Questions & Answers

I am trying to get rid of my shoes and switch to my VFF'S, but having a hard time here in Iowa with the cold weather. Love to talk to people about Barefoot running and to see how they transitioned into it. So I am always looking for more info on Barefoot Running. What an exciting website

The pictures don't show much, but I'm excited to see this!

http://www.zemblog.com/sneak-peek-zem-360s/

Just wanted to say hello. Best wishes for a successful forum.

I moved to New Zealand from the Isle of Man in Great Britain just over a year ago. I teach at a secondary school.

Having worn footwear, just like everyone else in Britain, my whole life I was a bit shocked to find so many Kiwis barefoot.

Even at school all children run the cross country barefoot. Amazing! It got me thinking and although I am not tough enough yet I have started to not wear traditional training shoes.

I have been a little overweight for a few years and have recently lost 30lbs in weight. I have developed an interest in bodyweight training and do a little kettlebells.

I just wanted to say thank you to the creators of this site- it's great the way the shoe reviews are organized, as as more and more people post reviews it will become an excellent resource when trying to decide what to buy. A tiny bit about me: I started BF running last spring, had a couple of TMTS injuries that set me back, got tired of having things embedded in the bottoms of my feet, so i began running steadily in huaraches from Invisible Shoes, and hiking in VFF KSO Treks. I'm up to about 3 miles per run now, using either the Treks or my O'Neill water shoes for the winter, and loving every minute i spend on the road/trails. When i'm not running/hiking or working, i'm playing bass or composing classical music, and sleeping as much as i can :)

peace, Michael

Hello from Vermont. I'm Blair and I live in Southern Vermont and have been running seriously for around a year now. And by seriously I mean more than a mile a day and trying to compete in my age group at smaller races. Small races in VT tend to allow this thankfully. My shoe of choice for the past 4 years now has been some variation of the Nike Free. From the original or second variation of the 5.0 to the Everyday and then back to the Free 5.0v4. And I am finally looking forward to going to a more minimalist shoe after spending quite some time in the transition stage. I look forward to utilizing toe salad to make that decision. So much for introductions. hah hah.

I have been looking at Russian Valenki to wear in our cold winter months. I am curious to see if they are rated as minimalist footwear and if anyone has ever worn them before. Thanks, Charity

A link to a blog we started after I ordered my first pair of minimalist footwear.

http://www.alittlebitosole.blogspot.com

Hello I am Jeremy and I am an employee at Merrell footwear. I received a pair of Trail Glove's in Sept '10 to wear test and it has been the best thing for my running career. 2 months later ran my first marathon in them and this year has already been starting great!

If anybody has any questions on the new Barefoot line at Merrell I will try and answer to the best of my ability and within reason.

I've begun making moccasins for our children. Several of them have Soft Star Roos and we like the style for the most part. I've made several pairs like these from polar fleece.

Our current goal is to find a zero-rise winter outdoor shoe from easily accessible materials for minimal money for growing children. That's not too much to ask, right?

Here's our first try. It's a three-piece moccasin made from a synthetic fabric I bought. It has a brushed surface on one side that gives it a look of suede. The other surface is a synthetic sheep-skin look/feel. I treated the outer surface of the completed moc with 2 coats of a silicone spray.

I made these for our 10 yo daughter, M. She has worn them for 2 different outdoor uses: Dog chores & general play.

For dog chores, she is only out for 15 min or so and is not running though loose snow. She wears the mocs either barefoot or with 1 pair of cotton crew socks. She says they keep her feet warm just fine in these conditions.

For play she would outside for an hour or so. She was hiking though loose snow, sledding and other typical Minnesota child games. The mocs were worn with 3 pairs of cotton socks. Her feet were cold with 2 pairs so she came in for a 3rd pair and was just fine that way. The snow came in where the front piece overlaps the back/side piece and it melted in her shoe making her feet wet. This and snow pack from the top of the moc was the source of wet - not through the fabric itself.

My first adaptation to these will be to make them taller like a hiking boot. After that (or maybe at the same time) I hope to come up with a sole insulation. My current ideas are either a rubber/vibram sole similar to the huaraches from Barefoot Ted OR an interior insulation made from a flexible foam like yoga mats.

Sarah K

Hello all! I am a minimalist runner here in Atlanta. I started in Newtons a year ago and found my forefoot. Since then I have added Kinvaras, Green Silence, VFFs and Kigos to my collection. I do still run in my Newtons regularly but like to have variety! Since moving out of corrective footwear my runner's knee, PF and ITBS have all cleared up and I completed my first Marathon this fall feeling great throughout the training! I look forward to joining you all here!

