Must-Read: The Question of Barefoot Running

Barefoot running

Whenever we see a person jogging down the street barefoot, we immediately want to pull our car over to the side of the car, get out, tell them to hold on a minute, and then sucker-punch them in the face. This is how angry they make us feel. Barefoot running seems like one of those fads that is around just because the whole thing kind of makes sense. “When we were cavemen, we ran barefoot?” Until you realize that cavemen didn’t have concrete, broken glass, and occasional nails to avoid. And their feet were a bit stronger from years of use as kids and where we were at during evolution. And if you’re so enamored with how cavemen lived, why the hell don’t you just get rid of your toilet and start shitting into a hole? See? That line of thinking breaks down really quickly.

But, still. People do it. And certain doctors (perhaps some of them quacks) seems to suggest that it’s good. Who knows? We certainly don’t. Which is why we’re linking an article over at Men’s Fitness today that tries to determine whether or not running barefoot is a good thing. For instance:

There are pitfalls
?Without a doubt, you?ll see an increase in speed,? Rooney claims. But marathoners need to proceed with caution. ?I would have their form looked at to make sure they don?t cause more problems for themselves.? The real issue? ?People who run with minimalist shoes still run as if they have padding? If they continue to have heel landing and bad form and really take a tremendous amount of impact that the old shoes used to absorb, that could be [an injury risk].?

Head over to the above link for some more. Needless to say, we’re still not going to run barefoot. And we still want to punch people that do in the face.