Questions & Answers

Ola,I'm very interested in minimalist shoes

Good Morning -

My name is Kevin. I've been running in VFF classics since the start of 2010 and have logged over 600 miles so far.

I currently have the classics and Bikila but haven't run in the Bikila's yet as I'm waiting for a smaller size to compare. I look forward to running in them though and am curious to try other minimalist footwear as well, Terra Plana, etc.

My half PR shod is 1:37 and minimalist 1:47 and look forward to continual improvement sans shoes.

• kw

Just signed up and the site seems pretty cool. My name is Brandon and I'm a runner in southeastern Connecticut, specializing in trail running if I have the choice :-) I've run a couple half-marathons to date and was planning to run my first marathon this year, but a knee injury may set me back a bit. I'll find out soon though!

My ultimate goal is to try some ultramarathons, like a 50k that isn't too far from my house, but that's still a dream at this point.

Anyways, you can visit my website, The Running Bran if you want to read more!

Hi folks, hope this turns out to be a great community of barefoot runners and walkers!

I'm in Des Plaines, IL, near Chicago, just north of O'Hare airport. I've been BF/minimal for about a year and a half so far.

Hi everyone. Looks like a great new site. I've recently gotten back into running after taking a significant break. Started running barefoot this past fall and would like to keep it up not just in the warmer months.

Just wanted to introduce myself. Don't know how many others out there from Utah are totally into the barefoot/minimalist running. I want to be better and I am getting better. Running isn't my favorite but I would like to enjoy it more.

Here are free videos and PDF instructions for making your own huaraches running sandals, plus a bunch of videos about different ways to tie huaraches

Enjoy!

I'm just curious: What would you say is the percentage that you wear (or don't wear) various things on your feet? What emphasis do you put on wearing minimalist footwear or going barefoot over wearing "regular" shoes?

My percentages (approximate):

.5% regular shoes 30% minimalist footwear 69.5% barefoot.

(It should be noted that I only wear regular shoes on rare occasions. These include heavy snow and formal events. For example, before wearing boots during the recent snow, the last time I wore regular shoes was to a funeral in August 2010.)

Checking in from Denver, Colorado. Not much of a runner but I enjoy sprinting and have been working my way from shoes to bare feet. It reminds me of the cleats I used to wear in high school at track meets. Glad to see others making the switch as well.

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to comment on my experience with Phoenix Boots, but they haven't been added as a model in the Directory yet, so I can't post a formal review.

I purchased these boots hoping that they would be my everyday winter boots - suitable for waiting for the bus, walking around town, playing in the backyard, etc.

When they arrived I almost sent them back for a bigger size because they felt quite tight. But I had heard that the sheepskin really compacts a lot, so I decided to keep them and give it a try. I'm glad I didn't go bigger, because the sheepskin compacted so much that now they are too big unless I am wearing very thick socks!

I have had problems with the insoles from day one - they tend to slide backwards, bunching up at the heel and leaving a one-inch gap at the toe. I suppose I could glue them in, but I still wanted to be able to take them out to air dry. I have also not emailed Soft Star to ask if they have any other suggestions for solving this. I have actually taken to wearing my Vivo Barefoot insoles on top of the sheepskin ones so that I don't have to wear such thick socks all the time, and to provide a bit more coverage!

Also, the sheepskin just doesn't seem as thick around the edges of the insole and there are significant wear patches on the heel, even though I have only been wearing them a couple of months. The heel area of the upper doesn't seem very well lined either - I can feel the seams more in that area and it just doesn't seem as "plush".

I have also had problems with the boots getting damp. I treated them with Soft Star's recommended product, but they just can't handle the wet snow that we get here. They quickly get saturated and take a couple of days to fully dry out. And with the removeable insoles, the dampness really seeps in around the edges inside the boot. Furthermore, cleaning off the salt stains has been a constant chore. I don't know how it is in other snowy places, but here in Ontario they really pour on the salt all winter, and it gets everywhere.

