Questions & Answers

I've gotten back to running recently (did it in high school with various types of injuries). Since I'm older and heavier now, I feel I need to work harder at staying healthy and injury free. So I can keep running. Till I'm an old lady.

Hi all!

In April this year I became fed up with ITB issues. Through a contact on twitter and a following bout of Video analysis and research on better running form I slowly improved my technique. The only trouble was the Asics 2140's I owned. All of a sudden, they felt like unnatural clumsy blocks on my feet. Being on a budget, I had to investigate less expensive ways to go minimal rather than VFFs. So, from June 2010 till now I built up minimal shoe miles wearing aqua shoes bought from my local supermarket, a pair of Huaraches from invisibleshoe.com (which are my favourite!!) and a thin pair of Gola Retrive (kind of minimal but they do have a heel drop and a narrower to box).

Patience paid off and I can now comfortably run 10miles in any of the three items of footwear above. my 2011 goal is to run a Marathon wearing the Huaraches. Completely doable i think.

Say hello or have a look at most of my running thoughts at snikt-running.com

Happy running!!

I try to get out on Sundays for trail runs in the morning. Year round. If you are in the area, drop me a line.

Hello!

I've been interested in minimalist footwear for a long while, even before Born To Run. I had a pretty early review of FiveFingers here:

http://runningsoules.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/vibram-fivefinger-review/

It appeared on the FiveFingers website for a while.

I started running barefoot completely this summer, and transitioned to running in minimalist shoes for this winter, but have had a ankle injury. Trying to figure out what'll work best for me.

Looking forward to seeing what this site will become.

Started running as a minimalist about a year and a half ago with great gains in endurance and speed... I'm in the military, where the minimalist community is growing... More and more people are starting to realize the benefits..

Hey guys!

I'm a new runner, because I started just at 1st May 2010, but through circa 6 months I made more than 1200 km :) Since some time I became interested in minimalist footwear and barefooting, because before I was running in pair of Nike Lunar Glides. I have now Terra Plana Evo II and there are great. Also, I was running a little totaly BF, just before snow came here. Unfortunetly now I'm off running since circa 2 weeks, because I have a problem with my knee. Now I have to make MRI and then we will see...

Run healthy!

-- Greets, Samur

Hey folks, my name is Ryan, and I found the link for the site over at Barefoot Ted's Google group.

I've been running off and on since about 1994, when I enlisted in the Army. I only got into a more natural running style when I picked up a pair of Newton Gravitas shoes a couple years ago. This of course led to exploring more minimal options; now if I'm not running in VFF's/huaraches/barefoot I feel like I have ankle weights dragging me down.

I'm so glad that more companies are producing more options for minimalist runners this year. VFF's are great, but still disallowed in several military environments. Right now I'm waiting for Merrell's barefoot line to drop, as these look the most promising for military wear. For personal use, I'm really eyeballing the Adams from Altra.

Glad to be here, and I hope to learn a lot!

Ryan

Hello Everyone!

I'm a new cyclist and triathlete. The running leg of the triathlon is the hardest part for me. I've tried to "be a runner" several times throughout my life, but I've always ended up injured with shin splints and knee problems. I was put in motion control shoes to correct my problems, but was never told anything about proper running form. Being injured over and over again was highly frustrating.

I fell in love with triathlon, but in order to do something longer than a super sprint I needed to figure out how to run without getting injured. This led me down the path to minimalist footwear. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on and have ditched the motion control shoes for some Asics Hyper Rocketgirl cross country flats. I'm working hard to improve my form and so far I'm running without pain and with more ease.

I have a long road ahead of me, but I'm excited to see where it leads me.

From snow-packed Saint Cloud MN, Greg here. Looking forward to finding much good information here and hope to add to it as well. Just the type of site I need.<br> I am new to minimalist shoes. I have a pair of VFF Bikilas and have a pair of Brooks Mach 12 Spikeless running flats on order. My main concern (currently) is training tips and avoiding injury. I had a lousy second half of 2010 with shin splints then problems with IT.

Hi everyone!

I am both new to running and new to minimalist running. I have slowly been adding barefoot running to my schedule, mostly to help me with my form and avoid heel striking.

I am very new to running! At the age of 30 (10 months ago), I decided to take up running on a whim. I ran about a dozen 5k's last year and 2 beginner triathlons. I am hooked on this running thing and am excited to increase my distance and speed as I learn to better my form this year.

