To Shod or Not to Shod

Shod running - also known as running barefoot - seems to be the hot topic these days with an increasing number of people training for and participating in marathons. Whether one may be a serious athletic runner or just partaking in the trend, shoe gear tends to be question on every runner's mind. What style of athletic shoe offers the best support? Which shoes prevent injuries? Are brands important? Asics or Nike? Running with shoes or running barefoot? Wait...what? Running barefoot? Until recently in the eyes of the public, the latter question may not have crossed the minds of very many. However, it appears that a small collection of runners faithful to "natural" running have started to expand - at least in terms of opening a new idea to the running population. Although many medical experts advise against running barefoot, saying that this may cause more harm than good and that shoes provide a protective barrier against any elements, up and coming research suggests that modern running shoes may not be all that they are cracked up to be. This research states that a lot of these shoes actually don't improve a runner's performance or prevent injury.

The idea of barefoot running has inspired innovative footwear production from some independent companies - specifically the Vibram FiveFingers line which are actually thin rubber "shoes" with individual toe pockets. Shoes such as these mimic barefoot running and hark back to the earlier evolutionary times. Not only has this idea originated in the minds of small and independent companies, but it is also starting to be promoted by big corporations such as Nike with their Nike Free athletic shoe creation. These bigger companies - still maintaining sales with their original supportive shoe gear - hope to have the best of both worlds by allowing customers the option of buying into either idea.

So which option is the right option? Many health professionals say that the idea of running barefoot brings some interesting perspective to the table, but more research is necessary before any concrete decisions can be made. They still see regular shoe gear as the better option to prevent any external injury to the feet. However, with time and more shoe gear studies, barefoot running may be the way of the racing future.