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My son is just finishing up his first year of cross-country in high school. Out of ignorance on my part, he has done all his training in Nike Free 3.0's, which I now realize is in the minimalist camp of shoes. He races in racing flats. He hasn't had any injuries apart from some minor calf soreness late in the season.

Once the season is over, he will start base training. Are these shoes safe for putting in mileage? Is my son now acclimated to minimalist shoes, even if by accident?

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7 Answers

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Minimalist shoes are the way to go. The muscles of his feet and lower legs will be stronger in shoes with less cushion, less technology. Also, minimalist shoes tend to have very little differential between heel and toe, which is good. Traditional running shoes (post mid-seventies)have a higher heel, which can lead to an adaptivly shortened achilles tendon. The strongest argument is that he races in racing flats, so training in minimalist shoes will approximate the shoes he races in. I have not found any research that validates the claims made by shoes companies regarding the supposed benefits of their shoes with a cushioned sole, pronation control, stability, etc. It is all marketing. If the Nike Frees are working for your son I would continue with those. If he is looking for a change there are some great minimalist shoes to choose from.

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There is actually some evidence that injury is more likely with cushioned shoes. I don't know enough to evaluate, and am not a runner only a walker, but have switched entirely to "barefoot" shoes and found it helped my knees. – Robin Oct 21 at 23:59
@Robin -- Where is this evidence? I've only heard anecdotal evidence. I would be interested in reading some scientific literature to that point. – CD Oct 22 at 12:54
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Just my two cents. I switched to a minimal shoe for my daily training, and the pounded led to herniated discs in my lower neck and upper back. When I went to a physical therapist to work on fixing my back she said she sees more runners now (a sports-based physical therapy office) than she had in the previous 20 years. And almost every single one has come in with minimalist shoes.

Her advice was essentially, If you want to run fast over a short distance (less than 2 miles) or slow over a long distance (slower than 12 minutes/mile) then minimalist shoes are the way to go. Everyone else needs to get their stride analyzed and to wear appropriate shoes.

Since this is your son's first year, I doubt the coach had him above 35 miles per week. So he was probably fine in his frees since he wasn't running a ridiculous amount (and he is likely a fairly light-weight efficient runner anyways). But I would still suggest getting his stride analyzed -- Who knows, the shop might say he should stay in minimalist shoes.

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Agreed. Not everybody wearing those toe shoes are out there winning races. I've yet to see anyone finish before me in any... so... – polynesian_metal Oct 22 at 0:50
Thats no good. Maybe you didnt adapt your foot strike properly? Mind you long distance running (instead of sprinting or walking), on hard surfaces (like concrete versus dirt and grass) isnt exactly natural in terms of what we are evolved to do with our feet. – Jamie Oct 22 at 7:03
Prolly good advice on the stride analysis thing. Then if its wrong he can either change his stride or the shoe... – Jamie Oct 22 at 7:08
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 I don't think the problem is necessarily with minimalist shoes, but rather new runners who think that minimalist shoes will keep them injury-free, but still have lousy technique. Probably also tend to over-do it as well, but that's the chronic runnner's MO - running to injury and running while injured. – Matt Oct 22 at 11:39
Well I am a former DI Mid-Distance runner. I have a lot of experience, and I have a very efficient mid-foot strike regardless of which shoes I am wearing. When you are running at 6:30-7 minute pace for longer distances, minimalist shoes can tend to be problematic. For sprints, I usually try to go barefoot in the grass. And I still use minimal shoes for walking. But not for training -- at least not anymore. – CD Oct 22 at 12:31
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I race in these http://www.zappos.com/nike-zoom-streak-xc-3-solar-red-black-white-volt I put a usual 40-50 miles a week on those and I've won trail racing medals in them so I'm going to tell you I am a trail running half marathon specialist and these shoes are the shit. Was skeptical of the VFF movement because of debris on the trail and shit on the street and these seemed to be the most minimal and less cushioned shoe out there but they are 2 seasons old so get a pair for your son, if he likes then get all you can. I have 2 pair in rotation and 1 pair in the box. The oldest pair I've had over a year. I swear by these. Seriously.

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to be more clear: these are ultra light weight cross country racing flats that I use for daily training and racing. I feel you should train in the gear you are racing in and running the pace you are winning in. – polynesian_metal Oct 22 at 0:52
Hey I am wearing some XC's right now. I run in Pegasus but I like the XC to walk around in and to wear in the gym. They are very light. – Poop Master MC Oct 22 at 12:04
I love the Pegasus, I have three pairs of 28s right now, one to wear, two for backup because the 29s are terrible! I hope the fix it with the 30s before I run through these three – CD Oct 22 at 12:32
I've been wearing them since the early 90's and have never had a reason to switch, at least I know they won't give me a blister. – Poop Master MC Oct 22 at 13:10
I wear high top wrestling boots in the gym, Mr. Poop Master MC. I am so 90's I can't wear low tops in the gym. I think its about ankle support but these asics are just as light as the XC's. Don't want to be doing pull ups and toe to bars with heavy ass shoes. Also, I don't believe you need to "break in" a running shoe. It should fit naturally on the foot and feel like an extension or casing, ultra light and barely noticeable. I've tried them all, trust me, and nothing fits my foot like my Nike Zoom Streak XC 3's! for u asics amazon.com/ASICS-Mens-Split-Second-Wrestling/dp/… – polynesian_metal Oct 23 at 13:56
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I am a strong believer in minimilist shoes as they have been game changing for my wife and I in regards to running and cross training. I now will typically pull off my shoes and do some running barefoot just for the sensation. The strength increases in my ankles and muscles around my feet was incredible. I felt much more stable during my lifting as well. Growing up, I had EXTREMELY flat feet. I had custom orthotics in an attempt to build an arch and had several surgeries for sports related ankle injuries. Fast forward 10 years: After wearing VFF's for an extending period, my foot actually developed an arch. I used to have chronic back pain from running (heel striking) in traditional shoes. My ankles are the strongest they have ever been and I do not have any pain when running.

Matt
PhysiqueRescue.com

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I want to second the "my foot actually developed an arch" comment.

I don't have particularly flat feet, but after using vff and running my arch was significantly more pronounced and I could feel a tight strong accumulation of muscle where there was previously none.

It sounds like he is already adapted, but to anyone considering trying minimalist shoes make sure you walk a lot and only run in short burst. If you try to run like you've been in the typical padded high heel you will have some serious pounding on your joints.

(For reference: I rarely run more than 2-3 miles, and my recent 5k is in the 22 minute range)

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How old is your son? Growth plates in children only close roughly 14-16 years old so I'd be cautious of running in minimalist shoes as growth plate injuries MIGHT result... But I'm no doctor

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I just read a post about what type of shoes is suitable for wearing for cross-country, you can read it and follow some suggestions, this post is at http://www.upere.com/fashion/what-type-of-shoes-is-suitable-for-wearing-for-cross-country/

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