Vibram Five Fingers

[jeniel46or]

1452
When Leif Summerfield produced the decision to tackle the Ed Anacker Bridger Ridge Run last year, he had just 1 question: Could he do it?
A runner in high school, Summerfield, 32, had drifted away from the sport soon after graduation. Having not run in years, the Ridge would be a real challenge. To top it off, Summerfield wanted to run the notoriously-rugged crest of the Bridgers lightly shod -- in Vibram FiveFingers shoes.
Summerfield surprised extra than a couple of men and women, such as himself, finishing the run in five hours, 30 minutes.
"I didn't anticipate to do that properly," Summerfield stated on Tuesday. "It wasn't the Vibram Five Fingers that created me go that quickly; it was that I was free of charge to run for the very first time."
Summerfield turned his attention to "barefoot" running after reading "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, as well as the Greatest Race the World Has In no way Observed," by Christopher McDougall. The book explores the running strategies of the Tarahumara Indian tribe of Mexico's Copper Canyon and details McDougall's rediscovery of running immediately after suffering repeated running-related injuries earlier in life. Summerfield stated he read the very first couple of pages and couldn't put it down.
"I fell in enjoy with trail running," he stated. "The book is a definitely great primer on the physiology of barefoot running -- taking shorter strides, strengthening your arches. You feel like you're working much less. It is far more efficient."
As the science of running (and running shoes) continues to evolve, a growing body of evidence points to the benefits of running barefoot or in minimalist footwear. A study by the Harvard University Skeletal Biology Lab (published at www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu) discovered that humans have only been running in conventional running shoes considering that the mid 1970s.
The study noted that the cushioned heel present on numerous conventional running shoes alters the foot's natural fall. As opposed to a forefoot or midfoot strike, contemporary running shoes encourage a heel strike which distributes the impact force on the foot and leg in a markedly different way.
"For millions of years, it truly is most likely that runners landed with no single, certain foot strike, and rather landed with a variety of foot strikes such as forefoot, midfoot and heel strikes, but we suspect that one of the most frequent type of foot strike was a forefoot strike," the study discovered. "These kinds of strikes (i.e. landing 1st on the lateral ball of the foot) lead to lower impact forces which may well lead to lower rates of injury."
The study also found that individuals accustomed to running in conventional running shoes and heel striking would likely need significant conditioning to obtain similar outcomes as a forefoot or midfoot striker in "barefoot" or minimalist footwear.
Summerfield stated he ran just some miles a week for two months just before he felt comfortable increasing his runs to longer distances.
"You literally have to retrain your legs and feet to run within the barefoot style," Summerfield said. "The first time you put Vibram Five Fingers on you are most likely going to feel energized, you're leaning forward and on your toes. And then you stop running and understand your feet are freaking out and also the next couple of days your calves are tied up in knots.
"These are modest muscle groups, but they're so critical within the foot's biomechanical style."
Curt Smith of Schnee's Boots & Shoes on Main Street said he doesn't see Vibram Five Fingers or other minimalist running shoes as the single answer for runners, but rather as a training tool.
"The days of long strides and a whole lot of impact on the heel and needing all that Nike Air and all that stuff -- I don't know if that is going to be a huge drive down the road," Smith stated. "It is now a focus on getting people to run ideal."
Smith stated Vibram's FiveFingers shoe line is being joined by minimalist footwear from brands like New Balance, Merrell and Saucony. He said newer models of minimalist footwear have the familiar rounded cap of traditional shoes, rather than the individual toe sleeves of FiveFingers.
Smith said the biggest drawback of minimalist footwear is the foot limited protection the shoes offer.
Summerfield agrees.
"I stubbed my toe twice on the Ridge and I remember both places it happened," Summerfield stated. "The small toe usually takes the hit. The lack of protection under the arch (is also a liability). If you stretch you arch out and hit a rock it feels like you're going to tear a tendon, but there are in fact trail running Vibram Five Fingers now that address those problems."
Despite their limitations, Smith said minimalist footwear has surely caught on in Bozeman. He stated the shoes are common in the gym, on the trail -- even as water shoes. About the only place you won't see people wearing FiveFingers is out on the town, he stated.
No doubt, they're a pretty bold fashion statement.
Smith stated he sees the future manufacture of running shoes meeting a middle ground between the ultra-minimal FiveFingers and conventional running shoes, models that put an emphasis on proper running form.
For Summerfield and others that have adopted the "barefoot" running style, that's excellent news.
"Barefoot running allowed me to rediscover the joy of running and in certain the joy of running in the mountains," Summerfield said. "And we live in such a perfect place for it."