 seconds every day or 2 (Probably the single most effective way to eradicate PF; subtract this time from your regular workout, i.e. 30 Minute Regular Workout = 29 minutes in shoes, 1 minute barefoot)

-          Pull in a towel w/toes and repeat

-          Pick up marbles w/toes and spell alphabet

-          Stand on one foot (affected foot):  1) Waiting in line, standing at work, whenever, wherever   2) As an exercise: barefoot eyes closed on carpet

Link 1, Link 2 


Buy an Arch Exerciser, or for cheaper, do some Toe Walking:

Another Article That Has it Wrong

Toes being responsible for forward momentum??  This article has an interesting and flawed version of what barefoot running form is all about.  The say: "The pad of your foot near the toes is much better at absorbing impact, but the toes are responsible for producing a lot of forward momentum."  This doesn't make sense.  When barefoot, toes splay out for balance and a tiny amount of shock absorption. When it's time for your foot to leave the ground - PUSHING - is NOT what you should be doing.  See Mantra section, it's lift-lift-lift-lift-lift.  Drive heel towards butt and drive knee fwd with an intensity proportional to your fwd lean.  Easy peasey.  "toes need to launch you" ??  <face palm>

Read more Here

Inov8 Evo Skins Review

I couldn't wait for these to come out!  Inov8 is a popular shoe brand at my Crossfit gym.  I tried these shoes out the other day.  

• They only come in small-med-Lg, so the odds of them fitting you well are low-medium
• They are impossible to get on.  It tok me a while to notice you could unsnap the straps, but resnapping them once they're on is a chore.  I really broke a sweat, mainly because of lack of flexibility.  Bending and fiddling with shoes for minutes is a pain.  This would be mitigated through practice
• I have two worthless smaller toes that would not go in to the proper slots.  I fixed this however by adding a small amount of lotion to my feet- then BAM they fell into fitment. 
• Note the holes at the end of the toes? Those are for air escaping when donning and sweat escaping when exercising.  Now this is pretty nasty: After doing a crossfit workout, sweat SQUIRTED out of these holes.  It was disturbing to watch.  For a 'shoe' with so much open space, they are very hot.
• The shoe was very slippery with sweat (even before I figured the lotion thing out).  I tried to do things like 'karoke' and it is dangerous to have feet sliding in shoes.
• My WOD consisted of box jumps and olympic lifrts, not appropriate due to feet sliding inside of shoe
• So, no good for sports like crossfit.  The next day, I wore these shopping on my feet for hours.  I was losing circulation in toes and ended up barefoot.  
• Here's the Good!  what an attention getter, people love the looks.

Another good review here

Zhik - Outdoor Retailer 2011 Summer Market

Another Minimalist shoe vendor entering the market. Plimsoll type shoes, great for casual wear. I will be looking for a review for them used as a running shoe.

The Science of Barefoot Running

This Report appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Athletic Association.  My hero DR Daniel Libermann, the 'barefoot DR' said “If you think barefoot running is a fad, then it’s a two-million-year-old fad.”According to Dr. Lieberman’s research, injury rates have not declined in 30 years even as major advances seem to have been made in running shoe technology over that time. Some 30 to 70 percent of habitually shod (shoe-wearing) runners are injured each year, he added. And with all the advances in motion-control running shoes, Dr. Lieberman stated, there is no evidence that they prevent injuries. 

“About 75 percent of runners today are predominantly heel strikers,” Dr. Lieberman said. “Heel strikers generate a collisional impact. Running shoes make it comfortable to heel strike.”  Rest of the story

How To Make Your Huaraches

I've seen a few how-to vids on this subject and I find this one to be pretty good. Notice min 2:10 on video 3. This is critical to make the string follow between the 1st/2nd metatarsal. Crossing the long 2nd metatarsal bone is where I experience chafing.







This guy was clever and converted some cheap flip-flops. (although the sole material is probaly overly cushioned, it's a thought:

Today's Quote From Gordon Pirie

The shoe manufacturers have taken on the role of God. They think that He made a mistake in designing man's foot, and that they are going to fix it overnight!


The most common misconception concerning style becomes immediately apparent by looking closely at a typical pair of modern running shoes. I find it impossible to find running shoes today which are not heavily padded at the heel, and which have a relatively small amount of protective material under the ball of the foot - especially under the toes.


