Earlier today I wrote a blog post about Nike’s release of the new Nike Free Run+. As I was driving home, I got to thinking about why I was disappointed by this shoe (these are the things I think about, and yes, I do have a problem…), and this post began to crystallize in my […]
Cross Country (XC) Racing Flats as Minimalist Shoes
April 15, 2010 By 19 Comments
If you were to ask me how I would define “minimalist” when it comes to running footwear, I would say that there are four factors that are most critical: 1. A minimalist shoe should be lightweight – in fact, the lighter, the better. My personal rule of thumb is to look for shoes that weigh […]
Vibram Fivefingers Running: Random Thoughts from a Part-Time VFF Runner
April 2, 2010 By 5 Comments
My posts on the Vibram Fivefingers have been fairly popular, particularly the following two posts that I wrote on my first couple of Vibram KSO runs: Running in Vibram Fivefingers: First Impressions and Running in Vibram Fivefingers: The Day After Because these posts were written way back in August of last year, and the Vibram […]
Vibram Fivefingers Bikila: Coming in April!
March 31, 2010 By 2 Comments
Vibram Fivefingers Bikila (from Birthdayshoes.com). Like many fans of the Vibram Fivefingers line of minimalist shoes, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new VFF Bikila, the first Fivefingers model designed specifically for runners. The Bikila features, among other things, a new sole design, as well as a padded ankle cuff that will hopefully […]
RP#16: Barefoot and Minimalist Running: A Word of Caution
March 28, 2010 By 11 Comments
Episode #16 of the Runblogger Podcast covers some of my concerns about the recent barefoot and minimalist (e.g., Vibram Fivefingers) vs. typically shod running debate, and provide a word of caution about jumping into barefoot/minimalist running too quickly. Ultimately, the point I’m trying to make here is that the fact that we all are running […]
Minimalist & Barefoot Running Podcast Episodes
March 15, 2010 By 2 Comments
If you are a new reader of this blog, or have found me through one of the search engines (welcome!), I’d like to point you toward a trio of podcast episodes on the evolution of running in humans and minimalist/barefoot running that I’ve put together that complement one another nicely. As a new podcaster, I’d […]
Runblogger Podcast #14: Barefoot Running: Report on My First Barefoot Run
March 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
This podcast episode is a companion to a blog post I just published that documents my experience of running my first fully barefoot run. You can view the blog post here: https://runblogger.com/2010/03/barefoot-running-my-first-barefoot-run.html. In the podcast I pose a number of questions for those who are more experienced barefoot runners than I am, and I’d love […]
Barefoot Running: Thoughts on My First Barefoot Run
March 12, 2010 By 35 Comments
Image by dhammza via Flickr I’ll start this post by saying that I’m a firm believer in the value and benefits, both mental and physical, of minimalist running. I run mostly in lightweight trainers (
Review of Brooks Green Silence Racing Flat
February 21, 2010 By 42 Comments
Now that I’m a member of the Brooks I.D. sponsored runner program for 2010, I’ve slowly been building up my collection of Brooks running shoes. I’m a huge fan of the Brooks Launch (you can read my review of the Brooks Launch here), which I rode to an 8:00 PR at the Disney Marathon in […]
Thoughts on Daniel Lieberman’s Barefoot Running Paper
February 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Image by al.herrmann via Flickr I recently responded to an e-mail questionnaire from a reporter at a major media outlet regarding Daniel Lieberman’s recent paper on barefoot running that was published in Nature. I ultimately was not quoted in the article, so I thought I’d share my responses to her questions here. I have since […]
Runblogger Runcast #9 – Minimalist Running
February 3, 2010 By 6 Comments
Last week a paper on barefoot running was published in the journal Nature by Daniel Lieberman and colleagues that re-ignited discussion of barefoot and minimalist running in both the running community and the mainstream media. This podcast is simply a collection of my personal thoughts and opinions on barefoot and minimalist running, as well as […]
Barefoot and Minimalist Running: An Opinion from Marathon Sports
January 29, 2010 By 5 Comments
Daniel Lieberman’s (and colleagues) new article about barefoot running in Nature has stirred the pot once again about the pros/cons of minimalist running. While many of the popular media articles that have come out read similarly, a member of my local running club passed along a newsletter article from Marathon Sports that was quite thoughtful, […]
Barefoot and Minimalist Running: Science Weighs In
Today saw the publication of new scientific research looking at the biomechanics of running in a barefoot vs. shod condition. The article, titled “Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners,” was written by Dr. Daniel Lieberman from Harvard University and several colleagues at other institutions. Here is the abstract of […]