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…and to have friends in high places.
My new favorite book is Born To Run by Christopher McDougall. There were quite a few bombshells about running and how our bodies work but the biggest one was this nugget from page 173,
When E. C. Fredrick, then the director of Nike Sports Research Lab, arrived at the 1986 meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics, he was packing a bombshell. ”When subjects were tested with soft versus hard shoes,” he said, “no difference in impact force was found.” No difference! ” And curiously,” he added, ” the second, propulsive peak in the vertical ground reaction force was actually higher with soft shoes.”
The puzzling conclusion: the more cushioned the shoe, the less protection it provides.
The book is about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico who are renowned for their ability to run well beyond the distance of a marathon which they do for fun. They run 50-75 miles all in sandals of some type while their older runners are often their strongest.
Researchers at the University of Oregon’s Biomechanics/Sports Medicine Laboratory were verifying the same finding. As running shoes got worn down and their cushioning hardened, the Oregon researchers revealed in a 1988 study for the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, runners’ feet stabilized and became less wobbly.
The book goes into explanation and examples how our bodies react better to the hard surface. As tempting as it is to write the whole chapter in her, it would be a crazy long post. But throughout the book he makes the point that people running without super cushioned shoes are fairing better including the writer who recovered from his numerous injuries by changing his running style and equipment.
An interesting note that he didn’t connect is the idea that Wilt Chamberlain, who had the highest average minutes per game, fewest games played to reach 15,000, 20,000, 25,000 and 30,000 points, and second all time leader in points, was still able to run a 50 mile ultramarathon at age 60.
Basketball players now only use their shoes once a night and sometimes change at half time. How did we go from shoes that lasted players a whole year to advanced shoes only lasting for one game? If shoe cushioning had such an important role in saving our legs and knees, how did his thin canvas shoes not destroy his knees with all of that pounding?
I remember talking to an Adidas college rep who said it was amazing the amount of force college basketball players put on their shoes. He told me, and I couldn’t quite understand how, that these guys were essentially destroying the shoes in one game which goes along with the theory that more cushion equals more force.
If you run, want to run, or just like a good story, you should pick up the book. There is a great story about how we are actually designed to chase down gazelles…and there is proof.
So this is Dumbelievable because Nike has known for a long time that cushioning doesn’t help and even hinders or injures. They have finally seen that others have realized this and they market a basic shoe that I won’t name because they don’t deserve the publicity. But check out the Vibram Five Fingers, they are the ones to first create this type of shoe as far as I know. While cool, I bought some cheaper Body Glove shoes that are similar. I’ll give those a try and see what happens.
This story is also Dumbelievable because it is extremely counter intuitive. Cushioning makes us hit the ground harder? We can chase an animal until it falls over? Amazing.
UPDATE: Another barefoot study. This one from Harvard.
Gilbert Arenas is under investigation by local and federal authorities after admitting that he had brought weapons into the locker room. Weapons that he did not have a license to own.
What do you do when you see a cop on the highway with a radar gun? You check your speed. Gilbert Arenas should have checked himself as soon as the gun incident became news but he didn’t. Rotoworld wrote the following about Gilbert Arenas’ Twitter account where he was writing odd stuff for someone who had met with authorities and should be trying to keep a low profile.
Gilbert Arenas, who is at the center of a police and NBA investigation regarding the allegation that him and Javaris Crittenton pulled guns on each another, has been tweeting about everything from Peter Vescey’s article about him, addressing rumors about Shaquille O’Neal and his fiance’, to making jokes of questionable taste.
We’ll let you be the judge of what types of lines he may or may not have crossed, but we’re pretty sure David Stern wants this problem to get smaller, not bigger. By drawing attention to himself at this time, he is increasing his chances of a suspension significantly, much to his owners’ chagrin. Additionally, he really needs to hire someone to edit his work
So what did Gilbert Arenas do last night? In the pre-game warmups Arenas, with the team surrounding him, pointed two fingers as if they were guns and everyone fell back according to the Marc Stein in the video below. Say what you will about freedom of speech but the NBA is about image and that is not the haphazard, thoughtless image that Stern wants to portray.
“Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA.” – NBA commissioner David Stern
Good job Arenas, you are Dumbelievable.
I don’t know what this news anchor wanted to say or thought he was going to say but it was our online video of 2009. And Thank You Sir!
Here’s John Stewart’s take:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Intro – Ernie Anastos’ Catch Phrase | ||||
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So stupid it hurts.
“No, I think it’s YOUR turn to feed the baby.”
Is the kid really “stealing” Christmas gifts? And how did the mastermind four year-old get into your house. That sir is why we look doors. Drunk children are out there.
The mother said couldn’t understand how the kid got the “tabbed beer” open. Um, just pull?
I have the exact same question here that I do anytime I find Jerry Springer or Maury Povich on the tube. “Why are these people talking on TV about the idiotic stuff that happens in their life?” Stay anonymous or you’ll end up on the intertubes.
