This is enough to make me puke!

[Barefoot TJ]

Okay, so I get Google Alerts on everything "barefoot running," "running barefoot," and "Barefoot Runners Society."

This is what just showed up in my email's inbox. It's enough to tick me off! Anyone else?

News 9 new results for barefoot running

Born to run barefoot? Some end up getting injured
USA TODAY
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Swept by the barefoot running craze, ultramarathoner Ryan Carter ditched his sneakers for footwear that mimics the experience of striding unshod. John Raoux, AP Greg Farris takes a break while wearing a protective boot as he helps ...
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USA TODAY

Doctors see uptick in foot injuries from barefoot running shoes
CBS News
(AP) LOS ANGELES - Swept by the barefoot running craze, ultramarathoner Ryan Carter ditched his sneakers for footwear that mimics the experience of striding unshod. The first time he tried it two years ago, he ran a third of a mile on grass.
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CBS News

Barefoot Running Injuries: Doctors See Health Problems Ranging From Stress ...
Huffington Post
Farris injured his foot while running in barefoot running shoes.(AP Photo/John Raoux) LOS ANGELES — Swept by the barefoot running craze, ultramarathoner Ryan Carter ditched his sneakers for footwear that mimics the experience of striding unshod.
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'Barefoot' athletes are running into trouble
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
By AP, Herald-Tribune By ALICIA CHANG LOS ANGELES — Swept by the barefoot running craze, ultramarathoner Ryan Carter ditched his sneakers for footwear that mimics the experience of striding unshod. Greg Farris takes a break while wearing a protective ...
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Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Barefoot running causes spate of injuries as enthusiasts are 'too quick' to ...
Daily Mail
By Claire Bates The recent craze for barefoot running has led to a spike in leg and foot injuries among enthusiastic amateurs, US doctors have warned. Many converts have been inspired by Christopher McDougall's best-seller 'Born To Run,' which focuses ...
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Daily Mail

Barefoot Running Craze Dogged by Injuries
Newser
By AP (AP) – Swept by the barefoot running craze, ultramarathoner Ryan Carter ditched his sneakers for footwear that mimics the experience of striding unshod. Within three weeks of switching over, he was clocking six miles on the road.
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Doctors and devotees debate barefoot running
Mother Nature Network
With the popularity of barefoot running on the rise, doctors warn that going without shoes could put runners at risk for injuries. Also on MNN: What's up with all the barefoot runners I'm seeing? Sign in with one of these accounts or just add your ...
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Born to run barefoot? Some end up hurt
Newsday (subscription)
Health Newsday > News > Health Print Aa Born to run barefoot? Some end up hurt Published: May 22, 2012 6:30 PM By ALICIA CHANG. The Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Swept by a craze for barefoot running, ultramarathoner Ryan Carter ditched his sneakers ...
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10 Things to Know for Tuesday
Washington Post
DOCTORS SEEING MORE BAREFOOT RUNNING INJURIES They say runners who transition too quickly to minimalist “barefoot running shoes” or no shoes at all risk pulled muscles, tendinitis and stress fractures. 9. FOURTH CLIMBER FOUND DEAD ON MOUNT EVEREST All ...
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Web 2 new results for barefoot running

The Barefoot Running Debate | Care2 Healthy Living
With the popularity of barefoot running on the rise, doctors warn that going without shoes could put runners at risk for injuries. Health Videos by.
www.care2.com/greenliving/the-barefoot-running-debate.html

Doctors and Devotees Debate Barefoot Running - YouTube
With the popularity of barefoot running on the rise, doctors warn that.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8boo4EoLb6Q

 

[RunningPirate]

Surprising, but not really. TMTS strikes again and BFR is blamed. Mind you, had he tweaked an achilles or hosed up his knees ("tweaked" and "hosed" being medical terms) while wearing shoes, he'd have blamed himself. But now that he's doing something freakish, weird and creepy (read those words with your satire glasses, folks) he blames that, instead. 'course, he also went from 0.33 miles to 6 miles in three weeks - so he sort of did that to himself...that sort of ramp up isn't even recommended for the shod.

Anything considered a deviation from the norm is going to generate articles like these. If this were the jumping rope craze, I'm sure there'd be articles about torn calf muscles and blown achilles and all sorts of other whathaveyou.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

It's the "barefoot" getting blamed for "barefoot shoes" injuries that gets me. Everyone is so quick to call it barefoot when these people are NOT barefoot. It drives me nuts.

 

[RunningPirate]

Also, for perspective, in the "10 things you need to know on Tuesday" link, there's this:

9. FOURTH CLIMBER FOUND DEAD ON MOUNT EVEREST
All of them died while descending the 35,035-foot summit. Some experts blame climate change for increasingly dangerous conditions on the world's highest mountain, with little fresh snow making the rocks icy and unstable.

The perspective lies in the fact that Everest is 29,029 feet (something I easily Googled). Point being, don't put too much stock in what you read; do your own research (or, in our case, experimentation)

 

[Bare Lee]

Quite a coincidence that all those different news sources would write the same story at the same time. Long live the fourth estate!

 

[RunningPirate]

It's the "barefoot" getting blamed for "barefoot shoes" injuries that gets me. Everyone is so quick to call it barefoot when these people are NOT barefoot. It drives me nuts.

