In the midst of my most recent bout of low back pain/issues/difficulties I stumbled across the book Born to run. Like so many before me the book was most definately an eye opener. Since reading this book I have gone through a few more as well an anything I could find online concerning barefoot locomotion.
I was led to embark, with my partner/wife to embark on an exploration of barefooting. We are both trying to follow the transition advice contained in the book and in so many online sources and so far are having pretty good results. I suspect I will have greater difficulty than my partner due to my many years of running in raised heel overy supportive running shoes.
My shoe maker of choice WAS Asics and I did have pretty good results with them over the years. However over the last year or so my nagging back problems have become more chronic, I have developed a morton's neuroma in one foot, plus one knee has started to cause me problems as well. Needless to say running has not been much fun for a long time.
As a result of this new found knowledge and my early experiences with running barefoot I have to admit to being a runner that was gladly ' drinking the kool-aid' doled out all these years by the running shoe industry. No more. Regardless of where my barefoot journey takes me I am and from this point onward a much more skeptical consumer and will make the best choice for me insteading of just blindly buying the next greatest thing from the mainline running shoe industry.
At this point I suspect I will end up primarily using some form of minimalist shoe or sandal but I can't see me going back to my old shoes and heel striking. Like many of you, my eyes have been opened and I am looking forward to where this barefoot adventure takes me.
Thankfully running is an adventure again and not just a chore to be endured.
Jenn
PS - Now all I have to hope for is the end of the postal strike here in Canada so I can get delivery of my damn Huaraches...
I was led to embark, with my partner/wife to embark on an exploration of barefooting. We are both trying to follow the transition advice contained in the book and in so many online sources and so far are having pretty good results. I suspect I will have greater difficulty than my partner due to my many years of running in raised heel overy supportive running shoes.
My shoe maker of choice WAS Asics and I did have pretty good results with them over the years. However over the last year or so my nagging back problems have become more chronic, I have developed a morton's neuroma in one foot, plus one knee has started to cause me problems as well. Needless to say running has not been much fun for a long time.
As a result of this new found knowledge and my early experiences with running barefoot I have to admit to being a runner that was gladly ' drinking the kool-aid' doled out all these years by the running shoe industry. No more. Regardless of where my barefoot journey takes me I am and from this point onward a much more skeptical consumer and will make the best choice for me insteading of just blindly buying the next greatest thing from the mainline running shoe industry.
At this point I suspect I will end up primarily using some form of minimalist shoe or sandal but I can't see me going back to my old shoes and heel striking. Like many of you, my eyes have been opened and I am looking forward to where this barefoot adventure takes me.
Thankfully running is an adventure again and not just a chore to be endured.
Jenn
PS - Now all I have to hope for is the end of the postal strike here in Canada so I can get delivery of my damn Huaraches...
