Minimalist Running Shoes
Are Vibram Five Fingers Minimalist Running Shoes Right for You?
Since at least the early 1970s when the running craze first got started, the magazine Runner's World has been publishing its studies of the best rated running shoes.
Until running as a pasttime became big in 1972, all running shoes were pretty much minimalist running shoes. However, it was then that shoe manufacturers began to make shoes especially to meet the needs of runners. And then the emphasis was still on separating feet from the environment as much as possible, to protect them as much as possible from the forces exerted on them by the act of running.
The message we runners were sent is that our feet were weak and vulnerable. Our leg muscles could be trained to run a marathon or more. So could our hearts and lungs. But not our feet. They needed deep cushioning, so much that the heel was put higher than ever before. They needed support and control, or we risked injury.
And that's been the industry paradigm for nearly forty years, and is still the major one.
But a backlash or counter-revolution has developed.
Minimalist Running Shoes
For one thing, typical running shoes encourage runners to lengthen their stride so they hit the ground heel first. When you run barefoot, you naturally won't do this, to protect your heels. You hit the ground with your ball or mid-foot first, and your arch flattens to absorb the shock.
According to some -- but not all -- podiatrists, this is the most efficient and safest way to run.
We do know that many runners wind up with shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and bad knees. Yet it stands to reason that our paleolithic ancestors could not have found running such a problem, or they wouldn't be able to hunt down their dinners -- or avoid becoming some other creature's dinner.
Besides, many prominent long distance runners competed in bare feet, including Tegla Loroupe, Zola Bud, Bruce Tulloh, Christopher Koskei, and Abebe Bikila. And I'm sure there were many more who were not so prominent.
So it's established fact that people can run barefoot, with great success.
It's been claimed that people who wear cheaper running shoes have less injuries. That could be true, and it could be true that the cheaper shoes have less cushioning. It could also be true that the cheaper shoes fall apart quickly.
I remember buying a pair of cheap running shoes at Wal-Mart. Once one thing went wrong (a few months later), they practically fell apart.
However, my Brooks Beasts are much more durable. There are worn places around the toes, the heels are worn, eyelets are torn out and so on -- yet they still hold together and function well.
The counter-revolution began in 2001 when some Nike reps discovered that a track team they sponsored was running their workouts in bare feet. The coach swore they had a lot fewer injuries.
The reps reported back to Nike, and so the company began to develop a shoe to sell to people who wanted to run barefoot. In his book Born to Run Christopher McDougall makes this sound bad, but to me it's logical for all of us who can't run on professional tracks or well-maintained large plots of grass. We want the benefits of running in bare feet without the abraded soles and risk of broken glass.
Runners are Beginning to Demand Skin Protection Without Arch Support -- Minimalist Running Shoes
McDougall wrote a terrific book -- sort of the Fear and Loathing of running -- and I highly recommend it. One of his crazy long distance runners goes almost entirely barefoot -- or wear Vibram Five Fingers back when nobody had heard of them. This guy began running barefoot because when he ran with shoes on he had terrible back pain. With no shoes (or Vibram Five Fingers when in rough territory) -- no pain.
This is the book that has brought attention to the concept.
And so a number of running shoe companies have come out with minimalist shoes, to give runners the least amount of shoe for their money -- while still protecting their tender feet from the outside.
According to Vibram, the health benefits go beyond the possible prevention of running injuries. The wearing of Vibram Five Fingers strengthens the muscles of your feet and lower legs; improves the range of motion of your toes, feet and ankles; stimulates your neural function; and improves your posture.
Let's face it - few of us can run barefoot for long. Unless you have access to a well-maintained track or beach, where you can be sure there's no broken glass or sharp metal lying around. And how many of us are so privileged?
Even so, the skin on my feet is quite tender, and I suspect that yours is as well. Running barefoot on even the safest surface is bound to tear and scrape the skin. Of course, an ancestors developed thick calluses early in childhood, and we can do so as well, but it takes time and care.
An easier solution is to wear shoes that fit on our feet like gloves, with no cushioning or support except the hard rubber on the bottom that protects our feet from the wear and tear of the ground.
And that's what Vibram Five Fingers shoes are -- the ultimate minimalist running shoes.
Next: Vibram Five Fingers Models -- choose the best Vibram Five Fingers model and style for you.