The Barefoot Running Movement: We Need to Change with our Audience

[Barefoot TJ]

I'm not upset with you

I'm not upset with you either, Jason, but we're not always going to agree on every point. That doesn't make either of us right or wrong on this. It's not always easy to know the best way to approach topics like this. After all, this is all new territory for those of us in developed regions of the world. They don't even talk about this stuff in undeveloped regions. You and I have both grown a lot through this proces over these past three years. I've watched you change your opinion on many subjects that have to do with our sport. I have done the same. I am so much more open now than I was when I was shiny and new.

I'm not hung up on the term because of those reasons you stated: unwilling to conform, too purists to see the light, etc. My only hang up with the term Barefoot Shoes is the reason I stated: Do we risk the very thing we know to be true to be ridiculed and dismissed, mostly by those believing that barefoot shoe injuries are the same thing as barefoot injuries? Do we allow the medical/podiatry field to be misled into believing that barefoot running is to blame for the increase in running injuries? That's my only hang up. I've said it before, I can deal with the term because it does contain the word Shoes. Tell me how we can combat that, and I will happily embrace the term. Tell me how we can educate the public, the runners, the medical/podiatry field, that barefoot running isn't to blame for the majority of the new injuries taking place, but that the "misuse" of minshoes are. Let's point the blame where it truly resides. Let's come up with ideas on how to do this, effect change, and I will embrace the term.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Pjruns2 wrote:Will the

Will the proposed changes include dropping the unremitting links to personal blogs!

Elaborate for me please.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I know what you mean, Adam. 

I know what you mean, Adam. I'm in a shod running club, and I never bring up the subject, and I'm the newsletter editor!, a perfect platform for doing so. Sure, I posted an invite for Ken Bob's workshop and a follow-up collage of pictures of the event, but that's as far as I take it. I don't "write" about how barefoot running is better for the masses, blah, blah, blah. They know I run barefoot, I know they run shod, and that's as far as it goes. Like you said, people will find us when/if they're ready to know more about us.

I do believe that there will always be more minimalist runners than barefoot runners, and more traditional runners than minimalist runners. Jason and I have said this very same thing from the start. What I find interesting is I'm also hearing more and more minimalist runners saying they are ditching the minshoes and running barefoot now because they got tired of the injuries in the minshoes and wanted to give barefoot running a try, they find they like it, and they stick to it. Warms my fuzzy little heart.

 

[Pjruns2]

Sorry TJ, it's just a bit of

Sorry TJ, it's just a bit of sarcasm from a smartass. I was just thinking that people, who write blogs and post links to their blogs everywhere thinking everyone cares what they think, are the ones who push the barefootedness on others.

More seriously, I answer questions if someone asks about running barefoot and try to keep the answer brief. Most of the time I really don't know what to say and usually find myself telling them that reading "The Barefoot Book" most influenced my decision to go unshod. At least that way I am referring them to someone who has the educational background to back up his claims of the advantages of being barefoot.

 

[Last Place Jason]

I think we can capialize on

I think we can capialize on the term "barefoot shoes" using a few methods:

1. Keep doing what we're doing here. Some people that buy the shoes will search the term "barefoot running."

2. Repeatedly talk about the idea that barefoot shoes allow you to run with the same form you use when runnign barefoot, then mentioning the differences (advantages) you get from being barefoot (tactile sensation, build in regulator, etc.)

3. Actively engage companies and running stores in discussions by offering to give workshops to help people learn to run barefoot as a prerequisite to buying barefoot shoes. Sell the idea by reminding them that learning good form and the idea of safely transitioning will reduce the number of returns. Do the same by contacting manufacturers. Offer to help them develop educational materials. By contract, I can't do this for other companies, but I know they're very open to any help they can get.

4. Internalize the idea that some people have no interest in runnign barefoot, they just want to run in barefoot shoes. Once we accept this, we get a lot less dogmatic and ourr message gets much more persuasive. I have TREMENDOUS success by convincing people to move to minimal shoes, then encourage them to test out barefoot runnign for a few wweeks to help learn to use the shoes. They start off with no intention of ever continuing barefoot, but the lure of learning to use the shoes correctly is enough for them to test the waters for a few weeks. Almost all find they LOVE being barefoot and include it as a permanent part of their routine. In short, they end up doing far more barefoot running than if I would have insisted they had to run barefoot for a longer period of time.

