barefoot shoes ARE bad, barefoot however 😀

why would encouraging people to try barefoot running be a marketing gimmick? you cant sell people new feet

I think thats just been answered.

to me barefoot IS barefoot, nothing on your feet! minimalist, bare foot, barefoot shoes etc IS marketing guff.

to me barefoot IS barefoot, nothing on your feet! minimalist, bare foot, barefoot shoes etc IS marketing guff.

Fair enough. How much and how often do you run?

3 – 4 times a week, on and offroad. anything from 1 to 10 miles. i will don shoes (inov8) for fell races though 😀

I have these: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

When I bought these I had spent somewhere up to 3 – 400 quid over a period of 6 years on trainers ranging from around £20 to well over £120 a pop. These were just another attempt to avoid shin splints, the only one that worked.

Damn.

I’ve been drawn in.

DrDomRob – Member
I have these: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

When I bought these I had spent somewhere up to 3 – 400 quid over a period of 6 years on trainers ranging from around £20 to well over £120 a pop. These were just another attempt to avoid shin splints, the only one that worked.

Damn.

I’ve been drawn in.

they were perfect for giving me stress fractures in my feet, lovely 🙁

Okay, so dare I say I’m more confused than ever now!!! Didn’t mean to open the can of worms that is the barefoot running debate either. Okay let me clarify a bit more, I used to runs alot in my youth, (county/east England X country) and although I have always jogged, I would like to up my level and intensity, with it potentially putting me to a stage where I would feel comfortable attempting my first tri, currently using some Asics road shoes, and although can’t avoid running on road at times, having recently relocated to the South Wales Valleys it seems a shame not to make use of the hills and open space around me, but having looked at the available shoes I was/and still am bewildered by the selection available, I understand that fit is important, my winterwalking boots are a pair of Scarpa that have to be nearly 7/8 years old, fit like a glove and are wearing very well, hence why I’m going to a shop to be assessed, I just wanted some pointers and peoples experiences of various shoes, and if full on fell shoes are what i need or would a good cross/trail shoe suffice. I hope this helps to clarify what I’m after, and I realise it is a bit of a what tyre for everything type thread, so should I say, what shoes for mostly off road/grassy hills/bridleways, with the odd bit of road/Tarmac?

they were perfect for giving me stress fractures in my feet, lovely
Me too! But I still love em 🙂

whatever fits your feet and your comfortable in! enjoy 😀

How much running did you do in them? I dropped down to doing about 10 minutes at a time when I first got them, I am now running about half an hour or so outdoors and a bit longer on the treadmill. But that depends on how fast I set the thing going.

I’d like to point out that I stop when my calves adn feet start to hurt. I’ve been injured enough over the last 11 years that I have learnt to listen to my body and not push it.

The down side is that I don’t often get the all over workout lungburn feeling I used to get when I used to do longer runs. Just feet and lower leg ache.

IanMunro – Member
they were perfect for giving me stress fractures in my feet, lovely
Me too! But I still love em

yeh weird that cuz i still love mine, you used huaraches yet? they are great.

they were perfect for giving me stress fractures in my feet, lovely

That’s the trouble with minimalist shoes, really easy to do too much!

Bet you’ve been having fun running barefoot in snow 🙂

I made the mistake of seeing how fast I could run downhill on about the second or third time I used them 🙂
But after that I was a lot more cautious and gently worked up to about 20 miles as the longest run in them.

PS.
Apologies for not having anything constructive to help the OP with.
But this is STW, so you must have set your expectations low anyway 🙂

I think Nike Frees have somewhat less of a heel (ie height differential) than many normal shoes:

vs

I have to admit I haven’t been running at all over the last week 🙁 But if the snow comes back whilst I am in Newbury at the end of this week then I’ll be doing a couple of runs then.

ron – I’d personally go with some barefoot ones…… I don’t really know what else to say, barefoot all the way!

When the shop gives you your feedback ask them why whatever they say is a problem / positive. Get them to explain themselves with reasoned argument. Don’t take what they say on face value.

