Based upon research published over the past several years, I’ve come to believe the following about the effects of footwear (or lack thereof) on running form: 1. Barefoot running is different and no shoe perfectly replicates the barefoot condition. Running barefoot, particularly on a hard surface, increases the likelihood that a runner will adapt a […]
The Rise and Fall of Minimalist Running: Recommended Article in Lower Extremity Review
September 23, 2014 By 22 Comments
Quick heads up – I was interviewed a few months ago for an article that was recently published in Lower Extremity Review. Titled “The Rise and Fall of Minimalist Running,” the article takes what I feel is a pretty balanced look at what we have learned over the past few years as a result of […]
New Balance Fresh Foam 980, Pointy Shoes, and Toe Blisters
May 28, 2014 By 34 Comments
Sometimes the running gods can be cruel. Yesterday I wrote a post on how to avoid chafing while running. One of the anti-chafe products that I recommended is called Hike-Goo, and after I wrote the post I emailed my contact (Vito) to let him know that I had finally managed to try it. Vito responded […]
Foot Strike Patterns in Barefoot and Minimalist Runners
April 30, 2014 By 4 Comments
Back in 2011 I attended the New York City Barefoot Run. I was in town for a meeting organized by Merrell Footwear (they invited a bunch of folks – scientists, writers, journalists, runners – to talk shoe trends), and the Barefoot Run was included on the list of events for the weekend. Rather than participate […]
Nike Unveils the Free 5.0 v2, 4.0 v4, and 3.0 v6 for 2014
March 14, 2014 By 27 Comments
UPDATE 4/3/2014 – The 2014 Nike Free shoes are now available at Zappos and Nike.com. Outside of the US they can be purchased at Wiggle.co.uk. I have also posted a full review of the Nike Free 4.0 Flyknit. Nike has officially released the new 2014 Nike Free models: Free 5.0 v2, Free 4.0 v4, and Free 3.0 v6. In […]
Do Minimalist Shoes Increase Injury Risk?: Merry Christmas Vibram
December 24, 2013 By 31 Comments
Contrary to what you may read in the coming days about a new study that just came out, Vibram just got the best Christmas present they could have received. The question of whether minimalist running shoes reduce or increase injury risk has been debated extensively over the past 3-4 years. Much of this debate has […]
Why I Continue to Run in Minimal Shoes
October 16, 2013 By 44 Comments
I started running in “minimalist” footwear over 4 years ago. Since that time I’ve set PR’s at nearly every race distance, and have only had one injury that bothered me enough to seek out professional help (a bout of plantar fasciitis that did not curtail my training, and that somewhat perplexingly went away when I […]
Altra The One Guest Review
September 13, 2013 By 16 Comments
Editor’s Note: Guest reviewer Christian Messerschmidt is a 38 year-old runner from Germany and has lived in the Carolinas for ten years. He’s been running for 20 years and switched from heavy heel-striking to a more graceful stride 2 years ago- just for fun. After a 10 year work and family related competition hiatus, he […]
New Balance 730 v2 Review: Fun Shoe, Bargain Price, But With Possible Durability Concerns
September 9, 2013 By 5 Comments
I really want to like New Balance shoes. They make a lot of shoes that fit right into my sweet spot, but I’ve had a lot of issues with shoe durability and construction over the past few years, and it has made me hesitate to recommend a lot of their recent offerings. First, the MT10v1 […]
Pearl Izumi EM Road N0 Preview
August 7, 2013 By 22 Comments
Yesterday I posted my review of the Pearl Izumi EM Road N1, which has quickly become one of my favorite shoes of the year so far. Today, Runningshoes.com posted a video preview of a new addition to the Pearl Izumi E-Motion line, the EM Road N0 (see below). The N0 is a zero drop shoe, […]
Mizuno Cursoris Zero Drop Running Shoe Review: One of My Top Shoes of the Year So Far
July 26, 2013 By 47 Comments
I’m woefully behind on reviewing shoes in my ever-growing collection, so my goal over the next few weeks is to knock out as many as I can for shoes I’ve run in so far this year. I figured I’d start with a personal favorite – the Mizuno Cursoris. Earlier this year Mizuno released two zero-drop […]
Topo Athletic Shoes Now Available – Will the Split-Toe Shoe Succeed?
July 12, 2013 By 17 Comments
I just received an email from City Sports announcing that Topo Athletic’s new line of split toe shoes are now in-stock. Topo is the company that was formed by Tony Post after he left Vibram, and the line consists of three different models: one for running, one for racing, and one for the gym: Topo […]
Under Armour Speedform Running Shoe Review
July 10, 2013 By 24 Comments
I was at a store called Reny’s in Bridgton, Maine last week when an older woman, probably in her 80’s, walked up to me with a big smile on her face and her finger aimed at my shoes. “You’re making a statement in those!” she said, chuckling as she proceeded on past me down the […]
Dirty Runner: Altra Lone Peak 1.5 Review
July 9, 2013 By 7 Comments
A short time ago I received this comment posted (anonymously) on my blog about which shoe I was going to use for the MMT100: “Why is the Lone Peak 1.5 your “weapon of choice”?. The company’s customer service told me it’s not functionally different than the original, which you seemed to pretty much trash in […]
Recommended Zero Drop, Cushioned Road Running Shoes
June 25, 2013 By 46 Comments
If you’re interested in going more minimal with your running shoes, but don’t want to give up cushioning, this is the pace to look. A growing niche in the running shoe world is for zero drop shoes that retain some amount of cushion – I put a lot of miles on shoes in this category, […]
