In Chapter 4 of Tread Lightly, my co-author Bill Katovsky covers the history of human footwear use, and describes the evolution of the running shoe. An essential resource for the writing of this chapter is a 1980 book aptly titled “The Running Shoe Book.” Written by Peter Cavanagh, a scientist who has contributed more than […]
Archives for 2012
Tread Lightly: Website, Podcast Interviews and Initial Reviews
By 3 Comments
My book, Tread Lightly, has been out for a few weeks now and much of my time lately has been occupied with trying to do as much promotion work as possible. Bill and I decided to go with a small publishing house so that we would have as much control over content as possible – […]
R.I.P. Running Shoes: Brooks to Discontinue the Launch and Green Silence
By 31 Comments
We runners can sometimes develop special bonds with certain pairs of shoes. They might be a shoe we set a PR in, or the shoe we wore in our first Boston Marathon. These are shoes that we hang on to and keep in our closets because they retain special meaning, and the thought of dumping […]
How Leg Muscle Activity Changes as Running Step Rate is Increased
By 8 Comments
There has been a great deal of discussion and debate over the past few years about how various aspects of running form can potentially contribute to increased injury risk in runners. One aspect of form that is often singled out as a major no-no is overstriding. That is, runners should not lengthen their stride by […]
Saucony Virrata Preview: New Zero-Drop, Cushioned Running Shoe Coming Next Year
By 48 Comments
The Running Warehouse blog just released some photos and details regarding a new zero-drop shoe coming in February 2013 from Saucony. The Saucony Virrata joins the Saucony Hattori as the second zero-drop shoe in the Saucony stable, and this one looks more like a traditional training shoe. In fact, it looks quite a lot like […]
Peter Larson’s Running Publications and Other Media
Below is a list of my writings on running-related topics. If you are interested in interviewing me or having me write an article for your publication, send me an email with specifics. Books Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury Free Running Academic Articles Larson, Higgins, Kaminski, Decker, Preble, Lyons, McIntyre, Normile. 2011. […]
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Why I Didn’t Include Vibram Fivefingers in My Updated Minimalist Shoe Guide
By 63 Comments
I recently updated my minimalist running shoe guide, and rather than trying to list every minimalist shoe out there right now, I opted instead to recommend what I feel are some good options in several different categories. Right after the post went up, several people on Twitter asked me why I had not included any […]
Tread Lightly Now Available as a Kindle Ebook
By 20 Comments
One of the most common questions I have gotten since my book came out is when it would be available in ebook format. I myself now read most books on an iPod touch (Kindle app), so I fully understand the desire for an ebook. I’m happy to announce that the Kindle version of Tread Lightly […]
Outside Online Article on Minimalist Shoes for Kids
By 5 Comments
Just read a great article by Katie Arnold over on Outside Online on a topic that I feel very strongly about. The article, titled “Mini Minimalists: Are Barefoot Shoes Good for Kids?”, addresses whether minimalist/barefoot-style shoes are appropriate for kids. I particularly love this quote: “…if we can encourage kids to run naturally, the way […]
Saucony Kinvara 3 Review
By 37 Comments
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?
By 11 Comments
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
By 31 Comments
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 […]
