I'm Jon from the Norfolk, VA area. I'm a marathoner with a working problem…I work too much and don't get to run enough. I wore custom orthotics for over 10 years and became so reliant on them, I hesitated to walk around the house barefoot but instead, wore my running shoes with orthotics in the house. In January 2010, I had a very bad day at the Disney Marathon and realized that my running style and training was on the wrong track. After a lot of reading and several weeks of healing, I bought my first pair of VFF KSOs and began the search for the Kenyan inside all of us.
Almost a year later, I have sworn off orthotics for good and am not afraid to tell my story. Before getting sidelined with pneumonia earlier this year, I mad it up to 22 miles in minimalist shoes during my latest marathon training program; that was less than 8 months after I mustered the courage to ditch my orthotics. I've looked at POSE and Chi running and believe that most adults have forgotten how to run properly, even though we did it instinctively in our youth.
Congrats on your transformation to minimalism. It's funny how in every other sport, you practice and work on better technique, yet so many take running for granted. Better technique = more effortless and injury-free running.