Did you know that the higher the price for sneakers, the worse they are for your feet? I, like everyone else who runs just assumed that this statement was true. Surprise, this cannot be further from the truth.
I recently read, “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall where he describes the Tarahumara Indians – Mexican ultrarunners that run miles upon miles in either bare feet or sandals made out of discarded rubber. They eat healthfully on pinole, and beans – living off the land unlike the American diet consisting of sugary drinks and boxed meals. Since I run on the weekends, the subject was intriguing. But, I found myself nodding off by his laborious descriptions on the Tarahumara and the authors quest to find, “Caballo Blanco (the white horse). The author heard a myth about this character as a great runner.
To put it bluntly, I didn’t care about his cast of characters nor how some of the verbiage was constructed. I didn’t understand the point.
As a voracious reader, when I’m engaged in a book, I cannot put it down nor do I want to stop reading. This book, however, I was eager to put it down. I wanted to like it because I’m a runner but it fell short until I miraculously made it to Chapter 25 – more than half way through the book.
Finally, the climax of the entire book occurred on that Chapter. It answered the author’s looming question why he wrote the book. “Why does my foot hurt?” It’s all in the footwear. The more expensive, high quality shoe cushions your foot where it isolates it from moving properly. Hence, your foot is designed to adjust to the environment; it’s supposed to take a beating. The scientists and researchers in the book state that all their subjects that ran preferred a low grade shoe. Furthermore, in the 1970s when these “slick, high-tech” gym shoes didn’t exist, bunions, knee or plantar fascia (the author never explained what this was) problems never happened. So true.
This brought me back to when I went to a podiatrist complaining of foot pain. The doctor couldn’t wait to give me a soft, pillow insole to put in my left shoe raising it higher than my right foot. It never solved the problem. Moreover years later, I ran my first marathon to excruciating pain in my knees. I was in so much pain that I almost ran to the side of the road and sit it out. I continued. After the marathon, I immediately went to the doctor telling him about the pain. “Oh, the pain isn’t in your knees, it’s your back. You need surgery.”
I don’t know what it was in my brain that told me to get a second opinion or just walk out the door. I thought to myself, there is no way I am going to have surgery. An image of a cripple seared into my consciousness. Quite honestly, I was frightened. Now, I’m thankful that I didn’t listen to that quack. It took several years before I had the courage to put on my running shoes and start back.
I can’t begin to describe what it is about running that I continually do it. An old habit, I guess. I started running when I was sixteen, a slightly overweight teenager. That was the only activity that I could do that was inexpensive. I’m not saying I have any talent in that regard, but just moving my body gave me purpose to get fit. Now, I workout, bike and run once a week to an almost “Tarahumara” diet.
The low grade shoe option I needed to try. I’ve been wearing “Asics” for years and years. Moreover, I wouldn’t buy any other shoe to run in. Now this book is telling me that they’re causing more harm then good. I have very bad bunions and some knee issues. I’ve got to try it.
Sunday morning, I found an old pair of Ann Taylor, canvas sneakers that I haven’t worn in years. I wore my specialized socks that wards off blisters and began running. Just like the book said, I didn’t have the foot problem I normally have when I run. Blisters, definitely. I somehow continued my normal route – about five miles. I hurt in the right places, legs and behind. I did get a weird stare from a runner, however, who looked at me like, “You’re running in those cheap shoes!” Damn straight I am!
I am going to integrate “barefoot” running into my regime. Now that I think about my childhood, I ran barefooted all the time and never had foot problems. Your foot is an amazing devise - it holds all of your weight.
I can’t give “Born to Run” a thumbs up but I am thankful that I was able to trudge through the nonsense and become educated on how the high end shoe is destroying our feet. How gel insole sneakers are a must that’s just a marketing ploy by all the manufacturers; a successful one at that.
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen
Christopher McDougall
www.borntorun.org
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