Posts Tagged ‘running shoes’

The Other Kind of Minimalist Shoe

Count me as one of those runners who scoff at the recommended “500 mile” life for shoes. I’ve always believed – as I’m sure many of you do – that rule of thumb sells a lot of running shoes.

However, I may be moderating my views somewhat after my Asics Gel Evolution 5s hit the 800-mile mark this Sunday. They’re still super-comfortable and feel great while running, but I finally took a look at the soles and saw this:

Yikes! It’s a good thing they’re well-cushioned, because evidently the cushion was the only thing between my heel and the road. But fear not, my Gel Evolutions 6s arrived today.

More Things to Put on Your Feet to Simulate Not Having Anything on Your Feet

1) The Recyclable Shoe

2) The Brooks Pure Cadence for minimalists who want more shoe than minimal.

3) Birkenstock Recovery Sandals (but why not run in them, too?)

The Tarahumara Diet Is Tough to Swallow

Ever since the publication of Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run, a barefoot and minimalist running trend is sweeping America, based on the author’s examination of the Tarahumara people of Mexico. In case you’ve been vacationing in Antarctica for the last couple of years, the Tarahumara are phenomenal long distance runners. It’s only natural that pioneering souls would seek to emulate them, hence the shift in footwear choices and, increasingly, diet.

McDougall raves about the Tarahumara drink they call iskiate, or, as McDougall  names it, “10,000-year-old Red Bull.” It’s made from chia seeds - yep, the same stuff you use to make your Chia Obama. It’s said to provide high energy, though I suspect there’s a significant placebo effect.

This being America, quite a few people are turning the Tarahumara diet into a business opportunity, such as Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way, which offers “15 pinole and chia recipes for the modern athlete.” The author tells us the recipes are “made from real ingredients, so you’ll know exactly what you’re putting in your body—no mystery sugars here.”

Cross-cultural contact greatly enriches the American diet, so if you like pinoles and chia seeds, I say go for it. But it should be noted that the influences go both ways, and the Tarahumara are making some interesting dietary choices of their own.

National Geographic also spent time with them, and its recital of Tarahumara nutrition varies quite a bit from the exotic:

“They also eat a lot of Maruchan, the Japanese instant noodles that come in plastic-foam tubs. Foil-wrapped potato chips, too, and plastic liters of Coca-Cola, and Tecate beer in pop-top cans…”

The article suggests the Tarahumara are beginning to lose their running endurance, simply because they now have navigable roads. Even worse, the men have taken to wearing “pointy-toed boots in leather dyed to match their belts” and women are wearing – what else? – athletic shoes. “I’m not putting on huaraches,” one said. “I get too many stones under my feet.”

McDougall’s best-selling book brought new attention to the Tarahumara, which led to increased Western tourism to their region of northern Mexico. It would be a bizarre twist if Born to Run indirectly caused a running shoe boom among the Tarahumara.

Running Shoes Are Like… Moths???

I like artsy running shoe commercials as much as the next guy (if the next guy is Ivan the Terrible), but I’m just not understanding this one from Asics.

Running Shoes to Fit Your Cycle… No, Your Other Cycle

Once again proving that running shoe companies employ the most creative people on the planet except when it comes to designing a shoe that lasts longer, Asics gives us – well, some of us – the Gel-Kayano 16 for women. It’s a shoe that, uh, I’ll let the London Daily Mail explain:

Designers have come up with a running shoe for women which adapts shape to suit their hormone levels.

The trainers – available in white, gold and black – capitalise on research showing that changes in levels of oestrogen affect flexibility and the height of the foot’s arch.

When oestrogen is high, and a woman is at her most fertile, the arch drops. Later in the month, when she is menstruating, levels of the hormone are low but her arch is raised.

To take advantage of this, Asics’ scientists created trainers with three layers of cushioning below the arch. Closest to the foot is a layer of foam, followed by an air-filled gap and a plastic block.

When the woman’s arch is low, the foam is compressed into the gap and when her arch is high the foam fills out, ensuring her feet are supported whatever the time of the month.

This could really catch on. For one thing, Asics could apply the technology to its line of sports bras. I can also imagine an entire line of men’s apparel that adjusts to a woman’s cycle. What man hasn’t wished for a layer of foam, an air-filled gap and a plastic block during certain times of the month? The extra cushioning would expand each time you approach her.

Even better, we now have brand-new sexual innuendoes: “I saw him from across the room and my arches dropped” or “She said she wasn’t interested but I caught her flatfooted.”

New Running Shoes Now a Civil Right in Canada

A Canadian federal court judge ruled the nation’s taxpayers must salve the wounds of Gregory McMaster, to the tune of $6,000, for the pain and suffering he endured when his worn-out running shoes weren’t replaced promptly.

McMaster is in an Ontario prison for murdering three Canadians and a Minnesota police officer in 1978.

McMaster requires extra-wide sneakers and the prison took too long to get him properly fitted replacements for his 18-month-old footwear. He injured his knee while wearing the old shoes, prompting the lawsuit.

“Shoes that can’t provide support, because of wear, are inadequate,” the judge said. “The obligation to provide adequate footwear includes replacing an inmate’s shoes when inadequate from wear.”

Kicking the Running Shoe Industry

Christopher McDougall is looking to shake a few cages at Nike, Brooks and elsewhere. Read the short version of his thesis here, but it’s well worth your time to peruse the long version here, even if you never intend to run a marathon barefoot or wearing “thin leather slippers.”