Irishman Running Abroad with Sonia O'Sullivan: “The Barefoot Running Debate"

Can all repetitive strain injuries be traced back to modern running shoes? Jarlath asks Sonia about this and other claims of the barefoot running movement. It makes sense on paper. We have conditioned our feet to expect a type of cushioning that encourages heal striking rather than the flat strike that lets the miracle of engineering that is human foot so its job. Sonia looks back at her days running barefoot at competitive events, the Kenyan model, Zola Budd, ice baths and the danger of transitioning to shoeless running or minimal shoes. There’s look at Jarlath stalled progress after he suffered a hip injury this week. How will this impact his plan to run 2000K for Jigsaw.ie? And we hear one of the funniest emails the show has ever received. Sonia also tells us about the return of Park Runs to Australia and her 19 minute 5K effort for her beloved Snowy the dog.   Be kind to yourself and others this January. Join our running event on strava.com/clubs/irishmanrunningabroad and help raise vitally needed funds for our chosen charity partner jigsaw.ie and all the work they do to support young people in Ireland.     To gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 400 Irishman Abroad episodes that are not available on iTunes for just the price of a pint every month visit www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad.   Our charity partner is jigsawonline.ie. In these tricky times, Jigsaw provides a range of resources, advice and care for your people to help them strengthen their mental health and the skills needed to navigate life. Please visit their website and consider making a donation.For updates on future episodes and live shows follow @jarlath on Twitter, visit jigser.com or email the show directly on [email protected].   Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.