Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

There has been some press about barefoot running recently. In response, Nike has released some shoes that are supposed to mimic the act of running barefoot. Mark, The Running Blogfather, is a barefoot runner and has something to say about Nike’s new shoe.

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My biggest fear of running barefoot is injury. I mostly run on a treadmill, so it’s not likely that I’ll step on a pinecone or into some glass. I’m worried about running on my feet and hurting myself just by running on bare feet. Am I so brain washed by the running shoe industry that I don’t trust my own feet?

I know that man ran without shoes for years, but they were always short sprints getting away from predators or after prey. Plus, shoes were invented about 5000 B.C., so we’ve had cover and support for a LONG time. There are some people who believe that modern running shoes are responsible for the abilities of humans to break the four minute mile and be able to run over ten miles every day. We didn’t evolve from cavemen running that many miles every day. Sure, the hunters and gatherers WALKED a lot, but actual running was reserved for desperate situations.

I guess if it was good enough for King Tut, footwear is good enough for me. I think I’ll stick with my running shoes now that I finally found some that feel good.