My dope new shoes!

I'm told this is what all the cool kids are wearing now a days.  No?

Seriously, I love my new running shoes (Vibram fivefingers).  There's been quite a lot of press lately on barefoot running and I had to give it a try.  I suppose my barefoot running curiosity began many moons ago when I worked at a clinic called The Egoscue Method.  It's then that I learned that we are all designed to run barefoot and that it's the shoes that give us problems such as plantar fasciitis, strained ligaments, and back pain.  Their belief is that the body is designed to have a natural S curve and if you look at a toddler before he/she starts wearing shoes you will see that the child has a natural S curve.  Of course you have to take into consideration the way we live now compared to the "hunter and gatherer days" is a more sedentary lifestyle and certainly that plays a huge role in losing the S curve.  However, I am willing to try to re-train my running stride to help eliminate common ailments that may occur due to shoes.

I have had these for about 1 month and so far so good.  Actually, I feel better post run than when I had shoes.  My heels aren't sore and I'm not as fatigued.  I've shortened my stride so that I have mid foot strike rather than heel strike.  I also try to land gracefully rather than "thudding" as I run.  Consequently, my pace is slower now, so other than a bruised ego the shoes are great for me.  I've even stopped shaving my arm pits...

just joking =)

Cheers,

Jamie