Kilkenny

Okay, everyone knows how much Ryan loves shoes, right? Not just any shoes, but NICE shoes. Even more than his love for NICE shoes, Ryan loves really GOOD shoes for various purposes. He has been running, biking, and swimming for years and as a result, has had trouble with aches and pains in his lower back, knees, calves, etc. He heard about Vibram 5 fingers and did a lot of research on the benefits of running with minimal foot gear. The "marshmallow" over-priced, over-marketed athletic shoes of today are doing nothing but injuring runners. Why is it that ultramarathoners, track runners and racers wear the most minimalist shoes? Some even wear sandals or go barefoot and are NEVER injured?

Anyway, Ryan purchased himself a few pairs of Vibram 5 fingers and never looked back. His running pains have all disappeared!

Now, I am a much slower adopter of the 5 finger shoes. I personally don't hate them, but I'm not that serious into shoes. AFter Ryan finished reading Born to Run (see earlier post) he handed it over to me and i kind of rolled my eyes. I enjoy running about as much as I enjoy meat loaf. I can swallow it, but don't enjoy it at all. Despite my reticence, I have run quite a bit in my life and even attacked a marathon. After the marathon, I was certain I could never run again. My knee was so sore I didn't know how I was going to walk. To this day, every time I run more than 5 miles, I feel my knee throbbing. Easy solution? Don't run more than 5 miles at a time!

Again I digress. Ryan passed me Born to Run and after some eye rolling, I started reading. WOW. Great book even if you are not into running at all. Long story short, I myself was inspired to test out minimalist running shoes. Instead of going straight for the uber minimalist Vibram 5 fingers, I purchased a pair of Saucony Kilkenny racing flats last week.

I have been running on these bad boys all week and I can't believe how great I feel! And even better- NO KNEE PROBLEMS!

SO, moral of the story, pick up Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and get yourself a pair of racing flats. (Or Vibram 5 fingers if you are brave.) And even if you aren't a runner, the book is still worth your time.