Readers of this blog will be well aware that my minimalist running progress is going very well. I am enjoying it, maybe a little too much and in real danger of moving into the TMTS (Too Much Too Soon) category.
I have been lucky enough to find my mid-foot strike form quite easily and now that i’m 50+ miles into the barefoot running i naturally fall into and out of the mid-foot form depending on the shoe. It is with this in mind i decided over Christmas i would try to run parallel training patterns that will allow me to build my foot strength and elongate my barefoot runs while also running greater distances over all.
I want to be able to run my first marathon the end of this year or the beginning of next year. I have just signed up for the ING NYC Marathon in November. I will have to wait until April however to see if i have a number. So i want to get some distance running in, something i don’t dare do yet in my minimalist shoes. I have decided the best course of action is to continue to run my 5-6 mile routs in my Merrell‘s and Vibram‘s and build foot strength. A pace that some already consider to be TMTS, but i am happy with.
I have got what i consider to be intermediate shoes, like the Nike Free that will allow me to run with a mid-foot strike or heel strike and give me some padded protection for the distance. I decided on a pair of Saucony Kinvara
Saucony KINVARA
I felt this to be a good intermediate shoe, Limited support for the foot, a slight heel to toe drop and enough cushioning for me to get some distance in. I have done a few runs in the shoe so far and have been able to hold my mid-foot strike form in them. My last run in them is here. A nice 9 miles.
http://runkeeper.com/user/simonjcole/activity/64273287
So going forward my plan is to run my 5k and 10k races in minimalist shoes and my half and marathon training and running will be done in the Saucony’s. I will be sure to label runs and posts correctly so it’s clear what i’m doing. To be honest it’s also nice to be able to wear some warm socks in this cold weather right now!
So lets see how this concurrent training goes and how easy i’ll be able to switch shoes and on occasion running form.
Related articles
- Barefoot Running: Is it Better? (runningshoes.org)
- Barefoot! (netniewoo.wordpress.com)
- Born to Run? (christostriathlon1.wordpress.com)
barefeat 
January 4th, 2012 at 7:24 pm
That’s great that you are transitioning so well and are able to find your stride so easily. The first time I wore my New Balance Minimus, I went for a 6 mile run and it was the best thing ever. I immediately went into the TMTS category – I felt like I could run forever. Then I made the mistake of switching back to my regular shoes for a couple of 20milers and not taking any low mileage weeks. Needless to say I ended up on the injured list for a while, but never again will I venture away from my Minimus shoes.
Happy Running in 2012!
January 4th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Wait, so you injured yourself going back to your old shoes, did you go back to a heel strike form as well? Also how far and how quickly were you putting the miles down barefoot. I keep gearing about these stress fractures a couple of months into minimalist shoe ownership
January 25th, 2012 at 8:27 am
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