Thursday, December 22, 2011

Minimalist Shoes

I got the new shoes this afternoon.  The guy at the running store was extremely dubious when I came in and told him I had a foot injury and my coach suggested I try minimalist shoes.  He had me get on the treadmill in them and he filmed my feet to see what is happening.   He ended up agreeing that the shoes I was in MAY have been a problem.  My feet land pretty straight - no over-pronation.  He said that having a stability shoe with lots of cushion may have caused me some problems.  It is worth it to me to try this out and see what happens.  I tried them on the treadmill tonight - for one half mile - you need to get used to these shoes slowly.  And forgive the stained socks - all of my socks are brown - that dust from trails never washes out.

These shoes give me a teense of hope.  I know most of you don't understand what I am talking about, but some of you do.

Maybe by tomorrow or the next day I will stop being so irritated by the inspirational messages on facebook posted by people I know are drunk.  And what would be your motivation to post something every day about how ecstatically happy you are?

See?  I am still a bit irritable.

But maybe tomorrow....

As long as I don't drink today, there is always hope.

And I thank God for the fact that I didn't have a drink today - and didn't want one.  Now, that is a good deal.

8 comments:

Lulu said...

I have a couple pairs of new balance "minimus" shoes...almost like being barefoot--enough sole that there's no issue with rocks or anything but very light and non-cushy--wide toebox. If you're looking for another minimal support type shoes you ought to check out the new balance ones. I actually do over pronate, but supportive shoes just let my feet and ankles get lazy and make it worse. I'm really liking the thin shoes.

Debbi said...

I'm not running in my Vibrams yet, but it's not because of the Vibrams, it's because I feel I'm just too fat to run, and don't want to risk a knee injury from too much impact. That said, I really like the Vibrams and feel like I'm actually USING my foot muscles to support myself. When I walk outdoors in them I walk a bit more slowly, which means (to me) I'm working harder at balance and stability. Not sure if I would run a race in them, but will be using them for both the elliptical and outdoor walking. I hope they work for you.

dAAve said...

I have a couple of pairs of similar-type shoes, but have not heard them called "minimalist". Until now. They are so light!

Let's hope this makes a positive difference with your messed-up walking appendage.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I think that is so cool that they video taped you walking on the treadmill. As a child I had to wear corrective shoes for years, big ole red or brown clunkers I wonder if I walk correctly today? I really hope the shoes are the solution so you can get to being running Mary.

I have been off FB for a little almost a month and I do not miss it, but I do miss a couple people ;)

Lou said...

My Asics gel Nimbus have served me well. I swore by New Balance for many years. My last few pairs, the quality has really gone down. They wore on the back collar after a few weeks!I checked Amazon, and lots of people were complaining about that very problem. I contacted the company and got a form letter, so I switched to Asics.

Have not heard of these minimal shoes. BTW, have you read "Born to Run" Good book

Kary May said...

I know nada about running or the shoes you do it in but I do hope they bring the "old balance" back to your life.

Bar L. said...

Wow, how cool to have a proffessional be able to video your feet to determine what shoe is best. I hope the new ones work well.

I can only imagine what I'd say if I were drunk on FB. Not a pretty thought. I don't drink often (once a year or less) and when I do I am so paranoid I only have one. I used to be one of those asinine people that got drunk and acted stupid. How embarrassing for them (and me back then!)

Syd said...

Glad that you like the new shoes. I have a messed up toe that I am hoping not to have surgery for. Maybe something like these would be good.