Questions & Answers

Has anyone got any tricks or tips when it comes to down hill running?

I continually find myself wanting to revert to a heel strike when running down hill.

Here is a short video I shot of me running in various types of minimalist footwear and barefoot on rocks and cement shot in HD and slowed down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw1Unz7QWbM

My minimalist preference in order of most ground feel

1- VFF (they are very well broken in having ran in them for over a year)

2- Invisible Shoes 4mm (on the way to being my favorite, still new to me and needs to get broken in)

3- Invisible Shoes 6mm

4- Merrell Trail Gloves

Hi all-

I have been running on and off most of my adult life. I gained A LOT of weight a few years back and wasn't doing much of anything. Stripped the weight off (over 60lbs) and have been running again since spring. My knees betray me often and as you can see-I found my way to bf running. I was told in the past to wear motion control shoes which I did. Out of curiousity I threw on an old pair of flat Adidas shoes I had(well, flatter than my Asics) and went for a run. OH MY GOD I never wanted to put those Asics on again.

Tried barefoot-never wanted to put the Adidas on again. I'm cycling through the Ascis, my Minimus trail and my good ol' two feet. Trying to be careful as I personify "too much too soon." It is with great sadness I reiterate I am in Chicago. The clock is ticking on my barefoot outside runs as we round fall :(

Thanks for having me here!

VIVOBAREFOOT and Lee Saxby have just launched their new barefoot running coach training program in the USA. The first US program date will be held from October 26th - October 30th in Denver Colorado.

For more details, you can check-out their newly re-designed website here: http://trainingclinic.vivobarefoot.com/

Based on my experiences with the session I had with Lee at Outdoor Retailer this past summer, and the seminar I was able to attend with Tina Dubois a few weeks ago in Edmonton, this clinic should be great.

Wish I could be there! Unfortunately I have other plans... plans that include trekking through the mountains of Montana. More on that trip in the forthcoming weeks...

Hi there! I'm new here... 35 year old chica (it still feels weird calling myself woman. Sounds too old maybe?)

I was another orthotic wearer. Had my first pair in Europe when I was 3! I am now wearing minimal shoes or am barefoot to walk in 5 miles every day. I feel comfortable walking in minimal footwear and have no pain.

I used to run with a heavy heel strike (used to do so when I walk, too)and I have bad genetics on my dad's side of the family. Everyone on that side has had knee replacements, arthritis, etc. I never ran more than ten miles a week, but I really messed up my knee.

I had my knee scoped 5 years ago and I had a bone spur and grade 4 (worse kind, bone on bone) osteoarthritis. This is not meniscal cartilage, which is mostly pain-free after surgery. It is articular cartilage and I can still feel pain in it if I overdo things. Physical therapy does not help.

I have been practicing running in minimal shoes and was ok for a few weeks, but I overdid it yesterday and my knee is in major pain. I think I need to wait a bit and then try running really barefoot, practice perfect form.

So, I'm wondering if anyone with advanced osteoarthritis of the knees (articular cartilage, not mensical)is able to run barefoot because of minimal impact.

I could keep walking instead, but I really like the feeling of running!! :0)

Before I get into my actual question, I'll give you a little background information that might or might not be applicable (hence the reason I'm asking those of you 'in the know').

I started running about a year ago. I'd gotten a little heavier than I liked in college and was having some significant stress-related issues that needed a healthy outlet. When I started out, I could barely run a mile without stopping to rest. A friend of mine took me to Fleet Feet (in Annapolis, MD) and I walked away with a pair of Mizuno Wave Riders. All was well, the shoes were working out wonderfully for me. Within six months, I ran my first 5k - finishing with a respectable (for me anyways) time of 23:42.

Shortly after running that race, I had the misfortune of breaking my toe in 3 places. I spent nearly 6 weeks doing the whole crutches, orthopedic boot, soft shoe progression. I tried running again post-fracture and have had nothing but problems since. I've dealt with my feet going numb (after less than a mile), my knees hurting so badly I could barely walk the next day, and plantar fascitis. I was crushed, assuming that my foot injury had throw off my gait in such a way as to prevent my from running anymore.

After reading some stuff on-line, and speaking with another friend of mine who is an avid runner, I picked up a pair of Reebok Realflex. Miraculously, all the issues I had been experiencing disappeared. No more numb feet, sore knees, or PF to speak of. After spending a significant amount of time lurking on running forums and reading literature, I've come to attribute my lack of pain to the less restrictive shoe I transitioned too (i.e. the Realflex) and my previous pains on my Mizunos. Has my gait changed as a result of my prior injury? In truth, I don't have a clue. All I do know is that it seems like less is more for me when it comes to running shoes.

All that being said, I was wondering what you avid barefooters/minimalists out there would recommend for a good transition shoe to replace my current ones (Reebok Realflex). I have spent quite a bit of time looking at both the Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove and the NB Minimus Trail 10 but can't seem to make a decision either way. Unfortunately, I'd be looking at at least an hour drive to look at either of these shoes in-person so I would prefer to order them over the internet.

