yikes.
adidas supernova been running in these since 2002. before that , I ran in gel kayanos supernovas are pretty good - I have both the trail running version and the regular version
While those aren’t bad shoes, I don’t think the supernovas fit the more minimal theme the author seems to be going for.
Black Swan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > While those aren’t bad shoes, I don’t think the > supernovas fit the more minimal theme the author > seems to be going for. sorry - reading comprehension fail for me then.
I ran a mile barefoot after my workout today and it felt awesome. I realized that I’ve been relying too heavily on my running shoes and have an almost exaggerated heal-to-toe stride. I can definitely feel a difference in my feet, ankles and calves from the change in stride that results from running w/o the running shoes. Black Swan: Can you recommend some running shoes that I can get to mimic the barefoot workout (besides Vibram w/ the weird 5 toe thing)? I probably wouldn’t be running more than 15 miles per week.
Honestly, for 15 miles a week or less I’d say VFF’s are perfect and they’re hard to beat for functionality. Few other shoes are going to make your stride correct automatically the way VFF’s and barefoot will. If you absolutely cannot stand VFF toes, you can always look at some sort of aqua sock (the $4.99 type from Wal-mart) or water shoe (such as the Teva Proton) or any other cheap shoe with very little sole, a lot of runners will use them, but friction may be problematic. I’ve also heard the Teva Protons can get hot. Pyranha and Hyperspeed are two shoes by Asic that are gaining popularity for minimalists. They’re racing flats, so they have a flat no heel sole like the VFF’s, SUPER lightweight, with little or no cushioning. But like VFF’s or barefoot, you have to avoid heel strikes as there is no cushioning. However, with any minimalist shoe (in my experience), the stride change may have to be more of a conscious effort for those of us that naturally heel strike, whereas with the VFF’s and barefoot it just seems to happen naturally. The New Balance Minimus’s (http://www.newbalance.com/nb-minimus/) come out in March, they’re getting rave reviews and may be perfect for you. Also check out the Brooks Green Silence’s. I like the Saucony Kinvaras for covering higher mileage, they’re like a middle ground between a running shoe and VFF’s, but because you can still get away with some heel toe striding you have to vigilantly adjust your stride with these if you weren’t born with a neutral gait. Hence I’m not sure if I’d recommend them for you if stride mechanics is your primary goal. I tried my best to rank them from least cushioning / most barefoot to some cushioning, but still very minimalist. Your best bet is to check them all out yourself and see what you like, but definitely don’t rule out the VFF’s until you tried them on, for your application, they’re a pretty good match. I alternate between the VFF’s (<12-15 mile runs for mechanics) and the Kinvaras (for 10+ mile runs)
i dont get the barefoot craze, is it a yogi thing?
Just to reiterate, it’s really important that you don’t get sloppy and try to run with a heavy heel strike in racing flats or VFF’s / aqua socks. Your knees would take a pounding if you did. One of the reasons I like the Kinvaras is I can slip in some light heel toe running from time to time without a major backlash. From my own experimenting with stride mechanics, watching others and listening to quips from Scott Jurek, I don’t think heel toe is terrible in and of itself. Yes, I think, running with a neutral gait is better/good, but the single most important factor is stride length. Your stride cadence should be pretty close to 90 strides per minute with a quick cycle. shortening your stride this way will bring your foot fall under your center of gravity, causing your knee to not be locked at foot fall. If you over stride (long strides - most heel strikers), your knee is locked. Combine this with a heel strike and that’s where the problems really stack up. So, heel striking can lead to over striding, but if you keep your strides short with your foot falls beneath you and your cadence around 90 a minute, where you land on your foot becomes a secondary detail.
wake2000 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > i dont get the barefoot craze, is it a yogi thing? google it
since we’re getting so in-depth here, what about using ‘trail’ shoes indoors? i really like the stronger materials trail shoes are made of, but are they really not meant for tracks/treadmills? example: nb minimus trail looks like a beast vs the ghey roadie versions
Yeah, I don’t run super long distance, so the VFF work fine for my needs. Has anybody used the VFF Flows (with the neoprene liner) for colder weather? How do they work? I have VFF KSOs and they get a little chilly when it’s 20 degrees F.
The trail shoes aren’t necessarily stronger material. Major differences are tread (heavier tread), color (dark to hide blemishes) and in some cases reinforced toes (for rocks). You can definitely run in trail shoes on non-trail surfaces but the tread will tend to run out more quickly than the tread would on a road shoe. Also, road shoes may have a slightly more shock absorbent rubber to accommodate asphalt.
Also, in a post maybe a week ago I was criticizing the hardcore VFF and nothing else minimalists. I was in no way referring to anyone here, but more to your “BarefootTed” acolytes. Wanted to make sure no one here thought I was intentionally targeting them.
Black Swan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- cool - thanks for the advice! so i had my first “bare-foot” running experience today - its called forgetting your socks (and i still did 4 miles in under 30 min!).
im never running without my Asics, freeballin is one thing, but freefootin is a definite no no
Thanks for the word of advice BS. Are you familiar with Nike Free running shoes?
I hear a lot about the Nike frees and there are a lot of people that swear by them. I’ve never liked them myself, but purely for personal reasons, I haven’t even held a pair so I have no idea how they feel to run in. The soles just look really thick for me and something about the look has always turned me off. But obviously these are pretty shallow reasons and I could be way off base. They have a strong following so maybe worth checking out when you’re at a store. They do seem to have lost some of their following though, with all the new offerings that came out. Frees have been around for several years, while the green silence and kinvaras came out last year. March will be the first release of the minimus as well. Frees are definitely worth a try though.
Now my left knee (previously injured) feels great and my right knee just started getting IT band symptoms today. I finally think I diagnosed the cause in my stride. On the downside I’m about this close to staging a tantrum. It’s definitely tied to my efforts to form a neutral stride with midfoot landing. I’m actually thinking it might be better just to go back to heel striking at this point.
Can’t you just mix it up with some heal, some mid-foot? I’m planning to do some of each once I can run outside again. I won’t be running as much as you do though.
I think running flatfooted is most comfortable, albeit not very fast. If one knee starts hurting, I just lean more on the other knee until it goes away.