I previously reviewed all the reviews on the scientific evidence that barefoot running is better than traditionally shod running and all the reviews I covered reached the same conclusion, that there is no evidence. Since writing that, another review of the evidence concluded the same thing and had some harsh words for all those who […]
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Is the rearfoot pattern the most frequent foot strike pattern among recreational shod distance runners?
Here is some newly published rocket science: Is the rearfoot pattern the most frequently foot strike pattern among recreational shod distance runners? Matheus Oliveira de Almeida, Bruno Tirotti Saragiotto, Tiê Parma Yamato, Alexandre Dias Lopes Physical Therapy in Sport; Available online 26 February 2014 Objective: To determine the distribution of the foot strike patterns among […]
Overload injuries in barefoot/minimal footwear running
My interpretation of the preponderance of the research on general injury rates between barefoot/minimalist vs traditionally shod runners and forefoot/midfoot vs rearfoot striking is that there is no difference in the rates. That does not mean that I will not change my mind or evolve my interpretation as more research is made available. For that […]
Its six of one and half a dozen of the other: Rearfoot vs Forefoot striking when running
I have said that cliché so many times and also that adage that when it comes to running you can’t change running form without increasing the load in one tissue while decreasing it in another, that it hardly needs repeating. I have commented on this several times here, here and here (and probably in a few other […]
Can running shoes control motion?
I have been meaning to look at this issue in a lot more depth for a while now as my understanding of the preponderance of literature (which I freely admit I have not looked closely at again recently, hence wanting to have a closer look) is that on average, running shoes, specifically ‘motion control’ shoes, […]
Latest Running Shoe Sales Figures & Trends
Just before Christmas, I had a bit of fun looking at the popularity of different running shoe brands when searched for in Google and also the search trend for the Hoka One One vs the Vibram Five Fingers. That was nothing more than me being bored and having the look at it for fun. The […]
Hoka One One vs Vibram FiveFingers
Last night in a fit of boredom (and to take my mind of the little brats before bedtime!) I looked at the search volumes in Google for all the different running shoes brands and promised I would not really make any comments on the data. I lied. While you have to take the data for […]
Popularity of Running Shoe Brands Based on Google Search Volume
Last week, when I got bored as I was unwell, I set about making up a list of all the running shoes brands I could think of. Thanks to comments and emails, the list got to 93. I am still not able to run as much as I would like, so for a bit more […]
Review: ‘Reality Check, How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future’
This book is not about running, but it is very relevant to the topic of this blog. I buy and read a lot of books, often related to putting what I have an interest in into some wider context (for example, see this review on The Story of the Human Body). This new book from […]
Examining injury risk and pain perception in runners using minimalist footwear
All the rhetoric and propaganda over recent years is that minimalist or running barefoot running will reduce the risk of injury. The preponderance of the recent research on injury rates has not supported that. Now we have this new study to add to the mix: Examining injury risk and pain perception in runners using minimalist […]
How many different running shoe brands are there?
A few days ago, I tweeted this: How many different brands of running shoes are there? …. I just identified 74! — Craig Payne (@CraigBPayne) December 9, 2013 {EDIT: there are now 132 brands on the list} I did it as I was bored and not well enough to go for a run. A […]
Can mixing up the running shoes prevent overuse running injury?
An overuse injury is due to the cumulative load in the tissue being beyond what the tissue can take. To prevent an injury, you have to reduce that cumulative load and/or increase the ability of the tissues to take that load. There are many strategies for doing both. One strategy is to vary the running […]
Rearfoot and Midfoot/Forefoot Impacts in Habitually Shod Runners
When comparing the biomechanics of different foot strike patterns, these reseachers set out to answer the somewhat ambiguous question of whether the biomechanical differences are due to changes in footwear, foot strike, or a combination of the two: Rearfoot and Midfoot/Forefoot Impacts in Habitually Shod Runners Boyer, Elizabeth R.; Rooney, Brandon D.; Derrick, Timothy R. Medicine […]
Subject Specific vs Systematic Responses to Interventions
In yesterdays post on the quest for the ideal heel drop in a running shoe I used a study to illustrate a point about subject specific responses of 2 subjects in the study. A comment was made about this being cherry picking. This is not what cherry picking is and rather than continue to respond […]
What is the ideal ‘drop’ for a running shoe?
Straight to it: based on my understanding of the current knowledge, the evidence and discarding all the logical fallacies, I can find no evidence and no rationale for any blanket recommendations for any ideal drop in a running shoe. Yet, everywhere you go there are some pretty strongly held opinions with lots of the typical […]