NATURAL running running | 7 may 2010 Natural running is getting a lot of attention lately.  But what does it really mean to run Natural? Which products really help you to run that way and which are mostly marketing stories... Well, just like on this photo. Some things might only seem Natural. So, here is my humble opinion about this trend. To be honest I was so deep into shoes last years that I almost forgot about the key thing - our feet. When you work with sport brands most of the time they have good lasts that work. You don't change them that often because changing the last for the company that sell millions of shoes world wide is risky. Good last should be a close copy of our foot, well lets say average foot. But average is not always good and here is the problem. My point is... starting from the very first step of shoe making - the last, we are already making mistakes. Then we are adding uppers and soles and we are making more mistakes. How difficult it is to build a shoe that fits perfectly? Can a shoe actually fit everyone? Does the shoe allow our feet to move easily? I've asked myself this questions when my son started to walk and run. When buying shoes for him I've realized how tricky it is to find a pair that we wont have to squeeze his foot in. Most of the time outsoles are more narrow then babies feet are? His feet are growing every single day and they should be free to grow! Natural running means to run barefoot, simply. And when you run barefoot you will run different. You will land on the forefoot, your toes and metatarsal bones will spread an the arch will get more flat to provide amortization. Your foot is just build that way. So the best way to run natural is to do it without the shoes. Running barefoot on the grass is nice and easy but running on the hard and cold surface is a different story. Some pretty people can do it but I think it's quite extreme. So if we need shoes which ones are right? I think there are few things to look after: - your foot has to be low to the ground, the lower the better - you have to have enough room for your toes to spread - metatarsal bones' heads need to be free to move to the sides - no need for much cushioning under the heel Well, most of the running flats will do the job but there is something better. I've got my 5fingers ready for testing and proper feedback will come after few weeks. There are shoes on the market that claim to be natural. Are they really? Nike free has started the story but why there is so much EVA in the midsole? And it's soft EVA.The shoe is just unstable... and is unstable natural? BIOM, the concept is right and they are low to the ground but why did they add so much stability to the heel? What's more they land on the heel in this video - It's confusing. But the best... YAK leather!? What? To me Vibram shoes seems to be the most honest approach. But we'll see.