Minimalist/Barefoot Running?

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Eats_With_A_Fist_Returns
Eats_With_A_Fist_Returns Posts: 77
in Fitness and Exercise
Going shoe shopping tomorrow for new running shoes. Thinking about transitioning to minimalist shoes. Any advice or thoughts? (Just for some background info: I'm still relatively new to running and I'm obese still.)
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  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Going shoe shopping tomorrow for new running shoes. Thinking about transitioning to minimalist shoes. Any advice or thoughts? (Just for some background info: I'm still relatively new to running and I'm obese still.)

    I love my vibrams!
  • Eats_With_A_Fist_Returns
    Eats_With_A_Fist_Returns Posts: 77
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    Would love to find some vibrams....also thinking about Adi-Pures.
  • countrygirl4life
    countrygirl4life Posts: 3
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    i started running minimalist on my treadmill when i started my weight loss journey at 240 pounds. i usually wear orthotics in my running shoes for work, but found them too heavy and bulky to run in. i personally haven't had any problems running barefoot. my advice is take your time, stop when your body tells you too, start off in short bursts and build your way up. the first 2 weeks my calves hurt so bad, and if i pushed it i ended up taking off more time on the treadmill then if i just stopped in the first place. its also good to wear the shoes around your house, and out and about to get used to the shoes, this helps build up the strength you need to run barefoot! i think you will be pleasantly surprised how easy and free it is to run barefoot :) enjoy
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Would love to find some vibrams....also thinking about Adi-Pures.

    I ordered mine online using the measurement video they have on their site. I gotta say, it's spot on!
  • 99cherrypie99
    99cherrypie99 Posts: 205 Member
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    I run in Fila Skeletoes. Lovep them. Minimalist but with a thicker sole then the Vibrams and way cheaper!
  • Eats_With_A_Fist_Returns
    Eats_With_A_Fist_Returns Posts: 77
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    Definitely have to check those out!
  • sherrillg
    sherrillg Posts: 322 Member
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    Love my Zoots!!! Also have a pair of Vibrams but still trying to adjust to toes! :blushing: Go some place where you can get a good fitting.
  • BrandyontheRun
    BrandyontheRun Posts: 204 Member
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    I always wonder about the "toe shoes" (as I've always referred to them as... prior to knowing what the heck they were). lol. But can someone please elaborate on the idea behind these "toe shoes"? ?
  • paeli
    paeli Posts: 295 Member
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    I think it's a good idea, especially if you're just starting out. I've heard it's harder for seasoned runners to transition to minimalist running when their feet are accustomed to the fancy ultra-cushioned shoes.
  • JaclynnGail
    JaclynnGail Posts: 204 Member
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    I loooooove my Vibrams. I hadn't been running long when I got them and have never had any problems. After I started running with them my knees stopped hurting like they had been and I found I had better running posture and could run a little longer. Just make sure you get them somewhere that has good customer service...it was kind of hard to know what size to get when I had no idea what they were supposed to feel like. Also...they took a few days to get used to. At first they were kind of hard to get on and felt really, really weird. You have to kind of ease into using them for running, a little at a time.
  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
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    I love my vibrams, but I had been running a year when I got them. I was surprised too, I was super fast, but my calves killed me the first week! Little tip: Take it easy and get used to them. You wouldn't think the toe drop in a regular shoe makes that much difference, but, boy, it does! And that's coming from a WV gal that grew up barefoot.
  • alaynaroberts
    alaynaroberts Posts: 4
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    I also am a barefoot runner and I love love my Vibrams! I 100% recommend them.
  • scubachic77
    scubachic77 Posts: 23 Member
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    I love my Merrell Barefoot running shoes (http://www.merrell.com/US/en/Barefoot). They have the Vibram sole but not the hobbit foot look. (Don't get me wrong, I have the hobbit shoes too, just not for running). My calves and ankles were sore about 3 weeks into running with the barefoot shoes, but now for the most part things are great! I used the Couch to 10K program to get me going in the right direction - I would recommend it if you are just starting out like I was!
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    I always wonder about the "toe shoes" (as I've always referred to them as... prior to knowing what the heck they were). lol. But can someone please elaborate on the idea behind these "toe shoes"? ?

    The idea behind minimalist running is that you should have a natural footfall in which you don't injure yourself as much as when you run in regular, heavily padded shoes. Think of kids running - you often see them racing around on the grass barefoot. It's the same sort of idea, that you naturally have a way of running that's more suited to your body's posture, etc. It's become quite a phenomenon in the last couple of years.

