NOTICE
BACK TO BASICS THE BENEFITS OF BAREFOOT RUNNING
Those are the dumbest things I have ever seen. That was Lynnette Dornak's first thought when she saw Vibram FiveFingers, a type of barefoot shoe identifiable by its rather strange exposed-toe design. But on the recommendation of two separate friends, she tried on a pair. Her attitude towards FiveFingers has done a complete 180 since then.
Dornak, Lawrence doctoral student, is now so addicted to her barefoot shoes that when her dog decided to make them an afternoon snack the day she was going out of town, she picked up a new pair on her way to the airport. She has been a faithful FiveFingers wearer for more than a year and half now. "I am their biggest spokesperson." Dornak says. "I can't stop recommending them to people."
Dornak got her barefoot shoes specifically because of their reputation to decrease
running injuries. A poll done by runnersworld. com found that 66 percent of runners surveyed suffered some kind of injury in 2009. Many of the repetitive injuries associated with running are directly related to heel-striking, in which a person lands on their heels.
Heel-striking can be very damaging in the long-term, especially for your knees, and an estimated 75 percent of runners in the United States heel-strike. A 2010 Harvard study found that barefoot runners are less susceptible to injury because they land in the middle to forefront of the foot, which helps the body absorb the impact of hitting the ground.
Shoes such as Vibram FiveFingers and Merrell barefoot shoes are designed so the wearer gets the same benefits of actually going barefoot. Micah Clement, a personal trainer certified by the National Academy of Sports
**Food illustration by jessica janahz**
**Foot-loose:** Wearing barefoot shoes can strengthen muscles that don't get much attention on a regular basis and can also improve your balance. Barefoot training can help runners and walkers alike by improving form and reducing injury.
Medicine, and who has a degree in kinesiology, says that, evolutionarily speaking, humans were not designed to wear shoes. "Barefoot shoes are returning back to basics as far as the body's concerned," he says.
Barefoot shoes improve posture and help tone an often under-developed group of muscles. "When you go barefoot you engage muscles you never even knew you had," Clement says. "The first couple of weeks, your calves are on fire."
Barefoot shoes build up stabilizer muscles in the calves and feet that go unused when you wear regular running shoes. Clement says to expect a considerable amount of soreness for the first several weeks after switching to barefoot shoes as your body strengthens these muscles.
Training in barefoot shoes also allows you to feel and respond to changes in the ground more readily, which leads to better reaction time and decreased risk of injury. Regular running shoes can impede your reaction time, which often results in falls or sprained ankles. Barefoot shoes put you in direct contact with terrain, improving your ability to detect subtle fluctuations in ground levels. This allows the brain to signal muscles to react faster and better maintain your balance.
Clement, a longtime sufferer of knee injuries that required multiple surgeries, says that his knee problems disappeared when he started wearing FiveFingers three years ago. He also recommends them to people with lower-back and ankle issues; however, he says that those who are not at least somewhat active may not have the leg strength to jump right into FiveFingers.
Some barefoot-shoe wearers have fallen in love with FiveFingers for reasons other than running benefits. Chris Albrecht, Olathe senior, doesn't even run, but he reps his FiveFingers wherever he goes. In his barefoot shoes he has climbed a fourteener in Colorado and walked the Great Wall of China. He also sports them everyday on campus. "For that one person that looks at me funny, I'll get nine people that ask me about them," Albrecht says. "If anything, they're a conversation starter."
Although barefoot shoes have been a trend in the outdoor industry for the last few years, the shoes are fairly new around Lawrence. Sunflower Outdoor and Bike received its first shipment of FiveFingers on March 1. Sam
Gleeson, a KU graduate and employee at Sunflower, says the store is trying to get the word out that it has FiveFingers in-stock. "It's almost impossible to buy them directly online from Vibram," Gleeson says. "It's better to buy them in-store anyway, because then you can try them on and make sure they fit properly."
Vibram's website is so back-ordered that consumers looking to snag a pair will probably have more luck finding their size at local stores. Besides Sunflower, you can find barefoot running shoes at Gary Gribble's Running Sports and at Backwoods Adventures in Overland Park.
QUICK GUIDE TO BAREFOOT SHOES
Vibram FiveFingers
$75-$125
These barefoot shoes are characterized by their unique webbed-toe design. The 12 different styles vary by type of material (some are kangaroo suede, while one pair is even made of neoprene), amount of tread or specific to activity. When shoes get dirty or smelly, simply throw them in the washing machine and let them air-dry.
Injinji Socks $12
These toe socks are specifically designed with FiveFingers in mind. You can wear FiveFingers with or without the socks.
