Barefoot Running? Anyone Else Try it?
- Thread starter LinuxRacr
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This wasn't an answer to my last post was it? (huh)
doesnt look very lean to me. not fat but a bit barrel chested.
because he is forced to run slower, meaning less impact. if he dropped some body mass perhaps he would have the same net result of a lower impact with each step
If your going to publicly (CNN . . . )advocate something drastically different, than you better be knowledable and experienced. The guy is obviosly in decent shape but he doesn't even look like a runner. I keep see'ing all of these articles about guys running barefoot for short distances (under 5 miles). I wish some long distance runners would chime in. Running 3 miles 2X a week isn't what gets you injured. Its running 5+ miles 3-4X per week that takes its toll on your body.
NY Times Article, I saw it and immediately thought about this thread. I guess this barefoot stuff is really catching on. Enjoy! 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html?em
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html?em
tiagotiago
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While I haven't tried barefoot running for a couple of reasons (mainly that in summer the weather here would mean you'd end up with burnt feet and that it's hard to find a nice clean park) and I tend to be skeptical at what fashionable gurus say; you can't argue that our physical form was made and perfected to be useful "right out of the box", and running and walking long distances was the only way we had to move, originally.
I'm too intrigued by this so as to not give it a try, especially know since the weather is nice and cool.
That said, I also agree that Mr. McDougall does seem to have muscles a bit too big to seem like an endurance athlete; I'd expect someone into long distance running to have leaner muscles (I'm not saying he isn't lean regarding body fat).
I'm too intrigued by this so as to not give it a try, especially know since the weather is nice and cool.
That said, I also agree that Mr. McDougall does seem to have muscles a bit too big to seem like an endurance athlete; I'd expect someone into long distance running to have leaner muscles (I'm not saying he isn't lean regarding body fat).
tiagotiago
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Will do.
This is my belief regarding barefoot runners. And I have been around running for many years. I have read books, thousands of articles, run 3 marathons, and currently do triathlons for fun. First of all I am yet to see one of these articles from a true long distance runner not from a 3rd world country. All of these articles are written by health nuts who aren't really even runners themselves. It makes me laugh when health crazy people talk about "health" and are overweight themselves. Look at the article a few posts back that linus posted. The guy in that video is clearly not an advanced runner. He may run 3-4 miles a couple times a week but thats not enough to be advocating anything. Im not saying you need to be a marathon champion to know about running but you do need a LITTLE experience.
Not to bring up any religious debates but I believe in evolution. That being said after centuries of wearing cushioned shoes with often too much support our feet have strayed farther from that of our ancestors. These indiginous african / mexican tribes however still maintain the anatomy of our ancestors. They have worked on the land with limited footwear and relied on manpower for transport. Not to mention its not like there are any doctors in the area so who knows how many people are struggling with stress fractures or the likes. I don't think its a valid argument to compare the feet of mexican indians to our century "spoiled" feet.
I have tried barefoot running but I can't imagine doing it for more than 3-4 miles. Not to mention you need a soft surface to run on.
Not to bring up any religious debates but I believe in evolution. That being said after centuries of wearing cushioned shoes with often too much support our feet have strayed farther from that of our ancestors. These indiginous african / mexican tribes however still maintain the anatomy of our ancestors. They have worked on the land with limited footwear and relied on manpower for transport. Not to mention its not like there are any doctors in the area so who knows how many people are struggling with stress fractures or the likes. I don't think its a valid argument to compare the feet of mexican indians to our century "spoiled" feet.
I have tried barefoot running but I can't imagine doing it for more than 3-4 miles. Not to mention you need a soft surface to run on.
I just ran 2.4 miles tonight barefoot...on concrete streets! I've been doing this for a few months now, without incident. My legs are still building up for longer distances. I'm on a forum of people who run half-marathons barefoot. Also the guy in the CNN story is Christopher McDougall. If you knew anything about him, you would know that he wasn't a runner at first, but he is in his 50's and running ultra marathons. Read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. As for our anatomy, we can always strengthen what has been weakened.
justanothermp5
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how much were those? ive seen some people with them lately and they look pretty sweet, i imagine they would be really comfortable
You're crazy if you think in a few centuries, that our feet have changed and "evolved" to become accustomed to modern shoes. Sounds like you need to brush up on your Evolutionary Biology and Anthropology...
