On the DailyMile blog today, they posted 2 brief interviews with Ryan Hall about barefoot running. (Click the link to see them.)
On the one hand, I think that the warning to start slow is such a wise one. He insinuates that most of the barefoot (well, I think he's really talking about minimalist) injuries he's seen are TMTS injuries. "Start slow" is a good message for the public.
On the other hand, he says he brings up the old argument, "Well, the fastest runners are all wearing shoes." That's mostly true. (Not 100%, but mostly.) And you know, some people probably do run faster in Asics than in Vibrams or barefoot. That long stride probably makes some people faster. But I think it's hard for a professional, record-holding runner to realize an important truth:
Most of us don't run barefoot or minimalist because we want to be faster. We do it because we feel like we stay healthier doing it. We do it because we like the sensations. We do it for many reasons, and for most of us, if we end up being faster, it's just the icing on the cake...not the original motivation. I'm a lot faster than when I was in traditional running shoes. How much is due to minimalist running? Hard to say. But I think it's helped. At some point, perhaps the REALLY FAST runners gain some speed by combining fast turnover with the LONG stride length they can have with a heel strike. But most of us will never be in that REALLY FAST category.
Unfortunately, the REALLY FAST runners are the ones that are most in the media, and they're the ones that of course have to focus on speed. But most of us will never be race winners.... We just want to run in the way that makes us happiest.
On the one hand, I think that the warning to start slow is such a wise one. He insinuates that most of the barefoot (well, I think he's really talking about minimalist) injuries he's seen are TMTS injuries. "Start slow" is a good message for the public.
On the other hand, he says he brings up the old argument, "Well, the fastest runners are all wearing shoes." That's mostly true. (Not 100%, but mostly.) And you know, some people probably do run faster in Asics than in Vibrams or barefoot. That long stride probably makes some people faster. But I think it's hard for a professional, record-holding runner to realize an important truth:
Most of us don't run barefoot or minimalist because we want to be faster. We do it because we feel like we stay healthier doing it. We do it because we like the sensations. We do it for many reasons, and for most of us, if we end up being faster, it's just the icing on the cake...not the original motivation. I'm a lot faster than when I was in traditional running shoes. How much is due to minimalist running? Hard to say. But I think it's helped. At some point, perhaps the REALLY FAST runners gain some speed by combining fast turnover with the LONG stride length they can have with a heel strike. But most of us will never be in that REALLY FAST category.
Unfortunately, the REALLY FAST runners are the ones that are most in the media, and they're the ones that of course have to focus on speed. But most of us will never be race winners.... We just want to run in the way that makes us happiest.
