Thank you very much for your help and a great blog!

If you want to try something a bit firmer, the Mirage is the “stability” alternative to the Kinvara.

I would be very surprised if a 3rd met stress fracture was linked to overpronation. It’s really hard to say whether the Kinvara or any other shoe was to blame, people get met stress fractures in all kinds of footwear, but I do think the risk may be elevated during transition into more minimal shoes, particularly things like the Vibram Fivefingers and Merrell Barefoot shoes. It could also simply have been that your training load placed stress on your feet that exceeded the capacity of the bones to recover and remodel in response to the stress being applied. I personally found the Kinvara 4 to be restrictive/tight in the forefoot, waiting to try the 5 still.

So would you assume if I used the kinvara again, I would be relatively safe if I made a slow transition and increased my running slowly? The most miles and fastest I have run was in the Kinvara. Have you had good experience with the kinvara in terms of “over-pronation.” I have read some of your other articles and it seems to be a favorite shoe of yours. Thank you very much for your time and responses, it is greatly appreciated. I think I am looking at purchasing the kinvara 4 now.

OK, so my suspicion with a met stress fracture lies far more with the Merrells than the Kinvaras. In a very minimal shoe the forces at pushoff are more focal and can strain the mets as they bend, which In suspect is why we see met stress fractures as a common injury in a transition to a minimally cushioned shoe. The bones need time to adapt and strengthen. Combining speed with a very minimal shoe without adaptation can be a double whammy. The ST5 is plenty of shoe I think, but have not run in that one myself. Brooks flats tend to have more heel cushion and higher drop than other brands.

Thanks a lot. It was my third metatarsal on my left foot. I will check out the mizunos. I loved the kinvaras and I forgot to mention that I had also run a race in merrell trail gloves for a race and some workouts which I think could have caused a large amount of stress. What is your experience with the Kinvaras? I have looked at the Brooks ST5, but am not sure if that would be enough shoe for it is a race flat? Thank you!

Where was your stress fracture located (which bone)? The Launch is a relatively soft shoe, so it may roll in a bit more than most, but only way to know for sure is to have someone film you running in them. You might look also at something like the Mizuno Sayonara which is also a lightweight trainer but is a firmer shoe.