Okay, the main reason I’m posting this is for what he says starting at about the 3:00 mark. I’m a big fan of minimalist running and I come by it honestly. Even when I bought my first pair of big clunker running shoes, I was annoyed because I was a forefoot-striker and the huge heels really got in the way.
But Dr. Lieberman’s point is the right one – it’s not so much what you wear, but how you run. True, your shoe will have an impact on that. But it’s not necessary (and I would argue it’s foolish, if you’re a road runner) to literally run barefoot to be truly minimalist. There is a guy who runs races in my area who is always barefoot…and he’s a heel-striker!!! This is absurd. It’s getting the appearance of the thing right but the point of it completely wrong. If you’re going to be a heel-striker and run on concrete or asphalt, use traditional shoes for pitty’s sake. I’ll have more to say on minimalist running in future posts, but it will become clear that a) I think minimalist running is the way to go, and b) I think that there are a lot of people who buy into the minimalist/I’m-just-like-a-caveman/getting-back-to-nature/nevermind-that-cavemen-didn’t-run-on-asphalt/I-may-still-be-destroying-my-knees-with-heel-striking-but-at-least-my-shoes-have-individual-toe-slots, and who totally miss the point. For my part, give me a shoe with little to no heel-to-toe drop, but some cushioning because by Jove pounding the pavement hurts!