Natural Running Shoes - are they any good?

[Rouxenator]

I don't run as much as I used to, back in 2011 I managed to put 800km on a pair of Nike Pegasus 28s and by mid 2012 I already had more than 1200km on a pair of Asics Nimbus 13s. Since then I only did 1000km on Nike Pegasus 29s and the last few times I ran in the 29s I had to stop because my of knee pain.

Due to the mileage of the shoes I am guessing my runners knee is an indication I need a new pair. While I can get Pegasus 30s (R1300) or Nimbus 15s (R1600) I am wondering it would not be better to get some of those minimal "natural" running shoes? They are slightly cheaper and I figure they will be beneficial to my running in the long run. Has anyone else used them or have any experience with them?

These are the ones I have in mind : http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-EL-X-Mens.htm
My weight is 83~88kg

 

[saor]

I use 5fingers (Trek Sport) for Trail running - so not sure what minimal shoes are like for road running. That said - I wouldn't want to go back to regular trainers after using them for the last 2+ years.

1.) Haven't sprained or twisted my ankle. Especially when traversing rocky terrain - with regular trainers my foot just rolls and it's difficult to counteract. With my toes free - it's like my feet can grip and conform to the terrain much easier which tends to prevent the roll from even happening.

2.) Bending my knees much more. Especially downhill - you can't just plough down hoping your knees & helium-filled trainers are gonna absorb all that impact - you feel it very quickly and your feet also feel it very quickly when you stand on sharp stones. So yeah - bending knees and doing a zig-zag pattern downhill is something I never considered much whilst wearing trainers.

3.) Awareness. If only just because that thin sole and exposed toes means that connecting with a rock or tree-trunk gets very sore very quick...I tend to be more in-the-moment when running (especially when I started wearing them), being aware of my surrounding and where I'm putting my foot down.

4.) I've noticed my feet and ankles have become much stronger with all the movement and exposure that comes with wearing minimal shoes. My feet move around & interact with the ground much more.

This is just my experience wearing them for some time now. Ymmv . I take it you're wanting to use them for road?

 

[Rouxenator]

I'm glad you brought up trail running because I do that from time to time, especially the rocky trails at Dirtopia and Paarl mountain. Will they be able to handle rocky terrain like that without sustaining damage? If not I can always go offroad in my other shoes.

Mostly it will be road running and my goal is to have my body adapt to natural running so that runners knee and shin splints become a thing of the past. I have done some barefoot running before but not far. Once I did 16km on a beach and everything was fine except all 10 tows developed blood blisters from the impact that had on the hard sand.

 

[saor]

I'm glad you brought up trail running because I do that from time to time, especially the rocky trails at Dirtopia and Paarl mountain. Will they be able to handle rocky terrain like that without sustaining damage? If not I can always go offroad in my other shoes.

I'm not so sure about using those one's you mention for trail running. The Trek Sport, or KSO are better suited to rougher terrain (better grip, slightly thicker midsole etc.). The only problem I've had with my shoes is the shoe has torn between my big toe and the next toe. Eventually a branch goes really hard between there and causes a tear which gets worse. If the shoes are under guarantee (1 year afaik) then they'll be repaired / replaced, else you can diy with a piece of leather.

I get about a year out of them, running in Newlands forest about 4 or 5+ times a week. Even with the eventual toe-tear - that's still not too bad imo.

If you know anyone going to the US - they're way cheaper and it's worth buying two pairs. Just go to a local store to get them fitted beforehand so you know your size. Quite sure it was one US size up from what you usually wear.

 

[Rouxenator]

Tried the barefoot thing yesterday, was actually quite nice with no knee pain. Only problem was when I stopped I noticed this :

 

[Necuno]

I tried the 5 fingers, but they didn't fit lekker. Then I hopped into the nike 5.0+ free and omg are they nice!

I don't run as much as I used to, back in 2011 I managed to put 800km on a pair of Nike Pegasus 28s and by mid 2012 I already had more than 1200km on a pair of Asics Nimbus 13s. Since then I only did 1000km on Nike Pegasus 29s and the last few times I ran in the 29s I had to stop because my of knee pain.

Due to the mileage of the shoes I am guessing my runners knee is an indication I need a new pair. While I can get Pegasus 30s (R1300) or Nimbus 15s (R1600) I am wondering it would not be better to get some of those minimal "natural" running shoes? They are slightly cheaper and I figure they will be beneficial to my running in the long run. Has anyone else used them or have any experience with them?

These are the ones I have in mind : http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-EL-X-Mens.htm
My weight is 83~88kg

 

[saor]

. Did you get the shoes you mentioned? I noticed I changed my stride very soon after using them - instead of an initial heel-strike it was more of a flat landing with a slighter shortened stride to make the landing easier. I had lower back pain for about two weeks after changing stride, after that it disappeared and haven't had any problems since.

Was that from road or trail?

 

[Rouxenator]

I did 2km on tar last week Thursday and on Saturday decided to do 7km, that is where the blisters came from. Tried on some Nimbus 15 Asics and they are very nice, reminds me why I bought Nimbus 13 two years ago so I think I'm going to get me some of those. I can always run barefoot if I want to go natural, just not for very far.