Transitioning to Barefoot Style Running

How to change from regular running shoes to minimalist shoes such as Five Fingers…

Running in Minimalist Footwear in Saint John, Virgin Islands

For nearly two decades my family has run (no pun intended) a specialty running store with the philosophy that less is more.  We have preached that too much support makes for weaker feet and that people should use the least supportive footwear combination for their particular situation and work towards strengthening their feet as much as possible to avoid future problems.  Support shoes and orthotics might be a great short term fix, but they’re definitely not a long term solution and only lead to weak feet and arches, dependence on them, and future injuries. In my 18 years of working at running specialty I’ve had a chance to see many various people and their injuries and successes over the years.  One common trend I have seen over the years is that the runners who keep their feet strong and change things up on a regular basis seem to be the most successful (my definition of successful is being able to run and stay healthy in body, mind, & spirit).
We brought in Vibram Fivefingers to our store originally after we had a customer that could not shake his shin splints regardless of what traditional methods we tried.  He had been through every shoe, stability device, insole, stretch, etc. you can think of.  He finally decided to give the barefoot thing a try, and next thing you know things were starting to improve.  He got a pair of Fivefingers (which seemed like a bit of a revelation when we first saw them!) and we’ve been selling them ever since.  The concept has slowly gained traction, selling more and more with time as people relate their success stories to their friends (most of whom think they are crazy).  We have sold over 100 pair of VFF’s every month in 2009 since winter waned.  In three plus years of selling these things, I am yet to hear from someone who regretted their decision to buy them.  That’s pretty impressive considering the thousands of pairs we’ve sold!
It’s always been interesting how differently people take to the idea of barefooting to strengthen their feet.  Some just don’t want to go there.  Many are just creatures of habit and have worn the same shoe for the last ten years and don’t want to change.  Some say they *might* give it a try some time.  Others ditch their shoes all together.  Some just jump right in and go do ten miles in Fivefingers the first day they have them (these people DO get sore!)  When people get a new pair of shoes, we often joke and say “no twenty milers on these tomorrow” but some people really need to be told that!
It’s important to note that those who run too hard barefoot or in minimalist / zero drop (no elevated heel) footwear for the first time don’t generally notice that much soreness on their actual run.  It’s the next day when their feet are sensitive or their Achilles & Soleus (lower calf) muscles are so sore that people are asking them why they are walking funny that they realize they *might* have over-done it just a  bit and that they really haven’t  used those areas as much with traditional running shoes.  That said, I think it’s really important that these people aren’t getting injured, they’re just getting really sore!  The beauty of minimalist footwear and barefooting is the bio-feedback your body gives you.  Unlike in normal shoes, your body lets you know that it’s had enough before it breaks.  I’d rather have my body telling me I’m overdoing it by making me sore than be injured any day!
Also of note is to keep in mind that everyone is different.  I know people that have transitioned straight to minimalist footwear running 50+ miles a week and said they didn’t even really get sore!  On the other hand, I know people that have gone five minutes who were totally sore the next day. Most of us fall somewhere in between (imagine that!).
Often in the past and especially since we started selling FiveFingers to runners over three years ago, people have asked me how to phase barefooting into their running routine.  I usually ask a few questions to assess their foot strength and then make a recommendation based on how sensitive they are and how strong their feet are.  Since we are broadcasting to the world, my minimalist friends and I have put three programs together: One for weaker feet, one for average feet, and one for people who feel they have very strong feet.
Program 1: Weaker Feet (HTML), Printable PDF or a *very* conservative approach
Program 2: Average Feet (HTML), Printable PDF