Run for Your Life (and Health)

I was browsing through the online catalog of Lonsdale trainers when it dawned on me; are trainers suitable for running? Now don't get me wrong, I hate running as much as the next koala, but hey maybe one day. Just one day.Anyway, googling for answers brought me to this interesting article about running, and running shoes. Reading the title (it suggests that you should run barefoot), I almost immediately said 'nay!'. This can't be true for I myself was an experienced barefoot runner. For almost 6 months, yes. And that resulted me having pain across my upper left leg for a year.

The article mentions the Tarahumaras, a tribe from Mexico who are used to running barefoot on rocky terrains. I remember having this conversation previously with a friend about the Tarahumara tribe. My take on it was; weight! It pretty much made sense. They could run barefoot comfortably because they aren't heavy as I am, and they aren't as heavy because they have been running since birth.

Now, read the article and look at Painful Truth No. 2. Apparently an inch of rubber won't make any difference to the twelve-fold weight of pressure on your legs when running. Running-related injuries actually increased upon the introduction of running shoes by Nike in 1972. Bloody capitalists! Yes , because years later in 2004, the same company came with the Nike Free, a set of running shoes designed to imitate barefoot running. It's like saying to all their customers : "Sorry guys, we fucked up for the last 32 years. Ditch all those heavily cushioned shoes and buy this new technology". This certainly made me thought about my year-long leg pain, which might have been the result of sleeping on cold, bare floor for months instead. Hehe.

But still, you can't just go out running barefoot now. After years of running in trainers, our muscles might not adapt to the sudden strain from running barefoot. And then unless you don't mind stepping on shards of glass or some infantile vomit, then some protection for your feet is a good idea.

Despite all these, we should all just get up and run, cycle, swim or whatever. Because over-analyzing will only deter you from doing anything and write crappy articles like this.