Look what they are saying now..

[Horseman42]

Have a look what was said by the pros reciently about barefoot running. You may need to skip down to point 22.



http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/15/last-years-scotiabank-waterfront-marathons-winners-26-2-tips-to-running-a-better-race/

 

[Barefoot TJ]

We still have a lot of work

We still have a lot of work to do. :-(

 

[Barefoot TJ]

BTW, Horseman, I've been

BTW, Horseman, I've been trying to email you. Are you getting my emails?

 

[Barfuß Chelsea]

Ok, so he doesn't buy into

Ok, so he doesn't buy into the bf thing, but look at his point 10. He's basically saying that good form IS important, and isn't that what we're trying to achieve when we take off our shoes?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Agreed.Good form is BEST

Agreed.

Good form is BEST achieved when we take off our shoes.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

In a way I agree with point

In a way I agree with point 22. All of us are just recreational barefoot runners who are having fun. If I was a gifted elite runner and my running paid my bills, I would be wearing shoes as well (for my races). I don't not see anyone running a barefoot marathon with times they are doing it now. Soon you will see sub 2 hour marathons, I don't see that humanly possible running it barefoot, because of the speed.

Yes I know Bikila ran and won a marathon barefoot. A little fact about that race, that was the only time he ever ran barefoot, and the reason he did he forgot his running shoes on his flight to Rome. When he arrived at Rome he bought new ones and found that he didn't have enough time to break them in. So he ran barefoot.

 

[Horseman42]

Barefoot Gentile:  They were

Barefoot Gentile: They were asked for tips to help in completing the race, so the info is for the average layperson. If their advice was taken for someone trying barefoot running the day of the race only, or for someone who wanted to be competative I could possibly see their point. However I don't see this as being their intent.

TJ: I haven't got any of your emails. If you send something through facebook I'll definately get back to you.

Glad to see there is at least some hope if they think good form is important, but these guys seem to be very naive .

 

[JosephTree]

I agree w/ BF Gent.  If my

I agree w/ BF Gent. If my body worked that well WITH shoes I certainly wouldn't risk it by trying to BF a race at speeds like his. That wouldn't be worth the risk.

I will go with his point 8.b. "...don't run in new shoes." OK! I'm solidly down with that advice!

 

[Horseman42]

Joseph: The article was about

Joseph: The article was about completing a marathon in general, not how to win the marathon, or how they race. Granted the fact that you're asking pro's for advice anyone can use, may skew the advice they are giving as what they do may or may not be important for the person coming in closer to the end of the race. They should have kept that in mind when giving advice.

 

[DB]

BR Gentile,Given that so

BR Gentile,

Given that so much time has past since Bikila died, it may be difficult ever to know the facts with certainty about his barefoot running. But the best biography of Bikila that I have found suggests that he never wore shoes for running until 1961, under pressure from his coach who wanted to curry favor with the manufacturer of Tiger (Onitsuka, later ASICS) shoes. See http://barefootrunners.org/forum-topic/review-bikila-ethiopias-barefoot-olympian-tim-judah for a little more info.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Fascinating bit of info you

Fascinating bit of info you shared there, DB, especially considering shod runners who are offended by our barefoot running like to point out that he switched to shoes after running and winning the 1961 Olympic marathon.

 

[ajw1970]

I hope you're not suggesting that he went from shod to running 26.2 miles barefoot at pace sufficient to win at an olympic event with only the time from airport to race for transitioning?? Come on now. Clearly he must've done barefoot training to be able to accomplish such a thing.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I missed Gent's comments. 

I missed Gent's comments. Seriously. You're saying Bikila was always a shod runner, never a barefoot runner until the day of the marathon?

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

ajw1970]

I hope you're not suggesting that he went from shod to running 26.2 miles barefoot at pace sufficient to win at an olympic event with only the time from airport to race for transitioning?? Come on now. Clearly he must've done barefoot training to be able to accomplish such a thing.

No, he trained for the race barefoot. I got got this info from Wicki, which is a terrible site to source things but I will use it.



Adidas, the shoe sponsor at the 1960 Summer Olympics, had few shoes left when Bikila went to try out shoes and he ended up with a pair that didn’t fit comfortably, so he couldn't use them. A couple of hours before the race, Bikila decided to run barefoot, the way he'd trained for the race.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Isn't that the way he lived

Isn't that the way he lived though too?

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

Ryan Hall on barefoot

Ryan Hall on barefoot running. He is my favorite runner out there, and I do agree with him.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daRbPekcsBQ

 

[NickW]

Gentile, he's basically

Gentile, he's basically slamming barefoot running by saying it isn't even relevant until a barefoot runner passes him. He gave good advice in the beginning about taking the transition slowly.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

No, I think he is keeping it

No, I think he is keeping it real as an elite professional runner.

I like barefoot running just because I do, I have no mystical answer why I started running barefoot other than it was something different to do. I always said I would be a terrible barefoot advocate because I would, and because I do not think barefoot running is the answer. I actuallly like to hear things like this with barefoot running. Barefoot running is one of my favorites hobbies to do, but I don't have blinders on.

 

[NickW]

I agree to a point Gentile,

I agree to a point Gentile, Barefooting isn't the only way and it surely isn't the best way for everyone. That being said, the way he blew it off in the end is what gets me. I don't think I have blinders on myself. I've written a few papers on the pros and cons of barefoot running/lifestyle. It is not for everyone and I admit that. I've also seen in my own personal case where I was told I would never run or walk again without back pain, yet changing to a barefoot/minimalist lifestyle has allowed me to be able to do these things without pain. I'm no doctor and I couldn't tell you what exactly changed in my body. Am I as fast as I once was? No. Will I ever be as fast? Probably not. Will I be able to run for the rest of my life? Hopefully. That's why barefoot running is relevant for me and many others. Many of us do not care about distance or speed, only to find happiness and health with it. To blow it off like it is something irrelevant is what really bothers me.

 

[ajb422]

Barefoot Gentile wrote:No, I

No, I think he is keeping it real as an elite professional runner. I like barefoot running just because I do, I have no mystical answer why I started running barefoot other than it was something different to do. I always said I would be a terrible barefoot advocate because I would, and because I do not think barefoot running is the answer. I actuallly like to hear things like this with barefoot running. Barefoot running is one of my favorites hobbies to do, but I don't have blinders on.

Yeah I have to agree. I think for many people there is probably a better option. The barefooting is fun (and that is the reason I do it), but I'm also going and and running 8-11 minute miles where I can watch for rocks and on the occasion where I do hit one its not very hard because the speed just isn't there. If try and put any speed on at all, and I'm not on a section of really nice pavement, I worry about hitting a rock wrong, and I don't even have any money or fame riding on it. I know for many people this might be the only possible way to run, but those people aren't the majority. For people who actually can run safely in miminal shoes, its probably actually the better way once they transistion since they give themselves some protection from the elements. I am 100% against the built up supported shoes, but minimal and some of the reduced shoes are probably really legit options for most of the population. Espeically the elite population who already have awesome form.