Reporter’s File – Barefoot Running

KBIA’s Brad Fischer reflects on his experience investigating the phenomenon of barefoot running… and takes a lap around the MU campus on nothing but the soles of his feet.

I first became interested in doing a story about barefoot running when I read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall in the fall. McDougall details the increase in running injuries over the last 30 years, and he concludes that the modern running shoe is to blame. The heavy padding and support has allowed people to run by landing their heel first, which places much more stress upon the joints and ligaments. The shoe’s padding dulls the pain that a runner would feel when running with improper form, allowing them to run themselves into an injury. Therefore, the author, as well as many others have gone to barefoot running.

A lot of what McDougall wrote made sense, but I was skeptical. This story gave me a chance to find out a little more information about barefoot running. This is important to me because I am a runner. I ran my first marathon in St. Louis last year, two half-marathons in the fall, and I am entered in Sunday’s GO! St. Louis Marathon. I ran all these races in shoes, but during my seven years of running, I have also had a stress fracture and several other common running injuries.

My first interview was with Rick Roeber, a near-legend in the barefoot running community. He has run more than 50 marathons without shoes, and he has not suffered a blister in years. He really squashed a lot of common fears, like getting cut by objects on the road, blistering, stress fractures, and more.

This made my interview with Dr. Thomas Brant, a podiatrist at University Hospital even more surprising. Brant was in opposition to running with or without shoes, unless you have “the perfect body.” The barefoot runners know that not many doctors agree with their practice, but they believe in it because they say that barefoot running makes runners run the way they did before shoes existed. Barefoot runners have to land lighter, and on their forefoot instead of their heel.

There is an in-between option for runners who like the idea, but aren’t ready to go without shoes. For runners who want the barefoot experience, without actually putting their soles on the asphalt, there are Vibram FiveFingers. FiveFingers have rubber soles, and fit like a glove for the foot. So, I talked to an MU student Steven Mankofsky, who runs in Vibrams for about five of his 60 weekly miles.

Through all this, I decided I just had to give barefoot running a shot. I ran six miles barefoot around the MU campus. I felt lighter on my feet, just as the barefoot runners had said. I had a couple blisters, but it was fairly enjoyable. So, for now, I’ll stick to shoes, but I am going to begin incorporating barefoot running into my training over the summer.

-Brad Fischer

Reporter’s File – A Walk in the Park

For the last three weeks, I’ve been working on a story about Mayor Darwin Hindman, his legacy and the local park system – but the upcoming election has been on our minds for much longer.  It’s not every day that a town replaces its mayor of a decade and a half, and ever since we sat down with Hindman in January (he’d just received recognition from First Lady Michelle Obama for his efforts to promote active transportation), we’ve been trying to put his legacy of activism and advocacy in context.  Then, earlier this month, I met Dr. Andrew Kaczynski – a professor at Kansas State University who’s been looking at park use and what it means to the field of kinesiology.  Currently, he’s working with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create a tool people like you and me can use to see how our local parks measure up.  Suddenly, how we could tell Hindman’s story became clear.  To find our more, check out this week’s Under the Microscope on air or online at KBIA.org.

- Elle Moxley

In the news – March 24, 2010

Here’s what’s making headlines on March 24, 2010:

• Women should exercise an hour a day to maintain weight, study says – the study, released online by the Journal of the American Medical Association, recommends 60 minutes of exercise each week for weight control
• NFL passes player safety rules – the changes, meant to protect ball carriers who lose their helmets during play, come along with changes to the overtime coin toss
• Health care reform bill 101: Who gets subsidized insurance? – changes with the new bill

Join us each weekday at http://kbiascience.wordpress.com/ for a round-up of science, health and technology headlines, and tune into KBIA-FM on air or online every Thursday at 5:20 p.m. CST as we go “Under the Microscope” in mid-Missouri!

In the news – March 22

Here’s what’s making headlines on March 22, 2010:

• How the Health Care Overhaul Could Help You – breaking down what the changes actually mean for consumers
• Infertility linked to prostate cancer – research linking infertility to an increased risk of prostate cancer could help doctors know who to screen for the disease
• Amazon Takes Wraps off Kindle for iPad – more than 450,000 Kindle eBooks will be available for the competitor’s device

Join us each weekday at http://kbiascience.wordpress.com/ for a round-up of science, health and technology headlines, and tune into KBIA-FM on air or online every Thursday at 5:20 p.m. CST as we go “Under the Microscope” in mid-Missouri!

