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| An ad for the popular Virbam Five Fingers "Toe Shoes" that are very poplar among minimalist runners |
Vibram previously made claims that barefoot shoes can lead to better health, claims that have no when rescinded as law suits have been filed, according to a report last week in the British paper the Telegraph.
The law suits came from across the Pond, from the USA, and additional statements in the Telegraph by running coach James Cracknell, himself an accomplished British professional runner, said he'd use the shoes for training but not racing.
Different coaches quoted in the Telegraph reference the possibility of injury from minimalist running shoes such as Vibram Five Fingers. But the article, or the coaches who commented, didn't elaborate on the types of injuries that could occur.
The most obvious injuries do come from fatigue in muscles made "lazy" by shoes. Any coach who advises you on barefoot running will stress that you should stick with your shoes for most of your run until you've logged lost of barefoot miles-such as running the last mile of a ten mile run-after you've worked your way up from the last quarter mile. Ankle muscles don;t move much in normal shoes and must be developed slowly.
This advise doesn't just come from the experienced barefoot runner who wrote this post, it also comes from his coach-Michael Sandler, one of the world's best-know barefoot runners.
