The Skeptoid blog treats the question of barefoot running.
There can be no doubt that I’ve fully embraced this barefoot running practice. I’m obsessive. I sing the virtues that I’ve thus far discovered. Frankly, I’m quite stunned at my continuing success. But I’m also skeptical. Skepticism permeates the very fabric of my being, and though I’m pushing forward full force with my barefoot experiment, it’s precisely that – an experiment.
No, it’s not a “well controlled” study. There are no control groups. No double-blind comparisons. It’s just me and my personal experience. It’s a chronicle of my journey, and nothing more.
I’ve had great success so far with no apparent limit yet in sight. I love barefoot and minimalist running. It’s truly begun to reshape my life. But one good, solid study is all it will take to bring it all to an end. The truth is, the jury really is still out on the science of barefoot running (I wrote about this just recently).
It all makes logical sense to me, and my personal experience is proving that there may be something to it. But though I’m currently an advocate, and very upfront about the available studies and comparisons, I am 110% ready and willing to say that I am wrong if solid science shows me to be in error.
It’s because of this critical stance that I was very happy to see a treatment of the question “Is Barefoot Better?” on Brian Dunning’s Skeptoid blog.
He seems to share the same position that I take. For instance, he says:
Logically, the argument in favor of going barefoot — both for everyday locomotion and for athletes — is a compelling one.
But continues later on with:
A search of the literature reveals that most researchers complain of a lack of good studies comparing injury incidence between barefoot runners and shod runners, so it’s premature to make any kind of authoritative statement that either barefoot running, or running shoes, help prevent injuries.
It’s premature. Plain and simple. I’m pleased to be on this personal journey, and I’ll continue to share both my success and failure with everyone here, but it’s refreshing to read and hear another skeptical voice on the topic of barefoot running – one that clearly tackles the subject from an unbiased stance. I’m all for strong advocacy of a position (having opinions is a good thing) but let’s make sure that while advocating, we can still say “but I might be wrong” in the absence of strong evidence in either direction.
For me, barefoot running seems to be working wonders right now. But I’m interested in the very long term. It remains to be seen whether or not barefooting it will confer benefits to general health, joint wear and muscular fitness over the course of decades. But regardless, it sure beats sitting around waiting for the studies – that’s a sure path to an early death. Better to live life and be wrong than to waste it for fear of making the wrong decision.
So, barefoot or no, get out there and do something! 
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For those of you unfamiliar with Brian Dunning, check out his blog Skeptoid : Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena. It’s pretty good.
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I like your approach! Many of the barefoot critics will point to a laack of research supporting barefoot running. In my opinion, there IS a fair amount of research to justify trying barefoot running (http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/research.html.)
In the next year or two, some research should be completed that will shed some light on the injury rates between barefoot, minimalist, and shod runners. I think this will be the holy grail of research… it will finally confirm the anecdotal evidence barefoot runners have been touting for years.
Jason – Many thanks for your comment and the link! You have compiled an extraordinary number of resources, and I love your opening statement on the research page:
“Barefoot Running University is founded on the principle that barefoot and minimalist shoe running should be based on peer-reviewed empirical research. As such, we firmly support all efforts to investigate both the benefits and limitations of barefoot and minimalist shoe running.”
Now *that’s* the healthy and balanced approach we should all adopt!
I especially like the link you provided to the BMJ/BJSM article “Is your prescription of distance running shoes evidence based?”, which concludes that “the prescription of this shoe type [elevated cushioned heels and pronation control systems] to distance runners is *not* evidence based.” Emphasis mine, obviously.
You see, even the “mainstream” practices of most runners and (*gasp*) doctors is not evidence based! There’s a problem with that. And it simply blows me away that the mainstream can be so very militant in their opposition of practices such as – I’ll say it – “ours”, when there’s so little science behind their own. The good news is this though – because there is controversy and opposition, more studies are being conducted, which will lead us ultimately to better informed decisions based upon actual real data.
It’s remarkable that despite how very much we know about the human body, we know so very little! And you’re right, there *is* a lot of mounting evidence on the pro-barefoot side! Though I suspect that the mainstream will take a great deal of time to catch up, and certainly more studies will be done (the “definitive” ones are yet to come, certainly), I think that everyone reading here is glad to be riding the forefront (ironically?), listening to and learning from their own bodies, and finding the approach that genuinely works for them.
Thanks again Jason for stopping by! I’ll be spending more time on your site too! Great resources!