I got into a debate today on Facebook. You know Facebook is about connecting with long lost buddies but for some reason I have a list of people I don't know on my list. Most of those have the same interests I do but I'm still not sure how they got there. Today a guy I really don't know, Greg Vaughn posted this: Runners in shoes that cost more than $95 were more than twice as likely to get hurt as runners in shoes that cost less than $40! -- From The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
There is great debate going on right now in running. Some dude wrote a book called Born to Run - I have yet to read it and runners are stripping off their running shoes and going barefoot or in these Vibram Five fingers shoes.
My main problem with the debate was all these people posting how they were running out to buy Vibram fivefingers. I have no problem with the shoes. I have a problem with people, and or medical journals blaming the shoes for injuries. I feel like I have some expertise in the matter. I've spent a fair amount of time with runners and shoes. In my time I've found that most of the injuries were caused by the runner not the shoes. The first complaint always came in as "I got injured from these shoes". Ask a few simple questions, like - What was your last run that felt good? What's your average mileage? How long have you owned the shoes? Just simple things like that. Most of the answers came back "Well, my shoes are two years old or I did a 20 miler on Sunday and I ran 35 miles last week or my all time favorite I had this twinge all week and then wham I woke up today and can't walk." Runners in my book are not bright. I put myself in that category so don't go crazy on me. They'll jump to the latest craze see: Born to Run. By the way let's do a test and get Ryan Hall to take off his Asics for the next week of Marathon training. Do you think he'll get injured? Let's try it just this once. They think the latest Craze will cure them of their injury problems and then find out that no it's not a magic pill. People, listen up:
Running is rather simple. Build mileage gradually. Your long run should not be more than 20% of your total. Don't do speed work unless you have a huge base. Buy the right shoes for you not the shoes everyone else has. Replace them often.
If none of this makes sense I'll make it even easier:
Hire a running coach
Shop at a running store
Don't run if it hurts.
If you are consistent in your running and you are sore after a run, replace your shoes.
That is Smart Running!
You think the fivefingers are strange, you should see my wife heading out in her running shorts and these, her favorite new running shoes. She looks like a dork but her form is great and she is now running sub 6. Just amazing. Now for things much more important: Mt Sac!
Marco and his buddy hanging out in the shade waiting to cheer on the team.
Poop Out Hill - that's the name. Marco passed these three and 5 more before the top.
Just before the big switchback.
Mt SAC has a new sponsor! It's a good life....
Dave
2 comments:
Hi Dave,
I just now found your blog - amazing. I was fascinated by the debate you had about running shoes or the lack of them. Is your wife seriously running in those dress shoes? How did she come to make that choice? As you know I always have come down on the side of less is better than more with running shoes, so I'd like to see the Ryan Hall experiment too. The only difference is I'd also like to see him run in shoes twice as heavy, twice as soft, twice as high and twice as stiff as his ASICS and see which scenario gets him injured first. I have no doubt he'd be injured in both. Going barefoot is a long transition for anyone who's spent their life in shoes. We need some Kenyans to be in the test too. This would be fun if someone could actually set it up in a scientific way.
Dave,
If I'm going to pay hundreds (thousands?) of dollars a year on a product, I need some evidence that they do what they claim. I'm certainly not going to pay for something that hobbles 80% of it's users.
You don't run in cushy shoes. You jog. I don't want to jog. I want to run.
For what it's worth, I agree barefoot running is a fad. I think people would rather wear shoes, even if it cripples them.
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