A couple of things . . .

First is that I've gotta change my profile picture soon because I no longer have the goat.

The other is I've never really posted what my problems are as far as my footwear is concerned.

When I first started this whole barefoot-form thing I began with doing the whole 3-steps-a-second pace forcing me to take smaller steps and making me land more mid-foot than heel-toe.  I then was waiting for the Merrell Barefoot Trail Gloves to be released after reading the awesome reviews all over the net, especially Jason Robillard on his Barefoot Running University website.

When I got them I really enjoyed using them.  I was taking them on my runs all the time.  I didn't go back to "normal" shoes and still haven't.  After about a month or so, I began noticing that my two bigger toes began bumping up against the front of the shoes.  It was annoying enough to give them to my brother who wears a US size 8.  The Trail Gloves are true to size so I thought the 8.5 would be ok for me.  I had tried them on and they had felt great at time.  I had plenty of room in the toe-box for all my little piggies. Not any more.  I didn't want to travel all the way to San Jose to pick up a new pair of TG's so I figured this might be an opportunity to try another pair of minimal trail shoes.


I went out to my local mom and pop shoe store (Joy-pers) because I knew they carried a TON of shoes and they also carried the Vibram Fivefinger shoes.  I'd also heard news that New Balance had released a new minimal shoe line, the Minimus.  A couple of the reviews out there suggested the Minimus Trail to be a better shoe than the Minimus Road.  And considering I like running dirt trails, I figured that was a good thing.  I hoped that Joy-pers would have them in stock.

And they did!

I wanted to get the garish looking neon-orange ones but they only carried the black ones.  That was cool I guess so I asked for a pair of size 9's.

Too small!

The salesperson broke out the foot-sizer thing and he ended up fitting me in size 10's!  What the heck!  My foot got bigger!  I finally understood that the shape of the foot would change.  I didn't think it'd get bigger though.  I just thought I'd have more pronounced arch or something, which I now do.  Nothing crazy looking, just that I didn't have an arch before and now I do.

So I began using the NBMT's.  At first I didn't like them.  I thought the lacing on them wasn't as good as the MTG's.  They were harder to pin down as far as lacing them comfortably.  After a month or so of wearing them, I started calling around to find out if any shoe store carried them yet.  I finally found them in late April.  I got sized and ended up walking out with size 9.5's.

I was so excited, when I got home I changed into my running clothes put on my MTG's and went for a run at my favorite trail loop.  I had a blast in them.  I'd be sprinting the last couple-hundred yards which included a small steep dip (about 20 feet deep) and had fun.

Until I didn't.

On my last run with my MTG's, I was doing the ending sprint.  I had rained a few days prior so some parts of the trail were still a bit muddy and covered with crap.  On that last small steep downhill, I placed my foot wrong and on correcting for the slip, I pulled something on my foot.  It was a twinge of pain but I was able to run through it without being too much of a problem.

Unfortunately it was.

I had accidently injured my foot and now I had plantar-fasciitis (or however it's spelt).  I went running the same route a couple of days later because I didn't know any better about it and ran it ok.  But as soon as I cooled down and relaxed, my heel of my foot would hurt.  Not horribly, but it would take me a few minutes of walking around before it was ok again.

I looked up remedies and some of the stuff out there to fix it was too horrifying to even consider.  One of the fixes though involved a couple of simple tools you probably have at home. A small can of vegetables (like peas or corn) and a rolling pin.  You use the can after you've had it in the freezer on the bottom of your foot for a while, then you take the rolling pin and roll it on the calf all the way from behind the knee to the achilles.  And make sure you work the achilles!  Do that a couple of times a day and the eventually your foot will get fixed.

I stayed away from running for a week or so and tried it again.  No go.  Though it wasn't as bad, it would give me twinges.  I did my therapy that night, and the next day I tried the NBMT's.  After the run, things were a little tight but I had no pain.  Sonovabitch!  I couldn't use the MTG's until my foot was completely healed!

I've continued running with the NBMT's and they are now my everyday shoes.  I use them at work and my runs.  I love them now!  Here we are in June and I still use them.  Lately, I've been using the MTG's for my warm-ups before doing my harder runs and little by little foot is giving me less problems.

Also for my little therapy sessions, I purchased a sprint-stick (roller-massager) and a Foot Log from ebay.  About $40 with shipping from ebay.  The stick was about $17 and the Foot Log I think $24.  Great tools.  Just ice after.

Well, that's two relatively long post for today.  FYI, I love both my shoes.  The Merrells are great because they are helping in stretching my calf and achilles and the New Balance because they really are a great running shoe!  Look up the reviews on both shoes.  See what'cha think!

GD

p.s.

too lazy.  no grammar check.