Anyways, any and all input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hello, my name is Richard McNeil. I am 42 years old and started running Feb. of 2009 and did my first marathon in August of 2010. I started out with thick soles and inserts and kept having knee and foot problems. I then went down to Brooks Mach 11 and slowly worked in to that. I did my 2nd marathon in Oct. 2010 in Saucony Kinvara. Since then I have been doing some of my runs in huaraches, but nothing over 6 miles at one time. I will be running Iron Mountain 30 miler trail run in VA this weekend on 9/3/11 in the new zero drop Altra Instincts which I have been training in. Since I have went to more zero drop or what I call minimalist shoes I have been injury free.

I just ordered and received a pair of Invisible Shoe Connects. I went running in them today. I really liked them. The best thing about them was the thing I've always hated the most about them, the thing that made me never want to order any Invisible Shoes: the silly hardware store laces. But because I do part of my run at lunch on the beach, I didn't care about getting the laces wet in the ocean so I just ran right through the surf. Yay!

I am really surprised at how most of you all can run with such thin soles. Even though I got the thicker ones that they have, I could feel almost every little rock right through them. A few times I stepped on some crater or rock that hurt enough to make me jump. And the bumps they put in front of the crosswalks for the blind people really hurts to walk on. But overall, I liked them.

The real reason I ordered them instead of just making my own sandals is I wanted to see if the soles could be used for other shoe/sandal projects. I'm not sure glue will stick to them, though. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has glued a leather top on a pair of these, if anyone has done so.

i made the switch to barefoot and minimalist running in february 2010, and have had no real problems with it. my longest runs during this 1 1/2 years were about 15 miles, and i've semi-raced a couple of half-marathons during that time.

but i live in tanzania, where there's... 1) no minimalist shoe market and 2) lots of off-road running (and not nice smooth trails). running barefoot very much of the time just isn't really an option for me. no matter how long i do it, i can't run fast on this terrain without something on my feet. [i can run slow, but i can't do speedwork.]

so... i've been wearing aqua-socks and water shoes that friends have sent from the states. i've tried 6 or 7 different brands and like the cudas flatwaters the best. nothing i've bought has been over 20 bucks, and some of these cost me as little as $8. here are my questions:

1. what are the benefits of "proper" minimalist shoes over aqua-sock thingies?

2. i'll be back in the u.s. in august for the first time in 2 1/2 years, and will have the opportunity to shop around. are there any minimalist shoes that are inexpensive? [i hate the idea of paying a ton of money for shoes we call "minimal" -- and a "ton of money" to a poor development worker might mean something different that what it normally would. unless these shoes are going to last me really a whole whole lot of miles, i can't see paying over $40 for them. i never paid more than that for my running shoes when i wore those, either...]

3. i'd be interested to hear from others who run on bad dirt/rock roads as to how thick the soles of their shoes are. some of these water shoes still make it really tough to run in the mountains behind my house. how thick are the soles of the shoes you guys are wearing off-road?

thanks for any help that's offered.

Toe Salad is pleased to announce the launch of a new website: The Natural Running Center.

http://naturalrunningcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/nrc_logo2.jpg" width="380"/>

The brain child of Dr. Mark Cucuzzella (Two Rivers Treads), Bill Katovsky (Zero-Drop), and Nicholas Pang (The Minimalist Runner), The Natural Running Center (NRC) aims "to serve as a comprehensive web resource of information and education for all runners".

As Bill describes in his launch announcement:

<blockquote>The regular features and departments of the Natural Running Center include the following: detailed shoe reviews (over 60 models -- barefoot style, minimalist, neutral/transition, and walking/casual); footwear education and training tips by coaching and gait experts; articles by NRC''s health, science and medical advisory board members; separate pages for all natural running stores that are partnered with the NRC; and much more.</blockquote>

And the part we are especially excited about is that Toe Salad will be the official forum and user community for the site! If you haven't done so already, go check out the NRC and let us know what you think!

Hey everybody! I have been slowly getting into barefoot practices, its been an interesting transition telling my body to stride differently that's for sure. After years of hell er I mean heel striking w/o even realizing it, it still feels strange to forefoot run. But I don't have the agonizing pain in my knees anymore, so I am not going back. But I find that the longer the run, the harder it is to maintain form and stride, but that is just the simple fact of fatigue. I have run marathons before so I am not always running completely barefoot so that I can get longer runs in.

Just moved to Boulder, CO too and have had the pleasure of meeting the folks at Invisible Shoes and also Michael Sandler, who wrote the book Barefoot Running. A lot of good info in these parts, but I wanted to get to know MORE new people, so I joined the forum. Looking forward to reading lots of posts from you all!

Cheers, Gina

Howdy all!

Almost 41, been running since freshman year of HS. Ran through college. Ran marathons, 1/2 marathons, etc. Ran many of those races with painful knees, back, ankles...I think short of breaking something, I've had the gamut of running injuries. Several years ago, I ran (er, surfed) across the Pose Tech website where I got my first taste of, "Less shoe is better". They recommended the Puma H Street as a good shoe, and I tried it...with no success.

