Archives for May 2012

Saucony Kinvara 3 Review

I’ve done something rather unusual for me this past week plus: I’ve run over 40 consecutive miles in the same shoe. Given the size of my shoe collection and the number of active reviews I’m typically working on at a given time, it’s extremely rare for me to go even a few consecutive runs in […]

Running More = Running Better?

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a post about my own running, and since this is and always will be a personal blog, I thought I’d take a few moments to share something I’ve learned over the past nine months. I was listening to an NPR podcast interview with New York Times Phys Ed columnist […]

Heavier Runners Less Likely to Get Injured?: Marathon Study Shows that Higher BMI Is Not Linked to Increased Risk of Lower Extremity Injury

Weight and height are used in computing body mass index, an indicator of risk for developing obesity-associated diseases. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) An oft repeated response to the statement that running injuries continue to occur at very high levels despite “improved” quality of running shoes over the past several decades goes something like this: “Well, shoes […]

Barefoot Running Carries Risks and Rewards: Should You Stick to Shoes?

Ultramarathoner Gordy Manuel stands at the starting line of the Wounded Knee 100-Mile Trail Ultra. Above the ankles he looks like any of the others who are milling around, waiting for the race to start, but a look further down reveals a striking difference: Manuel is barefoot. “I’ve run several hundred milers,” says Manuel, “but […]

Update to My Minimalist Running Shoe Guide

My minimalist running shoe guide has consistently been my top performing post for over a year now. However, due to the work that went into assembling it and the explosion of minimalist shoes that have come out since I originally wrote he guide in 2010, I have not spent the time needed to update it […]

Brooks Going Zero Drop with the Pure Drift

Update 2/18/2012: Read Pete’s review of the Brooks Pure Drift Just came across an article on IndsideInsight announcing the Brooks will be releasing a zero-drop shoe in the near future. The Pure Drift is a new addition to the Pure-Project lineup and it features a removable 4mm drop insole, which when removed makes this a […]

Barefoot Running Pros and Cons: Some Thoughts from and Interview on examiner.com

I was recently interviewed about my book, Tread Lightly, by Samantha Chang of examiner.com. One of the topics that she asked about was barefoot running – specifically, she wanted me to discuss some of the pros and cons of running barefoot. I’m admittedly not much of a barefoot runner (pretty tough to do for about […]

Merrell M-Connect Footwear Series: Extending Beyond Merrell Barefoot

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of being able to spend a few days out in Michigan with the design and marketing teams behind the Merrell Barefoot line of footwear. Merrell had invited me and Jay Dicharry, who is doing some testing for them in his lab at UVA, to discuss the state of […]

Facts on Foot Strike Excerpt from Tread Lightly is Live on the Running Times Website

A few weeks ago I announced that an excerpt from my book, Tread Lightly, appears in the June issue of Running Times Magazine. The article, titled Facts on Foot Strike, was just release live on the Running Times website (with free access) – you can read it by clicking this link. The article looks at […]

So You’re a Heel Striker, It May Be OK! – My Interview on Trail Runner Nation

Earlier this week I recorded a podcast with the folks over at Trail Runner Nation. In the interview we discussed thoughts on form, footwear, and injuries (big surprise coming form me!), and talked a bit about my just-released book Tread Lightly. One of the topics we focused on quite a bit was foot strike, and […]

New Balance Minimus Trail Zero (MT00) Review

While in general I’m highly supportive of the trend toward lighter and less supportive shoes, I believe that there are certain situations where it is desirable to have a bit of protection underfoot. I learned this lesson when I ran the HAT Run 50K in 2010 in the New Balance Minimus MT10. I was crossing […]

Should You Emulate the Running Form of Elites: Book Excerpt from Tread Lightly

I was originally planning to publish a few excerpts from my book, Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury-Free Running, prior to its June 1 release date. Well, the publisher moved faster than I expected, and the book is now in-stock at Amazon.com and should be on store shelves very soon (and yes, […]

The State of the Running Shoe Market: First Quarter 2012 Sales Analysis from Matt Powell of SportsOneSource, and March 2012 Data From Leisure Trends Group

Matt Powell of SportsOneSource sent out his quarterly update on running shoe sales last week (add him on LinkedIn if you’d like to receive his report, or follow him on Twitter). I asked Matt if I could share his data on running sales and he kindly obliged. His report indicates that the lightweight running category […]

Thoughts on “Form” from 1908: Bliss Carman on the Development of Graceful and Efficient Motion

Bliss Carman (Photo credit: Wikipedia) “Animal motion is good through being instinctive and free, and our own motion can only become graceful when those qualities are ensured for it.” -Bliss Carman, The Making of Personality, 1908 In my previous post I shared several passages about “barefoot shoes” from a 1908 book titled The Making of […]

1908 Book Discusses the Ideal “Barefoot Shoe”

“…no material comfort can equal the luxury of a well fitting, broad-toed, flexible, heelless shoe. Of course, the secret is that a good barefoot shoe enables us to walk naturally and to find in simple natural exercises not only health, but sanity and happiness as well. If I were a fairy and asked to bestow […]