Any athlete who has grown up wearing these shoes unfortunately comes to the conclusion that it is proper to run by striking the ground with the heel first. This assumption follows from the way the shoes are designed, but is absolutely incorrect. You will not find athletes in the Olympic Games racing on their heels in heavily-padded running "boots".


An entire generation of runners is being destroyed (and/or prevented from achieving their full potential) because of having to run in shoes which make correct technique impossible. This undoubtedly contributes to the millions of injuries which keep millions of runners from training fully every year.

Funny: Flat Metal Shoes? This Guy is High!

Caleb Westfall, of Waikoloa, Hawaii, completed the Big Island Marathon on 31-inch stilts in a mind-stultifying time of  7 hours 37 minutes and 11 second, knocking 52 minutes off the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest marathon on a pair of gravity-defying peg legs.  It's difficult to ascertain what kind of running shoes Caleb was wearing when he completed the Big Island Marathon in Hawaii, but his 31-inch high stilts definitely had flat, heel-less bottoms-- the ideal solution for barefoot-style running...at least for the stilted set looking to go vertical.

Do "I" Have To Buy Minimal Shoes?

An alternative, grab some tools and make your current shoes zero-drop and mo'-better flexible'r, :).  In the picture planar slices were taken off the heel part of the shoes until the heel raise was zero.  Try it on an old pair and see if it wakes up muscles you haven't been using.  ((shorten that stride!))

Ancestral Health Symposium

Must-Hear Podcast Interviews After Attending The 2011 Ancestral Health Symposium

I did not attend this conference, but I've gotten to hear highlights from my Robb Wolf podcast.  The development of our species overcame many obstacles by tweaking their lifestyle, diet, etc. It would  be a shame to just unlearn all that data, all those lessons-learned.  Just browse the links and see if something grabs you.  

Ladies n' Gentlemen, a Nice Ultra Vid

Vibram’s first dedicated FiveFinger trail running shoe

The Vibram Spiridon LS, a 6.8 ounce (US men’s 9; 5.1 ounce US women’s 7) shoe has a 6 mm stack height throughout with a 3.5 mm outsole. There are more lugs than other Vibram running models and these lugs are both more textured and include more edging to improve bite into the ground. The Spiridon LS features a “3D Cocoon,” a very strong nylon textile that’s baked into the sole to disrupt impact. The 3D Cocoon runs the length of the shoe. The shoe includes a slightly beefier upper that includes significant toe bumpers.  Vibram will also be releasing the SeeYa, a 4.8 ounce “performance model” for dedicated minimalist runners. It’s got a significantly reduced upper as well as a Bikila informed outsole with the midfoot and some other portions cut away. Even the velcro straps have cutouts to reduce weight. I’ll assume that all those interested will have seen this model in the barefooting corners of the internet.

Foot, Lower Leg, Core and Plyo Exercises for Runners

Barefoot/Achilles/Plantar/Soleus Work

Natural Running Panel Discussion Parts1-8

Looks like this is how we'll spend our work day... watching this panel :).  First question to the panel was 'why do you run'?  Why do we?  Instinct?

Navy Changes Course on Minimal Shoes

Navy Doctors say there is no evidence that they'll do any harm, so VFFs are re-allowed.

‘Toe shoes’ rule at odds with medical officials
Despite concerns from its own medical professionals, the Navy has decided to reverse a policy that prohibits Vibram FiveFingers shoes and other minimalist athletic footwear in certain situations.
In a fleetwide message released Aug. 5, the Navy expressly allows the shoes, which are designed with little to no support or cushioning in an attempt to mimic the sensations of barefoot running. Devotees of the shoes say they reduce the likelihood of injuries, but the sports medicine community has mixed feelings about the footwear.  Story Here

An Interesting Project - an Aboriginal Athlete!

The book 'The Artificial Ape' details many indigenous cultures and the reader gains SERIOUS insight to why these people live this way.  Cultural elitism is simply a misunderstanding of the cultures you think you're superior to.   


Australia is paying respect to its aborigines through 'The Indigenous Marathon Project', a SmartStart for Kids!™ project and we are proud to contribute to helping Indigenous youth and their communities.  Their goal is to produce an indigenous distance running champion; To have an indigenous Australian on the 2016 Olympic marathon running team; and make running, walking and physical activity a natural and regular part of indigenous life.

Story here

Great Podcast! (Interviews With UltraRunning Athletes)

I apologize in advance for taking you away from your work to stream podcasts (but it's what I will be doing today ;) ).  UltraRunning Podcast Here