Havent’ been hanging out on ST for a while now, but the little that I have I’ve noticed increased talk of surf shoe/ vibram running and thought I could offer an n = 1, 1 to 2 year review from the perspective of a previously injury plagued runner (although the amount of n = 1’s with respect to this approach seem to be increasing significantly recently).
A little background:
Very high arches, suppinator
A few years ago contracted PF and runner’s knee
Took 1 1/2yrs of time off to no avail
Tried small stints of icing, stretching, ect during that stretch to no avail (probably didn’t have the adequate patience for those methods)
Well cushioned and proper foot type shoes as well as insoles were tried and each time (still to this day if I go for 2 or 3 days straight) the injuries would naggingly and nigglingly resurface.
Fast forward to 1 to 2 yrs ago:
Started barefoot running at a very slow pace on a well groomed grass surface
Eventually moved to nice track, then to streets, then for plausible reasons moved to surf shoes on streets and trails
Barefoot Benefits:
Extremely slow and short duration at first (soles and nagging yet much reduced pains couldn’t handle increased duration or speed yet)
Foot strengthening, injury reduction/remission over time, no additional injuries to speak of
Con’s:
Kinda weird looking…
Always gotta be lookin’ out for glass, thorns, stickers, and such
Surf shoe running- The first ~6 months:
Benefits:
If the injuries started niggling I’d just dial back a little and all was well at the slower pace (barefoot better than surf shoes)
Con’s:
Initial lower leg pounding. I am a big guy relative to the average triathlete, and frequent or long runs would leave my calfs extremely sore, stiff, etc- especially in the mornings (surf shoes more so than barefoot)
Surf shoes- Now’a days:
Pro’s:
Injuries held well at bay.
No need to dial back anymore (still very slow, but haven’t needed to dial back usually even at fast paces)
No considerable lower leg soreness to speak of, much reduced from early on
Up to ~ 27miles/week now on BarryP’s plan (that’s the 3/6/9 version)
Con’s:
I AM RUNNING IN WATER SHOES! *(but at least I am running again!..) *
Anyway, as you were, regards, and good luck with your training!
A better description I think would be water shoes or aqua socks.
So far I’ve gone with what I can find locally at Academy or the Sports Authority and have found that the cheapest are usually the best for me.
I’ve found the soles of the less expensive models are usually thinner and more flexible- closer to barefoot if you will.
The more expensive brands are sometimes of a bit better build quality, sometimes with vented uppers and such, but the sole tends to be a bit thicker and less pliable.
The brand that has worked best for me so far are the Oxide shoes from the Sports Authority.
The soles wear out pretty quickly, but for 7 or 8 bucks that’s no problem. It’s actually preferable. Thin sole good, pliable rubber good.
I got smart at the beginning of the Summer and stocked up on 4 or so pair for ~30 bucks.
Good luck finding them this season/time of the year. They usually only sell these seasonally.
Below are some pic’s:
The first are a set of the thin inexpensive type that I have pretty much run through.
The following are my current pair, identical- just different seam coloring:
The following are an example of a pair that didn’t work for me. Thick soles as described above.
Well- off to do a 4 to 4 1/2 miler in the second pair above.
I indeed did ramp it up to quickly- no doubt, but now that that’s said and done- the thin soled pliable shoes are working well for me.
In addition to my PF, high arches, and suppination I am pretty inflexible in my hamstrings, lower legs, etc.
Need to work on this, but have found that the lower heal and thin sole aide in active stretch of my plantar fascia, achilles, ankles, etc, as well as helping to strengthen these groups.
Well cushioned shoes feel great for me after the run if done infrequently, but too much and I have the PF and runner’s knee begin to resurface. Stretching helps the PF, but the thin soles also seem to help with the runner’s knee.
The day after a well cushioned shoe run my lower legs feel great, but it’s a trade off for my biomechanics- probably my previous injuries as well. Banged, pounded, and strengthened lower and back of (don’t know the physiological name for back of- anterior?..) legs or creaping, resurfacing, debilitating injuries… PT is pretty much out of the question as time constraints is factor I am happy with.
*(but at least I am running again!..) *
