September 01, 2009

Running the Tarahumara way

Book boasts of Native American sandals' power

Ann Forshee-CraneMcDougall claims that what we really need to do is strengthen our feet like the Tarahumara.

He shakes it up good and suggests that we gradually move toward running barefoot or almost barefoot in the Vibram FiveFingers, a glove-like shoe with just a thin layer of Vibram between the runner and the ground. He asserts that if we slowly shift over to less shoe, we'll see a reduction in the running-related injuries he claims 8 of 10 runners face each year.

I bought the FiveFingers. I wore them to garden. I wore them around the house. I wore them on a power walk. And then, I ran 5 miles on the trail in them. No pain. No pain anywhere. I hadn't had such a pain-free run in years.
Comment:  For more on the subject, see Locked Up for Being Tarahumara and Marathon Too Short for Tarahumaras.

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