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Abebe Bikila
Bare foot marathon wins. Bikila was possible the best known for winning barefoot. From personal experience trying some barefoot or at least minimal cushioned shoes with sole protection has helped my running. Heel striking is just not good for the knees. I'd call it forefoot though, also it does wonders for your calf strength once you get used to it. Its like getting back to how I ran as a youngster on the track.
I was under the impression that humans developed running skills not for hunting but for getting away when your prospective lunch objected to you sneaking up on it.
How do you think man ran for the first 200,000 years?
Why do you think people first started covering their feet? Was it because Big Shoe was blinding them with marketing?
People probably did lots of things differently millennia ago, but that doesn't mean those things can't be improved on.
That doesn't mean the way Nike want you to do it is the right way necessarily, but the default 'modern == rubbish, thousands of years old == ancient wisdom' stuff is just lazy, wishful thinking IMO.
I cut up my dinner with a sharp piece of flint. Knives are just a marketing gimmick.
My understanding is that the padding (especially in the heel) can encourage inefficient running technique, eg landing on your heel as opposed to your misfit or forefoot.
Which is a good reason to learn to run properly and wear appropriate footwear (racing flats or fell shoes as appropriate), not necessarily a good reason to run barefoot. But of course if you want to...
Bikila didn't always run barefoot. Also, at 57kg on his 5' 10" frame, it doesn't seem such a terrible idea.
DrJ- were do you get your flints from? Do you buy whole rocks or get an artisan flint knife trimmer to shape them to your own personal requirements. Also what about forks?
OKay gonna admit it, I sometimes do short bits of barefoot running. It kinda reminds me to run properly with decent technique otherwise I regress to lumbering along. Maybe 1km at a time tops.
I only ever really do it in parks on grass. Usually well away from other humans (yep I think its a bit weird too but it does help me).
Got abused loads for it as well when spotted, with such witty comments such as 'you have forgotten your shoes' 🙄
Running does seem to attract the snake oil merchants though.
None of that in mountain biking... nope not at all! 😀 😀 😀
This Snake Oil stuff, can you get it certified organic?
I cut up my dinner with a sharp piece of flint. Knives are just a marketing gimmick.
Oh the ironing; sarcasm from the man who fell for the whole flint marketing scam!
The Roman Empire is well known for its development of air cushioned sandals.
yeah, but apart from air cushioned sandals, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Have a read of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall if no one said it already. I walk about in bare feet a lot admittedly not in town. It's lovely. The only people who query as to why probably spend too much time analysing others instead of themselves.