well it makes you think...

[Sweder]

I've never been comfortable with my attritional style of running - I could well be the architypal heel striker; Stephen Jones could follow me 'round and kick 40 yard conversions out of the divots I take on soft ground.

Some of these barefoot/ flats articles got me thinking.
I'm not sure you're right Dan - I agree that runners were most likely more athletic types before this fad came upon the rest of us; however, some of the more scientific data (the Daily Mail is a comic, and not a good one - bah!) on the subject suggest real improvements/ injury reduction for runners who suffer reccurring problems switching to the flat-shoe/ barefoot method. We should of course add salt; there's usually an ulterior motive behind these stats - damned lies and all that.

This grabbed me because I seem to get the same old knee, calf and ankle trouble no matter what shoes I wear, new or old. Some of my problems stem from an excess of lard but I'm also well aware that my drunken stumbling methods don't help. It could be a false dawn, but if changing my running 'style' radically - from Quasimodo lope to upright, up-on-you-balls Meat-o-saurus style elegance - means I may get to extend my 'career' I'm going to dig a little deeper.