well it makes you think...

[El Gordo]

I'm not able to make a scientific contribution to this debate. As a poor punter (poor partly through the sums of money shelled out on running shoes over the past 8 years), I have to rely on the wisdom of others in these matters. The books tell me that 'proper running shoes' are the single most important item in the runner's locker, and this I must believe until a definitive new truth is disseminated.

What I can say, in an echo of Dan's (after George Sheehan's) remark that we're all an experiment of one, is that I find it inconceivable that someone as fat, old, and unathletic as me would benefit from less cushioned shoes or worse, no shoes at all. I can well see a wiry, featherweight African skipping the trails in bare feet, but surely the heavier you are the more vulnerable to injury you would be in no, or flimsy, footwear? We've all, surely, had the experience of running for a bus or train in our work shoes, and being puzzled by just how rubbish we are at running in non-running shoes?

That said, you have to wonder how the runners of yore managed. You see pictures of runners going back a few decades, and they seem to have leather shoes with flat heels and thin soles. So perhaps it is all down to conditioning.

Interesting to hear what the Swede says on injuries and running efficiency though. A couple of days ago I received my video of the Boston Marathon, with excerpts of me going past at certain points -- the start, 10km, halfway point, 30km, and finish line. What struck me was how my running style disintegrated as I went through the race. In particular, I noticed that from halfway on, as I was tiring, I was sort of swaying from side to side, while people round me were just pounding forward. This has to be an inefficient, slow, and energy-sapping way to run, and had me thinking that this is an area I could strive to improve to help conserve energy.

In the meantime, I'm sticking with my heavily cushioned Asics Foundations, along with the extra insoles and padded socks.