A perspective on the barefoot running movement

[Last Place Jason]

Time to throw out a prediction on the barefoot running movement:



http://barefootjason.blogspot.com/2010/08/changing-of-guard-sociological-analysis.html

 

[Shacky]

Excellent read Jason. I only

Excellent read Jason.

I only wish you would have touched upon the polar opposites such as the Shape-Ups, the RunTones, MBT, and the other true faddish shoes.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

You nailed it again,

You nailed it again, Jason!

I'm inclined to believe that most people will never run barefoot, and I am fine with that. I do, however, believe that barefoot runners are the ones responsible for the "minimalist footwear movement." I'll take that movement any day over the "traditional boat anchor movement."

 

[Blind Boy]

Good read. Mostly in line

Good read. Mostly in line with how I think it's going to play out too. I think the time it'll take to bring about a real change might be a little longer though, at least on an international level. Over here I'd say we're in the beginning of the early majority phase, most runners still think you're crazy for even considering it but it's gotten to the point where the big retailers at least acknowledge that a change is happening. They get the same shoes the rest of the world does, after all.

About the bigger picture then, I believe the end result for the majority of runners will be something like the new Saucony Kinvara. If you're not familiar with it, it's a cushy trainer but it only has a 4 mm drop and if I've understood it right there's no pronation control or other nonsense in it either. I don't think most runners will run in really minimal shoes in a few years and I don't think they should either. Like you say in the post, people as a whole tend to be impatient and M/BFR isn't exactly for the impatient. If everyone would go minimalist I believe we'd see a huge increase in injuries and in the long run the total number of runners would decrease, making running a "dangerous" activity again, like it was before the modern running shoe and the jogging boom of the 70's.

 

[Abide]

Where did your other post go

Where did your other post go from the other day?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

It was removed to be placed

It was removed to be placed elsewhere.

 

[miker]

Well done Jason. I look

Well done Jason. I look forward the the next 10 years (and I'm gonna be running barefoot all ten of 'em).

One phrase that a professor said that has stuck with me regarding culture (he was talking about the culture of a company, but I think it applies to societal culture as well) is that "culture is strong, and culture is deep".

And that is so true. I am amazed that the bf movement has been able to do as much as it has in such a short time. I agree that one of the biggest impediments to the bf movement is the time it takes to retrain our leg & feet muscles, tendons, etc. If people could just pop a pill, we'd have many more converts tomorrow!

I believe we'll get there, but I agree that people will go minimalist first. And that's OK. Once they have the muscles retrained, the movement back and forth between bf & minimal will be dictated by conditions of the environment (i.e. roads, trails, gravel) or by personal preference, instead of by our atrophied muscles.

Keep up the good work!

 

[jschwab]

And he devastates with a

And he devastates with a single word: Mullets!

 

[saypay45]

I nominate Jason as the

I nominate Jason as the official barefoot "movement" historian.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I second it!

I second it!

 

[Last Place Jason]

I can finally put that degree

I can finally put that degree to good use! Good lesson there, kids... don't major in history!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I loved history, world

I loved history, world history but mostly American history.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Uh, are you saying you

Uh, are you saying you MAJORED in history? But teach psychology? What? Was psychology your minor? Yikes! Should you be teaching history? JUST TEASING!

 

[The Ramzev]

 History schmistory, We know

History schmistory, We know the history; man arrives barefoot, man lives barefoot for many moons, man straps waffles on his feet, man pads said waffles with foam and gels, man takes off waffles and runs barefoot...blah, blah, blah. You can take hair follical samples from Ken Bob and get all the history you need.

What we need more than a historian is a futurian, someone who can help mold the future of Barefoot running, and wouldn't you know it, Jason fits the bill to a "T"!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I second it!

I second it!

 

[Last Place Jason]

I was a double major- history

I was a double major- history and psychology. History because it was easy, psychology because it was interesting.

Have i ever mentioned I can pretend to be a psychic, too? I spent two summers training to be a magician/mentalist. I could be a futorian! And yes, I am a dork.

 

[Longboard]

Barefoot TJ wrote:Uh, are you

Uh, are you saying you MAJORED in history? But teach psychology? What? ......

Psych major here. Helps out a lot in daily practice. Much more useful than a chem or bio major would have been.

 

[NakedSoleNate]

 LOL....I hear ya....I

LOL....I hear ya....I majored in English and History...with a minor in philosophy...not the best way to make money :-D.

 

[barefoot.zumba.runner]

lmao LP, so next meet up

lmao LP, so next meet up you'll be reading palms or should I say soles

Excellent read, very profound ideas behind and and they all seem to make perfect sense to me. I found myself nodding in agreement often and can only hope that your predictions run their course as you'd written about. Frustrating are those damned laggers though, eh?

I agree with TJ, I think that the majority of runners won't be barefoot but future runners (as a result of this movement) will educate themselves on better form, dabble in barefooting and run happier, risk/injury reduced run.

 

[ewheeldrive]

Great post Jason!  The

Great post Jason! The "mullet" line was the clencher for me too . Would it be acceptable for me to rock a mullet if I continue to run barefoot though ?