My Review of Minimal Running Shoes

So as the new year begins, I'm approached by many clients who want to run a 5K, run a relay, run a marathon-- whatever, they want to RUN. Should be easy enough-- mankind has been doing it for thousands of years. I'm more of a cross-trainer myself, but I have completed 3 marathons, 3 half marathons, 4 Ragnar relays, a few 5Ks. I love to run, but it's not the only thing I do. Because my body is my job security, the most important element of running to me is doing so as injury-free as possible. I think most people would agree-- even if you aren't a fitness instructor or trainer, you NEED your body to perform the most mundane of everyday tasks. Why take up a hobby/exercise regimen that leaves you broken half the time?

I had a friend recommend the Chi Running book to me a few years back, & I have been a believer in the method ever since. As a yoga instructor, the principles of alignment make perfect sense. As a Pilates instructor, the idea of running with the core-- YES! As a Zumba instructor, the tip to use the hips and keep them loose is right up my alley. And as an intelligent person, which I like to think I am, the idea of running efficiently to conserve energy just seems logical. Yeah, I'm fairly adamant that this is the best way to run!

Once I got the method, I began my experimentation with shoes. The Chi Running emphasizes the mid-foot strike rather than a heel strike, so I purchased a New Balance brand shoe that was built with the greatest support at the mid-foot. I read reviews, watched YouTube videos, & took the plunge by ordering a pair. I was so brave that my first run in them EVER was a half marathon. Yep, 13.1 in brand new shoes. I can't remember the version of the shoe, but here's the updated version:

I actually did well in that half & the shoes felt great. A bit loud on every landing of the foot-- I felt like the tap dancing runner-- but other than that, I liked them. So naturally, I ordered another pair when those wore out.

My second pair of the SAME brand & make shoe did not work as well for me. I went out on a training run, and my foot began hurting, a sharp pain in the midfoot. The pain got worse over the next few days; it was difficult to bear weight on that foot. NOT GOOD. I had to teach classes! Obviously, it wouldn't heal because I kept working out on it, even though I had stopped running & stopped wearing those shoes. I decided I had either a minor stress fracture or a bruised bone, either of which required me to stay off my foot for a few days. So . . . I got a Zumba sub & stayed off. It healed!

But I sent that pair of shoes back & demanded a refund. I got one :)

I look back now & realize that shoe is way too much shoe for a minimal runner-- bulky, stiff, hard-bottomed. But that left me stumped. What shoe then??

After reading some blogs & reviews, I decided I'd try just an inexpensive casual athletic shoe. I found just the pair at Kohl's made by Adidas. They looked something like this . . .

adidas arianna

These shoes were great at first-- lighter than normal running shoes, a cute fit, a little cushion, not too much heel, just enough heel lift for a transitioner like myself. I ran Las Vegas Ragnar in these puppies & felt great till the final 10-miler-- got some blisters. I have narrow feet that tend to slide around in shoes, but I'm usually good about not getting blisters. This was a first. They were fine on my shorter training runs, & I somehow forgot about the Vegas blisters & wore these same shoes for FL Keys Ragnar. BAD IDEA. Blisters returned with a vengeance. I ran a 9-miler, an 8-miler, took them off, swore to never wear them again, then put them back on with much trepidation to end with luckily a 2-miler. Every step was excruciating (it didn't help that I had biffed it on the sidewalk during my first leg & it hurt to bend my bloody knees!). I have never been happier to finish a race-- we ended at the beach & I kicked those shoes off. And then, never ran in them again.

Back to the drawing board . . . I decided I was ready to really go minimal. I tried on the Vibram 5 Fingers-- my toes were too long. Bummer. The only body part I have that's long & skinny. Went to the local 26.2 Running store & tried on several pairs of shoes. In the end, I went home with some track shoes, Saucony Kilkenny without spikes of course, not because the store worker recommended them for endurance running, but because I liked how light and minimal they were.

Looked like those, only with red. I really loved these shoes. But they wore out fast. I bought another pair, in lime green. It was poorly constructed & defective so I had to send them back. I ordered another pair, a boring white pair. These, too, were poorly constructed and did not last long. I wore them in a marathon, & they died. The fabric became too loose and felt funny but not in the pleasant funny. The annoying funny. Back to the running store I went.

I decided to really go minimal and cut the heel. The store had the brand new Altras-- the new "it" shoe for minimal runners. In the store, I immediately loved them. They felt like slippers, so comfy to walk in. I tested them out on the treadmill in the store. They seemed okay. But I was tentative. I was also unsure on the size, if I should go up a half size, but they didn't have that size on hand for me to try on. By now, I'm buddy-buddy with the store owner, he's seen me so often. He can also tell I know what I'm talking about & I'm picky. He wants my review of the shoe & sends me home with the pair to try for a run. He said I can take them for a full-on spin (aka 3-5 miles) and still return them if I don't like them. Sounds good to me.

So that weekend, I embarked on my run. I wanted these shoes to be it. They were pricey, but it would be worth it if they were the answer I'd been searching for. I wanted to love them, I wanted to love them, I wanted to love them-- that's what I thought with each stride. But they felt off. They were heavy for one thing & minimal shoes should be weightless. At mile 2, my ankle got a weird sharp pain. I hobbled a bit, rolled it out, tried to keep going. But it didn't go away-- the annoying, zapping pain only worsened. I had never had any ankle issues before this shoe (and yet now, I still have to crack my ankles before a run-- I think it comes back to this moment). Ugh!! I had thought this shoe was the one. I had spent over $100 on them. Luckily, my buddy at the store was true to his word & I got my $$ back.

What now? I researched online & was tempted to buy the Newtons, but I hated the fact that I couldn't try them on first. And they were pricey, pricier than the Altras. The reviews were raving, but said they wore out fast, which meant I'd have to drop $150 every month. Nope, not happening. Back to the store I went.

This time I went for the New Balance Minimus Trail, with the sole built by Vibram & the upper made by New Balance. Yay, I could still get the Vibram experience, despite my freakishly long toes! Despite these being designated as trail, they're good for road, too. I've raced in them for both. In fact, I wore them in my most recent marathon & felt great. The bottoms of my feet do get a bit tender after lengthy mileage, but my muscles are okay; no Achilles tendonitis like I got with regular running shoes years ago. They were also great because my marathon (2011 Top of Utah) was rain-drenched! These shoes repelled water & stayed light the entire time, whereas people in regular shoes looked and sounded miserable-- like their feet were strapped to bricks.

Finally, I found a shoe I love. I also ordered & have been running in Saucony Hattori & so far, I'm loving those as well. I have not put a ton of mileage on them, but they are weightless. They look like pool shoes & are truly minimal without going totally barefoot. So far, these 2 are my shoes of choice for a positive minimal running experience! I will say I have yet to run a marathon with 0 injury/strain. But I'm not sure that's possible when logging that much mileage at a time. By running minimally, I'm able to take shoes out of the equation & try to figure out what I'm doing, alignment and form-wise, that leads to the tendonitis in my goosefoot area (where the hamstrings connect behind the inner knee) & only flares up after I've hit 16 miles in my training. I'm sure just an overuse injury, but I finally feel good about my shoes. That's one less thing to worry about . . .

I hope this post inspires new runners to try the minimal style-- you have no bad habits yet, so it's a perfect time! And I hope this helps other minimal runners find their perfect shoe!