wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Running barefoot takes time to get used to, but the key is that is changes your stride so you land over the center of the foot (and shorten the stride) rather than on the heel, which is what shoes force you to do.

Nike, yes Nike found that running shoes actually increase the impact on the knees and hips because they change how the runner lands, on the heel.

People generally do not have bad feet at birth. Feet go bad because we put them in shoes that force unnatural postions in our bodies and spend the majority of our time on overly hard, flat surfaces.

Funny that humans consistently think we can outwit nature.

The shoes he mentioned were Vibram Five Fingers...

my thanks to brian for a smart interview and excellent show. i'm really glad it's sparking some debate about the secrets of the Tarahumara, because by the time i returned from those expeditions at the heart of "Born to Run," i was convinced that their fun, free-flowing, barefoot style of running is exactly the reset button the reset of us need to tap back into our natural capacity for strength, health and peace of mind. and the first step? a naked one. it took me a while (and quite a bit of pain) before the truth finally sank in that the best shoe is no shoe at all. think about it: we survived beautifully for 2 million years -- 2 million years! -- without running shoes. only within the blink of an eye have we been seduced into thinking these clunky things are actually better than the infinitely flexible, arching, responsive foot we were born with. the evidence is overwhelming, and it's all in Born to Run.

tom -- you got about 20 hard years on your knees. So your 8 year old is fine.

@Tom in FL, I agree that we could learn from kids and lose some of the bad habits we've developed in our form, but I don't think that's the reason kids don't get hurt running as adults do. I think it has more to do with the fact that they weigh a fraction of what adults do so the stresses on their bodies are much less. Their abilities just don't scale up to our size.

Also, regarding the tribes that run bare footed and have no injuries, is it just that they don't complain about minor injuries like we do? If we're running for pleasure we can stop for week if we have shin splints. If they run because they have to travel long distances they may not have the option of taking a week off.

10/tom -- the way I figure out, the average knees have about 20 or 25 years of hard, daily exercise (running, etc.) before they start to fall apart.

your 8 year old has nothing to worry about...yet, of course.

those 90 year old barefoot mexican marathoners -- do they smoke, too? if so, what brand and where can i get them?

seriously though those mexican barefoot runners might be swell but i am guessing, just common sense -- that only the ones with good feet are running at all.

some people are born w good feet and some are born w not as good feet. if they all have good feet there then the unhealthy ones have probably been weeded out for their weakness.

As someone who has both run ultras and been injured regularly (and *still* love running), I am reworking my whole running method by watching my 8-yr-old run.

Anyone would benefit by watching kids run. They run all the time and never get injured. Why? No running shoes. They also run a little, walk a little, rest a little, repeat.

A good lesson for all of us.

I don't think his blanket statement regarding running shoes is correct. I know several people that eliminated nagging injuries by getting the right shoe for their feet. It wasn't the most expensive shoe, it just compensated for their pronation when they ran.

Could you please ask Christopher to repeat the name of the shoes that he now wears for running? Thanks.

What were the running shoes Christopher McDougall mentioned he uses?

I have shin splints and haven't run in over six months. Yet they still haven't healed. What can the author suggest?

Also, my boyfriend is a huge fan of Mr. McDougall's and has been wearing the Vibram Five Fingers even though I make fun of him relentlessly. He, however, doesn't have shin splints.

I would agree with the guest about specialty products for sports activity. Many times the manner in which we use our bodies is what injures us, not the equipment. Is the author familiar with the Alexander Technique or Feldenkreis Method as a manner of training the body for proper use?

I have developed shin splints and my trainer suggested it may have to do with a pair of shoes that cause me to overpronate. Could this be possible? Do you think changing to a flatter, less cushioned shoe could reverse this?

SO, no 'motion control' for over-pronators?

any studies comparing life span and other measurements of health between members of the running tribe and those who are not?