I wanted to alert you to an excerpt from my book, Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury-Free Running, that was published in the June 2012 issue of Running Times magazine (starting on page 26, with a great photo of my friend Mark Cucuzzella!). The article looks at the differences between heel striking […]
Archives for 2012
Set Your Piggies Free: When It Comes to Kids and Shoes, I Couldn’t Agree More!
By 4 Comments
As a parent of three kids who love being barefoot, this song just makes me happy.
adidas Adizero Adios 2 Running Shoe Review
By 23 Comments
“Kenyan runners race in low-support shoes, but they mostly train in big, chunky, cushioned sneakers, just like your average, plodding Western jogger. Oddly, though, and contrary to Lee’s (Saxby) theories, these big shoes don’t force the Kenyans to run heel first. They virtually all run in a lovely, smooth forefoot-first style – what Lee would […]
Nike Free 3.0 v4: Initial Thoughts
By 18 Comments
I have a long history with the Nike Free 3.0 line. Back in early 2009, the original Free 3.0 was my first foray away from stability shoes, and it was the shoe that convinced me that I did not need a lot of support and structure in a running shoe. I fell in love with […]
Effect of Step Rate on Lower Limb Loading in Runners
By 23 Comments
Just over a week ago Amby Burfoot wrote a post about a new study from Japan that provides additional evidence supporting the benefits of a shorter stride for reducing loading of the lower limbs. The study by Hobara et al. is titled Step Frequency and Lower Extremity Loading During Running and was published in Orthopedics […]
Introducing My Book: Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear and the Quest for Injury-Free Running
By 52 Comments
About 16 months ago I received an email from a guy named Bill Katovsky asking me if I had any interest in writing a book. I didn’t know him at the time, but I had at least given thought to the idea of writing something more than another blog post. We spoke on the phone […]
Casual Minimalist Work Shoe Reviews: Merrell Tough Glove, Merrell Edge Glove, Vivobarefoot Aqua, Vivobarefoot Neo
By 44 Comments
I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog writing about minimalist running footwear. Much of this stems from my own personal journey from more traditional running shoes to more stripped down models. However, one of the things I have begun to notice over the past year or so is that I have a much […]
Town of Runners: Documentary About Becoming a Professional Runner in Ethiopia
By 10 Comments
A friend on Twitter just sent me a link to a trailer for a new documentary called Town of Runners. As described on the film’s website: “The film tells the story of two young girls, living in a rural town as they try to run their way to a different life. Narrated by their friend […]
New Balance Minimus Road Zero (MR00) Review
By 73 Comments
As I’ve slowly been building my mileage back up after a long period of low volume running, I’ve found myself way behind in writing up shoe reviews. One of the shoes that I’ve had for quite some time now is the New Balance Minimus Road Zero (MROO). I’m not sure exactly how many miles I’ve […]
Motorola MOTOACTV GPS Workout Recorder Review: Close, But Not Quite There
By 24 Comments
For the past three months or so I’ve been using the Motorola MOTOACTV GPS on almost every single one of my runs (disclosure: this product was a media sample provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer for review purposes). About a month into using the MOTOACTV I was prepared to write a review […]
Nike SMS Roadrunner: A Toddler Shoe with a Flat, Flexible Sole
By 25 Comments
Today is my son Benjamin’s second birthday. As a full-blown toddler, he’s going through a period of remarkable transition – he’s learning to run, talk, joke, express displeasure, and to use the word “mine” about 100 times per day. As a parent who has a fascination with footwear, this is a particularly difficult time as […]
Women’s Running Shoe Reviews: Merrell Barefoot Pace and Dash Gloves
By 3 Comments
Merrell has been putting a lot of effort lately into producing and marketing minimalist shoes for women, with multiple offerings in the running, training and casual categories. Most recently, they initiated a campaign called “Pretty Strong” with an associated website geared toward encouraging women to experience minimalist footwear. Below is a video that they produced […]
Running Shoes and Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS): One Runner’s Story
By 103 Comments
A few weeks ago I received an email from a reader named Adam Krueger asking me if it was possible that a simple change in footwear from a stability shoe to a neutral trainer could essentially cure a fairly long-term bout with iliotibial band syndrome virtually overnight. This had been Adam’s experience, and he was […]
Mizuno Be: Mizuno’s Foray into Minimalist Footwear?
By 22 Comments
I was doing a bit of poking around as I tend to do from time to time and came across a German website which had photos of a shoe called the Mizuno Be – appears to be a new minimalist spectrum “training” shoe from Mizuno. Here are the photos that were posted on Laufschuhkauf.de: Since […]
Skechers Go Bionic Review: Lightweight, Zero Drop, and Ultra-Flexible Running Shoe
By 127 Comments
Since initially being contacted by the design team behind the Skechers Go Run, a local ultrarunning friend (Nate Sanel) and I have been working with them regularly on several shoes that they currently have in development (note: I receive no payment from them aside from the prototype shoes I have been testing, which are provided […]
