So when one of my clients, Mary, gave me the book Born to Run, by McDouggal, I wondered if I would end up disagreeing with most of it. Well, despite the fact that at this point, I never want to run any kind of long distance races, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It reads like a novel with some science thrown in. I was even motivated to take a little jog for the fun of it.
I will not bore you with what the book is about...you can read that ">here on amazon. Instead, I want to point out a major issue discussed by McDougall. The issue of running shoes. For about two years now, I have been pushing to clients the thought of dropping shoes all together for workouts, or getting a pair that allows more flexibility, such as Nike Frees, Chucks, or Pumas. McDougall backs up the idea of barefoot/non-supported running with scientific studies and real live examples. For hundreds of years, the Tarahumara have been running ultra marathon distances through the mountains in Mexico on not much more than a thin piece of rubber from a tire. Just enough cover on the bottom of the foot to give traction and to avoid getting punctured by thorns. So why do we think we need $100+ corrective shoes to run 3 miles? Barefoot Ted, an American ultra runner, has run many races either barefoot or in his Vibram Five Fingers.
If you want a taste of the barefoot argument, read this short article by McDougall that was in the Parade Magazine a couple of weeks ago.
This is something we talked about a lot in my Z Health certification too. I think it may be time we all take a look at the real reason podiatrists are trying to sell us $400 orthotics and shoes companies are telling us that our instinctive running needs to be corrected. Is it really for our own good?
Call 910.231.5011 or email shawn@headstrongathletics.com for more information on our kettlebell boot camp classes in Wilmington, NC.
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