Be Wary of Running "Science"

Running isn't a science.  Which is its greatest asset.  The number of variables is sufficiently high, making the chances of a worthwhile scientific study a very difficult task.  And yet hundreds of "scientific" studies are released every year to supreme science journals such as Runner's World and Reader's Digest.  The greatest number of them have been in the realm of minimalism lately.  Barefoot Running has certainly allowed me to retrieve more and more foreign bodies from the plantar aspect of runners feet in the past several years. Something I actually don't like doing.  It's harder than it looks. 

As a professional somewhat in the field for the past 30 years, I have learned to never interfere in the thought processes of a runner.  They always know more than me (even when they don't), and always let me know it.  Runners are often the worst patients to deal with.  It's like delving into the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate with a large group armed with baseball bats. Or arguing over whether Hank Aaron was a better player than Babe Ruth.  One must carefully pick and choose when to interject in the matter.

The truth, as always, lies in the middle of the two extremes.  On the one extreme are the barefoot runners, on the other are the most extreme of shoes with high heels seen a few years ago. The number one purpose of a shoe is protection.  True barefoot runners today are insane.  Even some Vibrams will provide some protection, and I recommend them for those who insist on running "barefoot".

The ideal shoe in my mind would be built with the same heel height and shape of the shoes coming out of Nike in the late 70's.  They would be built with the materials and processes of today and yet have the heel to toe rise of old-fashioned Nike Waffles or the ultimate shoe, the Nike Internationalists. 

I haven't decided whether or not to dive into the heel strike vs. "midfoot" strike vs. forefoot strike debate yet. It's actually a useless debate, more the responsibility of your parents than it is a choice you can make. That doesn't stop the runners that wish to argue about it, often with charts, graphs, videos of the greats in either mode, and other "scientific" accoutrements.

Just do it. Don't think about it.