I don’t know why I’m obsessed with people hating on minimalist and barefoot running, but I am. I guess I’m obsessed with people hating on anything really. I believe in very few absolutes, and one of them surely is not running shoes. The fact is there are many runners out there who say their injuries have gone down since using minimalist shoes. And who am I to argue with personal experience?

According to this opinion piece in the Boston Globe, barefoot shoes (Vibrams specifically) make you feel a “giddy lightness” at first but, unfortunately, that feeling comes with a price. The author recounts all the perils he experienced as he trained for and eventually ran a half marathon in his Vibram Five Fingers. He goes on and on about how much it hurt, but as the race neared he decided to wear the Vibrams because he figured he had adapted enough to them, and he didn’t have any injuries yet.

What strikes me about the story is that he admits, even as he was adapting to the shoes, that he couldn’t shake a “persistent pain in the bridge” of his foot. Yet he ran the half marathon anyway. By the end of the race, he had a stress fracture in his foot and was ordered to lay off running for six weeks.

The lesson I take away from this is that it’s important to listen to your body. I have no doubt that there are runners out there who run through the pain (I know I have), but we have to be smart. If minimalist or barefoot shoes hurt you more than your regular running shoes, don’t be a martyr! If they make you feel good, I say go for it. Stop the hate. Make love, not war.

In her latest column in the Huffington Post, veterinarian Sophia Yin suggests creating a fitness plan that includes your dog. In the article, she proposes walking or running with your dog and even incorporating some light dog training in the mix (mostly so that you don’t get jerked around by the leash during your workout).

It does sound ideal, doesn’t it? A nice steady run with man’s best friend at your side, keeping pace with your step and offering supportive, tongue-flopping glances every time you look down. You both get home after a good jaunt around the neighborhood. You guzzle some water. Fido gets a treat. All is well with the world.

After all, exercise is good for you and the dog, so that’s a plus. And if you’re hesitant to run at night, keeping a dog close by is never a bad thing. There’s just one problem with this fitness strategy in my opinion – dogs don’t talk!

Ms. Yin opens her column by saying, “Remember that routines are easier if they involve a friend or partner. What better exercise partner than your dog?” Well, I’d argue… perhaps… a human being? You know, someone who might say, “Hey you, get your lazy a** off the couch and let’s do this!” Dogs can’t say that. In fact, they can’t say anything at all.

I fully support running with dogs, and dogs in general actually. But I think it’s dangerous to depend on your dog to achieve your goals. Perhaps that’s not what Ms. Yin was suggesting exactly, but you get the point. If you decide on a resolution or a goal this year, and you need a motivational “partner” to help get there, I say connect with other runners. Friends, neighbors, running clubs, whatever works. They might have dogs too, and your dog could make friends! But you’ll also have someone to talk to (that will talk back).

Sophia Yin Running with Her (I'm Guessing Very Tired) Jack Russel Terrier

Welcome back from the holidays! Well, they are not officially over I suppose. We still have New Years to indulge in all the goodness that the holiday season offers. And I plan to take full advantage of that.

So instead of trying to catch up on all the blogs I didn’t write while I was away, I’ve decided to just pick it up from here. This goes against all of my obsessive compulsive tendencies, but I’ll give it my best shot.

Long story short, I’ve started using Twitter for work and we follow the Huffington Post. There are some excellent pieces of information on what we now dub Huff Po (if you’re cool like that). I was surprised this morning, however, when instead of the usually political or even pop culture commentary, I found a post about running. I was very happy about this discovery until I realized that the story was a negative attack against minimalist, or barefoot, running shoes.

Now as you know, I recently purchased a pair of said minimalist shoes and I love them. I literally feel like I’m flying and I know that my running has improved. Don’t get me wrong, I had my doubts just like anyone. But they were quickly tossed aside when I experienced first hand what these shoes were doing for me.

So when I read this post this morning on Huff Po, I was borderline insulted. You have to read it to understand why. I mean, I accept the fact that the writer is a doctor and all that, which I suppose gives him some credibility, but he attempts to convince us that minimalist shoes are evil simply by pulling out complicated doctor terminology and regaling us with tales of “how the body works.” Ha! Ok, so he might know a thing or two about that.

But at the end of the day, you have to decide what running shoe feels right for you. I highly recommend getting a fitting at your local running store. And if you’d like to visit your own doctor, that’s probably not a bad idea. Just don’t let Dr. Kornfeld scare you away from a good product – one that I’d argue to be the turning point of my 2010 running experience.