Below is the text of a newsletter that my friend Blaise Dubois, a physiotherapist from Quebec City, just sent out regarding the topic of heel striking. If you don’t subscribe to Blaise’s newsletter, I recommend that you do – he sends out a lot of interesting information, and posts like this one are great for […]
Look What I Found at the Discount Shoe Store: New Balance 310 Trail Shoe
August 18, 2011 By 27 Comments
I was at the mall yesterday with my family doing some back-to-school shopping for the kids. Being the shoe geek that I am, I stepped into the Shoe Dept. discount shoe store to see if they might have anything of interest on sale. Imagine my surprise when I came across this: I immediately recognized that […]
Home Cobbling: Cutting the Heel off the Mizuno Ronin 2
August 17, 2011 By 31 Comments
Of all of the 40+ shoes I have run in over the past 2+ years, the Mizuno Ronin 2 ranks right near the top in terms of comfort (along with the New Balance MT101 and a few others). The Ronin 2 is very roomy, and the forefoot is both wide and high volume (sadly, Mizuno […]
Inov-8 Road-X 233 Running Shoe Review
August 16, 2011 By 33 Comments
Over the past two years I’ve run in shoes made by most of the major running shoe manufacturers, with only a few notable exceptions. This review eliminates one of those exceptions – UK based shoemaker Inov-8. It’s somewhat surprising that it’s taken me so long to run in an Inov-8 shoe given the fact that […]
Elements of a Sustainable Runner: Panel Discussion on Injuries, Training, Form, and Footwear from the Newton Running Retail Summit (Audio and Video)
August 12, 2011 By 8 Comments
As I mentioned in my previous post, Newton Running was kind enough to invite me out to Boulder, Colorado to serve on a panel tasked with discussing the “Elements of a Sustainable Runner.” In addition to myself, panelists included Danny Abshire of Newton Running, Blaise Dubois of The Running Clinic, ironman world champion and ultrarunner […]
Newton MV2 Zero Drop Running Shoe Review: First Impressions
August 11, 2011 By 57 Comments
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel for me, and my posting rate here on the blog has suffered a bit as a result. My most recent trip was a short jaunt to Boulder, Colorado to attend Newton Running’s annual retail summit. Newton was kind enough to invite me to serve on […]
United States Navy Authorizes the Use of Minimalist Footwear, including Vibram Fivefingers, with PT Uniforms
August 5, 2011 By 10 Comments
Just got an email from a reader (thanks Bill!) alerting me to the fact that the United States Navy just authorized the wearing of “minimalist” footwear with the Navy physical training uniform (photo of Vibram clad soldier via Rebecca Frankel at Foreign Policy). This is in contrast to the US Army, which recently banned the […]
The State of the Running Shoe Market: Minimalism on the Rise
July 29, 2011 By 51 Comments
An interesting article titled “Appealing to Runners, Even the Barefoot Brigade,” by Andrew Adam Newman was published in the New York Times a few days ago. The article takes a look at the state of the running shoe industry, with a particular focus on the minimalist shoe segment. While sales of toning shoes are dropping […]
Metatarsal Stress Fractures in Runners Part II: Thoughts From a Radiologist
July 28, 2011 By 24 Comments
A little over a week ago I published a post that addressed some potential causes of metatarsal stress fractures in new barefoot and minimalist runners. That post, by Dr. Casey Kerrigan, got quite a response, so I wanted to follow up with an additional post by a running radiologist by the name of Dr. Andrew […]
Keen A86 Trail Running Shoe: Guest Review by Frederic Brossard
July 27, 2011 By 6 Comments
I’ve come to the realization that despite my best efforts, there’s no way I can singlehandedly review every minimalist shoe out there. Not only is the market now flooded with them, but I’ve found that constantly rotating through shoes that vary widely in construction on every run tends to be a bit hard on my […]
Merrell Barefoot 2012 Lineup: Preview of the Merrell Road Glove, Dash Glove and More from Jason Robillard
July 26, 2011 By 5 Comments
Jason Robillard over at Barefoot Running University just put up a post with a preview of some of the shoes that will be added to the Merrell Barefoot shoe lineup in Spring 2012. As a road runner , the new lineup includes one that I have been waiting for for a long time – the […]
Barefoot Running Form in My Kids: Photos of Foot Strikes
July 26, 2011 By 6 Comments
Sometimes a picture speaks volumes. Below on the left is a photo I grabbed from a video that I shot of my 7 year-old son running down the road barefoot in front of my house last weekend (he spends most of the summer either barefoot or in Crocs). On the right is a picture of […]
Irene Davis Lecture on Running Shoes, Form, and Injuries: A Must Watch for Anyone Interested in the Minimalist/Barefoot Running Debate
July 24, 2011 By 30 Comments
Last night I came across a post on one of the Birthday Shoes forums that contained YouTube links to a lecture that Dr. Irene Davis gave earlier this year. Dr. Davis is one of the top researchers in the field of running biomechanics and an expert on the treatment of running injuries. She recently left […]
Comparative Review: Inov-8 Evoskin vs. Vibram Fivefingers by Facewest Adventure Equipment Specialists
July 24, 2011 By 7 Comments
UK shoemaker Inov-8, a favorite among minimalist runners, has recently released a shoe called the Evoskin. The Evoskin is essentially a silicone foot-glove, and in having pockets for each individual toe it bears a resemblance to the popular Vibram Fivefingers. When I first saw the Evoskin, my first thought was that they would likely create […]
Dr. Mark Cucuzzella’s Reply to Jeff Galloway’s Views on Minimalist Running Shoes and Injuries: Thoughts From a Minimalist Shoe Store Owner
July 22, 2011 By 56 Comments
With all his books, coaching experience, training methods, racing achievements, and Ironman-like durability with just over a half-century of miles on his legs, Jeff Galloway is a respected fixture in the running community. And along with many other runners, I’m a subscriber to his email newsletter. But his take on minimalist running shoes in his […]