I have a pair of Kinvara's that I really love. I am so intrigued by the minimalist running movement and have seen big improvements in my form and less shin pain because of it in my training. I can't wait to learn more!

Hi all

I'm Mark, 37-year-old newish runner from Yorkshire in UK. I'm a convert to minimalist shoes having seen my persistent shin splints disappear since I ditched my asics nimbus for nike frees (don't hate me) and saucony kinvara, now my default shoe. Hoping that the chronic calf soreness that replaced the shin splints will pass too in time ;)

I've flirted with barefoot and will be doing this more when the weather improves here. I gave in and got some VFF KSO for christmas but I find my toes don't seem to be the length vibram think is "normal" - I wear 10 UK (11 US, 44 EUR) and tried 42/43 in the VFF sizes. 42 too short on big toe and tight across instep (I have fairly high arches), 43 had a little room on big toe and little toe, but the ones inbetween were well short of the toe caps - not short enough to fall out, but probably only around halfway down the toe pockets. I wonder if anyone has experience of other VFF models having longer/shorter sizes - I think I read that the women's models may have shorter toes, but are probably too small for me... In the meantime, I'm looking forward to trying the Altra Adam when it comes out.

Just thought I'd say hi. I'm 26 living in Burlingto, Iowa. Just started running last March and have gradually made the switch to minimalist running. Just got my first pair of vff bikilas last week and I am loving them. I'm very interested in some of the new products coming out this year. Especially from merrell and altra.

Hi there.

I'm 35 in March. I did not do any running since high school. Ran for 17 weeks in 2009 and stopped for 7 months. Then started running again in June 2010 and have been running since and also completed the Chicago marathon.

I cycle as well and have lost 58 pounds over the past 2 years an am not classified as obese or overweight anymore.

In 2009 I ran in Adidas Supernova Glides and started running in Asics Gel Nimbus 11 and 12 last year and had really hurting achilles, knees and hips.

I listened to Born To Run and switched to Saucony Kinvaras. Been running in them for three months adapting to a front/midfoot strike. The achilles and calfs are now only used to it and the knee and hip issues had disappeared. I won't be running in "normal" shoes ever again.

Happy runs!

I'm FREDERIC, freelance writer for French running magazine JOGGING INTERNATIONAL and French website http://www.wanarun.net

Throughout 2010 I ran and tried to promote minimalist running in France. I wrote several reviews (sorry in French) of minimalist shoes (VFF KSO, VFF BIKILA, TERRA PLANA EVO, KIGO EDGE, Invisible Shoe huaraches and more recently Soft Star Run Amoc).

Unfortunately as I was training for a sub 3 marathon in VFF, I encountered a stress fracture of the second metatarsal. After 3 months without running I may resume soon. I still don't know how to start back since I would like to run the Marathon de Paris in April. Should I take a cautious approach and wear shod shoes (Saucony, Avia, Asics) or minimalist shoes ?

Small town SC guy here. Currently running in VFF KSOs. I'd like to find a good minimalist dress shoe I could wear to work but I'm still looking. I like this website so far.

Hi everyone - long time runner, short time minimalist. I've run in Vibram KSO's and recently bought a pair of TP Evo II's and I'm in love. Having a great time and looking forward to building up to my first (minimalist) marathon later this year!

Hello Everyone,

I'm currently in the process of transitioning to minimalist footwear. My goal is a return to a more natural running form and injury avoidance not necessarily achieving barefoot status.

I've been wearing Softstar Runamocs as my running and daily wear shoe for the past three months or so.

Eric

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-robert-a-kornfeld/barefoot-running-shoes_b_801781.html

I am a 38 year old runner. I began running in 1994 primarily as a means to maintain endurance and leg strength for long hikes but running quickly became a means unto itself. I would periodically take off on a rainy day run wearing a pair of old chacos sandals, no arch support etc... and loved it. I am moving into the barefoot/minimalist running mode these days. I am trying to do several miles a week barefoot.

I am in Alabama which means i can go barefoot nearly year round.

Lately I have been exploring the power line trails north of Birmingham. These are excellent paths that could so easily be converted to greenways.

Please say hi.

Jason

I am a 38 year old runner/racquetball player from minnesota. I have been minimal for about a year and a half. It is super hard to get barefoot runs in wintertime here. I spend a lot of time on the treadmill.

I have used 10+ kinds of minimalist footwear for running.

my favorite is bare feet

2nd favorite vibram five fingers

there is a bunch of junk out there (zep's beach shoes lasted about 50 miles, my ghetto sawed off heel running shoes sucked too.