Sorry, I don't want to sound like a dick, but evolution in the smallest increments takes place over thousands of years, noticable changes takes closer to hundreds of thousands of years/millions of years. Environmental inputs effect living things in large ways and would be close to the only thing to account for any such changes.
Any differences between Mexican Indian's feet, for example, and spoiled American's feet could be explained by environmental factors that vary greatly between the two from Birth to present.
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$125. They are hard to get because demand is so high, and the materials they are made of.
Used to run and walk barefoot all the time on Clearwater beach(3 miles one way approx), when I wanted a real good work out I would move up to the soft sand, lo and behold after 6 years of that I blew out 2 lower disk in my back (Dr said it was from too little cushion on my feet and the constant terrain unevenness that caused my hips and back to move in some very unbeneficial ways.
I was in great shape but I could barely walk with sciatica so bad I lived on pain meds for close to a year.
After a year or so I got back to walking on level surfaces with a GOOD sneakers made for walking.
Moral is to be cautious on how you take care of yourself, Being Macho has NOTHING to do with good physical fitness.
I was in great shape but I could barely walk with sciatica so bad I lived on pain meds for close to a year.
After a year or so I got back to walking on level surfaces with a GOOD sneakers made for walking.
Moral is to be cautious on how you take care of yourself, Being Macho has NOTHING to do with good physical fitness.
This may be your experience, but there are people who have been doing it for years, with no problems, well into old age. Just like with any range of motion, you have to train your body to be able to sustain it. Eneven surfaces are what really test your range of motion while running. I stick mostly to smoother surfaces.
Natural selection / genetic drift are forms of evolution. It doesn't take hundres of centuries for this to happen. Unless your discussing major physiological changes (even that can be debated). Thats not what I was trying to illustrate though so I will spare you details.
These indians have been reproducing amongst themselves for centuries. While today im sure things may be slightly different in those tribes but natural selection has definately caused certain "qualities" to proliferate. Diversity like we see in metropolis areas doesn't exist amongst those people. Why do you think so many Kenyan's are great runners?? That is no anomaly or coincidence. Thats genetics and generations upon generations of runners. Changes in gene pools can take place in as little as 15-20 generations. These tribes have been around longer than that.
So its not really "changes" that I was referring to but rather certain "qualities" that have proliferated amongst many indigenous people.
Im in medical school so my bio is kept pretty sharp. . .
Check out this recent article in the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html?_r=1
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html?_r=1
Natural selection is not what you're discussing here. Natural selection comes into play with traits that affect the individuals ability to pass on their genes/traits by reproducing. Cushioned shoes affecting feet has nothing to do with sexual selection. Someone with bad arches and poor feet could still reproduce and pass on those genes, so natural selection is pretty much moot, as what we are discussing does not affect their ability to obtain a sexual partner (at least theoretically).
Genetic drift is just the proportions of alleles. Its probability basically. It's not a form of evolution. Its just a part of the picture that plays into evolution. The initial group of individuals who begin a community are going to have ALL of the alleles that will eventually populate the entire community. It is then just the frequency that different alleles show up within the given gene pool...
Genetic drift can take place in far less than 15-20 generations. And coinciding with this, if people from urban cities lived as the mexican tribes did. Then within a couple generations, they would be very similar physically to the Mexican Indians who are there now. The Human gene pool is VERY limited. Most of the changes you speak of are related to environmental factors that influence groups of people in as little as a few generations.
We would have those feet too, if we grew up in the same conditions those indians did and had children that grew up in that same environment.
I would be an Anthropology Major if I wasn't greedy. I could still probably qualify for a Minor in anthro with like 1 more class if I wanted.
./Sorry for the Threadjack!
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