The Truth As I Know It* Another Rant Only a Few Will Read

Concerning "minimalism", "barefoot" and "running systems" you pay for:

1. Today's Minimalist Shoes are nothing more than the running shoes all of us wore in the 70's and 80's (and I know the apostrophes are wrong!).
2. Barefoot Running will not prevent injuries.
3. Minimalist Shoes will not prevent injuries.
4. Barefoot and Minimalist Shoes lead to a differing set of injuries than "bulky, high-heeled trainers".
5. The injuries attained with barefoot and minimalist running shoes are often more debilitating than the ones attained with "bulky, high-heeled trainers".
6. Puncture wounds and foreign bodies are much more common with barefoot runners than those who are shod. (But, infections with puncture wounds through "sneakers" are often worse.)
7. I adhere to a wise elderly podiatrist's advice, who once told me, "A little heel height never hurt anyone."
8. No one should ever run barefoot on a golf course.  The chemicals and fertilizers used are some of the worst things you could be in skin contact with.
9. No one is a "midfoot striker" unless they have severe foot deformity.  A "midfoot striker" is nothing more than an equal "heel/forefoot striker".
10. Most differences in heel vs. forefoot striking is due to heredity. The rest is mostly due to terrain and running speed.  Being concerned with heel vs. forefoot striking is mostly a waste of time.  Train faster to run faster.  It doesn't matter where you are landing on your feet when you are pulling ahead of your competitor.
11. Paying money for Running Systems and trying to change your natural running technique is mostly a waste of time and money.  Since Time is Money, you could better spend your money at our Group Store!

* 27 years of Podiatry with Certification in Surgical and Non-Surgical Podiatric Medicine,  and 37 years of running and observing runners.  I could be wrong, but I don't think so.