Great to hear about your positive experiences!

I think one day I should try this out myself.

Evil, there is good evidence that cushioned running shoes paradoxically lead to increased impact forces – they don’t do what they are supposed to do. I have been wearing minimalist shoes for just over a year now, and my injury problems have all but disappeared. As to running on hard surfaces, it is much easier and pleasant than rough tracks and grass! The body naturally adjusts running gait to the surface.

Right you are: I started with a really cheap pair that was very heavy and then got a pair of real running shoes for my birthday. What a difference! I couldn’t believe how light those shoes were and how fast I was able to run.

Running shoes are important though, i doubled my running time just by putting on some old running “style” shoes around the house, the time doubled was due to the pain i was receiving after just 20mins of using a standard trainer. I would love to find a place where i can get a running analysis done, perhaps i’ll have to have a good search.

I don’t run but know runners. Of those runners quite a few have fivefingers and they use them on all surfaces, building up to road. However, all use them at the gym in order to train better on the back lifting excersises and the leg specific exercises. Extra stabilisation and additional synergists.

I have to agree with Evil on that one. I was the same but then I read a bit about it. If you are going to do it you really need to build up slowly over time. Yes, our feet were designed to walk on plains, forest and dirt but that was when we were barefoot all the time and our feet build up a resistance to this over time. These days our feet are in booties and mollycoddled from the time we can walk so they are not prepared for those surfaces.

Yep, good points! A running shoe can still look neat on the outside, but its shock absorbing qualities might already be gone.

And I wholeheartedly agree with not saving on the wrong end. If the best available shoe for you costs $300, because you have flat feet, and you can afford that shoe, you are best advised to indeed buy that one.

When I first read up “minimalist running” my gut response was “yes, that is the way to do it” (you know how I am for simple approaches).

But then I thought that our feet were not designed to be used on concrete and pavement, which are rather recent inventions.

So all in all it might simply depend on where you choose to run. In a forest or on a dirt road, the minimalist concept might very well work, if we allow for some discomfort getting accustomed to it might cause at first.