Among Wall Street’s trading desks and bullpens, chia seeds are becoming the stimulant of choice. Healthier than coffee, cheaper (and obviously more legal) than cocaine, and less juvenile than a 5-hour Energy drink, chia has undergone a total metamorphosis from 1980s punchline (Chia Pet’s “ch-ch-ch-chia” jingle still haunts Gen Xers) to superfood.
Good book, don’t get too caught up in what it says as running advice. Ultimately it’s a non-runner coming up with a story and misconstruing some facts for sure.
Well, I used to ultra run a lot back when the book was coming out. Jurek himself has always been somewhat quiet on the issue, but from people I know who’ve had the opportunity to speak with him and run with him, he definitely doesn’t agree with the whole central premise. I don’t feel like writing a huge page on this, so I’ll keep it simple and if you have questions, you can ask for clarification or simple research it.
Jurek himself has never run using true minimalist wear nor advocated it. His go to trail running shoe is the Cascadia. He designs many of the Brooks running line (I’ve always run in Cascadias for trail races) and none of them are really minimalist. The Green Silence is kinda minimalist, but not really in comparison to say VFF’s. So that this book uses him to support it’s central premise is kinda dumb. Also, very few of the top runners you’ll see at your average ultra race are wearing true minimalist footwear (often a mix of Inov8’s and Cascadias).
Jurek himself is a known “heel striker” at times and has said he varies his stride depending on the terrain and how he’s feeling. If you look at the picture of him running with the Indian / Mexican runner that’s online (from the race in that book), he’s definitely using a nice heel first stride, despite what the book says. Now, is heel striking bad? Sort of. Everyone’s running mechanics are slightly different and often this is because not everyone is constructed in the same identical fashion. If I run in an entirely neutral fashion with my heels not really even connecting, I’ll get IT band syndrome immediately and be out for both the race and the next 4-6 weeks of training. I’d consider that bad. So I have to at least use some heel strike to transfer stress off my it band. I know this from experience based on how I’m built. If some guys heel strike they’ll be out for awhile with knee pain, so it all depends on how you’re built. This is where terrain also becomes a factor. Running on trails and softer terrain allows you to use some heel strike. This can help, because it saves muscle wear for later in the race when you’ll need it. This is where you’ll see someone like Jurek making stride adjustments based on terrain and physical condition.
The copper canyon is not nearly as dangerous as stated in that book based on later assertions from pretty much every character that was in that race.
As an ultra runner, in the end, I liked the book a lot. But at some points, including many of the conclusions and methods pushed by the author, it was obvious he was an outsider trying to make a story and sell books based on something he didn’t really understand. He struggled through one race and interviewed a few peripheral figures and the occasional doctor (don’t think for a second the medical field’s opinion on anything is unified and can be represented by a single doctor) and now he’s the authority on how everyone should run apparently. But yes, taken with a grain of salt, some of the themes including the general minimalist theme can be useful.
Despite Christopher McDougall’s massive ultra background of one race, Dean Karnaze is not some big @sshole and Chris is kind of a big moron for insinuating that. Dean is the reason many people, including myself started ultra running, and his life story is inspirational for many reasons. Also, he’s not some glory seeking hack as Chris “forgets” to mention, Dean won Badwater. That’s no joke. Sometimes I wish Chris would have kept his unfounded opinions to himself a little better.
Taking this book as a sort of running bible and buying VFF’s without slowly building down to minimalist shoes and developing some running experience and education in the process (as well as a proper stride) will likely only give you foot fractures and massive knee pain. I think the dozens or possibly hundreds of people Chris is responsible for injuring because of biased or over simplified writing is ridiculous. I love VFF’s, but only for occasional training. At one point I made the mistake of running a road marathon in them, it was a nightmare.
I read the book in one breathe; great story telling on a great subject. Immediately got pumped to get some VFF and take the world over. Then spoke to a trainer and he just shook his head. Need to slowly transition to minimalist running. But overall he thinks they’re great. So i guess it’s exactly what you’re saying.
Do you feel they improved your running? Any benefit from them at all?
Yes, if you’re a serious runner, they do help. If you’ve taken the time to understand good form, VFF’s will help tie it all together. With them on, the form just kind of feels right. You’ll also start thinking about what you’re doing with your feet. They also build all your support muscles and calves. I also loved running in them just in and of themselves. But for MY mechanics, they were unfeasable for distances above 5-8 miles without risking an IT band inflammation that would force me to pause training. I’m jealous of people that can wear them for longer. For full time shoes with a minimalist vibe, maybe look at Brooks Green Silence or Saucony Kinvaras - I love Kinvaras, but they’re also a little too minimalist for me to use full time. For a more standard full time road shoe, I like Asics in general. Just take your time and transition to the VFF’s VERY slowly.
If you want to move into ultra distance running, I would recommend running in your regular running shoes like 3-4 days a week for long distances (starting maybe 5-8 miles, then later maybe 10+) then maybe running in the VFF’s 1-2 separate days a week for shorter fast distances (starting 1-3 miles, then later maybe 3-6 miles). Back at my peak I was doing 20+ miles like 3 times a week with another three days being 10-16 miles.
^Scott Jurek about to heel strike. Notice the Tarahumara is running with a more neutral landing though (because minimalist footwear requires it)
^Jurek heel strike again.
Also, on a side note, Jurek is not wearing minimalist gear in these photos. Also, there’s no way the indian guy beat Jurek unless Jurek wanted him to, just based on his track record.
Great commentary from a guy that met with Scott Jurek and heard him speak:
