I get pissed off when I go buy running shoes. A typical pitch goes like: "Choosing the correct running shoes is a serious business... you should invest at least $100 for a pair of good shoes... these models will correct your over-pronation problem... " If the salesperson looks like a runner, sometimes he'll add: "Running is a dangerous sport, I've had a lot of injuries myself until..." Why the hell should I listen to someone who hurts himself running all the time? I'm skeptical that such a complex problem could be solved by cleverly placing fancy cushioning material in the shoes in the first place. If it was that simple, why didn't they fix all the running shoes? I'm sure the difference in material cost is negligible.
Long story short, I started to explore barefoot and minimalist running made popular by Chris McDougall's Born to Run, Gordon Pirie's Running Fast and Injury Free, and Harvard's Lieberman. Pirie was a world record setting British runner who only lived to his 60s yet his name is on Guinness Book of Records for the highest lifetime mileage of over 200,000 miles or, about 100 miles a week for 40 years! I find it uplifting that evolution might have solved our running problems, we are all designed to be endurance athletes.
It was a about a years ago when I started my own experiment, I estimate I have run about 1,000 miles in minimalist shoes, basically racing shoes with very little padding. I rotate 4 pairs of Asics Piranha SPs and a pair of Brooks cross country in training. The current Asics are $100 retail and I got 4 pairs of older SP1s on eBay for $150, they are sort of cheap looking (the stripes are just painted on) but extremely light, the Brooks MACH XIs are just cross country racing flats. (I remember a serious runner I knew used to buy unpadded cheap shoes, the kind you find in discount store bins stapled together. Pirie ran in Plimsolls.)
To summarize my minimalist experience:
(1) I have not hurt myself in training or running NY marathon wearing racing flats.
(2) I'm not sure about my mid/forefoot running form, looking at the soles of the shoes, the heel portion is worn more than the forefoot.
(3) It takes a lot of practice to hold my form, when I get tired, I can hear myself running louder.
(4) To me, mid/forefoot landing running seems to require more energy, but the shorter, higher stride style is inherently faster. When I slow done, I notice my form gets sloppy.
(5) When I trained the most (45 miles a week), I did experience swollen ankles and other symptoms typically attributed to bad shoes.
(6) Even the thin minimalist midsoles get compressed unevenly after 100 miles.
(7) Racing flats are durable despite the light construction. The upper mesh looks like it'll last a long time, the sole wears out quickly and I extend its useful life with "Shoo Goo".
(8) The Asics can be worn with or without socks because the toebox is rather wide, the Brooks are narrow and I wear them sockless and get blisters sometimes (I have sweaty feet and there are some friction points between the arch support and the upper).
(9) No conclusion is possible for something so subjective. I use a GPS watch but have not done anything scientific with the data.
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| Asics #3 and #4, Brooks MACH XI |
It was a about a years ago when I started my own experiment, I estimate I have run about 1,000 miles in minimalist shoes, basically racing shoes with very little padding. I rotate 4 pairs of Asics Piranha SPs and a pair of Brooks cross country in training. The current Asics are $100 retail and I got 4 pairs of older SP1s on eBay for $150, they are sort of cheap looking (the stripes are just painted on) but extremely light, the Brooks MACH XIs are just cross country racing flats. (I remember a serious runner I knew used to buy unpadded cheap shoes, the kind you find in discount store bins stapled together. Pirie ran in Plimsolls.)
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| Plimsoll |
To summarize my minimalist experience:
(1) I have not hurt myself in training or running NY marathon wearing racing flats.
(2) I'm not sure about my mid/forefoot running form, looking at the soles of the shoes, the heel portion is worn more than the forefoot.
(3) It takes a lot of practice to hold my form, when I get tired, I can hear myself running louder.
(4) To me, mid/forefoot landing running seems to require more energy, but the shorter, higher stride style is inherently faster. When I slow done, I notice my form gets sloppy.
(5) When I trained the most (45 miles a week), I did experience swollen ankles and other symptoms typically attributed to bad shoes.
(6) Even the thin minimalist midsoles get compressed unevenly after 100 miles.
(7) Racing flats are durable despite the light construction. The upper mesh looks like it'll last a long time, the sole wears out quickly and I extend its useful life with "Shoo Goo".
(8) The Asics can be worn with or without socks because the toebox is rather wide, the Brooks are narrow and I wear them sockless and get blisters sometimes (I have sweaty feet and there are some friction points between the arch support and the upper).
(9) No conclusion is possible for something so subjective. I use a GPS watch but have not done anything scientific with the data.
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