:D Barefoot Running

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Originally Posted by Derby Tup

First run in my 285s today and really like them. Much 'racier' feel than 315 and very comfy :cool: Don't know if I'd want to run 4hours in them but great for an hour 'blast' ;)

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5hours + in Peak today in 285s. Thought might have sore feet but fine tbh. Shoes not so bright red now mind! ;)

Do you think that a less cushioning shoe might affect knee pain?

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Originally Posted by Spyros76

Do you think that a less cushioning shoe might affect knee pain?

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From my own experience I have found that barefoot running and minimalist shoes( less cushioning) have actually helped me go from a "crocked" runner who was see a physio every week who was trying to sort out my IT band, knee & achilles problems to someone who is now running most days.

It is claimed that when we run were landing with between 10 to 12 times our body weight.
No small amount of EVA, GOO, AIR, SPRING is going to absorb enough of that shock to make a significant difference, what comes into play is your muscles, the arch of your foot, tendons, ligaments etc.
Get the basics working right and strengthen your feet, ankles, calves, quads, hamstrings.

I think you are the right person to answer my question :) . I have the X-Talons and although i love the snug fit and lightness, i get knee pain after 2 hours. I am not if this is caused by the less cushioning or maybe the Talons are not the right shoes for the kind of terrain i run.

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Originally Posted by Spyros76

I think you are the right person to answer my question :) . I have the X-Talons and although i love the snug fit and lightness, i get knee pain after 2 hours. I am not if this is caused by the less cushioning or maybe the Talons are not the right shoes for the kind of terrain i run.

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The X-Talon like all our race shoes are low profile ie: 2 arrow midsole so that your closer to the ground and very flexible.
It may be that your "other" shoes have a more built up midsole or some sort of "posting" or stiffners.
Without knowing which shoes you run and train in its difficult to say were your knee pain is coming from , im also no expert on injuries( not even my own)
As an example think of all your footwear, your everyday shoes are these low profile?
Your road shoes, built up or minimalist?
Off-road shoes, if its just the X-Talon then they are low profile minimalist.

I personally try to get all my footwear to be a similar type MINIMALIST.
My everyday shoe is a 2 arrow F-Lite 230 minus foot beds or a VIVO barefoot shoe, my off-road/trail shoes are Roclite 285 minus the footbeds, my fell shoes are X-Talon 2 cushion minus footbeds.
I try and run a couple of times a week barefoot to strengthen my feet, ankles etc.

My road running shoes are Pearl Izumi Peak and my everyday shoes the Roclite 370. It is also difficult for me to guess if it is the less cushioning or the terrain the cause of the pain, but i think that the X-Talons are a more "specific" shoe for fell racing and especially soft muddy surfaces, while for fire roads or rocky paths a better choice would be the Roclite 285/295 which are more of an "all round" shoe. I think the bigger studs are suitable for mud, soft surface and not for rock.

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Originally Posted by Spyros76

My road running shoes are Pearl Izumi Peak and my everyday shoes the Roclite 370. It is also difficult for me to guess if it is the less cushioning or the terrain the cause of the pain, but i think that the X-Talons are a more "specific" shoe for fell racing and especially soft muddy surfaces, while for fire roads or rocky paths a better choice would be the Roclite 285/295 which are more of an "all round" shoe. I think the bigger studs are suitable for mud, soft surface and not for rock.

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You could be right, I'm doing everything in the X-talons and even brief sections of road to link up trails/footpaths to where I live and the hills. My terrain could be described as mixed. :) I have a number of routes which are on tracks and rocky paths like you. I think I may be pushing the Talons to their limits, the stickiness has gone and I can feel the studs a bit on the hard pack stuff. Let me know if you decide to go for the 285's I'd be interested to see what you think.

I am not really suffering from wearing the talons for everything, (I'm doing less and less in the Vibrams as I keep getting stone bruising). In fact I think that it's best to have less shoes. If you have a number of different shoes, for example a road shoe, trail shoe and a fell shoe, then your feet are going to be in slightly different positions when you run in each of these different shoes. I think that this maybe the cause of your knee pain. I'd imagine (although I'm not familiar with the model) that the Pearls could have a reasonable heel in them, if you were running a couple of times a week in these and then taking the Talons out for a long run on the weekend then the cause of the pain could be due to the change - It's a possibility anyway.

Try and go a few weeks in only one pair of shoes, and try and make your everyday shoes something really flat, like converse for example. Consider replacing road shoes with Vibrams or a flat.

Guess what, i had achilles pain while rurring with the Peak's yesterday :)

Yeah I reckon that's the problem then, give it a go. I ditched my last pair of road shoes at the start of the year and I haven't looked back since. :)

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Originally Posted by Twister

You could be right, I'm doing everything in the X-talons and even brief sections of road to link up trails/footpaths to where I live and the hills. My terrain could be described as mixed. :) I have a number of routes which are on tracks and rocky paths like you. I think I may be pushing the Talons to their limits, the stickiness has gone and I can feel the studs a bit on the hard pack stuff. Let me know if you decide to go for the 285's I'd be interested to see what you think.

I am not really suffering from wearing the talons for everything, (I'm doing less and less in the Vibrams as I keep getting stone bruising). In fact I think that it's best to have less shoes. If you have a number of different shoes, for example a road shoe, trail shoe and a fell shoe, then your feet are going to be in slightly different positions when you run in each of these different shoes. I think that this maybe the cause of your knee pain. I'd imagine (although I'm not familiar with the model) that the Pearls could have a reasonable heel in them, if you were running a couple of times a week in these and then taking the Talons out for a long run on the weekend then the cause of the pain could be due to the change - It's a possibility anyway.

Try and go a few weeks in only one pair of shoes, and try and make your everyday shoes something really flat, like converse for example. Consider replacing road shoes with Vibrams or a flat.

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Twister
You and I are on the same wave length :D