IGX

Interesting thread.

I myself run trails in moccasins of my own manufacture. So you could say I'm basically a barefoot runner, and advocate the benefits of it, but I appreciate the modicum of protection the self tanned and stitched deerskin offers. Still, moccasins are an unsupportive type of footwear and you don't have to go into it making them yourself. I'd say lose the tire rubber or whatever and just get into it slow and steady with something you can make yourself that gets you as close as possible to the Earth.

is this a serious post?

really?

What's not to be taken seriously? Yes, I run in moccasins. Yes, I hunt deer and tan hides myself. It's not like the average person these days is willing, let alone capable of these tasks. But if the guy wants to run naturally, he needs some good advice.

Look, I've lurked here for a bit and this whole huarache thing finally made me get talking I'm just trying to get him on the right path, without a bunch of bullshit and silly arguments. He's basically asking about a version of barefoot running, so I'm telling him go for it, but protect his feet at the at the same time. He probably needs to take his time getting into this sort of thing. It's not like the average American has any understanding of the importance of foot toughness anyway.

The Bastard Son of the Shafman wrote:is this a serious post?

really?

Is your post serious? 5 min with The Google would tell you about barefoot/minimalist running and the growing science behind it.
He asked, I answered.

fisto's original weirdness and the whole nutty seasoning of the thread make it hard to get into.

The Bastard Son of the Shafman wrote:fisto's original weirdness and the whole nutty seasoning of the thread make it hard to get into.

I think that originally he lacked the proper nomenclature and thus asked for "gladiator sandals," kicking off a whole "Airplane" cockpit conversation vibe.

Vibrams are the thing.

I have Vibram Classics but I don't run in them.

I mow the yard, workout, and just pimp around but no running.

GoDogGo! wrote:

The Bastard Son of the Shafman wrote:is this a serious post?

really?

Is your post serious? 5 min with The Google would tell you about barefoot/minimalist running and the growing science behind it.
He asked, I answered.

I swear by it, the plantar fascitis I had while running way back during college in typical shoes is gone now.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Steven Robbins & Adel Hanna wrote:Observations from countries where barefoot activity is the norm indicates that planter skin eventually becomes robust and permits extremely long duration of barefoot locomotion at high average velocities, without sign of damage to plantar skin, or for that matter other lower extremity injuries. -

There was a story in the N&O a while back detailing the woes and misery of this runner who has PF. The usual: splints, orthotics, NSAIDS, cortisone, massage, more orthotics. Nothing worked.
I looked up his email addy and emailed him about taking off his shoes. Never heard back from him.

Worked for me. PF sucks.

Sure does, not to mention all the other degenerative stuff from which so many modern runners suffer. Those high cushion shoes basically negate human evolution.

Flintlock wrote:Sure does, not to mention all the other degenerative stuff from which so many modern runners suffer. Those high cushion shoes basically negate human evolution.

What I find weird after reading up on it is that it's only taken about 30 years for everyone to practically forget the previous 1.5 M years. Even competitive runners didn't have cushioning prior to Nike. And then suddenly everyone is saying "Oh, you can't run without cushion, pronation is bad, etc." Collective amnesia is very strange.

So true, and just part of larger cultural decay caused by abstract and alienating lives most people live these days. Totally detached from their neighbors, community and their livelihood. As I see it, without a visceral, personal appreciation of your physical work for 'the man,' and how it fits into the immediate needs of a collective community, your employment is merely a form of wage slavery. IMO, increased reliance on technology exacerbates this sense of detachment and alienation and makes people self medicate or become compliant, non-thinking sheeple, easily distracted from their plight by vacuous entertainment products. But anyway...