Merrell Barefoot Shoes
$90-$120
Get the benefits of going barefoot without sacrificing style. These shoes have more traditional tennis-shoe and sandal designs. The barefoot line also touts Vibram soles. For barefoot newbies, Merrell's website also has videos with information about how to get started and a "Top Ten Tips for Beginners" guide.
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peels that racers used against opponents. Every round eight participants raced through two laps on oversized tricycles. The winner each round won a $15 gift card.
Parr opted for bouncy balls, which forced racers to spin around if hit by one.
"One hundred percent bouncy ball every time," Parr said.
Others went for banana peels.
"What's more fun than wearing a banana suit?" Kaplan said.
Kaplan and other event staff originally tried to eat the bananas for the peels but gave up after about 10.
Heather Kaplan, a sophomore from Shawnee, handed out peels to racers. She also donned a banana suit for the event.
The event is just one of several events SUA is producing in the remaining month and a half left in the semester. SUA vice president of communications Andrew Fillmore, a junior from Belle Plaine, spoke about some of the highlights:
Rain had threatened to derail Kansas Kart, but the sky held for the event.
KU'S BEST DANCE CREW Students will have the chance
Auditorium Tuesday, April 19, to speak about the "It Gets Better" project, which he created.
Fillmore said that although Savage often did his "Savage Love" presentation, the Union event will be focused on "It Gets Better."
"It Gets Better" consists of a series of videos designed to communicate to gay and lesbian youth that "it gets better" regardless of the hostility or insecurity they may be experiencing. Celebrities and politicians have lent their names to the cause, including President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
The event is $5 with a KU student ID.
MIKE POSNER
SUA will host hip-hop artist Mike Posner at Liberty Hall Tuesday, April 26.
Tickets are available at the SUA Box Office on the fourth level of the Kansas Union and are $15 for students.
Posner is perhaps best known for his songs "Cooler Than Me" and "Please Don't Go."
SEE SUA ON PAGE 3A
to use. Fifth Premium and Memorial Stadium to house major events.
Travis Young/KANSAN
Johnson said the platform stemmed from listening to a friend's parents reminisce about their time at the University.
"They talked about how when they went to school they remember having concerts after basketball games," Johnson said. "And we would like to welcome big name artists and speakers, things like that, back into Allen Fieldhouse and even Memorial Stadium."
Jon Sabillon, a senior from Lawrence, dresses up as Mario for SUA's Kansas Kart event Thursday afternoon and cheers as Jeni Burrows, SUA's special event coordinator from Belle Plaine, drives them into the finish line. There was a track set up in the parking lot of the Visitor's Center with various obstacles and had handful of different projectiles the drivers could pick up. Travis Young/KAN
KUnited's goal is to make those venues more accessible as an option to infrequently house big events.
SUA president Rachel Anderson said attempts were made year after year to have an event in Allen Fieldhouse.
"Something like what KUnited is proposing would be ideal," Anderson said. "But the question will still be do we spend a huge amount of money for that one show or spread it out over the entire year?"
Funding will always be an issue to book events, Anderson said, but developing a partnership could help fray those costs.
Anderson, a senior from Manhattan, said as an organization SUA had discussed this idea extensively.
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Marchiony said, "It is very difficult to schedule outside events at Allen Fieldhouse." During the
academic year, the Fieldhouse is rived exclusively and in the sum
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As recently as 2006 Allen Fieldhouse hosted comedian and actor Bill Cosby during Homecoming week.
Even artists such as Bob Marley and Louis Armstrong once graced the University with their musical presence.
"Certain artists won't come because we have to be able to offer them a sell-out space and this could help in bringing any artist," Johnson said.
Marchiony said the first discussions regarding this kind of proposal would most likely take place between himself and the Athletics Department facilities staff.
Without knowing specifics and without speaking to other staff members, he said it was difficult to discuss feasibility.
"We would talk about it as a department and decide on whether or not it would be something we would want to schedule here and something we would want to represent," Marchiony said.
Neither Marchiony nor Anderson said they had personally spoken with KUnited coalition members.
INDEX
Classifieds ... 8A
Crossword ... 4A
Cryptquips ... 4A
Opinion ... 5A
Sports ... 10A
Sudoku ... 4A
SEE COALITION ON PAGE 3A
SATURDAY
90 68
Partly Cloudy
Forecasts by University students. For a complete detailed forecast for the week, see page 24
with contents, course status stated.
RELAYS | 3A
Some events move to downtown
Kansas Relays moves three events to downtown Lawrence.
FOOTBALL | 10A
Team has first spring practice
Coach Turner Gill studies his players during practice to decide on their positions.
O
SOFTBALL | 8A
Kansas needs to strengthen its defense for weekend's game against Oklahoma St.
After losing its two games against Oklahoma earlier this week, the Kansas softball team fell 0-8 in its conference record.