Deadly Broken Glass Dilemma (2012 April) Ken Bob Saxton

Ha ha, love it. Turning the fear mongers message into a spoof. We need more humour like this to combat the sometimes seriousness with which we discuss things. Remember all these people that spread the fear of walking/running shoeless aren't doing it for your well being, they want to see you fail. Reminds me of the Cannabis will turn you into a axe wielding psycho ads from the 50's.

Neil
 
I like it. I don't get the fear of glass. If I lived in a place with needles I'd be concerned, but glass? Nah I've run over lots of it and never had it cut me. One or two of those times were even really shortly after starting. I'd get pebbles and such imbedded in my feet on a regular basis then, but glass didn't seem to stick.

Wait, the movie Reefer Madness isn't true? That isn't what happens if you partake in a smoke or two? hmm and all this time that was what was keeping me from using it.
 
Thanks for sharing that. I was going to post it, but now you've saved me from the to-do list.

I know that's Ken Bob's words, but who is the voice? That doesn't sound like Ken Bob at all. Was his voice altered, or is that Roy?
 
Just got my first piece of glass in the foot. It wouldn't have been as bad as it was (which is by no means bad, it just was pushed deeper by the extra steps) but I kept walking a few steps before I realized something was actually stuck into my foot. I stopped, pulled out the sliver of glass and out popped a dollop of blood, then it was done and couldn't even see a hole.
 
When I was very young, I cut my foot open on a clamshell edge while walking in a lake, and the thing wouldn't stop gushing blood. So while it's true that there are natural materials that are just as dangerous as glass, that doesn't make glass safe, and it doesn't mean glass injuries will be minor.

Sorry, but while running barefoot, I'm going to continue to be extremely cautious about glass. I give it a wide berth, and I usually carry sandals for bad stretches (always for new areas). Injuries from glass are rare, but they can be serious.
 
OK, so far, that video makes it on the list of most awesomest videos in the history of ever (or MAVitHoE)....

Motorcyclists have a saying - There are two kinds of riders: Those that have crashed and those that will crash. It seems that with barefooters its: Those that have stepped on glass and those that will. Though liberal use of things like eyes can go a long way in prevention, I reckon...

12 years ago during a triathlon I unknowingly stepped on glass leaving the water heading towards the bike. I completed the ride and run (12 and 3 miles, respectively - it was a sprint distance tri) and only after I got home and took off my shoes did I see the damage (1.5" long, maybe 1/4" deep, I think). The most painful part? The six shots of novocaine in the heel needed in order to stitch up the cut...almost ripped the railing off the gurney when that action was going on...

..fortunately, after the surgery, I took precautionary measures against infection and ingested large amounts of Vitamin C...and Tequila (as Dr. Buffett's Tonic cures all physical and emotional ills...)

RP
 
In thirty some years of barefooting, I've had two mishaps: cutting off a section of my big toe on bamboo (1991), and getting hookworm from wet sand (2007). (When I was a kid I stepped on a rusty nail, but with shoes on, so that doesn't count.)

Glass has never been a problem, although when I run past a picnic area's trash can I have to be a little extra cautious. If there were any liquor store parking lots along one of my routes, I'd do the same thing there. And yet, the 'broken glass is everywhere' myth is the most common reason people give for not barefooting. Where do these people live?
 
And yet, the 'broken glass is everywhere' myth is the most common reason people give for not barefooting. Where do these people live?[/quote]

I can only guess, but right next door to the recycling center? or a window repair shop?

'Cuz that's the only reason I could imagine thinking the world is paved with glass shards. Honestly, I am more concerned abut "sneaker stones;" those rocks the same color of your running surface that you don't see and step on too firmly. I'm so glad the paving project near my house has been over for a while. it was like a mine field,and i'm hoping to return to some barefoot mileage soon!
 
I can only guess, but right next door to the recycling center? or a window repair shop?

Ha!

It's just ridiculous.

That's why it stinks to have 'minimalist' sandal or shoe makers, who are supposedly supportive of barefoot running, using the myth to hawk their gear. Why not just talk up their products' positive attributes, and leave barefooting, and their ignorance of it, out of it?
 
And yet, the 'broken glass is everywhere' myth is the most common reason people give for not barefooting. Where do these people live?

I can only guess, but right next door to the recycling center? or a window repair shop?

'Cuz that's the only reason I could imagine thinking the world is paved with glass shards. Honestly, I am more concerned abut "sneaker stones;" those rocks the same color of your running surface that you don't see and step on too firmly. I'm so glad the paving project near my house has been over for a while. it was like a mine field,and i'm hoping to return to some barefoot mileage soon![/quote]

"Sneaker stones" -that's a good name for those! :)
 
Funny video. I was talking to some runners the other day about BRS and one of the questions was along the lines of "What do you do about glass and stuff" and I said, "We like to say the best defense is to not step on it" which got a nice, understanding chuckle. Of course I followed up by saying that those small pebbles and such that cause you discomfort at first soon go unnoticed. But really, glass is pretty noticeable on a sidewalk or road, so it's pretty easy to avoid.
 
Yowza!
 
Guys, I´m sick of reading comments like these:

"But really, glass is pretty noticeable on a sidewalk or road, so it's pretty easy to avoid"
"Glass has never been a problem."
" And yet, the 'broken glass is everywhere' myth is the most common reason people give for not barefooting. Where do these people live"

I get hurt by glass almost once every week, in a certain area (on the way to my work) (not in other areas, though). Believe me, it´s not the kind of glass that´s visible what I step into. It is the kind of glass that also punctures extra-puncture-proof-bicycle-tires. Very small slivers, the size of 1 mm at max. You cannot see them and you cannot avoid them. They do stick and they are very difficult to remove once they are dug into the skin far enough. They are so thin that they break very easily when you try to grab them with tweezers. Sometimes they are so small that I do not notice them immidiately. It´s difficult to feel a difference between a sliver and a tiny, sharp pebble.

Yet they cause an inflammation if not removed which can be painful or at least annoying.

I still run barefoot where I got hurt repeatetly. I really don´t want to miss the feeling of barefoot running. But it comes at a price, I know the risk, take it and get hurt. That´s okay for me. It would be equally okay for somebody else to decide against running barefoot and not to take the risk. But to deny the risk or to make fun of / feel superior to other people who don´t want to take the risk, that is not okay in my opinion.