    For me, I'm not a huge fan of it, but I also don't tend to have a lot of problems running in regular shoes (one of the main reasons a lot of people turn to minimalist running/shoes is to prevent injuries they tend to have with normal shoes). Just try it and see if you like it. :)
  • osuzorba
    osuzorba Posts: 35 Member
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    I just got some New Balance minimalist shoes this weekend. They are technically trail running shoes and have a vibram sole, but don't have the individual toes. So far I like them a lot. I have vibram soles on my hiking boots, which with a couple hundred miles on them look brand new so I have high hopes for the longevity of these shoes.
  • Eats_With_A_Fist_Returns
    Eats_With_A_Fist_Returns Posts: 77
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    The reason I'm changing to minimalist is because I have a problem with my right ankle rolling a lot. I'm hoping that a shoe that doesn't have an elevated sole will help with that.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
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    The reason I'm changing to minimalist is because I have a problem with my right ankle rolling a lot. I'm hoping that a shoe that doesn't have an elevated sole will help with that.

    So the thing is - I have that problem too (floppy ankles) and in some ways you will need to slow and steady work up to the barefoot shoes because you want to strengthen the **** out of your ankles and feet before you try running in them. I was race walking or just any walking around in mine for a couple months.

    Theoretically "real" shoes should be helping you compensate for your ankle rolling, but I think its better to go barefoot and strengthen your own muscles to prevent that.

    Just - be ready to start slow, to have a lot of walking, etc. Especially if you don't know how your gait is now, you need to be hyper aware of how your feet land (controlled landings) and how hard (as soft as possible on the impact) and so on. So if you're training for something you might want to have your hard training days in your shoes and your easy days in the barefoot shoes.

    IF you're just starting out then you might as well go whole hog, just be prepared for it to be different I guess.

    I'm terribly happy with it myself as I feel like my toes, feet, and ankles are so much stronger and healthier from walking and running barefoot. Also I was a bit of an underpronator (just floppy ankles I think?) but I checked the wear on my vibrams the other day and I am wearing them down perfectly, right in the center of my foot, on the ball and heel is where all the wear shows so I think I'm doing good.
  • gdunn55
    gdunn55 Posts: 363
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    The reason I'm changing to minimalist is because I have a problem with my right ankle rolling a lot. I'm hoping that a shoe that doesn't have an elevated sole will help with that.
    Aight.. I'll give you my insight.. Keep in mind that I'm about 6'4" and at the moment 280. I'm not exactly the poster child for health nuts or running gods. However I run in both Vibrams and the New Balance Minimus shoes. Matter of fact I had a thread where I did my first official 5k Saturday in my Five Fingers and last night I ran about 4 miles in my NBs, what's special about those 4 miles was it was the first time I've done it in the NBs that wasn't on a treadmill. What sold me on Vibrams was the rolling of my ankles. I have terrible ankles, however, when I first saw a pair of Vibrams I was in Fayetteville, NC working out and I asked a guy wearing them the story. He was a Army Ranger based at Ft. Bragg and said he began wearing them due to his ankles rolling. His claim was with the Vibrams his ankles have been strengthened and he doesn't roll them any more. So I bought a pair months later after lots of research. I have worked out in my Vibrams since Oct 2010. Ran in them. And I can say without a doubt I haven't had a single ankle issue EXCEPT when I was transitioning into them there were days where my ankles hurt, but it was not a joint pain.

    After wearing my Vibrams so much, I bought a pair of NB Minumus shoes, and there's been no transition. I wear inji socks with my NBs just because my future Brother In Law experienced blisters with his going sockless (he's one reason I bought a pair of the NBs).

    Do your research. Go to running shoe stores that have all kinds of minimalist shoes/barefoot shoes and try them all on until you find one you're comfortable with. Make sure you remember the name and the size in case you can find them cheaper elsewhere. Once you buy a pair, don't go b*lls to the wall in them, transition into them. I know Five Fingers on the tags on the shoes it tells you to work your way into them and always have a spare pair of shoes handy in case you start feeling pain. Stop swap and continue. The pain is the indicator. You'll eventually get to a point where you build up your muscles and they don't bother you.

    Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions.
  • huizenm
    huizenm Posts: 74 Member
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    I use regular shoes to run at the moment but I did attend a running clinic this past Monday and it was a huge insight into running and proper form. The idea behind finding the proper form is running barefoot. I run a totally different way barefoot than I do with shoes on. Mostly has to do with the way your foot lands and when you run barefoot it's your whole foot rather than heel to toe (which can lead to injury)

    For more info you can check out: www.goodformrunning.com/
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Vibram shoes warn you to not go full out in these shoes right away, it hurts (on so many levels). But you can up the pace and distance pretty quick. If your ankles are week it definitely strengthens them, but if they're week it'll definitely hurt at first. I know of a few 'flat foot' people who like these shoes for strengthening their arches and ankles.
    I love my Merrell Barefoot running shoes (http://www.merrell.com/US/en/Barefoot). They have the Vibram sole but not the hobbit foot look. (Don't get me wrong, I have the hobbit shoes too, just not for running). My calves and ankles were sore about 3 weeks into running with the barefoot shoes, but now for the most part things are great! I used the Couch to 10K program to get me going in the right direction - I would recommend it if you are just starting out like I was!
    I love these shoes 'cause I feel like a sexy hobbit...when you pull over to sit on a rock and pick grass out of your toes lol. Loves it..

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