Barefoot running movement...Where are we going wrong???
- Thread starter Barefootpuffin
- Start date
tonic
Guest
Seconding what BF Gentile
Seconding what BF Gentile said.
I'm running barefoot because I want to be a better runner (in all ways) and I've certainly enjoyed the experience a lot more without shoes than with. Though I would like to have a running partner (especially a BF one), I generally just wish to be left alone to do my own thing. I love talking about what BFing has done for me to someone who knows me and actually cares about running, but pretty much everyone I know has heard it all already so that conversation is over. (Reading this board is my BF-conversation fix!)
People like McDougall, Ken Bob and other Barefoot [Whomever]s that get media attention for the right reasons are good. If people start realizing there is nothing wrong with someone who likes running without shoes (even if they don't) -- it makes my life easier. I just have zero desire to be that person.
What I don't understand is why seeing someone running without shoes makes others think the shoeless person is inviting comment or that it's a shocking, unnatural thing. The reactions of shod people confound me. I've traveled a bit and up till now, if I saw a barefoot person, I just assumed they were poor or very rural. I never even considered that their shoelessness was something to comment on.
Seconding what BF Gentile said.
I'm running barefoot because I want to be a better runner (in all ways) and I've certainly enjoyed the experience a lot more without shoes than with. Though I would like to have a running partner (especially a BF one), I generally just wish to be left alone to do my own thing. I love talking about what BFing has done for me to someone who knows me and actually cares about running, but pretty much everyone I know has heard it all already so that conversation is over. (Reading this board is my BF-conversation fix!)
People like McDougall, Ken Bob and other Barefoot [Whomever]s that get media attention for the right reasons are good. If people start realizing there is nothing wrong with someone who likes running without shoes (even if they don't) -- it makes my life easier. I just have zero desire to be that person.
What I don't understand is why seeing someone running without shoes makes others think the shoeless person is inviting comment or that it's a shocking, unnatural thing. The reactions of shod people confound me. I've traveled a bit and up till now, if I saw a barefoot person, I just assumed they were poor or very rural. I never even considered that their shoelessness was something to comment on.
tonic wrote:What I don't
I understand it, and it is still in part me. Most folks (including myself) have never even seen someone run barefoot. They have run (or not run) in shoes all their life and their feet are so soft and stride so hard it would seem impossible for them to run on hard rough pavement barefoot. Therefore it is shocking, and unnatural. Reminds me of my wood stove and how folks can't understand why I would choose to use such an antiquated method for heating my house when much more 'advanced' devices exist. Yes, a century ago and longer folks were bf a lot more, but most around now have only lived in the shod world and dont even think of how things used to be. Even longer, as sandals and leather shoes have been around a while.
I wish people werent so shocked and then inquisitive or opinionated. I am a very 'introverted' individual and not very social, dont like answering a bunch of questions or being in the spotlight or made fun of, but because what I am doing is 'shocking and unnatural' to most folks I get those questions (well just few so far). The first few weeks bf I was so self conscious that I would only walk or run by my house, and only go a little ways back and forth many times so if a car/bike/runner was coming I could quickly go back into the house to avoid them seeing me bf! I am embarrassed to admit that now! And when I started getting better and doing longer distances I would only do it at night when the roads were empty. I'm mostly over that phase now thank goodness.
And Tonic, I agree with your first paragraph entirely. I do enjoy talking about it to freinds etc, and do like having a running partner (only one friend I know runs, and her schedule and mine do not jive 95% of the time), so usually its just 'me time' where I can think or just enjoy the scenery and or maybe vent some energy or whatever.
tonic said:
I understand it, and it is still in part me. Most folks (including myself) have never even seen someone run barefoot. They have run (or not run) in shoes all their life and their feet are so soft and stride so hard it would seem impossible for them to run on hard rough pavement barefoot. Therefore it is shocking, and unnatural. Reminds me of my wood stove and how folks can't understand why I would choose to use such an antiquated method for heating my house when much more 'advanced' devices exist. Yes, a century ago and longer folks were bf a lot more, but most around now have only lived in the shod world and dont even think of how things used to be. Even longer, as sandals and leather shoes have been around a while.
I wish people werent so shocked and then inquisitive or opinionated. I am a very 'introverted' individual and not very social, dont like answering a bunch of questions or being in the spotlight or made fun of, but because what I am doing is 'shocking and unnatural' to most folks I get those questions (well just few so far). The first few weeks bf I was so self conscious that I would only walk or run by my house, and only go a little ways back and forth many times so if a car/bike/runner was coming I could quickly go back into the house to avoid them seeing me bf! I am embarrassed to admit that now! And when I started getting better and doing longer distances I would only do it at night when the roads were empty. I'm mostly over that phase now thank goodness.
