Not everything is for everyone, except for t-shirts

I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my right foot and put into a walking boot for 6 weeks. However, the recovery process has gone faster than expected and I was able to get out of the boot after only two weeks. Unfortunately, some unknown malady has afflicted my left foot and now that foot is encased in the boot. It could be either another stress fracture in my heel this time, or it could be a strained Achilles tendon, or it could be something else. Who knows.

Regardless of the reality of your injury, whenever you get sidelined you wonder what you could have done differently to prevent it. I can think of two things I could have done differently to prevent my foot injuries: not wear VFFs like sneakers while I wasn't running, and not wear minimalist-type shoes when I was.

It goes against the hype I know, but I've come to the belief there is just a certain type of foot and/or body that should not forego the protection of a well cushioned shoe and I'm wondering if my feet and/or body belongs in that group. Maybe it's our natural disposition to walk around barefoot like our caveman ancestors, but back then not only did a caveman die from simple viruses that are rendered relatively harmless now with antibiotics, but there was no way to correct any problems cavemen experienced with age. There were no corrective lenses for eyes as vision deteriorated with age, for instance. I know life expectancy now is much longer than it was 25,000 years ago, but a big part of that is because we figured out how to fix the things that killed us then.

The problem with barefoot/minimalist running, and any subject that has more than one point of view, is there is plenty of facts and research to support whatever you want to believe. So while we have more information about more things than at any time in the history of the world we're really more confused than ever about everything.

My biggest confusion now is wondering if my foray into barefoot/minimalism put me on the shelf and if it was worth it. If I was forced to answer I'd say no, running in lighter shoes with less cushioning/support in exchange for slightly faster run times was not worth it. At all.

Still, I love walking around in VFFs. There has to be a happy medium somewhere...

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As discussed and voted about on my Facebook page in recent days, Running Moron t-shirts are coming! I wish they could be a little cheaper, but for this first run $21 is the best I can do. The more shirts that get purchased now the cheaper they'll be in the future, so keep that in mind. Also, I thought about charging $15 and $6 for shipping, but that's a little shady to me so $21 includes shipping. It's a bargain! I've opened a store that you can access by clicking the Store tab on the top of the page or by clicking here. Buy one and wear your moronity with pride!


You know you want one.