"For 93 percent of all trips outside of the home, for whatever distance or for whatever purpose, Americans now get into a car. On average the total walking of an American these days--thats walking of all types: from car to office, from office to car, around the supermarkets and shopping malls--adds up to 1.4 miles a week, barely 350 yards a day. That is ridiculous." -Bill Bryan in the book A Walk to Remember
This is why Americans are getting slower and slower at running. We seem to have a misplaced fascination with all things running other than putting in the miles. One thing that I am sick of hearing from runners is the extreme fascination with "minimalist" shoes. At the local Roadrunners Sports store they now label their shoes as Minimalist or Minimalist Plus. It used to be Neutral Performance or Stability. Everyone is now on the bandwagon and it is starting to bug.
I was told by an overweight guy at the gym today that I would be a much better runner if I would ditch my Lunar Racers and start wearing Vibrams. He explained that his friend had turned him onto a new revolutionary barefoot running book that has totally changed his running. I told him people have been running in flats for decades and this whole minimalist trend it nothing new. He did not know what flats were but reiterated to me that I would be much faster and less prone to injury if I would buy some Vibrams. I asked him how many miles he ran a week and was told around 15 to 25. He also added that he was now training for his first half marathon (he said this with an air of authority about him like I should be completely impressed with his awesomeness). As I headed for the showers I could not help but laugh. It reminds me of the cyclists that spend thousands of dollars for a super light bike but are carrying an extra 15 pounds of lard on their own personal frame.
I am not elite and realize I have genetic limitations that will prevent me from ever becoming elite but my advice is to ditch the latest trends and just run more than you did last week. I do not care how "minimalistic" you are or how expensive your heart-rate monitor is. There is zero replacement for getting up in the mountains everyday and putting the time in. Do you think the Kenyans are worrying about this crap when they are running 180 mile weeks getting ready for their next race?
19 Thought provoking comments:
This whole blog post had me in stitches. Haha.
Glad you had a great b-day present in the form of a Jazz win. Just as long as you know you won't be watching them in person or on TV come June...
Happy b-day again Hone. If I don't see ya before, I'll see ya in Hawaii!
While I fully support the minimalist/racing flat idea, it is for those who are already putting in the miles and know what they are doing. At the running store, we get people coming in wanting minimalist shoes and vibrams (which we don't sell) and it's always the ones that clearly shouldn't consider putting aside the support. I had a guy who was tagged for motion control shoes and wanted a neutral flat..."well sir, you can certainly buy whatever you want, but I cannot condone it."
There is a phrase in the triathlon world among the hard core types..."it's not the bike, it's the engine turning the cranks."
Billy-
Jazz and Spurs in the Western Finals for sure.
NJ-
I like that phrase. I guess you can also say....its not the shoes but the legs that make you fast!
I could not stop laughing! I would have liked to seen the expression on your face while being lectured on which running equipment was best for you. Next time ask the pro to go on a run with you so he can provide more insight. Too much...Still laughing...
I love that you got lectured at the gym. That said, I have to walk out to get the mail to make sure I get in my 1.4 miles of walking this week.
Nice Rant. Everyone I have seen wear the minimalist shoes runs on their toes. So I think it is the way a person consistently runs or can be a training thing -- nice calf workout. I land mid-foot and want a little cushion. And running down a long (1 hour) technical trail with minimal control, I want more than a pair of mocosins helping me. I do 3 hour runs in my Salomon Race Cross shoes, but they have a cushy heal and huge soft cleats that provide a nice landing.
You were pretty polite to that guy in the gym. I will try that -- just for the holidays though.
I used to run barefooted before but when I moved in to another a place barefoot running is not possible. Roads are made out of asphalt and it's no longer well maintained. However, I can still run using barefoot running shoes. I have used Zem shoes and it's really great. It totally mimics the feeling of barefoot running. Health benefits and protection are just awesome. Here's a detailed information on this shoes. Check it out here.
Lambert,
The term "barefoot running shoes" is an oxymoron.
I will be more of a believer when I lose a race to someone wearing a pair. I do not think one of the "benefits" of these kind of shoes is to run faster because the back-of-the-packers tend to be the only runners that wear them.
Ultimately I do not care if people wear these shoes. I am just sick of people acting like this is some new concept. It is yesterdays news.
A guy who runs 15-25 mpw giving you advice? LMAO!
...and at what point did you inform this joker that you ran more than he did all week for breakfast?
Awesome! I'd pay top dollar to see that conversation on youtube!
Brownie,
It was really a pretty boring conversation. I did not have the desire to argue with the dude.
I do not really fit the runner profile so I think people do not realize how undercover serious I am with running. They just see a skinny tattooed dude in b-ball shorts on the stairclimber and assume I am homeless or something and know nothing of running.
Chia,
The normal person would think I was straight up lying if I told them I ran around 17-20 miles a day. So what is the point?
I'm gonna buy me some Hoka One Ones right now. Because those DO make you run like twice as fast! Barefoot my ass!
Dude, I smiled the whole time as well. I had a couple of conversations like that. One was from a friend of a friend who's husband runs about 15 mpw in Vibram, and she lectured me how few injuries he has comparing to what he used to. I was like: may be he had them because he just started and did other things wrong? No, she knew what she was talking about. I said, like you, I'd think about it when a barefoot runner beats me - and I am so far from elite shape now (which I never even had been in)...Second, I took my American husband to Russia for a week (just back). He was totally surprised at 2 things: how skinny Russian as a nation (I am the fattest example, and I blame living in US), and how much we walk - on average we walked 6-8 miles a day. OK, we were sight-seeing, but simply to get to work-supermarket-day care to drop off and pick up kid on a daily basis, it is at least 3-4 miles. A day. And no fast food eaten mid-day, may be a packed sandwitch, if you didn't forget one. In US, I usually joke that the last place we plan to go by car is a toilet.
Last September, I saw a dude early in a 100 miler running in Vibrams. Maybe he was running the 50. Anyway, I saw him later at around 50 miles (for me, probably 30 for him) hobbling and in pain, probably after kissing an immovable rock with a few toes. Why risk months of training? Most flats weight less than VFFs and actually protect your feet. I do have a pair of VFF to prance around in the grass and protect my feet from direct contact from dog shit, but I guess for some people everything has to be black and white.
"There is zero replacement for getting up in the mountains everyday and putting the time in." i so totally agree with that. it's not the shoe, it's not the tights, it not the gadget. it's the run!
I'm a big fan of the Vibrams and flats, but good point--there's nothing new about minimalist running... I think the fad will die down in a couple years and people will go back to running in "racing flats"...
I totally, totally agree with you, man. There is simply NO substitute for "putting the time in"; not in running, not in anything in life.
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