And Tonic, I agree with your first paragraph entirely. I do enjoy talking about it to freinds etc, and do like having a running partner (only one friend I know runs, and her schedule and mine do not jive 95% of the time), so usually its just 'me time' where I can think or just enjoy the scenery and or maybe vent some energy or whatever.
I was also introverted and a
I was also introverted and a little self-conscious about bf running at the beginning tristan, I think its kinda common. Kinda like wearing a new pair of pants or a shirt or something.
I was also introverted and a little self-conscious about bf running at the beginning tristan, I think its kinda common. Kinda like wearing a new pair of pants or a shirt or something.
It's kinda like running
It's kinda like running around in public naked with everybody staring at you. Don't worry. You'll become a confident nudist in no time and proudly show all your wares. ;-)
It's kinda like running around in public naked with everybody staring at you. Don't worry. You'll become a confident nudist in no time and proudly show all your wares. ;-)
TJ my be the only one that
TJ my be the only one that can back me up on this, but I don't think we're going wrong. I think we've made some pretty amazing progress over the last few years.
Back when I started barefoot running, there was a tiny community of mybe a hundred or so people spread around the country. To say we were obscure would be a monumental understatement. Fast forward to today.
The BRS has thousands of members. Many more have discovered the joys of pain-free physical activity. We've influenced major shoe companies. We are changing the very way we think of running. We are urging more research on running form. We have converted members of the medical community.
How can this not be considered a success?
TJ my be the only one that can back me up on this, but I don't think we're going wrong. I think we've made some pretty amazing progress over the last few years.
Back when I started barefoot running, there was a tiny community of mybe a hundred or so people spread around the country. To say we were obscure would be a monumental understatement. Fast forward to today.
The BRS has thousands of members. Many more have discovered the joys of pain-free physical activity. We've influenced major shoe companies. We are changing the very way we think of running. We are urging more research on running form. We have converted members of the medical community.
How can this not be considered a success?
I think what the OP was
I think what the OP was suggesting was that there are some of us barefoot runners who act a bit pompous and do more harm with our arrogance and preaching than good.
I don't think there are many of us who act that way though. I think the majority of us have others' best interest at heart and want to do all we can to educate the public on another viable way to run, one that may be life-changing for them and one that may bring them restored health/running health. And as you pointed out, Jason, how can anything be wrong with that?
Regardless of the resistence to change we face from the running community (and the way we may be perceived), we ARE making huge strides in the running world, and I think we are on the right track.
I think what the OP was suggesting was that there are some of us barefoot runners who act a bit pompous and do more harm with our arrogance and preaching than good.
I don't think there are many of us who act that way though. I think the majority of us have others' best interest at heart and want to do all we can to educate the public on another viable way to run, one that may be life-changing for them and one that may bring them restored health/running health. And as you pointed out, Jason, how can anything be wrong with that?
Regardless of the resistence to change we face from the running community (and the way we may be perceived), we ARE making huge strides in the running world, and I think we are on the right track.
Ah, gotcha TJ. I agree,
Ah, gotcha TJ. I agree, there aren't too many pompous barefoot runners out there. In fact, I think the vast majority have realized what is needed to rope in the masses.
Interestingly, the greatest resistance I see comes from running specialty stores and the road runners that frequent such stores. They're slowly coming around, but it's not us making the change. It's the shoe industry. Companies like New Balance and Saucony are moving to more minimal lineups, which is slowly forcing them to reconsider their motion-control/stability/neutral paradigm.
Over the next year or two we'll see a trickle-down effect with this demographic. The stores will slowly begin supporting the premise of minimalism, which will in turn sway their customer base.
Just my observations.
Ah, gotcha TJ. I agree, there aren't too many pompous barefoot runners out there. In fact, I think the vast majority have realized what is needed to rope in the masses.
Interestingly, the greatest resistance I see comes from running specialty stores and the road runners that frequent such stores. They're slowly coming around, but it's not us making the change. It's the shoe industry. Companies like New Balance and Saucony are moving to more minimal lineups, which is slowly forcing them to reconsider their motion-control/stability/neutral paradigm.
Over the next year or two we'll see a trickle-down effect with this demographic. The stores will slowly begin supporting the premise of minimalism, which will in turn sway their customer base.
Just my observations.
One anecdote to back up
One anecdote to back up Jason's conjecture about how it's the shoe stores/industry;
I completely dismissed barefoot/minimalist running until I spoke with someone at my local running store whom I respected. He was wearing vffs, and he was not in any way arrogant; he just told me his story in a pragmatic and skeptical way. I had originally come in to order another pair of my extra wide asics gel kayano 17s. Needless to say, the asics never got purchased.