Jay

I am a "barefoot inspired" minimalist runner. I'm 42 and began running in 2008. Back then, with 40 rapidly approaching I realized the need to re-claim my health and get back in shape. So I lost 50 lbs, changed to a healthy diet, began exercising regularly and never looked back. While losing the weight and getting fit I walked as my main form of exercise. Once I got in shape I realized with more energy and feeling good I had an interest in cycling, running and swimming. This led to my first 5K, 10K,ect. and triathlons. My running story is fairly typical. I began in a stability shoe recommended at a running store. I struggled with injuries and running form, but I would'nt give up. By moving down the spectrum to less and less shoe I began to enjoy running, rid myself of injuries and find my own style of "barefoot inspired" minimalist running. Hopefully this site will be enjoyed by those of us on a path to a healthy active lifestyle. TLV

Can't truly call myself a barefoot runner as I've been running since July in Vibrams Bikilas. Won't go back to shoes. Wanted to BF, but the transition was really difficult for me & once I got the VFF's it was easier...slow, but definitely easier. I can run as much as I want now in the VFFs & thinking when the weather warms up again, I'll do some total barefoot running since my feet, Achilles & calves are accustomed to minimalist running. Still have some nagging problems (knee mostly) that's not been resolved with the transition, but, as I mentioned earlier, won't be going back to shoes anytime soon. Just need to get back to stretching & strengthening & I'm sure to be as good as new. Looking forward to getting to know you all & learning new stuff.

I began my minimalist journey when I was introduced to Inov-8 and their mission to design shoes that 'let your feet do what they were meant to do.' A year later, I was handed a pair of FiveFinger Flows which I admittedly hated... at first. I couldn't stand fabric in between my toes but slowly got used to it. I largely used them for kayaking, but, almost by mistake, used them to chase down a couple of Scouts that I had sent out geocaching on a mountain trail. The ethereal experience of running through the woods like an elf had me hooked.

In the wake of my first year of running and many struggles with hamstrings and IT bands, I decided to make the minimalist leap. I came up with the challenge to wear Vibram FiveFingers exclusively and journal the experiences in a blog, inbetweenmytoes.com. The year is almost up, and I have learned a great deal about myself and the impact of minimalist footwear. I look forward to moving on to the many other minimalist offerings now available. In fact, I have a collection started in my closet already.

I have lived in Southern Alberta for 2/3 of my life with Waterton National Park as my backyard. The other third was spent in Romania and Utah. By day, I am a school counselor working mostly with junior high students. They have enjoyed ribbing me for my toe-pocket shoes... all in good fun. My wife and I just had our fourth child 4 months ago. We are slowly building up our sleep, so I am starting to make time morning runs again although the -20 degree celsius days can be an obstacle. I enjoy the feeling I get when I run, not necessarily the act of running (not sure this makes sense???)

I enjoy most things outdoors, I like challenging myself, and I take pleasure in increased self-awareness, so minimalist shoes are a great fit. I play guitar and pretend to sing. I also try to sneak a few minutes for myself to draw or design. Often, at work, I get pulled into designing t-shirts or doing the set design for a drama production. I love my job :-) My wife and I also enjoy learning about photography together.

I'm glad to be hear and look forward to learning from all of you.

I received this in the mail today. I have been following this blog for a couple weeks. The blog has some good information. And sometimes I do run like a moron. Or so I have been told.

Just thought I would share with you a photo from my first marathon. The Marine Corps Marathon 1997. I often say, "I ran my first marathon and all I got was these lousy gloves" Now, I wouldn't trade these ugly things for anything.

I am a minimal runner from Jersey but currently in college in MD. I started with Newtons, and moved down. I have also logged miles in the Feelmax Panka, Feelmax Osma, Terra Plana Evo, and the Ecco biom. I am currentley waiting for my Luna Equus to arrive in the mail!!! And for it to get a little warmer....

If you have any questions about the shoes I own, dont be afraid to ask me about them!

Hello all!! Been running barefoot for 8 months now, pain free after 4 yrs of chronic injuries.. Still on the hunt for the perfect minimalist shoe for my marathon in May.

Hello, I am 26 and live in Ontario, Canada. I have been trying to live a healthy life style for about 4 years now and have successfully lost 70lbs. I got into minimalist footwear about a year ago when I bought my first pair of Five Finger KSO's. Although I have not adapted the concept in every part of my life I no longer wear running shoes working out, I either go bare foot or use my VFF's.

Hello! I'm Pam from Texas. I heard about this site on Runners World and it looked interesting. Since I'm ready for my next pair of running shoes, I've been investigating minimalist shoes. I'm curious about the barefoot trend, but not ready to dive in yet. I thought I'd start with lighter shoes and see where that gets me. I haven't had any injuries or anything, but I still like the idea that less is better. Looking forward to getting to know the community here!