5. Blog about the knowledge you've accumulated. Even if one person reads it, you've made an impact.

6. Offer to hold clinics or even discussions with local health professionals. Christian does this with great success. The medical community has done a 180 over the last year. They're MUCH more skeptical about the need for support and hungry for more information about barefoot running.

7. Mellow out about the "shoes are bad" thing. This is a tough one for some, and many people are already there. Just understand the evangelical "you should always be barefoot" does not play well with the general running community. On a related note, don't vilify shoe companies. he modern runnign shoe wasn't some grand conspiracy brought about with ill intent. It was a comedy of errors fueled by ignorance. Shoe companies are beginning to realize this and are actively trying to change course without going out of business. Same deal with running stores. Give them time and help them along.

8. Become a leader. Don't just blindly follow people like me. Develop your own knowledge base and work to teach others.



Just a few thoughts...

 

[palouserider]

I want to comment on a couple

I want to comment on a couple of issues. I ran in minimalist shoes before I found out about either "Born to Run", the Runner's World forum or BRS forum. All of these resources were pointed out to me by people who saw me walk or run in them, usually traditionally shod runners.

I have found all these rescources helpful for different reasons.

I think I first heard the term barefoot shoes on one of these forums. Whenever I've gone to stores in our area and asked about minimalist shoes nobody ever used the term barefoot shoes. I have, however, heard the term toe shoes (by people who did not know a brand name to go with it).

My main comment is about the concept of innovators, early adopters, early majority etc.

I am very familiar with this concept in the arena of religion and we have talked about it concerning barefoot and minimalist running in our family quite a bit.

I would define innovators as people who come up with something new (an idea or a tool) at some cost (financial or otherwise) to themselves but with the reward that comes from creativity. Innovators will make their idea or discovery public and don't always know if they will get more ridicule or praise. Some of them get both for a long time.

Early adopters I understand as those people who are willing to try someone else's idea pretty much right when they find out about it or very shortly thereafter and they often get to share a lot of the praise and a lot of the ridicule of the inventors. People can be early adopters in one area of life and not in another. Sometimes being an early adopter requires having a lot of money, for instance to buy expensive electronics as soon as they hit the market. Sometimes it only requires to try out a new idea and being willing to risk ridicule. To me barefoot and minimalist running fall mostly in the second category.

People who don't find out about barefoot/minimalist until fairly late in the game, or at least they only have it explained to them late in the game are in my opinion still early adopters by personality but may be part of the early majority in the sense of coming on board only around the time critical mass has been reached. This may be an important distinction for the purpose of knowing how to reach someone.

I personally often feel that I'm an early adopter because I love change and love looking for new answers to old questions but I'm not at all gifted as an inventor or very creative. I think I've had the chance to observe several movements from the position of an early adopter (or what I perceive to be that) and I've seen some cases where critical mass was never reached, but also some where it did, but silently.

The use of internet as a learning tool has changed how all this develops. Learning is now almost altogether in the hands of the learner, and I'm not just talking about adult learners here. People will learn about barefoot/minimalist running from people at races and on track teams but more than ever before on forums just like this one. There are many large health and wellness forums that have topics, groups, or blogs devoted to our sport and I've done my share on spreading the news on other forums I participate on.

The motivation to learn about new things and change our ways comes ultimately from the inside not the outside.

We can present learning opportunities and support, the way this forum does so well and we can help at a point of openness that is the result of need (like someone having repeated injuries).

Evangelism and preaching are incredibly ineffective and usually do the opposite from what is intended, even in the arena of religion, even when well-intentioned and undertaken with the utmost respect for the person who we are trying to convince, because ultimately the implication is that we know better what is right for someone else and this comes across to most people as arrogant, even if and especially if we are right.

Even late adopters would like to think of themselves as smart and capable people who know what works for them better than anyone else.

