Minimal/Barefoot style running shoes . . .

[Veronica]

Slight hijack

This is the front runner dress currently.

I have these. But I'm not sure they'll do.

My sister insisted I should get heels. No freakin' way. I'm going to be dressed up for at least 8 hours and on my feet.

Veronica

[GLC1968]

Slight hijack

This is the front runner dress currently.

I have these. But I'm not sure they'll do.

My sister insisted I should get heels. No freakin' way. I'm going to be dressed up for at least 8 hours and on my feet.

Veronica

Gorgeous dress! When is the party? If it's summery weather, super flat sandals would probably dressiest and still 'barefoot'.

I also have these:
http://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/ladies/kali-61.html
that I wear to work everyday and I work in an office. The strap is just elastic, so I actually step on it and wear the shoes like regular flats/ballet slippers. I just bought a new pair because after two years, my first pair was looking worn (and after puppy chewing!). They are SUPER comfy!

They are probably too dark for that dress, but they are great to have for dressier occasions in general.

[limewave]

http://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/ladies/kali-61.html
that I wear to work everyday and I work in an office. The strap is just elastic, so I actually step on it and wear the shoes like regular flats/ballet slippers. I just bought a new pair because after two years, my first pair was looking worn (and after puppy chewing!). They are SUPER comfy!

I'm going to have to do something like that. I've worked from home for 10 years and am almost always barefoot. My feet have gotten bigger! I think its muscle in my feet. Maybe I'm wrong. Anyways, starting this fall I'll be working in an office environment everyday. The shoe situation is freaking me out. I wear heals on occasion and they kill my legs. My calfs get super tight. I don't want to go that route.

[Veronica]

The party is June 29, 2013. It's a wedding really. They are going to have a mass to renew vows and then a reception.

My MIL is pretty cool, I can get whatever dress I want. I hated my wedding dress. It was cheap and I could afford it, so for this I want something I really like. I was avoiding sandals because I think I have ugly toes - genetic hammer toes. But we are getting manicures and pedicures the Thursday before...

I've got lots of time to find something really nice. And I want to be as comfortable as I can be since it's a long day!

LW I started wearing my Merrill shoes last summer, hiked all over Glacier NP in them. In Sept. I started running in Kinvaras, a minimal shoe. I think all the walking before the running switch, made switching easier. I didn't have any of the tight calves or Achilles issues that I had read could be a problem.

Good luck with your experiment!

Veronica

[lovelygamer]

This link http://www.lemingfootwear.com/Foot-E...n_ep_71-1.html found off of the first link on this thread is SO interesting. Foot Education. There is a product there I would love to try: Correct Toes.

I don't run but I have foot pain. There are several reasons I have it. It's highly annoying. I feel better when I am barefoot but society doesn't really go for that. I love the thought of this product correcting or easing other foot pain and issues such as PF, which I also have.

[Blueberry]

What a cool thread!

Veronica - Great dress! And that sounds like a fabulous occasion! I would be curious which styles of Merrell's you have, and how you like them. I'm fine in them for casual wear. I expect I need a wide (or another shoe) for running. Whenever I am allowed back to that.

GLC - I thought I remembered that you liked the wide NB. I have very wide toes now too from barefoot shoes. In fact, I may have to get new bike shoes.

Lovelygamer - those Correct Toes look cool! I'm sure I'm still re-training my feet (and my toes may spread even more). I still get some pain in the little toe with 5 fingers - I think because it's not used to spreading. I've been wearing a combination of merrell's, 5 fingers, flip flips (plain old rainbows) and chacos for most of a year. It's made a huge difference in my foot comfort.

Limewave - if you don't have to dress up too much, look at Soft Star. I really want to order their Mary Jane's and their Rambler. They're made in the USA, and I think cute (though my DH does not agree....). Come to think of it, I probably would have worn the MJ with my suits when I had to wear them (but I worse Danskos to work every day).

[GLC1968]

GLC - I thought I remembered that you liked the wide NB. I have very wide toes now too from barefoot shoes. In fact, I may have to get new bike shoes.

Heh, me too! I can't wear my bike shoes (mens for width) for more than a couple of hours before my feet really start to cramp up. Once I get back into shape (and get my screws out), I'm really going to have to work on finding a suitable shoe solution. My feet have spread quite a bit in the last three years of my barefoot experience! The podiatrist I mentioned above said that he's actually cut cycling shoes for clients with the same problem to make them work, so I may have to let him at mine.

[Veronica]

I would be curious which styles of Merrell's you have.

