I am a Chicago firefighter and have been running seriously for 4 years. I am transitioning to a mid/forefoot strike and am seeking guidance. I have struggled with IT band issues the last two years as my mileage has increased. My last traditional shoe was the Asics 2150 and now I am running in the Saucony Kinvara. My next shoe will be more minimalist and I want to make the right decision. I would like to get a good rotation going between 3 or 4 different shoes, from the Kinvaras to maybe VFF Bikalas (or something similar), in descending order of minimalism. So I am in the market for 2 or 3 more pairs of shoes, however at the moment my ITBS has put a stop to all running. Yep zero miles the last two months. The end is in sight though. I will probably start running again the end of the month...Thanks for reading!
Hello from Chicago
trk29runs 4
My transition to minimalist running was a cold turkey approach. I stopped wearing conventional running shoes altogether. Being that you have had to take a break from running for the past two months this would be a perfect opportunity to do just that. Rotating shoes could make the evaluation process difficult in that a few pair of shoes might contribute to your IT band issues while some would not. In order to see if minimalist running is for you I'd start slowly by build mileage at a snail's pace, and then evaluate weather barefoot running is for you. Best of luck.