When we adopt a new idea is also often linked to age. Some ideas and behaviors have to die with the people who thought of them in the first place. I'm not sure if there are studies that correlate type of shoe/lack of shoe use with age but I bet there is one. Many people who are middle-aged and beyond admit freely that such and such may be fine for younger people but they themselves have no desire to change.

Some people will jump on the bandwagon without knowing anything, like wearing VFF's as a fashion statment. But even these people will benefit and may understand why at some later date.

As to the distinction between barefooters and minimalist users (for running or otherwise) there are a lot of factors that play a role. It's really a personal choice what works best. I will probably try more barefoot running this summer but have no intention to ever go barefoot only because I've never had any problems with minimalist shoes.

I've also never had anyone make rude comments, or maybe I just didn't hear those comments as rude but as curious.

 

[Abide]

Apparently you folks missed

Apparently you folks missed this one

http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/runner-communities/barefoot-running/long-posts-dumb-lose-interest

Saypay why didn't you post this one here?

Ok please ignore my incessant sarcasm and poor spelling and carry on with your converstaion, back to the weight room for me

 

[Last Place Jason]

Abide wrote:Apparently you

Apparently you folks missed this one

http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/runner-communities/barefoot-running/long-posts-dumb-lose-interest

Saypay why didn't you post this one here?

Ok please ignore my incessant sarcasm and poor spelling and carry on with your converstaion, back to the weight room for me

*like*

 

[Lomad]

One thing I like about this

One thing I like about this conversation is the way it has been an adult, respectful disagreement. it's unusual for teh interweb forums.

i think I've read and/or participated in most of the ongoing web debates on this post and I am beginning to notice something: it all comes down to perspective. I think TJ said it well that it isn't a clear right/wrong dichotomy, it's a difference of opinion.

Jason, I think, has a unique perspective with respect to his access to the footwear industry. I gather it isn't full "insider status" but an affiliation. It seems clear that at least one company (Merrell) respects his opinion and has allowed him access to more than the rest of us see about the behind the scenes thinking. This clearly influences his philosophy on the progression of barefoot running as a "movement," as it should. The more industry people he meets and engages, the better for bfr, i think, as he is able to offer them more than "born to run/Five Fingers/toes/whatever are cool right now so we should copy it" to these manufacturers. not to overstate your access/influence, Jason; you've mentioned roundtables and meetings. Manufacturers are smart and they are paying close attention to things like that in order to position themselves for maximal profitability.

TJ, as the parent to this site and a bit of a "movement" has a very different perspective (imho). It is 110% grassroots, about the people that make up this community (dare I say family?), and passionate about SOG* barefoot running, while supporting minimalist running as a complement to it. she's not out so much to win people over as to support the converted. Sort of the difference in a local congregation and a missionary church, for lack of a better analogy (jason being the missionary spreading the word to the uninitiated, etc...K, admittedly this is taking a weird turn). All this to say, they have different views on how best to proceed.

Those of us who are playing along are influenced by some measure of either perspective, probably shades of both blended to a synthesized view. We ALL personalize that opinion and feel attacked by different views that step on our exposed toes. It's human nature.

Or, I'm completely wrong. Point is, I don't care what the shoes are called as long as they are still labelled shoes. I do wish folks would be specific about the use of foot coverings when decrying injury, mainly because it paints a more accurate field of data for exploration on causes of injury, benefits of bfr vs shod (maximal or minimal), etc. I also wish there was a little less of the "evil shoe" philosophy and more focus on running with good form as the root of healthy running.



Oh, and you should totally check out my blog.



*SOG= Skin On Ground, I think Ramzev coined that term. I like it.

 

[NickW]

TJ, Jason got you to cuss on

TJ, Jason got you to cuss on here. Should I start calling you Chaser2? Lol. Just kidding and I hope your surgery goes well today. I think you both are much closer than you may think to each other in your thoughts. I'm pretty new with the barefoot/minimalist thing, about 10 months, so I don't have a lot of experience that I can add here, but here's my thoughts on this.

