Barefoot Running

[colby]

On another note - has anyone tried the VFF Performa?
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/pro...performa_f.cfm
They look rather funky and may be something that is a little more "dress-up barefoot footwear" - isn't that a mixup of concepts!! Can just imagine the reaction if I showed up at work wearing those one day....

They look really sleek, but are intended to be indoor-only, so I just can't bring myself to spend money on them (though, reading the description, they do say "primarily indoor" so if you don't really go outside much they might be work-appropriate). The KSO Treks in brown are work-attire acceptable in a similar way - most people don't even notice they have toes until someone points it out, or someone stares at your feet for a while. In comparison it only takes a couple minutes for someone to notice the other models.

I do like the purple color of the performas though. They look comfy. I'd probably feel even more like I was cheating by wearing them.

[Serendipity]

They look really sleek, but are intended to be indoor-only, so I just can't bring myself to spend money on them (though, reading the description, they do say "primarily indoor" so if you don't really go outside much they might be work-appropriate).

Agree - that is part of what's holding me back. Our office isn't casual enough for me to wear those regularly; casual Fridays would work though.
Might be good for at-home/running errands and so on.
Hmmmm, maybe.

[OakLeaf]

Something we can all aspire to. Maybe. Or not.

[KnottedYet]

Lots of reports coming out now of barefoot runners (and Vibram runners) getting stress fractures in their metatarsals.

Even the dude who wrote "Born to Run" got one, as did the Vibram research guy Dr. Lieberman.

It's very important to think about the surface you are running on if you are running barefoot!

[Biciclista]

Knot, I just read through the last few pages of this thread, happy to see all the knowledge and wisdom you added to the pages. I'm no runner, but the high incidence of Plantar's Fascitis and the building up of heels and soles of shoes in the last couple decades does not seem to be coincidental. So I'm turning into a shoe maven (who knew) in my search for shoes that protect my feet but allow them to spread and flex naturally..

[KnottedYet]

Knot, I just read through the last few pages of this thread, happy to see all the knowledge and wisdom you added to the pages. I'm no runner, but the high incidence of Plantar's Fascitis and the building up of heels and soles of shoes in the last couple decades does not seem to be coincidental. So I'm turning into a shoe maven (who knew) in my search for shoes that protect my feet but allow them to spread and flex naturally..

I've been all interested in Irish feet lately. (the 2nd metatarsal is longer than the 1st, generally long toes, often the 2nd toe is longer than the 1st toe)

I've kept an informal survey of my foot patients, and far more than half of them have Irish feet (aka Greek feet or Morton's feet or Morton's toe). Irish feet are only 10-20% of the population, so why so many more foot problems? Over the last couple decades shoes have been more and more engineered for the "average" foot, and so have become less and less appropriate for the Irish foot. Over and over again I see very specific injuries with Irish feet, to the point that I've been guessing (based on injury description) what kind of foot the patient has before they even take off their shoes. It's quite the ego trip when I'm right.

I brought the Irish foot/"average" shoe conundrum up to a biomechanical engineer who was doing a seminar on runners and running injuries a couple weeks ago. I told him about my idea to become a millionaire by designing and selling running shoes made for Irish feet. He thought it was a great idea, and said he didn't know of any shoes already out there. (He also agreed that the mis-match between Irish feet and running shoes is pretty bad.)

Anyone got a few zillion dollars laying around the house that they'd like to invest in a new shoe company?

[NbyNW]

Irish foot? Is it more prevalent in Irish people?

Knott, if you manage to design such a shoe I would love to try it!

Maybe if you look around you can find a venture capitalist with an Irish foot who would love to finance your idea.