Sunday, December 4

i love fivefingers running shoes


vibram fivefingers...treksport

the debate began with Born To Run, a book about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico and how they run hundreds of miles with ease. it's a way of life that has lead to thousands to join the culture of ultramarathon running. running ultramarathons is not something that i care to do. although, i have great respect for those who attempt and master such a feat, i have no desire to even fantasize about it. heck, i've never ran a half-marathon. the book really isn't about converting anyone to running more. it's more about learning how to run the way we were meant to run.

i'd be lying if told you that it's a great book. the truth is i haven't read it. although, i'm sure it is great. after all, it did start a running revolution. i first got the lowdown from LT. so, i looked into it, read some articles and clinical research on the subject, and was sold. however, i didn't really buy into the concept of barefoot running until about six months ago. my first pair of fivefingers were my dancing shoes when i used to take a latin aerobics dance class. that was two years ago. 6 months ago, i took a stab at running in them. now, i run, at the most, 3 miles averaging about 15 minutes a mile. i told you, i'm not really a runner. however, this run with the fivefingers changed everything. i ran smoother, faster, and with a bounce in my step, literally! i now run solely in my fivefingers.

the idea is without the chunky sole of a sneaker, you can learn to run on balls of your feet (forefoot running). using this method will propel you forward creating momentum which helps you take the next step. think about how you run up flight of stairs. chances are your heels never touche the steps. if they do, you'd be stomping, not running. it's same concept.

we've been running for millions of years. the "running shoe" was invented in the mid 1970s. before that we were running barefoot, in sandals, or thin soled shoes which allowed us to run with natural strike. running with modern running shoe leads your foot hit the ground with heel. this isn't necessarily the wrong way to run...just not the natural way. some studies show that it may lead to repetitive stress injuries.

whether you believe the hype or not, the shoes are awesome! once you get past the goofy look, you'll start to think they're cool!

No comments:

Post a Comment

you might like these:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

if you like what you see, follow me!