I personally see education as a huge deal. Ya the min shoes do tend to say stuff on the boxes about how to run more naturally, but it doesn't mean many read these warnings. I've only done two races since being barefoot/minimalist and there's one thing I've noticed. There are a ton of people who buy min shoes because they look cool and are light weight and still run like they were in their fat ass(TJ you cussed so I am following your example ) cushy Nike's. I've seen this so incredibly much at the two races I've participated in. Somehow these people are still running with terrible form and heel striking in these min shoes, they need to be educated on proper running form. The problem is how?

I've been to several stores trying on the new min shoes as they come out to see if they fit and if I might be able to use them. I think I've only had two of the sales reps out of a ton, explain to me that you need to run with a different form in them. I've been helped by probably twenty to thirty plus different sales people in the area for minimal shoes. It's common that people don't read warnings on products so it seems it's pretty obvious that the second step of warnings needs to be at the sales associate level. People listen to other people more than they do a printed warning, and that printed warning may become a lot more important to the buyer after a sales associate says something. How does this change? Do min shoe manufacturers require stores selling their minimal product to train their sales force so that they can properly inform the public? Do stores selling minimal products require their sales associates to have training?

I also really hate the term barefoot shoes and have a hard time accepting this notion. It is idiotic in my mind and it does skew the facts. I met someone recently who said they ran barefoot and then when, and only when, I mentioned that I run barefoot too they said oh ya, what shoes do you run in? I said um....no, I really run completely barefoot. They were completely shocked and couldn't understand. I also think it is up to the Drs to find out if the patient is min shod or actual barefoot. The ones that truly care about their patients are probably already doing this, especially as barefoot and minimalist is becoming more common.

I do agree with Jason that we will see an explosion of new people trying barefoot and minimalist in the near future. Just in seeing how the shelves have changed at shoe stores means that their is going to be a lot more folks trying it. When I started barefoot/minimalist running 10 months ago there were hardly any minimalist shoes out there at the stores. Now look at it. There is a bunch of new models, brands, styles out there now. Even Addidas created a minimalist shoe with their new toe shoe for weight training. I don't know that this explosion of new folks will be as fast as Jason has mentioned, but it will be pretty dang fast.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

Lomad wrote: I do wish folks

I do wish folks would be specific about the use of foot coverings when decrying injury, mainly because it paints a more accurate field of data for exploration on causes of injury, benefits of bfr vs shod (maximal or minimal), etc. I also wish there was a little less of the "evil shoe" philosophy and more focus on running with good form as the root of healthy running.

Never thought about that, but a great point! The most injuries I read about are people who run in minimal footwear. I would hate to see barefoot running getting an increasingly bad rep for minimal foot wear injuries.



Yeah the whole "evil shoe" philosphy should defintely be dropped, like I said I will never bash footwear, even traditional shoes. It is all about form when it comes down to it.



I dig "SOG" as well!

 

[Last Place Jason]

TJ and I are a lot closer on

TJ and I are a lot closer on this entire issue than it seems, it really does come down to a perspective issue. I want to prepare our community to move into a new realm of influence, TJ wants to make sure that doesn't f&%$ up our message and cause people to get hurt wearing minimalist shoes. Our disagreement doesn't change the fact that we're on the same team, nor does it really change anything. If we were always on the same page, we wouldn't have made the progress we've made thus far.

My perspective is a bit different... I'm not a shoe industry insider per se. As Lomad said I'm more of an outsider that's been allowed to poke around behind the curtain. It's a much different world than what we imagined, and our misconceptions about the industry are hurting us, not helping us. My goal is to educate both parties so we can work toward the same goal- killing foot coffins and getting people to becaome at least part-time barefoot runners.

 

[Pjruns2]

P.S. to that last note:The

P.S. to that last note:

The guy who wrote "The Barefoot Book", Daniel Howell, aka: the barefoot professor - I read his blog.

 

[The Ramzev]

Lomad wrote:*SOG= Skin On

*SOG= Skin On Ground, I think Ramzev coined that term. I like it.

Does that make me an innovator?



Carry on...

 

[DB]

There's a fundamental

There's a fundamental principle in medicine that health care providers should "first, do no harm." It's actually a good principle for anyone to follow when attempting to change someone's behavior or change something that affects other people.

