Runners - help needed with lightweight shoes

[skhill]

Love the VFFs, but if I'm too cold them in the kind of winters we get in Kentucky, they'd probably not be usable most of the year in Norway!

[Becky]

I never ran in them, but really liked the footshape and no-drop fit of some Altras that I tried on.

[OakLeaf]

Altra doesn't have any ground feel though. It's a pretty thick inflexible sole, it just doesn't have an elevated heel. But also, more protection from the elements.

They are nice and foot shaped and I loved the zero drop. But they were way too narrow for me.

[TrekDianna]

Keep an eye on steepandcheap.com for the VFF. I got a pair of Fila's on there for $17.99. I love them. My usual minimalist running shoe is a peal izumi - both trail and road. My trails are Peak II. The road are the similar ones made for pavement.

[Jolt]

VFFs are great, except when the weather gets cold. I like the KSO style--nice thin sole (some of the newer models are going in the wrong direction in terms of having thicker and stiffer soles IMHO) and less prone to sand/gravel getting in. As far as more "normal"-looking minimal shoes, Vivobarefoot is very good (look on 6pm.com to find some good deals on these and probably the VFFs and Merrells as well). The Merrell Barefoot line is pretty good too although I think the Vivobarefoot shoes tend to have a little better ground feel. As a previous poster mentioned, toe socks will help with the blister issue. One upside to minimal running shoes is they last longer...the reason you replace regular running shoes is because the cushioning breaks down. No cushioning to break down = being able to wear the same pair of shoes a lot longer. Saves money and generates less waste.

[Melalvai]

Have you considered barefoot running? I got a pair of VFF and love them, but I didn't like the price tag-- and any good running shoe has that price tag. The more I researched it, I thought "Why not just run barefoot?" That said, it is important to do it GRADUALLY. I got a lot of blisters! You can keep running in your shoes to get more miles in, but do the barefoot part as a couch to 5K program or something.

Also this time of year isn't great for starting to run barefoot. You need to build up tough skin and it can be downright painful in the cold!

[lph]

I bought a pair of VFFs! Sat for half an hour in the store persuading my poor squinched toes to wiggle in and out of them, and finally took the plunge. Black KSO. I feel like I'm wearing somebody else's feet, but quite comfy nonetheless. I'm not completely convinced that they won't blister, as my big toe does jam up against the end of its pocket, but the size up was too big. The ground feel under the heel is surprisingly strong compared to my Nikes.

I'm sorta kinda working towards running barefoot, but since I run as part of my commute I needed something that would work right now. I have chubby feet with short toes and usually stay very warm when running, so I think I should be able to switch between the Nike Free 3's and the VFFs for some weeks yet, especially since all my runs are short so far.

(I can't wait to see the expression on peoples faces when I finally transition to barefoot, and either get on the metro or run all the way to my office job, with muddy, stained bare feet...)

Thanks for good advice!