New running store promotes the bare minimum
As a reformed orthotics-maker, Kyle Roberts pitches a strong argument for the benefits of the minimalist running shoes he sells at his new store in Wauwatosa.
It was ego, though, that persuaded me to pull out a credit card and add a pair of lightweight, low-heel Inov-8 flats to my shoe collection.
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The decisive moment came on a training run along the Oak Leaf Trail in Bay View last month, when I spotted a guy running, not on the path, but on the narrow concrete wall alongside of it. He was barefoot, taking smooth, strong strides, and pulling away from me.
I want to run like that.
Like thousands of others, I had toyed with the notion of barefoot running after reading Christopher McDougall’s 2009 bestseller, “Born to Run.” McDougall convincingly lays out the biomechanical benefits of running with little or no shoe, relying on the world’s greatest suspension device: the human foot.
While I was curious, Roberts was convinced.
He had spent five years making orthotics to correct whatever lower-extremity injuries his patients had — including himself.
“At the time, my theory was that I could help anyone if I made them an orthotic,” Roberts said. “What became clear to me is that not everyone needed one.”
After studying the research, including the work done by Harvard University anthropologist Dan Lieberman, Roberts concluded that the answer to most running injuries was to strengthen the intrinsic muscles in the foot and lower leg and to run differently. The heel-strike promoted by the design of most running shoes was an unnatural motion that inhibited the body’s natural shock absorption.
“Keeping the foot strong is the thing people are missing when they wear a cushioned shoe,” Roberts said. “A big part of it was when I took my orthotics off and nothing happened to me.”
Roberts eventually switched to the Vibram FiveFingers and has been injury-free. He ran the Green Bay marathon in three hours and 22 minutes earlier this year.
About the same time, he opened the Revolution Natural Running & Walking Center at 11700 W. North Ave. in Wauwatosa. He will host an official grand opening on Saturday.
Roberts bills the store as the only one in the Midwest that sells only minimalist shoes -- no cushioned trainers and no motion-control insoles to dictate proper pronation. The flat-soled offerings made by Kigo, Newton, Altra and Vibram will allow the wearers to redevelop proper running form over time.
That’s one of the things that sold me on Roberts’ pitch.
He doesn’t advocate throwing away your old shoes and going barefoot in one step. He advises a gradual transition from standard running shoes, with a heel roughly 12 millimeters thicker than the forefoot, to a flatter, or no-drop, shoe.
In fact, he guided me to the Inov-8, and added wedges in the heel, rather than sell me the flatter, more minimal Merrill trail runner I had been eyeing.
The mantra is this: run with less shoe, migrate to less shoe, don’t be afraid to be barefoot and small changes add up to be huge.
We’ll see.
I’ve been breaking in the Inov-8s, which feel something like rubbery slippers, mostly around the house and walks in the neighborhood. Roberts advised me to start out running a half-mile, then building to a mile, allowing my calves and Achilles to stretch out in the new running position.
And as I learned, that’s what that speedster was doing on the wall on the Oak Leaf Trail: breaking in his feet to go bare.
14 Comments for "New running store promotes the bare minimum "
lightweight running shoes. I've done 2 marathons in my h streets - those
shoes just last forever. They're also a good deal cheaper than any of the
other minimal options. $125 for 5 fingers? $100 for the New Balance
Minimus? The price isn't minimal.
waxworks Aug 12, 2011 4:06 PM
Coachwegs Aug 12, 2011 6:45 PM
I'm excited you're in the neighborhood! I've been minimalist shoe running since April 2010.I wear Vibram KSO, Softstar, Invisible Shoe huaraches, Terra Plana (too narrow) and Sanuks.I did the Ice Age Trail 1/2 marathon in May in my KSOs, and try and run several times a week on trails.I had been a racewalker for 20 years, because it had hurt my knees to run, and was so excited to read Born to Run and inspired to try minimalist shoe running.I ran one marathon in 1992, my knees were sore for a month. Then I racewalked another 6 marathons until 1995, and decided marathons weren't for me.I am so excited to be able to get back to running, and find I have much less problems with soreness in minimalist shoes.
I would love to have my gait analyzed however if you do that, and am looking forward to trying on more shoes in your store. I tend to alternate shoes, and am still trying to find the best shoe for running in winter. I tried the Nike Free this winter, which was ok, but I ended up with a sore neck and jaw, and was uncomfortable with the twisted last.
Sarah Frey
Coachwegs Aug 12, 2011 6:49 PM
Kwat23 Aug 12, 2011 9:43 PM
transition and likes them. I have noticed, however, that some converts
act as if they've found true religion, in a rather obnoxious way. They kind
of remind me of recumbent bicyclists years ago. Drop the 'tude and stop
taking about your shoes incessantly.
Hill Runner Aug 13, 2011 6:29 AM
nowadays. Forget about traditional running shoes, start wearing minimalist
shoes. Not only it provides health benefits to our body, it also helps
protect our feet against rocks and other elements on the ground. I'm also
using Inov-8 and I'm happy to wear them for almost a year now. So far,
so great. I've never had any problem at all.
h t t p://barefootrunningshoes.org/inov-8
Dominic Smith Aug 13, 2011 8:39 AM
regular shoes for years, you have to be very careful. 2 years of achilles /
arch problems have sent me back to a traditional neutral shoe - now I'm
fine. Not trying to bash the minimalist movement, it's just not for
everyone.
Giuseppe Aug 13, 2011 11:15 AM
JOill Aug 13, 2011 11:24 AM
T. Held Aug 13, 2011 1:06 PM
moto3111969 Aug 13, 2011 6:25 PM
going minimalist? Nope.
Giuseppe Aug 13, 2011 10:33 PM
a forefoot striker, so that's one serious elite runner.
@JOill, that's a weird idea. Anything is possible, it might work. One
possible problem is that sweat won't be able to escape the bottoms of
your feet, getting trapped behind the plastic cement. You might end up
w/ some seriously pickled skin underneath the cement. And I'm not sure if
plastic cement will be flexible enough to allow normal foot movement
without cracking.
waxworks Aug 14, 2011 4:29 PM
HappyFeet Aug 16, 2011 3:48 PM
Runner53185 Aug 16, 2011 4:25 PM