In the news – March 19, 2010

Here’s what’s making headlines on March 17, 2010:

• 9 major changes in the new health care bill – House Democrats are hoping a slew of legislative fixes will convince more members of their party to vote for health care overhaul
• Google’s Nexus branding under threat – a small Oregon telecom firm already owns rights to the name
• Tobacco Rule Proposed in ’95 Goes Into Effect – government officials plan to push into effect rule banning promotion of tobacco products to teenagers
• AIDS care rebounding in Haiti, though many lack shelter – medicine keeps coming, but tents are hard to come by

Join us each weekday at http://kbiascience.wordpress.com/ for a round-up of science, health and technology headlines, and tune into KBIA-FM on air or online every Thursday at 5:20 p.m. CST as we go “Under the Microscope” in mid-Missouri!

Coming up next on Under the Microscope

Tune in online or on air today for “Under the Microscope,” KBIA‘s weekly look at science, health and technology in mid-Missouri.

This Week, KBIA’s Tony Ulrich looks at how community members help maintain Missouri’s state parks. Then, KBIA’s Brian Pellot takes us underground at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, home to one of the cave state’s crown jewels. Hosted by KBIA’s Elle Moxley.

If you’d like to volunteer at Rock Bridge, there’s a meeting tonight at 6 p.m. You can also learn more about touring the Devil’s Icebox.

In the news – March 17, 2010

Here’s what’s making headlines on March 17, 2010:

• Can Internet Explorer 9 Get Microsoft’s Mojo Back? – although Microsoft is yet to announce a release date for its new browser, its intention is to compete with popular browsers like Firefox and Chrome
• Undercover Feds on Social Networking Raise Questions – an internal Justice Department memo indicates law enforcement officers may be using Facebook and MySpace to dig for dirt on suspects
• AT&T ZERO Charger eliminates vampire power drawing – the new eco-friendly charger only draws power when it’s needed
• Chemical in Bananas Could Fight HIV – a University of Michigan study indicates a chemical in bananas could prevent the HIV infection from entering women’s bodies

Join us each weekday at http://kbiascience.wordpress.com/ for a round-up of science, health and technology headlines, and tune into KBIA-FM on air or online every Thursday at 5:20 p.m. CST as we go “Under the Microscope” in mid-Missouri!

In the news – March 12, 2010

Here’s what’s making headlines on March 12, 2010:

• Climate changes ‘makes birds shrink’ – songbirds may be decreasing in size as a result of warmer global temperatures
• Panel Urges New Look at Caesarean Guidelines – a panel has encouraged hospitals to allow VBACs, but doctors still worry about malpractice insurance

Join us each weekday at http://kbiascience.wordpress.com/ for a round-up of science, health and technology headlines, and tune into KBIA-FM on air or online every Thursday at 5:20 p.m. CST as we go “Under the Microscope” in mid-Missouri!

Coming up next: Spring membership drive

There’s no new episode of “Under the Microscope” this week because of the spring membership drive.  If you haven’t made your annual pledge to KBIA yet and can afford to contribute, please consider donating to public radio.  Your contribution helps us keep programs like Morning Edition, All Things Considered and even Under the Microscope on air!

Join us each weekday at http://kbiascience.wordpress.com/ for a round-up of science, health and technology headlines, and tune into KBIA-FM on air or online every Thursday at 5:20 p.m. CST as we go “Under the Microscope” in mid-Missouri!

In the news – March 10, 2010

Here’s what’s making headlines on March 10, 2010:

• Google adds bike directions to Google Maps – directions for cyclists are now available, including information on designated bike lanes for 150 US cities
• On latest guitar game, players strum real strings – “Power Gig: Rise of the SixStream” will move away from music made with electronic buttons
• LHC to shut down for a year to address design flaws – use of the Large Hadron Collider will be suspended temporarily at the end of 2011 for improvements
• Facebook, Twitter Ready Location-Based Features – both social networks are looking to experiment with geolocation

Join us each weekday at http://kbiascience.wordpress.com/ for a round-up of science, health and technology headlines, and tune into KBIA-FM on air or online every Thursday at 5:20 p.m. CST as we go “Under the Microscope” in mid-Missouri!