Finally, I find that they don't have enough traction for the winters here. If the sidewalks are at all icy, I do slip the odd time.

To say something positive, I do like the shape of the boot (nice roomy toe and adequate height around the instep) and do appreciate what Soft Star is trying to do. Other people have written glowing reviews, but they just aren't working for me!

I have had similar experiences with the child version of the boot, although the insole is not removeable so that solves the sliding insole problem. I bought a pair for my daughter (age 2) and was surprised at how quickly the sheepskin on the insole wore down - there are actual bare patches. We have not had this problem with her Soft Star shoes, so I'm not sure what's going on with the boots. Also, the lack of traction was a problem for her as well.

Sorry for the lengthy post. Hope this is useful for people.

Cheers,

MJP

I run in the Saucony Kinvara and preview pair of the Peregrines. Can I review these shoes? They are both what I would classify as transitional, useful moving from traditional trainers toward a minimal platform.

Otherwise all I can review are my bare feet, my rock climbing shoes, and my neoprene wetsuit boots. And stocking feet too.

And I bought my wife a pair of Saucony "classic" something or other from the discount shoe place. Those are retro track shoes, but they are super light and almost totally flat. 50 bucks. They fit in the rotation somewhere.

I guess it seems that minimal running and the mid-foot gait are rewarded by changing things up often. One of the greatest failings in my previous shoe mentality was the thinking that I only needed one pair of trainers, shoes that I would run in every day without variation.

Variety = good

I hope Toe Salad can help me find my first pair of zero drop shoes, but I would love to contribute on the way!

Hi everyone,

I'm really looking forward to being here on Toe Salad. I first heard about minimalist footwear last spring through Damien's posts on AdventureinProgress, and it made so much sense to me - I was sold.

I am not a runner, and have had little need for athletic-style shoes, which is one of the main reasons I am so pleased to see this community develop that doesn't have all the running "stuff" mixed in with the shoe information. (Although I am starting some circuit training this winter, so I will have to get something for that - hopefully the reviews here will help!)

What I look for now in footwear is a nice roomy toe box and a completely flat sole (zero heel elevation, arch support, etc.). A sole that is thinner and more flexible than "normal" is nice too, but I don't really care about "ground feel" and having paper-thin soles.

I now wear VivoBarefoot Kalis every day at work, and can highly recommend them. However, I continue to search (as others here do) for the ideal winter footwear. I tried Soft Star Phoenix boots, and I wanted so much to love them, but they have not lived up to my expectations. I will post a few comments in the product section.

I am also interested in minimalist footwear for small children. I like the VivoBarefoot options, but, as my daughter is only 2, she won't be able to fit into their sizing for some time.

Cheers,

MJP

I am a Chef, a father of three, and a runner. I wear my snow and ice Run Amocs in the kitchen despite the gentle ridicule of my cooks. I've been running for a year and a half now. Initially I saw running as a cheap, stress free way to trim fifteen years of fat from my useless blob of a body. But what started as a means to an end became a passion. I was no longer running to get in shape; I was in shape because I loved to run. Over the past year and a half I've been experimenting with various footwear starting with the shoes I used to mow the lawn in to a pair of high heal, one pound, foam blocks, to the Green Silence, to the FF Trek, to home made huaraches, and finally to my beloved 2mm sole run amocs. I tried them in the kitchen but they didn't have enough grab on the wet greasy floors, so I had to get another pair with the snow and ice sole and get the smooth rather than the perforated leather due to food getting trapped in the little holes. I'm taking a break from running through these cold months, allowing the feet to recover. It takes a long time for them to heal if injured due to the 10 - 12 hours per day in the kitchen. Various problems persist. I'll get into those later. Our new baby boy was born on December 30, in our tub, at our house. Just passed him to the wife to nurse after holding him for an hour while I cleaned the kitchen and made myself some coffee. Pleased to meet you.

