Vic Smith writes:

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:45:10 +0000, Geoff Berrow
wrote:

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:49:00 +0000, Peter Clinch
wrote:

Take them orienteering instead and they'll be on rougher terrain with
more need of good soles, and hardly anyone will think they're best off
in boots with Vibram soles and ankle support. Certainly almost all of
the experts won't be in them.

I've been walking 3-4 miles a day on pavements to keep in trim and in
the recent snow, I wore my boots instead of my usual North Face shoes.
As I only have short legs, I found it harder to walk as fast with the
boots because of the extra weight. This isn't usually a problem when
doing day walks across country or up hills as my pace will be more
relaxed. I can see, however, that someone concerned with speed would
prefer lighter footwear.

Speed isn't the only concern with weight.
After some miles of walking in comfortable but heavy boots, a knee
became painful and slightly swollen. I didn't connect it with the
boots at first, but when I doffed the boots the knee problem very
quickly disappeared.
It's possible my gait in the above ankle boots was a factor, but I'm
guessing it was mostly the swinging weight of the boots.

The knee is basically a hinge. It can move through nearly 180
degrees, but only in a single plane. The ankle has a more limited
range of motion but is also more tolerant of movement in different
planes, especially in combination with the feet -- there's a whole
collection of joints down there. What sometimes happens when you
restrict the mobility of the ankles and feet is that any sort of
lateral or twisting movements that these would normally handle are
transferred to the knees, which don't appreciate them. For an
excruciatingly detailed discussion of this, see

http://www.tmuscle.com/portal_includ...-training.html

Then again, it could just be the swinging weight.

--
Jim Janney