Legs are a beautifully engineered system of springs of levers, in my opinion anything that reduces your ability to use them in that way is not a good thing.

yeh weird that cuz i still love mine, you used huaraches yet? they are great
I haven’t really got on with them. Though I only tried them out a couple of times off-road on recently ploughed land and got pissed off with the front of them folding under if I caught my foot on stuff. Quite fancy trying a pair of terra plana achilles when they come out though.

ronjeremy – I wouldn’t get fell shoes, they’d be wasted on mixed terrain. Something like a Mizuno Wave Harrier has good grip in a harder rubber that won’t evaporate on contact with road. They’re not overly cushioned, fairly small differential between heel and forefoot and fairly low to the ground, so you should be safe if marauding packs of gait police are patrolling your area.

Avoid anything with a higher heel, if not for heelstrike offences, but because you’ll go over on your ankle and cry like a girl. I speak from experience. Some trail shoes are like road shoes with a bit more tread. And don’t worry about water, goretex lining etc. Aim for the puddles.

Lesson – never come to STW for running/shoe advice.

IMO at least 90% of this thread is complete BS written by those that are cr4p runners anyway. A few snippets of good advice but it’s hard to find…

IMO at least 90% of this thread is complete BS written by those that are cr4p runners anyway. A few snippets of good advice but it’s hard to find…

*sigh*

….and what gives you the qualification to jump down from on high and make such a statement?

Sometimes you really post the most dickish things Mat.

written by those that are cr4p runners anyway

Harsh, Mat! Since you’ve got no idea how good anyone is.

Surf-Mat – Member
Lesson – never come to STW for running/shoe advice.
IMO at least 90% of this thread is complete BS written by those that are cr4p runners anyway. A few snippets of good advice but it’s hard to find…

Could you point me in the direction of the good stuff then please..

It comes from Mat himself. Who is by his own admission not a serious runner.

Could you point me in the direction of the good stuff then please..

I think lots of people tried to help. It’s just that some of them have different views, what with it being a forum and all. That’s a lot of words wasted then. I withdraw mine.

But you all know Matt’s the best. Well you should cos he keeps telling us he is….

A few snippets of good advice but it’s hard to find…

actually I think the overall advice is pretty much the same which ever side of the barefoot-running shoes divide you’re on, and that’s:

find a shoe that will allow you to run without pain.

some advocate barefoot shoes, others like normal cushioned trainers, go with whatever works for you.

Stever, wasn’t meant as a snide dig and apologies if that is how it was taken, was meant light heartedly to try and draw a line under the barefoot debate. I have digested alot of what has been said and I will admit that I think I have a clearer idea of what questions I need to ask and what I am looking for, I think I will steer clear of the barefoot ones for a while until I have a gauge of how my running is and also I have something to actually measure them against. Thanks all for your opinions and advice, I will probably post back after i have had my assessment with the verdict and also with what I end up getting (I like the look of the Mizuno ones, but ultimately fit will be a big factor), thanks again peeps and I hope you are all well.

IMO at least 90% of this thread is complete BS written by those that are cr4p runners anyway

Strong words Surf Matt but probably true

He’s in the cooler for 2 days after a brush with the swear filter earlier.

Half of what he said in that post is true. I’m not saying which half I agree with though. 🙂

Probably all that barefoot running bul**** wound him up.

Thing is, if running barefoot was such a blimmin good idea, we would all wouldn’t we? If you’re that convinced, save £££’s and run barefoot, No? Thought not.

Hasn’t anyone realised it’s just another marketing niche for the manufacturers to exploit.

Better? Worse? No, different.

Barefoot running also makes people far more mellow, so they don’t suffer from this issue 🙂

IMO at least 90% of this thread is complete BS written by those that are cr4p runners anyway. A few snippets of good advice but it’s hard to find…

So what defines a “good” runner then?

lookmanohands – Member

IMO at least 90% of this thread is complete BS written by those that are cr4p runners anyway. A few snippets of good advice but it’s hard to find…

So what defines a “good” runner then?

Overinflated opinion of self worth and called Matt? 🙂

😀

Barefoot running also makes people far more mellow, so they don’t suffer from this issue

That would explain why most hippies eschew shoes.

So apart from the Vibram Five Fingers what decent “barefoot” shoes are out there?

Inov-8 are bringing some out soon. Evoskins? A lot cheaper than the Vibram.

Terra plana evos are worth a google Shandy, or maybe Mizuno wave universe 3 for something better known.
Or feelmax if you want something very thin.