I think the shoe industry has rarely, if ever, lived by this principle. And in these debates about promoting barefoot running and minimalist running, I think this principle sometimes gets lost, too. Although the existing scientific evidence tilts more in support of barefoot and minimalist running with respect to injuries, no one can say with confidence that it is so. Some studies are underway that might shed more light on the topic (such as the Univ. of Delaware study). Until such studies are done, really the best source of evidence we have is the accumulated experience, unsystematically compiled in forums, blogs, and books, of people who have tried running with traditional shoes, minimal shoes, and bare feet.

Almost two years ago I began running barefoot after decades of injuries running in traditional running shoes. After a few months of barefoot, I switched mostly to running in minimal shoes, and fairly quickly and repeatedly got injured, leaving me sidelined for more than 2 months total. My rate of injury had actually increased from when I ran in traditional running shoes. Yet I still had learned how to run (proper form) during many weeks of running barefoot.

I had transitioned into minimal shoes because of typical insecurities (wanting "protection", fear of very rough surfaces, etc.). I made the transition to minimal shoes in spite of the many accounts online of how minimal shoes may increase risk of injury, at least for runners who had lived decades shod. After the injuries, I decided to take to heart the experiences of others, and run barefoot only. It's been 15 months, and I'm running more than I have in the last 20 years when I was shod, and the only "injuries" I have had have been skin-deep and haven't made me alter my running schedule.

Of course, not everyone is the same. Not all runners will get injured in minimal shoes, and some barefoot runners can run in traditional or minimal shoes successfully. But I think those who promote minimal shoes are probably committing the same error as traditional shoe companies -- pushing products that aren't known to help, and that based on the available evidence probably increase the chances of harm on average to those who use them. I shudder to think about what really happens to those who think they might be able to learn how to run "naturally" after only a few weeks of running barefoot who then run in minimal shoes. As Ken Bob and others have observed, it may be impossible for many or even most runners to run safely and injury free when wearing any kind of footwear (or at least, this may apply to people who did not grow up going barefoot nearly all the time).

My main point is that this shouldn't be about the best marketing strategy or promoting one type of product. It should just be about simply sharing information and letting people make up their own minds. Tailoring the content of a message to fit the audience is marketing. It implies a mission and agenda, and comes with responsibility (responsibility, in my opinion, to first do no harm). Simply providing information (including personal experiences) is education. I am grateful to Ken Bob and the BRS for providing this kind of education.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

2. Repeatedly talk about the

2. Repeatedly talk about the idea that barefoot shoes allow you to run with the same form you use when runnign barefoot, then mentioning the differences (advantages) you get from being barefoot (tactile sensation, build in regulator, etc.)

I don't know this to be true, and you've even recognized this fact before yourself. It seems from my exposure to talking to people over these past years that perhaps 50% of people are able to move from barefoot to minshoes and back and forth and maintain proper form. Proper form goes to hell for the other 50% , me being one of them. I heel strike terribly when I wear minshoes. I land harder when I wear minshoes. My feet ache more after running in minshoes. With transitional shoes come transitional injuries. Because of that, those 50% are at risk of injury. Their perception is all wrong; they "feel" they can run harder and farther than they should. Then there's the concern that someone who transitions too quickly to minshoes hasn't developed their musculoskeletal system enough to handle the change in running style. Their bones and tissues are weakened and not strong enough. They experience stress fractures, Top of Foot Pain (TOFP), tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, Achilles problems, etc. We're seeing it here all the time, Jason. It's these people we need to reach. But how do we discern those who are able to run safely alternating barefoot and minshoes and those who can't run safely (at that time in their progression). We can't! This is why I always urge people to learn proper form while running barefoot first, with no aid from shoes of any kind whatsoever, and to do so for as long as they possibly can, to take the process very slow, and to only wear minshoes when they are truly needed.





3. Actively engage companies and running stores in discussions by offering to give workshops to help people learn to run barefoot as a prerequisite to buying barefoot shoes. Sell the idea by reminding them that learning good form and the idea of safely transitioning will reduce the number of returns. Do the same by contacting manufacturers. Offer to help them develop educational materials. By contract, I can't do this for other companies, but I know they're very open to any help they can get.

