Nike Free 5.0
Tech: Shoes emulate barefoot running
Cost: $95
Does it work? Surprisingly, yesO, the irony. Researchers at Nike have found a way to improve your running speed. The catch? You have to train in bare feet. The idea is that barefoot running strengthens feet that have been coddled, pampered, and isolated from their traditional contact with the ground. That won’t sell a lot of shoes, though, so the company came up with the Free 5.0, which provides all the benefits of being barefoot without the distracting shards of broken glass.
The Free 5.0 consists of an extremely flexible outsole cut into rectangular lugs that mimics the malleability of your foot, and a mesh upper that keeps the outsole from falling off. Train in them a few times a week for as little as 30 minutes, and, the
theory goes, more fit feet will make you faster.
My first week in the shoes was painful, as weak foot muscles protested their new regimen. But after a few runs, I could actually feel them strengthening, and within a couple weeks, my times were faster. Even better, my foot strikes and pushoffs felt more powerful and confident on rough trails. What’s next,
staying warm by sitting in the fridge naked?
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.


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Hi Steve,i dont know if u are going to read this comment,but i am trying to find that make of nike,i had it and i just love it!i know it was couple yers back i bough it but i am trying...i would be glad for any information that would put me closer to this shoes.any shop link or (i dont know what make is it all i know is nike free 5.0 and after that?)this shoes are just made for me!so please,please,please...my e-mail koleszka2003@yahoo.com many thanks.kris
Hey Steve!
Just browsing through old DIY articles and happened upon this. The last comment of the article kind of holds true - "What’s next, staying warm by sitting in the fridge naked?"
I ran track in high school and almost everyday after practice we would take ice baths. This involved filling up a clean garbage can 1/4 with ice and cold water. We would start off only standing in them for 5 min. The water would go up to the upper thigh. We would build up to standing in them for 20 min at a time. Let me tell ya it was COLD. We did it because it had something to so with hydrating the muscles and something else......its been a few years since I was in high school. Some guys even crouched down in the garbage cans so the water reached their chins. I only recall the sprinters doing this garbage can routine.
The point of all this is that ever since then my legs can withstand much colder weather than before. I regularly go jogging in snow with just a sweat shirt and jogging shorts. Even walking around outdoors in shorts in 30-40F degree weather is comfortable.
Who knows. Maybe I'm making something out of nothing, but I thought it was relevant and worth mentioning.