Quoted message said:Monday, June 27, 2005
Firmer Footing: Since better shoes haven't reduced jogger injuries,
could no shoes be the answer?By Christopher McDougall
THE NEW YORK TIMES
In the last 10 years, two barefoot-style training methods have been
developed for joggers. (Journal File Photo)Until he met a reclusive tribe of near-mythical athletes at the bottom
of a Mexican canyon, Micah True could never figure out why his running
injuries got worse as his running shoes got better. Then, the
Tarahumara Indians taught him a lesson that even Nike is now starting
to embrace: The best shoe may be no shoe at all.True, 53, from Nederland, Colo., wasn't the only one baffled by the
injury mystery. For years, kinesiology professors, physical therapists
and athletic-shoe designers have been puzzling over the same paradox:
If running-shoe protection and cushioning have improved, why haven't
injuries among joggers decreased?
This article is based on a single assumption that all injuries are
caused by the shoes. I can tell you that is not true in my case. Muscle
tightness and imbalance are my cause of problem. And I would go on to
say that it is the cause of more injuries than the researchers think.
My proof? How often do runners get injured and return to the same shoe
to continue on their merry way injury free after recovery?
No shoe is nice for some but I prefer my minimalist Nike Air Zoom
elites.
Andy