In Europe there are some barefoot parks. Parks that have a trail that is made especially for walking barefoot. If you want other people to experience the benefits of barefoot walking you can built your own barefoot park or barefoot sensation trail. The website http://www.barfusspark.info/en/ shows some information about it including a design guide. I think this website is very interesting and inspiring.

Don't know how you crazy barefooting fellas and ladies up north do it! My toes are still thawing out from a run in VFF sprints a few hours ago.

Hiya barefooters & almost barefooters,

I've really enjoyed reading other peoples' intros, so here we go:

I have over-loose ankles and hips (and other joints), and dodgy ligaments in ankles, knees and hips, which make walking in shoes very difficult not to mention painful (I have Ehlers Danlos syndrome).

I met Tim Brennan (who I already knew from online); we got chatting about this and that & it turned out that he's a designer (amongst other things). I asked him what he designs, and he produced his Vivo Barefoot shoes (he created the Vivo Barefoot concept and was the first Vivo Barefoot designer) and I leapt upon them. I'd been looking for shoes that are like not-shoes for years!

A gripe I have about them is that the sizing varies with the style; so I have to go and try out every style in about 3 sizes in the shop before I can find a style & size that is ideal for me. It doesn't help that I'm a very narrow ankle & instep and wide at the toes, partly a result of my condition and partly because I was a dancer. Another gripe - the ones I bought do let in water (I can't tell you the name of the style because there's no style printed on them anywhere!)

I used to be a runner/jogger too, when I was younger, and haven't been able to run for donkeys' years. Waawaawaa!

And dang, I also have poor circulation, I think also a side-effect of the condition, and I find winter a bit - how can I put this - cold. In my apartment during winter I wear 3 pairs of socks at once.

How exciting having so many people sign up to this new forum at once, makes me all warm inside... oh, except for the feet... 0_O

Ciao for now

Isha

Hey, my name is Matt and I am an Exercise Science major and minimalist runner from the University of Puget Sound Class of 2013 (I'm originally from Portland).

I started running competitively my senior year of High School and pulled both IT bands during cross country and track (one per season). Thus I only made it 1/3 of the way through each season. I discovered the Vibram Fivefingers and began walking exclusively in them after the second IT band pull. Freshman year of college the injuries persisted. Finally during the summer of 2010 I changed my form to a forefoot/midfoot strike, completely left mainstream, clunky, super supportive shoes and began my journey into the area of minimalist running. So far, no injuries. I guess all the drills, form work, core work, and strengthening also helped. Also, I used the POSE method to help achieve a forefoot/midfoot technique.

I train really hard (85-105 miles per week right now), and have hopes of breaking all the school distance records (3k, 5k, 10k) at Puget Sound. I train in the Evo 2 and the Saucony Kinvara (which is really starting to bother my feet, ankles, calves, and hips from the 4mm heel lift. They will be dropped soon).

Also, as much as I love the Vibrams (I have the KSOs and KSO treks), my College XC/Track coaches hates them with a passion, and would probably kick me off the team if he saw me wearing them again. So I wear them in secret. A little example, during finals week I almost cross paths with him (a rare thing because he normally stays in his office at the fieldhouse) and ended up diving into the bushes so he wouldn't see what I was wearing on my feet.

I firmly believe in minimalism and currently basing my senior thesis on it and barefoot running.

Oh, and I'm REALLY looking forward to the Altra Instinct coming out. That would be the perfect minimalist shoe to fool my coach with, since he doesn't think highly of the Evo 2s either. The most important thing in my mind is ZERO DROP!

PRs: 3000m: 9:09, 5000m: 15:47 (roads), 10000m: 33:35. Goal PRs: 3000m: 8:00, 5000m: 13:45, 10000m: 28:30 (I know have a bit to go, but hard work and smart work will prevail! Plus I've only been running for 2 years, give me a break).

Been running barefoot style for almost a year and loving it. First started out wearing aqua socks, then transitioned to Vibram FiveFingers. I ran my first half marathon in my VFFs a few months ago and look forward to completing a full marathon in the near future.

Always a pleasure to find another great community. Hello from Sacramento.