Questions & Answers

Thank you for creating this new site. I am new to running but have enjoyed wearing minimal footwear over the last couple of years. For me, once i bought my first pair of minimal footwear there was no way I could go back to wearing other shoes. The feeling of freedom to move your feet and become more connected with the environment is wonderful. This site is a great place to learn about new brands & products and really helpful opinions from runners and non-runners alike. Welcome to everyone and thanks for all your contributions.

I've been running in VFF Sprints for the last two years and just started to run in KSO Treks. I will be running my first trail race this weekend. Hope the Treks will be up for the task. Hope to run more trail races and a few ultras in the future. I would like to try other minimalist shoe and plan on reading a lot of reviews on this site. Any other AZ runners out there?

Hopefully less fighting here.

Hybrid runner, both barefoot and minimal.

My current favorite shoe is zero dropped Zoot Ultra Speeds.

I am new to barefoot running and am very excited to go far without shoes!

I'm just getting started on my barefoot journey. A few friends around the office started wearing Vibrams for running and every day use last year, and I was intrigued. I'm an active basketball and ultimate frisbee player, but general knee pain has always kept me from doing any serious distance running.

I'm hopeful that my FiveFingers will help me change my stride enough to let me get into distance road running without tearing my knees to shreds. I literally started running in them today for the first time. The plan (fingers crossed) is to train for the Wasatch Back edition of the Ragnar this June. Bring it on!

Just stopped in to say hello and introduce myself.

I have been running barefoot or in minimalist shoes for a little over 6 months... and loving it! I am now a midfoot striker. I ran cross country and track in high school and college, but that was 15 years ago. Back in the day I was a heel striker. I am now running longer distances than I ever ran in my younger years.

You might enjoy reading my barefoot race report from the John Holmes 16 mile trail run which turned out to be a very educational experience: http://thatlinuxbox.com/blog/article.php/20101009204257420

I'm on dailymile: http://www.dailymile.com/people/danstoner

I have a blog with a running section: http://thatlinuxbox.com/blog/index.php?topic=running

Cheers!

• Dan Stoner

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

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.

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.

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.

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'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!

I switched to minimalist and barefoot running after sustaining a host of stress fractures and soft tissue damage that affected both legs and feet. The damage took me out of physical activity for quite some time. Even once the stress fractures healed, when I tried going back to running, my body made it pretty clear to me that it didn't like what I was doing. Well over two years after I first was injured, I saw a copy of ChiRunning in my local B&N. That put me on to running more efficiently.

Not long after that, I started playing around with my footwear. I started on my quest searching for the "best shoe". Ultimately, my research led me to minimalist and barefoot styles of running. The day I wore my first minimalist shoe, a pair of black Vibram Five Fingers KSOs, was the first time in nearly three years that my feet and legs didn't hurt after walking around for a mere half hour. Since then, I've somewhat moved away from using VFFs for running (although I love using them for hiking), but that first step got me hooked. As I'm an information junkie and a total gear head, I'm always interested in the latest studies done and products developed in the barefoot and minimalist running world.

This site is pretty rad! I am involved in many forums and just can't seem to get enough of barefoot and minimal shoe running talk!

I often review products on my blog so I will try and transfer some of those reviews here.

A bit about me, I am a mother to 4 lovely boys and wife to my barefoot running, kilt wearing, super genius hubby. I have been running barefoot since June of 2009 and am testing out shoes this winter since I am not a fan of barefoot running in the Iowa winters!

My name is Mark and am running in VFF and Feelmax for 2 years now. This year am planing to start barefoot too, when the temperature will be right.

B.R. Mark

I have been running on and off for 2 years now. I have always had bad shin splints. I only started barefoot running about 2 weeks ago. So I can't say to much. But so far I love it.