One guy gets injured and all of barefoot running implicated

one of the things the article glosses over is one has to ease into barefoot running and most of those injured, dropped the shoes and tried to run the same distances barefoot thus getting hurt.

 

Most folks named in this article, including the first example, were NOT RUNNING BAREFOOT; he was running in minimalist footwear (...ditched his sneakers for footwear that mimics the experience of striding unshod). This is NOT the same. I HATE HATE HATE it when the two get lumped together. The running form may be the same/almost the same, but there's a big difference in the feedback/warning signals you're getting, especially when you are just starting and switch from one to the other. If you want to start barefoot running, you should start fully barefoot. Ken Bob Saxton says when running barefoot, you have two coaches, one on each end of your legs. If you wear even the thinnest, softest minimalist shoe, you shut that feedback off, you don't notice what you're doing wrong until a bigger injury happens. It's like signing up for a college course, wearing earplugs during the lectures, and then complaining when you fail the course.
I wrote more detail in my blog a couple years ago:
http://sheriam.blogspot.com/2010/05/barefoot-running-minimalist-shoes.html

 

Yeah, they can be useful, that's what my last paragraph from the blog entry is about:
"Now before I get all kinds of minimalist-shoe enthusiasts on my case (or the companies making them ), these shoes can have their use. They can be useful in cold weather, if you live in some place with lots of broken glass and dirt, if you run after dark and you don't like running fully barefoot when you can't see hazards, to wear at places like work where shoes may be required, etc. But I firmly believe you should NOT START in them. If it's too cold find an indoor track, if your local roads are too littered then drive to some nicer area, and instead of running in the dark find time to run in daylight hours, at least for the transition period. Now as a long-time full barefooter I wouldn't be surprised if soon you'll find your feet have toughened enough that you won't need the minimalist footwear nearly as much as you thought you would, but hey, if you do still feel more secure in them *after* the transition period, then that's fine. Just don't start that way. Don't. Really."

 

Ehhh....

Who cares?

I didn't finish it, as it doesn't interest me that much-but it seems fair. It says problems are usually due to ramping up too fast, and lists problems associated with that.

Maybe the guy took one bad step, that could do it.....

I don't know if the article says this, but there is no shortage of the problems associated with running shod, runners of all types can frequently be seen limping around in all sorts of braces and whatnot.

It's new (in areas where shoes are old) and people make unrealistic claims about it, so of course some will jump on it. Maybe some people will even get scientific articles published, about how horrible it is.....

Meh.

 

This too! I also post in a 'start to run' thread on a pretty busy general forum, with several dozen regulars and some more occasional posters. I'm the only barefooter there, but there's constant talk about anything from minor discomfort to real injuries. At any time there'll be multiple posters who are on a forced break from running anywhere from a few days to several weeks, and just last nite someone hurt her ankle bad enough to actually stay home from work today. But of course it's *barefoot* running that's a problem

 

I'm on a barefoot running forum and we all agree on one thing: there is a huge difference between barefootstyle running and barefoot running.
Like most people I started running on minimalistic footwear and just very recently completely barefoot. And I found out that it's very important to know your limits.

 

I screwed up my feet last summer by ramping up too fast. I'm not a runner, just a walker and I'm barefoot quite a bit; thought I had my gait figured fine for long walking but apparently not. A few days of walking to work and things got screwed up.

Lesson learned. I'm still barefoot quite a bit but I shoe up now for anything lengthy.