I have a special affinity for the funky Vibram Fivefingers toeshoes. The VFF KSO was my first true zero-drop running shoe, and it was the shoe that taught me how to run without a big wedge of cushion under my feet. I followed the KSO by getting a pair of the Vibram Bikilas, and managed […]
Altra Instinct Running Shoe Review: Zero Drop, Foot Shaped, and Cushioned
March 30, 2011 By 78 Comments
“The human foot is not to be regarded, as seems almost to be the idea with many, as an incoordinating mass of flesh, bone and gristle which may with impunity be crowded into almost any sort of protective covering to form a fleshy peg, more or less similar to a horse’s hoof, on which to […]
New Balance Minimus Trail (MT10): How I Chose My 50K Ultramarathon Shoe
March 25, 2011 By 2 Comments
Last Saturday I ran my first Ultramarathon – the HAT Run 50K in Susquehana State Park, MD. In the comments following my race report, a few people asked me how I came to choose the New Balance Minimus Trail as my race shoe, particularly given my somewhat tumultuous history with it. This post is a […]
Brooks Running Pure Project: Brooks to Introduce a New Line of Minimalist Shoes
March 11, 2011 By 16 Comments
I was just alerted yesterday to a new post on the Brooks Running blog where they announced their plans to jump into the minimalist shoe market with a collection called the PureProject (thanks @ZakBranigan!). The Brooks post is an interesting one, and I actually find their approach to be positive in a number of ways. […]
New Balance Minimus Trail (MT10): Shoe Surgery to Free My Forefoot
March 10, 2011 By 89 Comments
A few months ago I wrote a post detailing how my glowingly positive initial thoughts about the New Balance Minimus Trail shoe had been tempered by two consecutive runs in them during which I suffered some nasty iliotibial band (ITB) pain. They were the only two runs I can recall in the past several years […]
Shoes, Form, and Minimalist Running: My Interview with Jeff Kline of PRS Fit
March 7, 2011 By 5 Comments
Just a quick note here to point you to a podcast interview I did a few weeks ago with Jeff Kline of PRS Fit. We covered a lot of ground in just over 30 minutes, but as you might expect we mostly focused on minimalist running shoes and running form. If you’d like to listen, […]
Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove Review: Another Great Zero Drop Running Shoe Option
February 27, 2011 By 80 Comments
I’ve written frequently here on Runblogger about my affinity for the Vibram Fivefingers shoes. I currently have three pairs (VFF Bikila, KSO, and Trek Sport), and find them to be great tools for both form work and leg/foot strengthening workouts (I’m not a full-time zero drop runner). Until recently, the Vibrams were really the only […]
Stride Rate, Stride Length, Overstriding, and Minimalist Running Form
February 22, 2011 By 43 Comments
The running science blogosphere has been popping over the past few weeks with articles touching on various aspects of the role of stride rate in running, particularly how it relates to both running speed and injury prevention. Here’s a quick summary of some of the relevant posts: 1. Back on February 5, I wrote a […]
Forefoot Striking and Pronation: Insight from an Ultrarunning Podiatry Student
January 13, 2011 By 28 Comments
Image from the Runner’s World Wiki Just before Christmas I received a very thoughtful and well researched email from ultrarunner Phil Shaw. In addition to being a very successful long distance runner, Phil is also pursuing a doctoral degree in podiatric medicine – quite a dangerous combination! Like me, Phil feels that the current paradigm […]
2011 Minimalist and Barefoot Style Running Shoe Preview on the dailymile Blog
January 12, 2011 By 8 Comments
Quick post – just wanted to pass along a link to a post I published yesterday on the dailymile Community Blog that featured a preview of some of the minimalist and barefoot style running shoes set to be released in the next few months. It’s a very superficial overview of shoes from Altra, Merrell, New […]
Merrell Barefoot Running Shoes – Review Posted by Jason Robillard
January 7, 2011 By 35 Comments
I just received a review pair of the Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove today. I ran in them tonight, but Merrell has requested that I hold off on a review until February, which is actually a good call since it will give me some time to put some miles on them (Update 2/27/2011: My review of […]
Runblogger’s Top Running Shoes of 2010
December 30, 2010 By 29 Comments
I’ve been contemplating for a few weeks about whether to put together a top shoe of the year list. Part of my hesitation was that I find it hard to rank shoes in numerical order – some are good for some things, others are good for other things, and very few (none?) are good at […]
On Form Change, Minimalist Shoes, Pain-Free Running, and Transition Injuries: Bob C.’s Story
December 21, 2010 By 29 Comments
Though I am personally an advocate, I’ve done my best to keep an open mind about the benefits and pitfalls of stride change and migrating to a more minimalist style shoe. I realize that there is not a lot of evidence out there supporting a change, nor is there much evidence supporting maintenance of the […]
Review of Natural Running by Danny Abshire of Newton Running
December 13, 2010 By 27 Comments
I’ve recently begun to notice a change in how people are defining the minimalist running movement. No longer is it just about the shoes (or barefooting for that matter) – rather, people are beginning to emphasize that although minimalist shoes and barefoot running are important, their true value lies in the fact that they can […]
