And if you feel compelled to take on the role of grammar police, proper grammar in your comment might be helpful. “ought” not “aught”

There is most definitely an argument to be made for finding what shoes work for the individual. But seeking only “minimalist” shoes doesn’t absolve anyone the responsibility of doing a little research.  At best it merely provides a head start.  

Find a shoe you like, that fits, helps you run better and keeps you out there and don’t worry about the label. 

I would argue we don’t need more clearly defined classifications, we need less.

I wanted to comment on the statistical approach!  Yes – I think if you had a large enough sample of shoes, you could do a cluster analysis and come up with typographies to name.  That would be a fun applied use of statistics!

Dave,

I agree, it does get muddy because shoes can vary in so many ways. For me, heel height makes a difference even if shoes have the same type of cushion. I feel a big difference running in a Saucony Kinvara than in a Saucony Guide or something like that.

What I’d like to see is more data available to consumers so that they can make more informed choices. Maybe something like a “nutrition label” on shoe boxes. List things like midsole firmness, heel height, forefoot height, forefoot width, forefoot depth, shoe weight, and do it in a very standardized way across brands so that consumers can make more informed choices.

Pete

Thanks for adding your thoughts! I agree – flexibility, toe room, sensory feedback are all very important and seem to enhance our ability to internally stabilize during stance.

Yeah, I came to the same conclusion after twisting them around in my hands and comparing them to my MT10s.  After several shoe purchases this year, I’m fairly certain that shoes with stiff soles are causing most of my problems.  For example, I can run 13 miles on the trail in the MT10s, but the MR10s give me lower calf pain after only a couple miles.  So I definitely agree that “flexible” is an important component of more minimal shoes.

Until there is better classification of shoes that trend toward the right of your graph, I think there will be confusion. Just my two cents.

I think XC flats tend to be narrower and a bit stiffer in the sole, but if they fit you well and work well on the run, I see no reason why they couldn’t be used for regular training. They certainly tend to be a lot cheaper. I have a few pairs of Brooks Mach series XC flats, and they are nice shoes.

Kel,

2 years ago I was in your situation..horrible PF, relying on orthotics and certainly never would have thought of minimal shoes as a remote possibility.  Here’s what I figured out on my own after being led down the wrong path by orthopedists, running shoe store “experts”, and other forms of conventional wisdom.  First, orthotics do give relief…but it is temporary.  The longer you wear them, the weaker your feet get and you have entered a vicious downward spiral.  The way out is to…very gradually…build up your foot strength.  Ditch the orthotics, get a pair of shoes that are relatively minimal and work them slowly into your running schedule.  For me, this gateway shoe was the Nike Free Run+.  Make a point of walking around the house barefoot and being generally aware of the fact that your program of foot strengthening is something you can work on in all aspects of life…not only when running.  In a few months, my feet were feeling much better and I had adopted an approach of varying my running between 3 shoes…all neutral (including the Free). Now I am completely PF free, something I had started to think was not possible.  I currently run about half my miles in a racing flat (Mizuno Ronin) and the other half in other various minimalish shoes.  I think it is really good to keep your feet confused by having a rotation of several shoes. I say this because I believe it and also because I seem to have replaced PF with a tendency to want to buy a lot of running shoes.  I think Pete’s wife and mine might have a few things to talk about (although I don’t have freebies coming my way like he does).  Good luck with the PF and get rid of those orthotics!

It’s futile to try to specify exact measurements of each that will give the desired outcome for every runner. I also think there has been too much focus, almost exclusively, on weight and heel-toe drop to the exclusion of other important parameters like flexibility, sensory feedback and toebox room. These are the most important parameters and the differentiators that make traditional racing flats less than optimal minimalist shoes for many of us. 

Thanks again. I enjoy your blog as a source of information about this new trend in running shoe design.