barefoot running

superb! thanks waterdog suffice to say my gym bollocked me for barefoto running. iodits! they'll willingly let people come in and pump iron still dressed in jeans and timberland boots, but not let me go barefoot on the dreadmill!

tried them on in the shop - nowhere near barefoot running. still too clunky imho.

btw i have run about 1.5 mile barefoot so i'm a real expert  

cool am looking into the five fingers. no way i'd go proper barefoot round here. but i live within spitting distance of an astro footie pitch which helps

kathy: why did he start barefoot running? 

He started when he was like 14-15 because it felt better. He ran cross country and did track and just loved running. He is in college now. I should email my friend and get the link to an article they did on Eli. He would do local 5K races and place in the top 10 most races so he is good. I'll see if I can dig up some more info. but might take some time.

 You would get a more barefoot experience wearing racing flats. The sole on the Free is thick. I found a pair at a deep discount and decided to try them to see what I thought of them and I am happier with racing flats.

Ha- Dreadmill.  I will never use the word treadmill again.  That fits the stupid things so much better.

I read somewhere that:

A) running barefoot can create stronger memories, becuase the nerves in your foot are sensitive and are stimulated more by barefoot running, aka you can feel the grass, etc.  Kinda like walking into a room and smelling something and having a flash back to when you were young, etc.  You walk on the grass and the thought of the run comes back.  Or that's how I interpreted it. 

B) Isn't there a guy I read about in Runners World that's done like a gazillion Marathons barefoot? 

C) I also read that you should run as close to barefoot as you can stand.  Helps with everything (form, injury prevention, etc). 

D) Having any excess weight on your feet is 6 times less efficient than having it around your torso.  Even a 100 grams makes a difference.  Adding 100 grams in moderate exercise increases oxygen uptake by 1%.  A soft soled shoe vs. a hard sole decreased oxygen uptake by 2.4%, even though the softer soled shoes weighed 34g more.  Figure that one out, kinda goes against barefoot running.  Must be the rebound from the sole, or perhaps it lets the body relax more becuase there's less jarring, in turn less stablity muscles locking up, I don't know.  Thank you Applied Exercise Physiology...

E) I love racing flats, and run in them a lot.  I train in asic cumulus, which have little support, and are a "lighter" shoe.  I can't see running over 5, or really even 3 miles, without a little bit of something.  Can't run on the dirt roads where I live barefoot at all though- at least I'm not brave enough to.