I LOVE THIS! How can we, the BRS, be more proactive in this? I'm a little drunk on all the drugs and lack of sleep, so if you don't mind coming up with a game plan, that would be great. And it will fit your Activities VP role perfectly. ;-) Now THIS is something I/we can do!





4. Internalize the idea that some people have no interest in runnign barefoot, they just want to run in barefoot shoes. Once we accept this, we get a lot less dogmatic and ourr message gets much more persuasive.

We/I do this as well. Check out our About page below. We state this very thing. (I know. You're not talking about us over here.) Here's the last paragraph on our About page:

We understand that not everyone can run barefoot at all times under all conditions. Some people may not be able to run completely barefoot from the get-go. We got that. They may have health conditions (severe osteoporosis, diabetes, neuropathy, ciculatory conditions, etc.) that would prohibit them from doing so; others may live in areas where the terrain is always extreme, and most of us live where we experience extreme weather/temps at some point during the year. We also realize that in the end, most people are not going to choose to run truly barefoot 100% of the time or at all. WewTherefore, we believe it is very important to provide our members with information that will help them to make informed, healthy decisions about what to put on their feet.





I have TREMENDOUS success by convincing people to move to minimal shoes, then encourage them to test out barefoot runnign for a few wweeks to help learn to use the shoes. They start off with no intention of ever continuing barefoot, but the lure of learning to use the shoes correctly is enough for them to test the waters for a few weeks. Almost all find they LOVE being barefoot and include it as a permanent part of their routine. In short, they end up doing far more barefoot running than if I would have insisted they had to run barefoot for a longer period of time.

I LOVE THIS TOO! I think I have an impact here as well with the many posts and communications I have had with people over the past few years. It tickles me to hear it each time.





5. Blog about the knowledge you've accumulated. Even if one person reads it, you've made an impact.

I know you're not talking about me personally, and neither is PJ, but I honestly don't have time to blog. Running the BRS (thank God for those who help me, and you too!) takes up all my spare time. I would love to have a blog. I have a lot of good stuff to talk about. I have a lot of perspective, I think, that other bloggers don't consider or write about. Maybe in the future should things settle down around here, but with our constant, steady growth, I don't know when that will be.





6. Offer to hold clinics or even discussions with local health professionals. Christian does this with great success. The medical community has done a 180 over the last year. They're MUCH more skeptical about the need for support and hungry for more information about barefoot running.

Maybe once I've healed up, I will find the time to do this. It's hard to be a good instructor when you're battling Morton's Neuroma and Plantar Fasciitis due to having MN. And people only go to see SayPay's clinics (Christian) because they are amazed at how tall he is! Hee. He would say it's because of all his awesomeness though.





7. Mellow out about the "shoes are bad" thing. This is a tough one for some, and many people are already there. Just understand the evangelical "you should always be barefoot" does not play well with the general running community. On a related note, don't vilify shoe companies. he modern runnign shoe wasn't some grand conspiracy brought about with ill intent. It was a comedy of errors fueled by ignorance. Shoe companies are beginning to realize this and are actively trying to change course without going out of business. Same deal with running stores. Give them time and help them along.

This is so key, so important. I think the evangelical mindset comes from those who are new to our sport. They are so excited to have found barefoot running, that they just want to shout it from the rooftops. After the shine wears off and they start to experience the truth themselves, the conditions that require footwear like health, weather, terrain, etc., they come to understand that barefoot is best, but shoes can be a great tool to have in your arsenal. Even Ken Bob told me he could not have run in the winter barefoot when he lived in Michigan. He accepts and understands those of us who do wear footwear when the temps are too low, and he understands why.





Good stuff, Jason. That's some of what we're needing. When we start to hear honest reports of where the injuries are coming from and why, I will be more than happy to embrace the term.

 

[palouserider]

DB wrote:There's a

There's a fundamental principle in medicine that health care providers should "first, do no harm." It's actually a good principle for anyone to follow when attempting to change someone's behavior or change something that affects other people.

