How many people run barefoot?

[daisy]

daisy when using minimalist shoes try to be soft over the ground, almost try to glide(as if you were really barefoot). A good thing to remember is why take one step when you can take three. a short gentle stride is essential. if you concentrate on foot placement first and then build up the speed it will greatly increase your performance and make it easier for you not to slip and slide around.

Thanks for that, FRR - I'm a forefoot striker and have got my cadence at 180 spm - if I take any smaller steps I'll trip over me own feet! But I take on what you're saying about practising #the float# ... think a big part of my problem lies in downhilling, which is where I've had the most probs on the minimus...no matter how many times I repeat 'relax, relax, relax' I know that I'm more tense going down than up and this tension has got to be interfering with the traction.
MY respect for the shoes has gone up big time now I realise they can actually help guide me to a better technique. Awesome value for money!

[simgreen78]

I'm really impressed, simgreen78. I can't get away with my mimimus on anything with even the merest hint of mud...do you think this is a technique issue? I dont' think my pace is what you'd call 'good' - do you sort of float over the ground? Am I hitting it too hard? They're ok on wet rock for example, but don't seem to dig in enough on a loose surface...am thinking this might be me, not the shoes....

Depends what you mean by a loose surface Daisy. I've run mine up the steep valley where I live and had zero issues on the terrain I mentioned before, including mud, by which I'm meaning a couple of centimetres at most. But would I run them through boggy conditions? No. I find the Vibram sole unit works brilliantly on rock, even if wet, but I live in an area where the exposed rock is predominantly gritstone. I've never knowingly run them over Limestone for example, which I always think has more of a slippiness to it. Whereabouts are you running?

Now that we are in late October the Minimus Trails are getting less of an airing as I switch to something a bit more appropriate for the conditions. Doing most of my running in Roclite 295s at the moment, and I think the next purchase will be 285s which have a bit less cushioning than the 295s.

To give you a rough idea, my technique has altered significantly and for the better over the last few months, partly by shifting to more minimal shoes and partly by necessity as I'm recovering from injury. In both regards I'm building a stronger core and back, and when running my stride length seems to have shortened, my posture is far more upright, I have that floating feeling on descents and I feel much more efficient on the climbs. This is yet to translate into quicker times but I'm still not able to run a 'full' week yet, which for me is around the 50 mile mark, I'm hovering around 30. But I don't think the differences you describe in your Minimus experiences are necessarily a technique issue, probably just variations in the terrain we're talking about.

Still wouldn't lose the shoes entirely though. There is a guy that runs to work every day that I see from my car as I commute, and he does it barefoot. This is through the middle of Sheffield City Centre. The pain etched into his face is enough of a deterrent

[daisy]

Depends what you mean by a loose surface Daisy. ...Whereabouts are you running?

I run in West (spelt WET) Cumbria. Gritstone is lovely and I can see how the Minimus would feel really secure on this, but the predominant surface round here at the moment is 'clarty' - like knee-deep clarty! I'm using the Roclites too - lovely shoe for my mixed trail/fell runs (but have you tried the F-lite 190? on fell its awesome - zero difference twixt toe and heel too - and super-sticky rubber; I save it for the really rough stuff.)

Have no intention of losing the shoes (except by accident in the clart like on Sunday when I had to fish out me Roclite from 10inches of gunk, then find stream to empty it of mud in order to get me foot back in it - oh the joys of off-road runnin!) but, like you (by the sounds of it) have really got a lot out of reducing the amount of shoe I'm wearing.
I'm doing about the same mileage as you too at the moment. Am terrified of 'overdoing it' (which seems to have really unpleasnat and longterm consequences at the moment) but am sneaking up the miles week by week.

I'd love to think you're right about the difference in minumus experience lying in the terrain rather than technique but reckon it's prob. a combination of both... Iknow I've got the technique right when I can't hear myself run on hard trail...trouble with the health issue is that not only am I off my feet for months at a time I more or less have to start learning to run again (like a stroke victim - which is currently one possiblity!!) too. The move from gallumphing elephant to lightfooted mountain goat doesn't come easy!

[Dr H Tool]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXW0Y...ature=youtu.be

The antidote :w00t:

[Welsh Harrier]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXW0Y...ature=youtu.be

The antidote :w00t:

And you can get them from Pete Bland Sports!

[Nigel]

I saw these in Joe Browns in llanberis last Sunday. The most awful thing I can think of. I can't believe people would buy them.

[Rob Furness]

They are utterly bizarre, I'm amazed that you can run off road in these without destroying your ankles. Although, it looks like they are super soft so maybe that's why, they must mold to the terrain so much that you don't go over as easily as you would think. I'd like to try some for a laugh, but there's no way on this earth I would ever buy them

[manothemoors]

I went from X talons to Neo Barefoot Trail shoes a few months ago. It took a month to adapt and learn the technique....sore calves for a while. Some sharp gravel paths are still a pain but on the whole I find that they remind you to keep your form and technique as good as possible.

[Nigel]

They are utterly bizarre, I'm amazed that you can run off road in these without destroying your ankles. Although, it looks like they are super soft so maybe that's why, they must mold to the terrain so much that you don't go over as easily as you would think. I'd like to try some for a laugh, but there's no way on this earth I would ever buy them

Not soft. Totally ungiving. Just a great big solid lump on the end of your foot. I only know this because they were sitting there among the Inov8s and Salomon etc and I couldn't help but examine. Surely nobody would buy them.

[DrPatrickBarry]

I done 20 miles (out and back along the sea front on the Wirral) in a pair of Inov8 Bare-X 180 Running Shoes on Saturday morning between 06:30 and 10am. Neary 10 minute miles. It was a bloddy hot moring and I was starting to get pretty bored with it on the return leg but still it was a slow time. I have seen that before I know I am just not as fast in the minimilist shoes. There was no issue with the shoes as I was able to keep the forefoot running up the entire time and the legs are no more tired than I would expect.

I know generally what the forefront running technique is and I try to run correctly. Would it just be just a case of I am not doing enough miles in them as I only run on the roads when in flat land and I have no choice.