Magic shoes not so magic:

http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/vibram-agrees-to-settle-class-action-lawsuit

I find the comments section particularly interesting for the responses of the religious fanatics zealots errr I mean happy VFF owners.

Although to be fair, far more reasoned than when I looked last night.

Nobody interested in this anymore??

Deceptive advertising

Ah well at least you can get your money back 😀

I never bought them because of some magic effect they’d have on my feet.

I bought them because they made me look like a ninja.

Albeit a ninja with very sweaty feet.

Ah well at least you can get your money back

If you’re American and only some of it.

Now now, gloating is never a good look. 😀

There’s also this http://www.runresearchjunkie.com/barefootminimalism-running-and-heel-striking/

The fella isn’t what you’d call impartial though.

“The only surprise for me is that he found so many heel strikers in the barefoot (20.7%) and minimal groups (47.6%). That was way higher than I would have assumed. It also points to just transitioning to barefoot or minimalism does not mean that you adopt a midfoot/forefoot running technique which is what is often argued happens….and we all seen the propaganda that heel striking is the root of all evil. … go figure!”

IMO a lot of the problems with any arguments around foot strike is treating heel striking as a binary value. I.e you either heelstrike or you don’t.
Imagine the preposterousness of treating facestriking in the same way.
A gentle caress of a lover’s hand, or a punch to the face by a pub drunk, all just classified as face-striking.
In it’s a daft metric, and hinders useful science.

I like 2 of the main gists of the discussion thread (apart from the cultists)

1) We’ll show our support for Vibram by taking the money and buying more shoes. I’m sure they’ll appreciate that
2) Vibram totally could prove medical benefits if they wanted to, they just didn’t feel like it that day

Wow, idiots fall for marketing crap and buy stupid product, now to get compensation! Only in America.

Not sure on all the fairy magic marketing, but barefoot running with and without vibrams doesn’t screw my knees up like running with trainers, as is usual over hyped marketing and few beardy zealots combined with the awesome stupidity of americans makes for interesting reading.

will still happily use my vibrams knowing the work for me…even if they do make my feet look like a flump

How bad is heel striking btw? from just doing the odd run I’m thinking about concentrating on running a bit more, I seem to land on my heels a lot, doesn’t seem to jar or give me problems but as I said only occasionally run at the moment.

or is it the running equivalent of clipless vs flats? ie everyone has their preference but it’s no biggie in the grand scheme

The latest Grand Theft Auto game has a billboard poking fun at them

How bad is heel striking btw? from just doing the odd run I’m thinking about concentrating on running a bit more, I seem to land on my heels a lot, doesn’t seem to jar or give me problems but as I said only occasionally run at the moment.

or is it the running equivalent of clipless vs flats? ie everyone has their preference but it’s no biggie in the grand scheme

There are two problems with heel striking: it slows you down, and it sends a lot of force up through your leg. Basically, as your heel hits the ground it brakes you (slowing you down), and this braking action includes your extended (not bent) leg absorbing most of the impact energy – if it were bent the muscle would take the impact, but as it’s straight it’s the bone+joints.

That said, you might actually be landing on your midfoot, with your feet naturally touching down at the heel as you move forward. You probably need to video yourself to check, though.

That said, you might actually be landing on your midfoot, with your feet naturally touching down at the heel as you move forward

you mean heel touches ground first but weight (and shock) is taken on midfoot? I think that’s what it feels like, heel def touches ground first but I don’t feel a jolt up my leg, seems to kinda roll onto my midfoot and take the force there, but yeah probably need to video it.

D0NK – Member

How bad is heel striking btw?

if it works for you, then it’s fine, plenty of people seem to get on ok*.

if it hurts, maybe try something different.

(*but, plenty of other people seem to have problems)

…is it the running equivalent of clipless vs flats? ie everyone has their preference but it’s no biggie in the grand scheme

yeah, mostly, sort of, but…

there are plenty of cyclists happy to crack on using flats or clips, but i suspect there aren’t as many runners who can happily switch between heel/forefoot.

you mean heel touches ground first but weight (and shock) is taken on midfoot? I think that’s what it feels like, heel def touches ground first but I don’t feel a jolt up my leg, seems to kinda roll onto my midfoot and take the force there, but yeah probably need to video it.

No, I meant more you land on the midfoot and then touch down briefly with the heel. Still, if it works for you I certainly wouldn’t worry about it! (Although videoing yourself could be interesting, of course.)

Not sure on all the fairy magic marketing, but barefoot running with and without vibrams doesn’t screw my knees up like running with trainers

But thats binary, how many “trainers” have you tried? Is suspect there are hundreds of shoes that are suitable. You have just chosen Vibram as oppose to searching out an equivalent.
Also how many miles per week do you run and at roughly what speed?

Faster higher mileage runners require support and at least some degree of cushioning if you are running 3 miles a week on a cricket pitch I suspect your needs are different. I could run that in slippers. Doesn’t mean Slippers are a good replacement for the former.

For god’s sake, what ever happened to caveat emptor?

Do people not take any personal responsibility for their actions and purchases any more?

I just hope that the UK doesn’t continue down the path we seem to be going and getting more and more like the US with stupid rules and lawsuits because of idiotic people wanting to sue for their own bad decisions.

