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=The barefoot cure?=
There is also a growing body of anecdotal evidence that moving from traditional running [[Shoes]] to minimalist [[Shoes]] or barefoot cures chronic problems<ref name="ref9"/>. My experience is part of that anecdotal evidence. I used to find that I would suffer various nagging injuries, mostly around the knee, hip or ankle until I swapped to a more minimalist shoe. Here is an analogy. Imagine you are running through the woods blindfolded. This is painful, because you keep running into trees. To ease the pain, you get a bigger, more padded blindfold. This helps a bit, as it cushions the pain of hitting the trees, but does not solve the problem. If you take off the blindfold, you will actually see the trees. Running in traditional running [[Shoes]] is like running blindfolded. Your feet are very sensitive so that they can detect and adapt to the surface.
=Adaptation to minimalist shoes==
A study comparing a traditional running show (Nike Pegasus) with a minimalist shoe (Nike Free 3.0) that provided 30% less cushioning<ref name="Willy-2014"/>. The study found that the impact forces at an 8:00 min/mile pace were higher with the minimalist shoe, and the runners landed with more of a heel strike. This result may be due to the lack of adaptation, as the runners only wore the minimalist shoes for 10 minutes, giving them no time to adjust. The authors concluded that runners should be careful while changing to minimalist shoes as the short term risk of injury may be higher. (The study did not repeat the test after a longer adaptation period.)
=Good or evil=
So, are all running [[Shoes]] evil? There is amble evidence that for most some people, [[Shoes]] are a significant evil, causing a variety of injuries. For a fewsome, they are able to run correctly in traditional running [[Shoes]]. But even for those people, they are probably slower and less efficient due to the extra weight.
= Barefoot Running and Minimalist Running =
The alternative to running in traditional running [[Shoes]] is barefoot running and minimalist running. Barefoot running is pretty obvious; it's running without [[Shoes]]. Minimalist running is inspired by the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico, made famous by the book 'Born to Run'. The Tarahumara run vast distances in sandals made of deerskin or sections of car tires. Minimalist running is to run in [[Shoes]] that are very minimal, with no cushioning. Both barefoot and minimalist running create a running style that is natural and efficient. The body then absorbs the running motion in the way that it has for millennia. This barefoot/minimalist running style is very similar to Chi Running or the POSE method. The Chi/POSE methods teach the conscious mind a new way of running, which you then practice. The barefoot/minimalist running approach seems to bypass the conscious mind and taps into the instinctive ability to run correctly.
= What does this mean to you? =
* If you are a runner and had any running injuries, I would strongly recommend that you try either barefoot or minimalist running.
* If you are a runner who has never been injured, I would suggest you try either barefoot or minimalist running. You may find that it improves your speed, efficiency and more importantly, your love of running.
<ref name="ref14">The Effect of Running Shoes on Lower Extremity Joint Torques http://www.pmrjournal.org/article/S1934-1482(09)01367-7/fulltext</ref>
<ref name="Willy-2014">RW. Willy, IS. Davis, Kinematic and kinetic comparison of running in standard and minimalist shoes., Med Sci Sports Exerc, volume 46, issue 2, pages 318-23, Feb 2014, doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182a595d2 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182a595d2], PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23877378 23877378]</ref>
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