Minimalist Running Shoes

By Nicholas Pang

The Natural Running Revolution Has Started

Learn how to use minimalist running shoes as tools for improving your running form and run injury-free for life.
Understand what the latest footwear technologies offer and decide which works for your situation.

Learn what's wrong with traditional running shoes and how you can prevent injuries in the future.

Run Natural. Run Free.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicholas Pang
• Release date: Dec 27, 2010
• ISBN: 9781458173324

Nicholas Pang

On The Go Ventures: Publishing content and applications for the Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle, and MobiPocket mobile platforms. Authors include Nicholas Pang and Nick Ku.

Book preview

MINIMALIST RUNNING SHOES:

TOOLS FOR DEVELOPING GOOD RUNNING FORM

by

Nicholas Pang

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

Nicholas Pang on Smashwords

Minimalist Running Shoes:

Tools For Developing Good Running Form

Copyright © 2011 by Nicholas Pang

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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Acknowledgments

A number of runners and footwear manufacturing representatives have contributed to the successful production of The Minimalist Runner. Especially noteworthy are (alphabetical order) Ian Adamson (Newton Running), Christina Bracken (ZEMgear LLC), Brian Beckstead (Altra Running), Vivian Lefebvre (GoLite Footwear), Gina Lucrezi (Inov-8), Danny Orr (Somnio Running), Kristen Sullivan (New Balance), Ralph Saunders (Terra Plana), Lee Saxby (Terra Plana), and David Sypniewski (Skora Running). Without their education on various aspects of natural running and footwear technology, this book would have been another hidden bit in the vast digital world.

I would also like to thank my running partner and spouse, Sophie, for motivating and supporting my efforts in writing this book in my spare time.

Last but not least, thanks to Claire Pang for helping to demonstrate some of the warm up exercises and stretches.

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What This Book Is About

Lessons Learned From My Journey To Minimal Shoes – How I discovered that I can run with minimal shoes after being unable to run with traditional running shoes.

Transitioning To Minimalist Running Shoes – My real life and detailed transition plan from 30+ years on running in traditional running shoes to minimalist running shoes.

Develop A Better Running Form – The secondary goal of this book is to take the best techniques from barefoot running and minimal shoe technology to develop a running style that reduces injuries and improves performance.

Minimalist Running Shoes – Latest shoe technology and line of minimal shoes from A (Altra Running) to Z (ZEMgear) footwear manufacturers. And what’s coming in 2011.

Finding The Right Shoe – The primary goal of this book is to educate runners how to choose a pair of minimalist running shoe that offers a gradual transition towards a more natural running style that requires less cushioning and is very lightweight.

What This Book Is NOT About

Running Less – Minimalist runner is not about running as little as possible! There is already a book by Runner’s World magazine called, Run Less, Run Faster that teaches runners at all levels how to improve their race times while training less, with the revolutionary Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST) program.

Barefoot Running - Barefoot running play an important role in your minimalist training program but this book’s primary focus is on transitioning from traditional running shoes to minimal shoes, shod, but not barefoot (unshod).

Barefoot Running versus Shod Running Debate – Which is better? There are many benefits to running in barefoot. There are also many benefits to running in shoes. I will highlight the benefits and take the best from both but I will NOT debate which is better – that is left to the dedicated running blogs.

Injury Prevention Guide – There are many books out in the marketplace on this and related topics. I am NOT the expert or a medical professional or a coaching professional so I am not qualified to give such health and medical advice in this book.

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Chapter 1 - Resistance Is Futile

I want to start off by saying that I’m not a professional runner or coach but a recreational runner turned competitive. And I stumbled into minimalist running (minimal) shoes a little more than a year ago.

This book is for all the recreation runners out there who wants to have a better running form and is open to using the latest training tools like minimalist running shoes.

In 1997, Jim Fixx’s Complete Book of Running led to an incredible boom in running. In 2009, Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run is leading the boom in barefoot running and most important of all, recreational and competitive runners are opening up to learning better running form with many available tools - choices of minimalist running shoes. You can credit McDougall with the barefoot-inspired minimalist running shoe revolution!

But minimalist running shoes are not new. Racing flats have long been used for Track & Field and many long-distance runners mix in lightweight shoes as part of their training regimen. But with advancements in foams and meshes, running shoes have been getting lighter and lighter over recent years.

Is Minimalist Running A Fad?

The first thing that comes into most people’s minds is, Is this a fad?

I can honestly say that after running in minimal shoes for over a year while constantly doing research on running form and minimal shoes, this is real. We were once kids and ran in perfect running form without shoes. Our culture and quick fixes to our running problems (injuries, bad form, etc.) is what brought us to where we are today.

It is true that shoe companies like Newton Running and Vibram have been pushing the minimalist shoe movement but a large number of cross country and track coaches are equally driving this. Minimalist running shoes and barefoot running (mostly on grass or AstroTurf) have been used for decades by coaches and elite runners for technique and strength building. It’s the mass commercialization of these minimal shoes that recreational runners are starting to notice and have access to them.

Running Shoes & Running Form

I love this comment from the renowned Danny Dreyer of ChiRunning, Running does not cause injuries. It’s how you run that causes injuries.

Couldn’t agree with it more!

Whenever a runner gets injured running in shoes, it’s not always the shoe’s fault. Same as when a barefoot runner gets injured, it’s not always the athlete’s fault. You’re going to get injured either way if your running form is incorrect.

What it boils down to is this: minimalist running shoes are the greatest tools available today for helping you to transition into a more natural running form or style. It is possible to change your running form, contrary to what some coaches may tell you.

Use Your Feet More!

Benno Nigg, professor of biomechanics at the University of Calgary’s Human Performance Laboratory, stated that when wearing shoes, only two muscles of the ten muscles in our foot are needed to walk. To be exact, there are over 40 muscles within our foot. Nigg states that only the tibialis anterior (a shin muscle) and triceps surae (calf) muscles are needed. Not using a muscle causes the muscle to weaken. When this happens, the size of the muscle will diminish and can lead to atrophy (partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body).

Remember the popular MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) shoes that activate and tone your muscles? It’s based on the concept of ‘natural instability’ and it has some amazing health benefits. Professor Nigg has also done extensive research and studies on the effects of MBT shoes. In order to compensate and create stability when wearing MBT shoes, you activate the whole body, increases back muscle activity, improves posture, tightens buttocks and thighs and even burns more calories. All while reducing stress on the ankle, knee and hip joints. This has resulted in healthcare professionals around the world recommending MBT footwear in the treatment of backache, musculoskeletal injuries and other physical pains.

This is an awkward way of walking and forcing your muscles to work to balance yourself. But the bottom line is, use your muscles or lose it!

What’s Next?

As I sit here sidelined with an ankle injury from sprint practices, I’m 51 but feels like 40. In the book, Run For Life by Roy Wallack, the goal is to be able to run when we are 95 or 100. The objective is to slow the deterioration since we cannot stop the aging process.

From weight loss, better health, and improved mood, running is the closest elixir to the fountain of youth. Most people are trying to win the race of life and trying to enjoy it while they’re doing it.

Remember to keep it simple, keep it minimal. Unlearn your bad running habits. Trust your own body to tell