More importantly, is there a way to get them to stop smelling like a horny tomcat? I stopped using mine when I found I could smell them outside while I was running.

Plus, I worked out I don’t like running.

lawsuits because of idiotic people wanting to sue for their own bad decisions

thought it was due to the manufacturers telling barefaced lies rather than bad consumer decisions.

I’ve been riding 650b for the last six months and my local trails still have no discernible pulse, my lawyers are currently in contact with Giant.

Plus, I worked out I don’t like running.

pffft nobody actually likes running, means to an end innit, I’d have severe concerns about anyone who professed to actually enjoy it.

I’d have severe concerns about anyone who professed to actually enjoy it.

I love running

More importantly, is there a way to get them to stop smelling like a horny tomcat? I stopped using mine when I found I could smell them outside while I was running.

put them in the washing machine.

I love running. I’ve just come back from running. didn’t even bother getting changed out my work clothes as it was just a little 2.5mile jog into town and back to buy some lunch.

pffft nobody actually likes running, means to an end innit, I’d have severe concerns about anyone who professed to actually enjoy it.

Like almost anything physical (well, almost anything!), I dislike the first 15-30 mins, then once I’m settled in and in the right frame of mind I love it.

That probably means I’m not warming up properly 🙂

I love running – although I do live out in the sticks, and all my running’s off road.

I was only being semi serious. Yeah stressing your muscles and feeling the burn is good, but it’s the same thing I can get doing a road ride but I need a bike, a few hours, a bloody big hill and preferably some nice quiet open roads to do it. I can get that burn/buzz from a run in the local park in an hour, but I’d much rather be on a bike, preferably a mountain bike on a mountain.

like I said, a means to an end

What mogrim says.

Have used minimalist type shoes for some time including toe shoe thingies (very short jogs), even done a bit of bare foot. Mind I was doing that as part of my track training for middle distance training 40 years ago. It’s not new have a look a coaching books by Percy Cerutty (a great man but a little nutty)or runners like Harald Norpath and well before him Pavo Nurmi. What do you think the shoes that Frank Shorter won the marathon at the Montreal Olympics looked like (started the running boom of the 70/80’s in the USA), or the pretty much standard running shoe of the time Onitsuka Tigers, wanted those so bad but had to use Reeboks or Walshs (Bury and Boltons finest). Nike Waffle Racers of the 70’s anyone? They make a pair of Inov8’s look like mattresses.

Those early big cushioned shoes caused a number of injuries relating to stability, Nike lost a case as I recall (80’s possibly).

Just saying like.

Surfer- have been running for years; so quite a few trainers thank you very much for your condescending 😀 funnily enough my running spikes have cock all padding as well and again I didn’t have a problem with those either. Or the very low profile walsh and inov8’s I just find that big built up modern boingy running shoes dont play so well with me. * wonders how sir roger banister managed 4 minute mile without surfer approved footwear and thar barefoot zola budd must have just been crap* 😀

my distance and times are very good thank you very much and usually in lovely woods or over the Peak District.

How bad is heel striking btw?

Well I think there is some confusion about what the term actually means. Hitting the ground far infront of your body with your heel is terrible, as it slows you down a lot and makes it much harder work. However hitting heel first under your body doesn’t make much difference.

Surfer- have been running for years; so quite a few trainers thank you very much for your condescending funnily enough my running spikes have cock all padding as well and again I didn’t have a problem with those either.

Me neither but given you are such an acomplished athlete you will know that per week you spend so little time in them relatively speaking that it is immaterial.

Or the very low profile walsh and inov8’s I just find that big built up modern boingy running shoes dont play so well with me

Which shoes are you talking about? or is this the usual straw man argument?

* wonders how sir roger banister managed 4 minute mile without surfer approved footwear and thar barefoot zola budd must have just been crap*

Bannister no doubt ran in the type of shoes all of the great runners of the time and they needed replacing every couple of weeks according to Gordon Pirie and Budd ran in shoes much of the time and still does.

I think you are actually making my point for me. It is you extoling the virtues of something that already existed. It didnt need reinventing unless there are idiots who will buy it. low profile/barefoot, call it what you want but that type of footwear has existed forever. The only thing Vibram did was to make people look stupid!

It didnt need reinventing unless there are idiots who will buy it.

People still needed to make them though. Otherwise where would I buy them? Running shops don’t stock 60s flat shoes do they?

According to the shop I went into, ‘racing flats’ don’t last long enough for training.

Oh and Vibram aren’t the only people making ‘minimal’ shoes.

everyone seems to think their claims have been proven wrong. they haven’t.

they haven’t been able to back up some of their claims with scientific evidence, very different.

also, there’s no specific evidence to say cushioned shoes are good either – I guess nike, adidas etc are careful to not make specific claims

Bezdek is a prize class A pillock.

Vibram made an economic windfall from that customer? Should have taken them back you joey.

pjbarton – Member

everyone seems to think their claims have been proven wrong. they haven’t.

they haven’t been able to back up some of their claims with scientific evidence, very different.

Yup, they’ve merely been shown to be unsubstantiated. Which is still bad.

Thanks for the personal digs surfer old chap, sorry to disagree with you and that…but life is too short for this arguing shite hope you enjoy the hills in your style…I’ll keep doing it my way.

Easy Tazzy not a personal dig at you I was talking in general.