Then I went back home and googled and read and tried it and voila. However, if I had not found such good online resources (and ones that were not all, um, hippie-dippie fruity, with all due respect and love for the hippies), the idea might have faded quickly from my mind.
So I think in order to reach people like me (former orthotics wearing, cushioned shoe, recreational runner) it takes the bf community in place to get people involved and starting slowly and carefully.
One anecdote to back up Jason's conjecture about how it's the shoe stores/industry;
I completely dismissed barefoot/minimalist running until I spoke with someone at my local running store whom I respected. He was wearing vffs, and he was not in any way arrogant; he just told me his story in a pragmatic and skeptical way. I had originally come in to order another pair of my extra wide asics gel kayano 17s. Needless to say, the asics never got purchased.
Then I went back home and googled and read and tried it and voila. However, if I had not found such good online resources (and ones that were not all, um, hippie-dippie fruity, with all due respect and love for the hippies), the idea might have faded quickly from my mind.
So I think in order to reach people like me (former orthotics wearing, cushioned shoe, recreational runner) it takes the bf community in place to get people involved and starting slowly and carefully.
I actually happen to believe
I actually happen to believe that WE are the ones forcing the change though. We have rocked the boat, and the shoe industry is riding the wave. Without the forces that exist at the top of the barefoot/minimalist running community, the shoe industry wouldn't be making such drastic changes in their offerings.
I actually happen to believe that WE are the ones forcing the change though. We have rocked the boat, and the shoe industry is riding the wave. Without the forces that exist at the top of the barefoot/minimalist running community, the shoe industry wouldn't be making such drastic changes in their offerings.
Having just experienced a
Having just experienced a plunge into the mainstream of my local running world, I would just want to add that out here, the waves we're making are very modest. The vast majority, like 99.7%, of the runners at my 5K yesterday were in what looked like clunky conventional shoes.
Granted, I can't recognise conventionally shaped Minimalist shoes by sight, and I wasn't up at the front with the elite pack, but, from what I saw, the big shoe companies were doing just fine. I did spend a lot of time with my eyes toward the ground looking. I probably looked quite shy.
Having just experienced a plunge into the mainstream of my local running world, I would just want to add that out here, the waves we're making are very modest. The vast majority, like 99.7%, of the runners at my 5K yesterday were in what looked like clunky conventional shoes.
Granted, I can't recognise conventionally shaped Minimalist shoes by sight, and I wasn't up at the front with the elite pack, but, from what I saw, the big shoe companies were doing just fine. I did spend a lot of time with my eyes toward the ground looking. I probably looked quite shy.
I find the title of this
I find the title of this thread to be strange! In the USA 10% of the running shoe market is now "minimalist". That's a powerful success by any standards and it's driven by a search to retain barefoot mechanics.
Interestingly - last month I hurt my Achilles tendon runing barefoot and going a bit too fast and far for my level. I could hardly walk afterwards. I got back into running soon - a few weeks later - by dragging my old thick high heeled running shoes out of the cupboard and running on my heels - which gave no achilles pain at all. In contrast I couldn't run a single step "barefoot" without significant pain. This allowed the problem to heal correctly and to ease my running muscles back into the game. Within a short period I was able to go to low profile shoes and then back to minimalist. It's icy now so I'm not inclined to go barefoot for the time being. It does go to show that we need to keep an open mind on the subject though. At least I've found one genuinely good use for my old running shoes - which I hate otherwise!
I find the title of this thread to be strange! In the USA 10% of the running shoe market is now "minimalist". That's a powerful success by any standards and it's driven by a search to retain barefoot mechanics.
Interestingly - last month I hurt my Achilles tendon runing barefoot and going a bit too fast and far for my level. I could hardly walk afterwards. I got back into running soon - a few weeks later - by dragging my old thick high heeled running shoes out of the cupboard and running on my heels - which gave no achilles pain at all. In contrast I couldn't run a single step "barefoot" without significant pain. This allowed the problem to heal correctly and to ease my running muscles back into the game. Within a short period I was able to go to low profile shoes and then back to minimalist. It's icy now so I'm not inclined to go barefoot for the time being. It does go to show that we need to keep an open mind on the subject though. At least I've found one genuinely good use for my old running shoes - which I hate otherwise!
Support Your Club
Forum statistics
Latest posts
-
Chiang Mai running sandals made from car tire rubber gain popularity
- Latest: Barefoot TJ
-
Get Your 2024 Wildwood Barefoot Country Music Fest Tickets Here
- Latest: Barefoot TJ
-
-
