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[meguro]

Originally Posted by ashiharakaicho

And what did you do to overcome or work around the fasciitis issue?

Osu! It took a while, maybe 2 years, but eventually the symptoms disappeared. Keeping the achilles and plantar fascia loose by stretching and standing on a 5 or 6 inch diameter cylinder (great for balance training as well as stretching) worked for me much better than physiotherapy. I was able to train karate by taping the arch and ankle.

[JamesD25]

Originally Posted by sandman

Wow! That's awesome - what was the race? Do you do that kind of thing often? I can't imagine 12 hours of running - blech!!!

Wow! That's awesome - what was the race? Do you do that kind of thing often? I can't imagine 12 hours of running - blech!!!

The race I did is the "The Fig." It takes place down in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky every year in November. It is 60 miles long if you don't get lost. You end up kayaking, running, and mountain biking through different sections of the race.

The real kicker is you are given coordinates to 15 different checkpoint roughly 20 minutes before the race starts and must map them out on a topographic map then navigate to them in the correct order using a compass and UTM plotter.

I looked up the Merrell Barefoot Runners... what's so special about them, they look like normal shoes with a flat sole that has a fancy colorful drawing of toes on it? what is the deal here?

The Merrell Barefoot Runners have been ruggedized for trail running. Other "barefoot" typed shoes tend to have relatively thin soles and thus you can really feel tree roots, rock, etc. when you stop on them. The Merrell shoe has a thicker less flexible sole that allows you to more comfortable traverse this type of terrain.

Plus, they look freaking awesome. And isn't that what's really important.

[FredInChina]

Originally Posted by JamesD25

(...) The Merrell Barefoot Runners have been ruggedized for trail running. Other "barefoot" typed shoes tend to have relatively thin soles and thus you can really feel tree roots, rock, etc. when you stop on them. The Merrell shoe has a thicker less flexible sole that allows you to more comfortable traverse this type of terrain.

Plus, they look freaking awesome. And isn't that what's really important.

hummm...... in other words, they took the barefoot concept, and redesigned it to ............ reengineer normal "good looking" shoes with it...

Bloody geniuses, I say!


Osu!

[JamesD25]

hummm...... in other words, they took the barefoot concept, and redesigned it to ............ reengineer normal "good looking" shoes with it...

It's is still a barefoot concept shoe. It has zero cushion and is flat versus a raised heel on a normal shoe. I would say the only difference between the Merrell shoe and the Vibram shoe is the Merrel shoe uses "car tire" rubber for the bottom while Vibram uses "bicycle tire" rubber. Pardon my metaphor.

[FredInChina]

Originally Posted by JamesD25

It's is still a barefoot concept shoe. It has zero cushion and is flat versus a raised heel on a normal shoe. I would say the only difference between the Merrell shoe and the Vibram shoe is the Merrel shoe uses "car tire" rubber for the bottom while Vibram uses "bicycle tire" rubber. Pardon my metaphor.

Okay, I hear you...
So, the difference with normal shoes is a flat hard sole, am I right or have I missed something?

Are there individual toes, etc...?


Osu!


PS: I have nothing against the Merrell shoes, I just want to understand because their website does a really poor job at explaining what the fuss is about... maybe they market to a very specific tribe that for some reasons I never came across with?

[JamesD25]

Okay, I hear you...
So, the difference with normal shoes is a flat hard sole, am I right or have I missed something?

Are there individual toes, etc...?

Yeah the key difference between normal shoes and "barefoot" shoes is the flat sole, zero inclination. This is suppose to allow you to run "like nature intended." which is with a foot strike somewhere around the middle to front of your foot rather than a heel strike which is what a normal cross training shoe will force you to do, thus all the padding on the heel of a normal running shoe.

The Merrell shoe does not have "fingers" like the Vibram shoe, but the soles of the Merrel shoe were developed by the Vibram company. It was a joint project. So from a consumers point of view, Vibram made them function and Merrell made them look awesome. Hope this info helps.

P.S.S. No offence taken. I'm just O.C.D. and can't stand to leave something unsaid.

[FredInChina]

Thank you, all is clear now, I have no more question!


Osu!

[sandman]

Originally Posted by JamesD25

The race I did is the "The Fig." It takes place down in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky every year in November. It is 60 miles long if you don't get lost. You end up kayaking, running, and mountain biking through different sections of the race.

The real kicker is you are given coordinates to 15 different checkpoint roughly 20 minutes before the race starts and must map them out on a topographic map then navigate to them in the correct order using a compass and UTM plotter.

That sounds awesome! And tiring...

Plus, they look freaking awesome. And isn't that what's really important.

Of course it is!

[ashiharakaicho]

Originally Posted by meguro

Osu! It took a while, maybe 2 years, but eventually the symptoms disappeared. Keeping the achilles and plantar fascia loose by stretching and standing on a 5 or 6 inch diameter cylinder (great for balance training as well as stretching) worked for me much better than physiotherapy. I was able to train karate by taping the arch and ankle.

I rolled my feet on a tube/broomstick to stretch - but what I did was I "McGivered" a shin-instep pad type "tool" (for lack of a better word) to keep my foot upright at night to keep the foot up and not to relax, because normally in the mornings it started hurting when weight came back on them.

Worked well and now the other work I do give me no problems and only now and then am I forced to wear the orthotics.

[FredInChina]

Home made Strasbourg's socks...
They allow the fascia to heal at night and not be torn again in the morning when you extent your feet.
A bit of ankles rolls and foot stretching for one or two minutes before putting any weight on the feet helps too.

I had a case of plantar fasciitis too from April to Oct of last year.


Osu!