Barefoot running shoes

[Froglady99]

I'm hoping anyone can offer any advice on barefoot running shoes. My reason for wanting to try them out are the buttock pain I experience in the days after running every time. I wear a neutral running shoe. I had to run in my converse the other day and experienced no pain at all the day after. I've had physio to build up my glutes but the problem has persisted. I'm at the point of giving up running....

No experience. In a parallel universe I would try them too (more like FOMO than any need).

I want to hear how you get on. They look so stupid & flimsy (sorry, not trying to put you off). I know a guy who Luffs his 5-finger vibrams & swears by them for curing his knee problems.. He rockets away from rest of us in the running group. But I think he'd do that with wellies on, tbh.

I like the idea of rocketing away from the group... Bit of a stretch for me I think .
If I get some I will let you know how it goes. I'm not sure if I could wear the separate toe ones, they make me feel a bit funny!

Have a look at vivobarefoot as they are currently offering a 100
Day trial with money back if you don’t like them...

Great tip thank you, I will take a look....

I run in brooks pure flow 6. Not barefoot but as minimalist as I was willing to go- I absolutely love them. Wide toe box and such a small incline means I can really feel the ground and my foot striking the ground.

Love my five fingers! Also Skinners barefoot socks.

My advice is to go with as little padding as possible rather than think in terms of gradually reducing, and run on tarmac to start with. That combination makes you actually change your stride rather than than thumping along as normal but with less cushioning than you are used to.

And try and get yourself a coaching session if you’re not confident about how you run.

Also do not think you can just switch and stick to the mileage you are doing now! Your muscles will need to adjust!

Excellent advice, I think a total change of stride and foot strike is in order for me when I get them. Building up my distance again slowly.

I had also never thought of a coaching session either. Great advice all. I love Mumsnet!

Just looked up the Skinners barefoot socks they look amazing!

Who has run on gravel & stony trails with the 'minimalist' shoes. How long did they last?

Of you are in/near London then these guys are good www.barefootrunninguk.com

DMSW there are lots of YouTube video reviews on longevity. Can’t give you a personal perspective as I don’t think I run enough!

And what's the point of running with a thick sock on, wouldn't it make more sense to just jog truly barefoot? I know I have too many mental blocks about this. Will look for those longetivity videos.

To protect your soles! I gave properly barefoot a go and just ended up with cuts. Depends where you run, though.

I grew up digging glass out of my usually barefeet outside, so I guess that's why truly barefoot seems reasonable to me. I've walked miles across London fully barefoot, too.

It is dirtier here, true. I broke a bone in my foot age 18 that niggled for yrs afterwards. So I don't like idea of regular long journeys on foot, esp. on tarmac, without cushioning.

Seems like a huge transition experience whatever you do.

Give it a go! I have mollycoddled shod feet, and also a massive propensity to blister, e.g, I’ve never been able to wear the majority of shoes without socks. I was expecting gravel to be a problem and in it way it was - I found it too painful - but the real killer was that tarmac that has tiny bits of gravel embedded in it!

The cushioning thing has been way less of a problem than I expected. You just run differently. Walking on tarmac without cushioning I no longer have any foot pain whereas I did when wearing cushioned shoes. Same with running, with the caveat that I’m not clocking up significant distances of running (I’m run/walking to stay within a certain heart rate).

I run in Lems Primal 2 and I love them. They aren’t super minimal in terms of sole thickness but they are flat and flexible with a wide toe box.

I am new to running though and walked in them a lot before doing C25K to build up nice and gradually. I’ve had no pain at all in any part of my body but I’m not running very far or particularly fast - 5k PB is 30:40