I think the shoe industry has rarely, if ever, lived by this principle. And in these debates about promoting barefoot running and minimalist running, I think this principle sometimes gets lost, too. Although the existing scientific evidence tilts more in support of barefoot and minimalist running with respect to injuries, no one can say with confidence that it is so. Some studies are underway that might shed more light on the topic (such as the Univ. of Delaware study). Until such studies are done, really the best source of evidence we have is the accumulated experience, unsystematically compiled in forums, blogs, and books, of people who have tried running with traditional shoes, minimal shoes, and bare feet.

Almost two years ago I began running barefoot after decades of injuries running in traditional running shoes. After a few months of barefoot, I switched mostly to running in minimal shoes, and fairly quickly and repeatedly got injured, leaving me sidelined for more than 2 months total. My rate of injury had actually increased from when I ran in traditional running shoes. Yet I still had learned how to run (proper form) during many weeks of running barefoot.

I had transitioned into minimal shoes because of typical insecurities (wanting "protection", fear of very rough surfaces, etc.). I made the transition to minimal shoes in spite of the many accounts online of how minimal shoes may increase risk of injury, at least for runners who had lived decades shod. After the injuries, I decided to take to heart the experiences of others, and run barefoot only. It's been 15 months, and I'm running more than I have in the last 20 years when I was shod, and the only "injuries" I have had have been skin-deep and haven't made me alter my running schedule.

Of course, not everyone is the same. Not all runners will get injured in minimal shoes, and some barefoot runners can run in traditional or minimal shoes successfully. But I think those who promote minimal shoes are probably committing the same error as traditional shoe companies -- pushing products that aren't known to help, and that based on the available evidence probably increase the chances of harm on average to those who use them. I shudder to think about what really happens to those who think they might be able to learn how to run "naturally" after only a few weeks of running barefoot who then run in minimal shoes. As Ken Bob and others have observed, it may be impossible for many or even most runners to run safely and injury free when wearing any kind of footwear (or at least, this may apply to people who did not grow up going barefoot nearly all the time).

My main point is that this shouldn't be about the best marketing strategy or promoting one type of product. It should just be about simply sharing information and letting people make up their own minds. Tailoring the content of a message to fit the audience is marketing. It implies a mission and agenda, and comes with responsibility (responsibility, in my opinion, to first do no harm). Simply providing information (including personal experiences) is education. I am grateful to Ken Bob and the BRS for providing this kind of education.

I agree with what you say about starting with doing no harm. And it is not always easy to do just that. Even sharing our experiences can lead others to think that their experiences will be similar. I've been blown away by reading much more often recently that people continue to heel strike/run with bad form when they start running in minimalist shoes and have the resulting injuries to prove it. It does make sense that this would happen for some people who had been running in traditional running shoes for years and whose muscle memory has developed for heel striking and overstriding while their desire for greater speed has taught them to systematically ignore minor aches and pains.

I will keep this in mind when encouraging people to try minimalist shoes (which worked perfectly for me from day 1).

 

[Barefoot TJ]

PR, what a very thoughtful

PR, what a very thoughtful and thorough post. I appreciate your thoughts. I love looking for new answers to old questions but I'm not at all gifted as an inventor or very creative. I find all of your posts to be extremely positive, enlightning, and helpful. I'm sure if you search deep, you will see that THAT is your creative contribution right there.



About Jason's Early Majority group. Shouldn't that be Early Minority? I mean after all, there's no majority in minimalist running (or barefoot running).

 

[palouserider]

TJ,thanks, I feel honored to

TJ,

thanks, I feel honored to have the chance to contribute as a still fairly novice runner.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Lomad, much respect.  Thank

Lomad, much respect. Thank you for that! I appreciate your perspective and your words. I think the reason why Jason and I aren't at each other's throats about this is because we both have GREAT respect for one another and have proven to one another that just one or a few disagreements is no reason to start changing the way we think of each other and losing respect for each other. We've proven to one another that we are in this for the long run and for all the right reasons. Our end goal is COMMON. You hit the nail on the head in defining my purpose here and I suspect Jason's too. The reason why we want truth in accountability, as you defined, is not a trivial matter; it is SO important to our way of running and the survival of our way of running.