There are others out there speaking the truth about running shoes. For 3 years now I’ve been exclusively been running with the Puma H-Street shoes. They are light, they provide a thin barrier for those sharp stones but no structural support at all, and I am a better runner for wearing them. I’ve repeatedly received those gasps of surprise and bewilderment from other runners when they take notice of my shoes but I will profess their superiority over traditional running shoes until the end of time. Pretty strong statement right? Are you curious why? You should be. If you do nothing else today, you must read this article by Joseph Froncioni titled:
ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR AND RUNNING INJURIES
For those of you short on time, here are a few highlights:
-
“there has been no decrease in the incidence (some authors say there has been an increase) of running injures in spite of yearly ‘improvements’ in running-shoe technology?”
-
“During barefoot running, the ball of the foot strikes the ground first and immediately starts sending signals to the spinal cord and brain about the magnitude of impact and shear, getting most of its clues about this from the skin contact with the surface irregularities of the ground. Take away this contact by adding a cushioned substance and you immediately fool the system into underestimating the impact. Add a raised heel and the shod runner is forced to land on it.”
-
“The heel of a runner upon striking the ground generates a force that can equal 2.5 times body weight at the foot and as much as 7 times body weight at the hip. Repeat this 1000 times per mile and it’s easy to appreciate the stress the old bones are under. “
- “when the impact from a running human is measured the impact increases with softer materials”
This is not an article that promotes barefoot running nor do I believe in running 100% of the time barefoot. While I do partake in barefoot running from time to time, it should be noted that the majority of us are running on man made materials such as concrete and asphalt. This unnatural material, in my opinion, requires us to wear some type of protection to protect us from the friction that it creates. Even a very thin rubber layer (no cushioning) would be appropriate. My ideal shoe if money and technology provided no limits: a coat of rubber surrounding my bare foot perhaps dipping my foot in a liquid material that immediately forms into a protective barrier surrounding my foot.
It’s good to know I’m not the only one out there with similar thoughts on running shoes.
Additional reading:
Are your running shoes hazardous?
2 Comments
May 28, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I also like a runing shoe with no little or no support but I do like a cushioned shoe. I run on surfaces that are hard as rock and even harder during the winter months. I also have high arches and have had trouble over the years with plantar fasciitis. Cushioned inserts have helped me with this problem.
May 30, 2008 at 5:59 am
Yes, I’ve never liked Nike’s, or their commercialism. As for Puma’s I can’t say. I’ve always been an Asics runner and with over 14 marathons and three 50 milers to date, I’ve susstained no real injuries. Good luck on your 100 miler…I’ll be stepping out on my first 100 on June 28th at Western States.