Ahhh...got it.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I know. You're a little slow, Matey. Hee.

 

[NickW]

I was reading through those articles TJ and they are all essentially the same thing... Almost word for word... Does nobody do their own work anymore???

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Everyone is jumping on the same bandwagon.

 

[Robin]

Also, for perspective, in the "10 things you need to know on Tuesday" link, there's this:




The perspective lies in the fact that Everest is 29,029 feet (something I easily Googled). Point being, don't put too much stock in what you read; do your own research (or, in our case, experimentation)

Were they wearing shoes?!Hahahahahaaa

 

[Robin]

Everyone is jumping on the same bandwagon.

No use wasting energy on them...

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

I have been seeing alot of negativity when it comes to barefoot running now. I have been hearing it's a "fad" a lot within the past few months for some reason. The only fad is "minimal footwear" if you ask me, it's like the aerobics in the 80's.

Minimal footwear is giving of barefoot running a bad rep. Again, the warm weather is here, newbies want to start running in "barefoot shoes" and get injured, and we are to blame. Barefoot running has been around since the beginning of time.

 

[ElyDave]

I have been seeing alot of negativity when it comes to barefoot running now. I have been hearing it's a "fad" a lot within the past few months for some reason. The only fad is "minimal footwear" if you ask me, it's like the aerobics in the 80's.

Minimal footwear is giving of barefoot running a bad rep. Again, the warm weather is here, newbies want to start running in "barefoot shoes" and get injured, and we are to blame. Barefoot running has been around since the beginning of time.

Just curious, why do you say minimal footwear is a fad?

There are probabaly a lot of people here who spend at least a part of their running year minimally shod, some who spend most of their year that way and anything in between. A lot of them will have been doing so for some considerable time.

Or are you referring to it as a new craze among the new entrants to BF/MR who are conflating the terms barefoot and barefoot shoe?

 

[JosephTree]

TJ, Take another deep breath. It will be fine! Just another gobbet of content thrown out to feed the starving hoards. It will be thoroughly processed and excreted from the broader media in 8 to 12 hours.
Focus on the good message were sending out and you will be happier.

 

[Neil_D]

Ha, someone emailed me this very same story that ran in the Melbourne Age paper. Who ever writes them sure knows how to use the media for maximum effect.
So this guy goes from nothing to running 6 miles barefoot in three weeks duh and he gets calluses and stress fractures. The first warning would have been the calluses telling him he has crap form, didn't listen to that warning, goes the whole hog and breaks bones, I find my sympathy waning. There are a few of us that have been running barefoot for a few years now and writing about how long it takes and the setbacks, when I started there was very little information around and I took it very slow, pulled muscles, etc, it took me 10 months before I was running 6 miles . These days people can't claim ignorance, there is so much information around and it all says start slowly, very slowly or you will get injured, is anyone listening. This is one reason I loath things being described as trends, it brings people to whatever trend it is for the wrong reason.

Neil

 

[Bare Lee]

Everyone is jumping on the same bandwagon.

I don't think there is an 'everyone' but rather a 'someone' with different names for their locally printed/broadcast news. In the old days, news was written by history, english, and philosophy majors. Now it's written by journalism majors who learn early on how ingratiate themselves to the corporate media cartel. Even these kinds of 'human interest' stories are now mass produced, let alone reports on the economy or politics. Seems like only a matter of time until they figure out how to take over the internet. Let's enjoy it while we can.

 

[PatrickGSR94]

I was reading through those articles TJ and they are all essentially the same thing... Almost word for word... Does nobody do their own work anymore???

It's an article put out by the Associated Press in Los Angeles, and lots of websites post AP articles. So it's not that there's a bunch of plagiarizing going on, it's just the same AP article posted on several different websites.

 

[Zetti]

Its in peoples nature to criticize what is not familiar...its just another way to make the familiar seem more legitimate.
I agree with JosephTree....as time passes so will these comments. Yes they are frustrating, but don't seem to be anything "new".
Guess all we can do is what we are doing.....running BF and having fun while at it. Answering questions and giving information to those who are interested....otherwise we turn into evangelists that no one is interested in listening to.

 

[NickW]

I like that this story is about TMTS, I even like that they show even the ultrarunner couldn't escape the TMTS, and he runs all the freaking time. The part I didn't like was that they didn't really say that he wasn't willing to give up his distance or probably his pace and he ramped up much to fast. Those of us familiar with barefoot running know this, but the article left it up for us to infer which the normal lay person will not because they have no real knowledge on the subject. The lay person just think's, "my gosh, even this ultramarathon runner can't do it, why the hell would I even try it?"

 

[Mandovark]

Being a Brit I read the British version of this story in the Daily Mail first. I actually thought it was pretty good - and I don't think I've ever said that about a Daily Mail article before. It makes clear that there are differences between barefoot and minimalist and it suggests that most of the injuries are caused by trying to do too much too quickly and by poor technique.

I just had a quick scan through some of the American versions, and although they're clearly based on the same original material, the American versions seem to have much more of an anti-barefoot tone. I think maybe the debate is more polarized in the US than it is in the UK. Almost every comment I've had from other runners has been either positive about bf or at least interested. I don't know why the American press would be more hostile, but it seems like that's the way it is.