pose and barefoot

Personally not a fan. Tried it and had mass problems with my feet and ankles, but certainly could have been due to doing too much, too soon, etc. Or not breaking in properly. I do know several people who swear by them and are injury free. I do best with Asics and get a new pair every six months or so, but I am not a big runner.

LOVE IT. I trained up to it very very slowly, actually running barefoot where I could- brand new pavement feels like silk! I read everything I could on the 'net about it, read books and watched training vids.

I have fallen arches. The biggest success for me is that I HAVE ARCHES!!!!! My foot print is totally different. My ankles and feet are stronger, and this all did happen gradually. I run in Merrell barefoot shoes now. I can go further and faster than when I ran in "foot coffins". Lol!

You must must must train up slow. If your feet are used to arched shoes with heel lifts, you can cause problems in your achilles tendon, your gastrocs, even the bones in your feet. Train slow and you will never look back. I can't run in big clunky shoes now that I have felt how graceful and beautiful and natural it is to run this way, the way we are meant to run. Read everything you can on the subject, watch videos on proper form, educate yourself and give it a go. It's so worth it.

I now wear only barefoot style shoes at work and so forth. I used to have knee and hip issues, which have corrected due to better alignment. I used to get knee problems from running, and now I am never ever injured. I don't get tired. It's amazing!

best of luck!

I have high arches and wide feet (at least in my toe/forefoot area) and I use Merrell Barefoot shoes ( the Dash Glove - it has a bit more cushioning than the other runners in their Barefoot series - that's what they told me in the store, at least). I had to buy a half size bigger than my normal shoe size. I LOVE my "barefoot" shoes. I was having toe numbness before, but not with these shoes, even after going for over an hour.

As for pose... I was wearing "minimalist" shoes before (ie cheap, flexible shoes with thin soles, and less than 4mm lift), so the transition wasn't a big deal for me. I did have a little calf soreness after my first long run, but nothing unexpected. Also, I've always been a forefoot/midfoot striker, so I didn't have to deal with that aspect of changing to barefoot running.

Good luck!