Pace Glove
Train Pure Glove
Lithe Wonder Glove
Mighty Glove


I've been happy with all of them.

Veronica

[OakLeaf]

GLC, good luck with the surgery and the last phase of recovery!

I have a pair of men's wide NB Minimus cross-trainers, so I don't know if they're on the same last as the trail or road shoes? Anyway they are wide enough in men's wide, but the toe boxes are pretty pointy. Lemings are actually shaped like feet!

I've seen CorrecToes in a lot of drugstores with the foot care stuff, you might check. But, IMO it all comes down to shoes that fit. If your shoes are forcing your toes together, then it seems to me that trying to force them apart from the inside is just going to aggravate any trouble you have with ingrown toenails, bunions and bunionettes. Once I finally found shoes that fit (plus started work on foot strength, mobilization and flexibility), my toes have reshaped themselves quite a bit all by themselves, even after 50 years of wearing shoes that were too small.

[GLC1968]

This link http://www.lemingfootwear.com/Foot-E...n_ep_71-1.html found off of the first link on this thread is SO interesting. Foot Education. There is a product there I would love to try: Correct Toes.

I don't run but I have foot pain. There are several reasons I have it. It's highly annoying. I feel better when I am barefoot but society doesn't really go for that. I love the thought of this product correcting or easing other foot pain and issues such as PF, which I also have.

Correct Toes was invented by my podiatrist. I have a pair! They work great, but he also admitted to me that wearing VFF's would serve the same purpose (assuming all your toes make it into the pockets). I had a very hard time finding shoes that would fit over my Correct Toes (hence my foray into all things from Vivobarefoot) and I think that's partly why my doc went into partnership with Lemmings. I was clearly not the only one!

[lovelygamer]

Correct Toes was invented by my podiatrist. I have a pair! They work great, but he also admitted to me that wearing VFF's would serve the same purpose (assuming all your toes make it into the pockets). I had a very hard time finding shoes that would fit over my Correct Toes (hence my foray into all things from Vivobarefoot) and I think that's partly why my doc went into partnership with Lemmings. I was clearly not the only one!

VERY cool~! I love this thread.

[Kathi]

One thing I noticed about going barefoot is that although my feet haven't gotten bigger my arches seem to have gotten stronger.

I used to wear full length orthotics supposedly to help knee problems. After a PT told me I didn't need them and I was reading about the barefoot movement I eased myself off the orthotics and went back to going barefoot. To take up some volume in my cycling shoes I got E-Soles with various arch heights.

At first the lowest arch felt too high and uncomfortable, especially when standing or walking in my bicycle shoes. Odd because I have a pretty good arch. This year I noticed that I didn't feel the arch support at all. Thinking the original support was just broken down I put new ones in. Amazingly, the new ones are the next to the highest level provided by E-soles. Unlike when I first started using E-Soles I hardly notice the arch support. I tried changing the metatarsel pads but my feet didn't like that at so I went back to using the old ones.

The only thing I can figure out is that having the arch support of the orthotics for so many years weakened my arches. I'm sold on being barefoot as much as I can.

[GLC1968]

The only thing I can figure out is that having the arch support of the orthotics for so many years weakened my arches. I'm sold on being barefoot as much as I can.

I would completely agree with this and it is funny you should post this today. Earlier this morning when my PT was looking at my recovering foot, she mentioned that the screws made my foot look like I had fallen arches. I said 'well, I kind of do...look at my other foot" and I pulled off my shoe. We both noticed immediately that I do have a nice arch in my good foot. That's new! Three years ago (after years with custom orthotics), my feet were literally like flippers. Wide toes, flat arches and narrow heels. Not anymore -- now I have an arch!

[Blueberry]

[hijack] GLC - How's the recovery going? I've been thinking about you this summer! [/hijack]

[GLC1968]

[hijack] GLC - How's the recovery going? I've been thinking about you this summer! [/hijack]

OK, I guess. I'm still experiencing quite a bit of pain and swelling and it's making it hard for me to truly recover. BUT, I have surgery day after tomorrow to remove the offending screws, so I'm hopeful it will go quickly after that. We'll see. I really should dig up my old thread about it and update it!

I was actually thinking about you the other day when I got my new kayak delivered! We need to figure out how we want to transport kayaks on the MINI and I immediately thought of you guys in the Element with kayaks on top and bikes inside. I think we'll go kayaks on top and bikes on the back (dogs inside!) if we ever need to carry both types of gear at once.