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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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=The effect of shoes on running form=
To see this difference between barefoot and shod running, check out this video:
{{#evp:youtube|9itkEkcQ8WM|Is it the shoes? It's gotta be the shoes.|none}}
=Further reading=
* http://barefootted.com/
* http://www.livingbarefoot.info/2009/01/athletic-footwear-and-running-injuries/
* http://www.quickswood.com/my_weblog/2006/08/athletic_footwe.html
* http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm
* http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/business/30shoe.html
* http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-barefoot5-2009oct05,0,5107405,full.column
* http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=286691
* http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/the-roving-runner-goes-barefoot/
no edit summary
=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.
=Good or evil=
So, are all running shoes evil? There is amble evidence that for most people, shoes are a significant evil, causing a variety of injuries. For a few, 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.
* [[Modified Nike Free]]
= References =
<references>
