The Story of Minimalist Running Shoes
| June 7, 2011 | Posted by Sarah under Running Gear Guides, Shoes, Tips |
In 2009, with the publishing of Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run
For those who haven’t read Born to Run, here’s a short synopsis. Runner (McDougall) becomes frustrated with his frequent running injuries. In his search for answers he comes across the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico who run hundreds of miles, quickly, with only sandals on their feet. He becomes fascinated with the tribe’s story and writes vividly about this civilization.
The book spent more than 4 months at the top of the New York Times Best Seller List.
This probably had something to do with McDougall’s writing style, which is witty and easy to read. The book is a real page turner. But it also had to do with the subject matter and the conversation that followed the book on minimalist running. People were fascinated by the mounting evidence for this type of running versus the heavily padded running to which we’ve become accustomed.
What is Minimalist Running?
Runners have not worn running sneakers since the beginning of time. In fact, running shoes are a relatively new invention and now represent a multi-million dollar industry. Remember that our ancestors, similar to the Tarahumara Indians, were hunters, and as hunters had to chase down their prey. Since they lacked cars, their only real option came down to their own feet on which they wore nothing or very little.
As a result of rigid shoes, our stride has changed as well. When it comes to running this stride makes us more prone to injury. This is why some argue that barefoot running, or minimalist running for those who worry about glass and other sharp objects, works wonders for our feet and our bodies in general.
What are Minimalist Running Shoes?
Traditional running sneakers look something like this:
Note the large heel and general rigidness of the shoe. This shoe also features arch support.
Minimalist running shoes fulfill the following requirements:
- They are lightweight–certainly less than 15 oz.
- Minimalist shoes have little padding or arch support.
- There is little to no heel-to-toe drop. Heel-to-toe drop measures the distance in height from the heel of the shoe to the forefoot of the shoe. Regular running shoes have a 12mm to 24mm heel-to-toe drop, while more minimalist shoes have at least less than a 9mm (and I would say less than 4mm) drop.
- Minimalist shoes should be flexible–you should be able to bend them in half easily.
- They have a spacious toebox to allow your toes to spread out when they hit the ground.
- Minimalist shoes have little structure for the top of the foot.
Different Levels of Minimalist Running
Depending on the person with whom you speak, you will find that different people have different tolerances for what they consider minimalist running footwear. Many think that only the Vibram FiveFingers are minimalist shoes. These shoes feature just 3mm of padding and zero heel-to-toe drop. The shoe is flexible and free, you certainly wouldn’t feel constricted in these. This is about as close as you can get to the earth. (If you’re looking for socks for these, you may want to try looking at the injinji toe socks for running).
The next level of shoe offers a bit more structure–but just a bit. These are my favorite minimalist running shoes. They are lightweight, have minimal padding (4mm of cushion), are flexible, and have zero heel-to-toe drop. Best of all, these shoes are attractive. The soles are made by Vibram, but the rest of the shoe looks nothing like the Vibram FiveFingers. And did I mention they are attractive? You can see a larger review of, as far as I’m concerned, the best minimalist running shoes on the market today by clicking the link in this sentence.
The final level of minimalist running shoes, which some people would not even consider minimalist is a shoe like the the Newton Neutral Gravity Trainer. This shoe has a thick sole, coming in at about 26mm of padding, but it has a small heel-to-toe drop of about 3mm which encourages a mid- or forefoot landing. If you want to read a great review of these shoes check out Running and Rambling. With a 26mm padded heel and a 23mm forefoot, part of what would make some people consider these minimalist shoes is the small 3mm heel drop.
Advantages of Minimalist Running Shoes
Minimalist running forces you to alter your stride. Regular cushioned running shoes have trained us to land on our heels while running. This puts unnecessary strain on our calf muscles and raises the likeliness of shin splints (excruciating little buggers). Since minimalist running shoes have little or no cushioning, our feet use their sensory mechanisms and, through pain, force us to alter our stride to accomodate a mid- or forefoot landing. The shoes allow your legs and your feet to dictate how you run instead of the other way around.
You will also develop new muscles in your legs and feet as you transition to minimalist shoeware. And overall, developing the minimalist running skill will give you a more solid core group of muscles.
If you go into a shoe store, you will find dozens and even hundreds of options for running shoes. Pick up a few of these and try to bend them in half. Flexibility is a major part of the minimalist shoe. It just makes sense that the best kind of shoe for you would bend with your foot, right?
Are these Shoes for You?
Eventually, you are the only one who can make the decision to change to minimalist shoes. First, there are a few drawbacks you should know about.
- The transition to minimalist running shoes can be hard on your legs and hips. You must transition slowly, increasing the distance you run with these shoes by only 10% a week. Trust me, if you go too hard out of the gate you will become discouraged, and you actually risk injuring yourself more than if you kept the old cushioned running shoes.
- Depending on the type of shoe you choose, there is not much protection from dangerous items on the ground. You will have to become more aware of shards of glass, sticks, etc as you run.
For more information and to help make your decision, check out Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run