Running Times just posted an excellent video by physical therapist and gait expert Jay Dicharry that discusses some self-assessment techniques that you can use to determine if you are going to have an easy transition to more minimalist running shoes or barefoot running. I’ve become a big believer in the importance of balance and proper […]
University of Colorado Study Determines that “Running in lightweight, cushioned shoes is equally as efficient as running barefoot.”
March 8, 2012 By 51 Comments
The big news in the world of running science over the past week was the release of a study from a locomotion lab at the University of Colorado. The study, titled “The metabolic cost of running barefoot vs. shod: is lighter better?”, was headed up by Jason Franz, and was co-authored by Corbyn Wierzbinski and […]
Vivobarefoot’s “Barefoot is Best” Campaign: Another Example of Marketing Twisting Science
February 6, 2012 By 17 Comments
A few weeks ago a study was released out of Daniel Lieberman’s lab at Harvard (to give due credit, the lead author was Adam Daoud) showing that forefoot strikers on the Harvard Cross Country team suffered half as many injuries as heel strikers. I’m not going to get into the details of the study here […]
Tackling The 10 Myths Of Barefoot Running: Article on Podiatry Today
January 4, 2012 By 10 Comments
Image via Wikipedia My buddy Tuck over at the Yelling Stop Blog just posted a link to an interesting article published recently on the Podiatry Today website. Authored by Dr. Nicholas Campitelli, a podiatrist from Ohio, the article discusses the “10 Myths of Barefoot Running.” Dr. Campitelli is actually a minimalist running advocate, and he […]
Podcast: Physiotherapist Blaise Dubois on Running Injuries, Form, Footwear, and Barefoot Running
December 6, 2011 By 2 Comments
Back in August I traveled to Colorado to participate in a panel discussion at the Newton Running National Retailers Summit. The keynote speaker at the event was physiotherapist Blaise Dubois, who is an advocate for minimalist footwear. Blaise knows the scientific literature on running injuries as well as anybody I have met, and has treated […]
Slow Motion Video: Barefoot and Shod Running Form from the NYC Barefoot Run
September 27, 2011 By 23 Comments
Yesterday I posted a few still shots captured from a video I took at the NYC Barefoot Run. Today I add a a few video clips showing a sample of runners from the event – mixture of barefoot and several Vibram Fivefingers runners (as well as a few other things). Once again, it’s hard to […]
Barefoot Running Blisters: Interpreting My Pattern and the Importance of the Flexor Hallucis Brevis?
August 25, 2011 By 45 Comments
Ever since running with my friends Mark Cucuzzella and Blaise Dubois out in Colorado a few weeks ago, I have been giving another go at a bit of barefoot running. Mark is now running a solid percentage of his weekly his miles fully barefoot (see video below), whereas Blaise supplements his regular training with small […]
Why a majority of runners, even among international elites, are heel strikers by Blaise Dubois
August 19, 2011 By 56 Comments
Below is the text of a newsletter that my friend Blaise Dubois, a physiotherapist from Quebec City, just sent out regarding the topic of heel striking. If you don’t subscribe to Blaise’s newsletter, I recommend that you do – he sends out a lot of interesting information, and posts like this one are great for […]
Barefoot Running Form in My Kids: Photos of Foot Strikes
July 26, 2011 By 6 Comments
Sometimes a picture speaks volumes. Below on the left is a photo I grabbed from a video that I shot of my 7 year-old son running down the road barefoot in front of my house last weekend (he spends most of the summer either barefoot or in Crocs). On the right is a picture of […]
Irene Davis Lecture on Running Shoes, Form, and Injuries: A Must Watch for Anyone Interested in the Minimalist/Barefoot Running Debate
July 24, 2011 By 30 Comments
Last night I came across a post on one of the Birthday Shoes forums that contained YouTube links to a lecture that Dr. Irene Davis gave earlier this year. Dr. Davis is one of the top researchers in the field of running biomechanics and an expert on the treatment of running injuries. She recently left […]
Acclimation to Running in Minimalist or Barefoot-Style Shoes: Is Form Change Instantaneous, or Does it Adapt Over Time?
July 21, 2011 By 8 Comments
One of my biggest complaints about many of the scientific studies of barefoot and/or minimalist running is that they far too often fail to account for the possibility that form change is a prolonged process. They might take a habitually shod runner, ask them to remove their shoes, and have them run without any prolonged […]
Metatarsal Stress Fractures in Minimalist Runners: What Are the Causes?
July 19, 2011 By 53 Comments
Image via Wikipedia One of the big topics of discussion swirling around minimalist running shoes right now is whether they increase the likelihood that a runner might experience a stress fracture. Clearly, fractures of the 2nd metatarsal are occurring in individuals who give minimalist running a try (for example, check out this great post by […]
Criteria For a Safe Transition to Minimalist Shoes or Barefoot Running: Thoughts From Jay Dicharry, PT
July 13, 2011 By 41 Comments
A few weeks back I was talking on the phone with Jay Dicharry, a physical therapist and director of the Speed Lab at the University of Virginia. Jay is one of the most knowledgeable guys I know when it comes to questions about running gait and running injuries, probably because he combines a strong research […]
Running Form at the 2010 Boston Marathon: Slow Motion Video of Barefoot, Minimalist, and Traditionally Shod Runners at sub-3:00 Pace
July 5, 2011 By 25 Comments
Earlier today I was going through some video I have from the 2010 Boston Marathon with a goal of finding a clip of a barefoot runner (I knew I had one, but hadn’t put in the effort to sift through long stretches of video to find him). After a bit of searching, I found the […]
Foot Strike, Running Shoes, Barefooting, Injuries, and Biomechanics: The Importance of Both Science and Anecdote
June 29, 2011 By 18 Comments
Just before I left on a camping trip last week I received an email from Amby Burfoot pointing me to an abstract of a paper to be presented at the 2011 meeting of the International Society of Biomechanics. The study, titled “Foot Strike Does Not Predict Loading Rates During Shod or Barefoot Running,” was conducted […]