Turns out that I forgot to turn the volume down on the "too much too soon" knob. My feet were understandably trying to tell me that I had been subjecting them to over 30 years of a removable cast (ever see an arm or leg fresh out of a cast? Same thing with your feet) so the inherent strength, flexibility, and range of motion (not to mention feel) were almost nil.

About this time I read a post from none other than Barefoot Ted McDonald and his eventual Boston Marathon in the Vibram Fivefingers Classic. Enthused and enlightened, I bought a pair...

...and again had problems. That darn elastic cord and the achilles tendons did not like it. Elastic cord, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Exacto...RELIEF!!!

After bouncing around a bit between VFF and racing flats, I was watching some training footage of pro boxers and UFC fighters. I noticed that many of them liked to jump rope...drumroll...BAREFOOT! Cue lightbulb of enlightenment turning on in my bald head. Buy jump ropes. Jump rope in bare feet, in VFF's, in Zemgear lows. Get up to 6 minutes. Run 1/2 Marathon in VFF Flow. Finish. Next stop, MARATHON!

Still doff the VFF's, NB Minimus et al for a quick spin around the block barefoot.

Nothing feels as wonderful as a freshly fallen rain, nothing talks as much as a foot caressing the mud, sand, gravel, grass, asphalt, and concrete. Do you feel the rains' cooling power as the asphalt sighs, its breath a visible wisp of steam? Do you hear your feet laugh as passers-by unhinge their jaws, their thickly clad stumps clomping the ground in protest? Do your feet beg to answer their unasked question? "Does it hurt?"<br> "No. I do not hurt because I can feel."

Johnny

I am looking for some suggestions for minimalist running shoes. I have been wearing the Vivobarefoot Candy and I also have the Compton Wellie. But I can't really use these for running. I thought I was going to buy the five fingers so I sold my running shoes (I don't recommend getting rid of your current footwear BEFORE you have something to replace it). Anyway, so now I am stuck with nothing to run in. I tried the five fingers but found them to be snug around my toes. This makes me nervous because I switched to minimalist footwear because of numb toes. So, those of you who have tried the five fingers....do they stretch out? Any circulation issues with them?

I have also tried on the Merrell Pace Glove. And...well...it fit like a glove which was a little too tight for me. It seemed much too narrow (which is funny because I have a very narrow foot). I like the look of the Altra Eve but those are on back order, and I would kind of like to have something sooner than they can provide. Any suggestions would be very helpful.

Thanks so much, Charity

Hello all, I would like to settle a "minimalist running event" in France to help promote the thing. I would like to invite a few (number will depend of the budget I will manage to get) well-known and respected US minimalist runners / theoricians / promoters. Whom, according to you should I contact ?

Thanks.

As avid custom orthotic and shoe wearer for 15 years I stumbled upon the barefoot movement Nov '10. I found it interesting and decided to ween myself off the supports and give barefooting a try. 4 months later I'm pretty much of the orthotics except for standing at work but I have modified them to reduce the support in arch they once gave.

I've modified my running shoes to remove heel raise and extra cushioning, which are now a pleasure to run in (no more shin splints). Have made a pair of running sandals and now a pair five fingers. I wear bare as much as I can but it's not appropriate everywhere.

Here to learn and participate where I can.

Keith

I got introduced to minimalistic running a year back when my girlfriend bought a pair of Vibram Five Finger. My first impression was that they looked cool :-) But it was also one of these heureka moments - this makes sense! One of these things that just feels right, intuitively.

This "step-by-step guide" is available free here:

http://trainingclinic.vivobarefoot.com/step-by-step

If you want to download it as a pdf file, this is the download url:

http://d2saa4i0oprqbi.cloudfront.net/Proprioception-MakingSenseofBarefootRunning.pdf

The pdf file has a little more in it than the first url above.

Isha

First of all, we would like to thank all the members here that have already visited the website http://www.runningpoint.org/ We are about a month old and are growing nicely. We are trying our best to provide you all with quality, thought provoking content from the perspective of two normal guys who run for the love of running and have fallen in love with minimal and barefoot running. The analytics show us that a lot of you have linked from Toe Salad and that is completely awesome, and we need your help to keep growing.

The current problem is that while our Twitter account http://twitter.com/#!/RuningPoint is going great, the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/RunningPointorg/192713584085903 just will not catch on. All we want you to do is to check out the main site first and then if you like what you see, join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Keep checking out the site, we got some new content in the works!!

Thanks Everybody!!!

I'm very lucky to live relatively near TR Treads so I loaded up the fam and headed there this morning. I walked in the store thinking Newtons, tried on the New Balance Minimus as well, then a pair of Evos caught my eye which led me to the Neo.

I got home and ran .5 in them and it felt really good. I'm looking forward to building up to some real miles in them. Sloooowly though.

Hello everyone,

Minimalist shoe fan and would-be barefoot runner based in South East London here. I've been running in Vivo's for about ten months but have just suffered a set back with a stress injury in one foot - rubbish! I think I must've pushed it too far...

Any advice? I'd love to be back running/exercising as soon as poss, barefoot or otherwise.

Happy minimalism to one and all,

Lucy