Expensive Shoes are Hurting You

I was prescribed custom-made orthotics to “correct” arch pain I experienced after bumping my mileage to 70 per week as I transitioned to collegiate training.  My podiatrist told me that the “human body is not designed to run over 5 miles.”  I looked at him skeptically as I had been running substantially more for over 4 years without a hitch.  Recent studies prove him wrong and seriously question our need for fancy orthotics and expensive shoes.

In fact, the more expensive the shoe costs, the more likely you are to be injured!  The foundation of science and research that tells us we need running shoes to correct imbalances, over-pronation, and protect us from landing impacts is nonexistant.  Is an entire industry built on lies?  Well, maybe.  It’s important to understand how your body functions and the biomechanics behind running.

Simply put, shoes change how we run.  If you run barefoot, you are forced to run how your body is designed to run by landing on your midfoot directly under your body.  You won’t slouch.  You will land lightly and carefully.  When you’re wearing $250 shoes with built-in microchips for “advanced cushioning,” you will be able to over-stride, land on your heel, and slouch to your heart’s content.  What’s wrong with this picture?

After millions of years of evolution, the human body is perfectly designed for running long distances.  For 99.9% of this time period, we ran without shoes.  None at all.  Barefoot.  We’ve been running long distances for thousands of years.  In fact, one of the first forms of human hunting is called “persistence hunting” – running down an animal to death, like an antelope or gazelle.  Think that’s impossible?  Not at all.  A great dramatization of this ancient hunting technique can be seen here.

So, what’s a runner to do?  Ditch your shoes altogether and head out for your 10 miler?  Not so fast.  Barefoot running is a tool that you can use to make your legs stronger.  Like most things, use it in moderation and start with only a few minutes of slow running on grass.  Or do a few strides on an artificial turf field after your run (my personal favorite).  Keep your running shoes simple – I train in the ASICS Speedstars, wear sandals as much as you can, avoid the stilettos, and try experimenting with the Vibram FiveFingers.

The next step: Sign up for a customized injury prevention and training package here to transform your training.  Don’t forget to follow Coach Jason on Twitter at JasonFitz1.