I was in the market for new running shoes today. My flats are getting older (~450 miles) and my other pair is nearing what I estimate to be half of their life (~150 miles). So I headed to the store.
I ended up bring home the New Balance Minimus Trail. Now to give some background information, I have been a little bit wary of the latest barefoot-running fad. I haven't seen very many people who are faster than I am really committing to it and I haven't seen anyone who was slower than I am commit to it and pass me so I haven't been buying into it. To be fair, I am pretty much already enjoying the alleged benefits of barefoot running (quick cadence, low injury rate, mid-foot strike) so I can't really speak to the benefits to people who are heel-strikers and/or prone to injury. In any case, I opened the box when I got home and found a warning to run only 10% of total mileage in the shoes. To heck with that! My first run in them was an 8.51 run over a hilly course on the roads.
All I can say is "wow". They felt very light and despite the lack of cushioning, I didn't feel the pounding on my legs. They're like running in ballet shoes with a thick rubber sole! My usually quick cadence (176 strides/min) upped a bit to 192 strides/min though that may have been due to the excitement of new shoes. We'll have to see how I feel tomorrow. In conclusion, I am not a convert to the cult of barefoot running as a cure-all. I am already poised to take advantage of really light shoes and have been training in flats for a long time. On the other hand, I do love these shoes and although I probably won't wear them every day, I will enjoy running them as much as possible.
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