“Bare” Feet on the Red Carpet Posted by Meagan on February 27, 2013 No Responses » Feb 272013 At last year’s Academy Awards, Shailene Woodley caused a stir by wearing her black Vibram FiveFingers Classics (RIP) to an after party. Many people were shocked that she would ditch her designer heels and choose the comfort (and, yes, odd looks) of a barefoot-feel shoe, but we at Technically Running said, “More power to her!” Heels and traditional men’s dress shoes are some of the worst culprits when it comes to squishing and bending your feet into unnatural positions (and even women’s flats can squish your toes), so the more celebrities we can get choosing healthy footwear, the better. This year, at the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, funny man Jim Carrey made people stare with shoes made to look like giant bare feet. Continue reading ““Bare” Feet on the Red Carpet” » Technorati Tags: Academy Awards, bare feet, barefoot, celebrity shoes, celebrity style, Jim Carrey, minimalist shoes, Oscars, shoe news
Invisible (Xero) Shoes 4-mm Connect Review Posted by Meagan on August 23, 2012 3 Responses » Aug 232012 Brand: Invisible Shoes (now Xero Shoes) Name: Connect Color Options: Black sole with black, brown, royal blue, forest green, royal purple, red, lime green, pink, or white laces Weight: 3.7 oz for a men’s size 9 Drop: 0 mm Other: 4-mm thick sole; FeelTrue rubber outsoles; nylon/polypropylene laces; kits come with a hole punch for creating the toe hole for lacing; also available in the 6-mm Contact Price: $30 for the Connect Kit ($25 on sale); $50 for the Connect custom-made sandals ($40 on sale) Continue reading “Invisible (Xero) Shoes 4-mm Connect Review” » Technorati Tags: barefoot, barefoot shoes, hiking shoes, huaraches, invisible shoes, minimalist, minimalist hiking shoes, minimalist shoes, running, running sandals, running shoes, shoe review, walking shoes, xero, xero sandals, xero shoes
Calf-ocalypse Now: Compression Sleeves and Socks Posted by Steve on August 6, 2012 4 Responses » Aug 062012 For those of you who have only recently begun to read our posts, you may be asking yourself “what the heck is a calf-ocalypse?” Calf-ocalypse is a term Meagan and I coined after our first foray into minimalist running. I won’t go into vivid detail (check out Chapter 2 of our Vibram Transition series if you are interested) but the pain, stiffness, and discomfort in your calves after running barefoot/minimalist for the first time (and overdoing it) can be so unbearable that you’d almost prefer not to have legs at all. With that said, Meagan and I have continued to try to find solutions in order to relieve, recover from, or even eliminate calf distress by using foam rollers, heat pads, The Stick, and just good old fashion massage. More recently, our friends at Berkeley Running Company in Madison, WI introduced us to compression sleeves, compression socks, and recovery socks. Pictured to the right is a Sigvaris Compression Sock (in black), and a Sigvaris Compression Sleeve (in orange), both of which have proven well in the battle against the calf-ocalpyse (review to come). Continue reading “Calf-ocalypse Now: Compression Sleeves and Socks” » Technorati Tags: barefoot, barefoot running, compression, compression sleeves, compression socks, health, minimalist running, recovery socks, running, running tips, Vibram transition
Barefoot Running, The Movie Posted by Meagan on June 29, 2012 2 Responses » Jun 292012 After seeing the following video bouncing around my Facebook feed the past few days, I finally got down to watching it last night. It is a trailer for the upcoming DVD, Barefoot Running, the Movie, and what a beautiful trailer it is! While I’m a little sad that this is not a documentary on barefoot running as I initially thought, it looks like it will serve as a fantastic introduction to and instructional video on barefoot running! Just seeing the trailer makes me want to kick off my shoes and try running bare. More information on what will be covered in the DVD, and where to pre-order it, after the jump! Continue reading “Barefoot Running, The Movie” » Technorati Tags: barefoot, barefoot movie, barefoot running, minimalist shoes, running, running books, running movie, running tips
Married in a Minimalist Style Posted by Steve on June 11, 2012 1 Response » Jun 112012 We’re back! After two weeks of wedding preparation, our wedding, and our honeymoon, Meagan and Steve are finally back and ready to post. Before we get into all of the things we missed while we were gone, we’d like to fill everyone in on how we celebrated our marriage and how the last two weeks have been influenced by our love for minimalist shoes. As you can tell by the picture on the right, for our wedding, I went with one of my favorite pairs of shoes and rocked the Vibram FiveFingers Speeds, while Meagan found a pair of Merrell Barefoot Life Wonder Gloves that matched perfectly with her dress. The event took place in our current hometown of Madison, WI, where the ceremony was in the Frank Lloyd Wright Unitarian Meeting House and the reception was held in the Overture Center for the Arts. The following photos were taken by our fantastic photographers from Amelia John, Jennifer & Andrew. The night went off without a hitch (or with a hitch, ha…ha….ha…) and we were able to sneak some of our own minimalist surprises into the event. More pictures after the jump! Continue reading “Married in a Minimalist Style” » Technorati Tags: barefoot, Merrell, Merrell Barefoot, Merrell Barefoot Life Wonder Glove, minimalist shoes, shoes, speeds, Vibram, Vibram FiveFingers, wedding
Walk This Way Posted by Meagan on April 24, 2012 4 Responses » Apr 242012 To heel strike or not to heel strike? That is the question. At least, it is if we’re talking about walking in minimalist shoes. When it comes to the minimalist footwear/barefoot movement, people are constantly emphasizing the importance of running with proper form, but no one ever talks about what happens when you walk. In barefoot/minimalist running, it’s all about maintaining a forefoot/midfoot (FF/MF) strike, which allows your body to naturally adjust to and mediate the shock of each footfall. But does the same principle apply to walking, or is it based on something else entirely? Continue reading “Walk This Way” » Technorati Tags: barefoot, barefoot walking, minimalist shoes, minimalist walking, walking, walking form
The Vibram Transition: Chapter 5 Posted by Meagan on March 9, 2012 2 Responses » Mar 092012 It’s been a while since our last Vibram Transition post. For the time being, we’ve been focusing on testing other minimalist shoe options (lots of exciting reviews coming soon!), but I wanted to come back to this series and talk about one of the less emphasized parts of barefoot/minimalist running: injury. “Injury” often feels like a dirty word in the barefoot/minimalist community. In this post-Born to Run world, many people are touting barefoot/minimalist running as the solution to running injuries associated with heel-striking/traditional footwear, and it’s not hard to find testimonials about how switching “cured” people of their knee pain, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, etc. Of course, there are also plenty of people who would argue that so many people switching to barefoot/minimalist, and doing “too much, too soon”, is going to result in an “epidemic” of foot/ankle/leg injuries in the coming years! While there is scientific evidence indicating that runners with a midfoot/forefoot strike may be injured less often, and plenty of anecdotal evidence suggesting that switching to barefoot/minimalist might help runners overcome injuries and/or prevent new ones, it doesn’t mean that going barefoot/minimalist equals becoming injury-free. Continue reading “The Vibram Transition: Chapter 5” » Technorati Tags: achilles tendonitis, avoiding running injuries, barefoot, barefoot running, minimalist running, plantar fasciitis, running injuries, Vibram transition
Must-See: Principles of Natural Running Posted by Meagan on March 7, 2012 No Responses » Mar 072012 Hey readers! The following video has been floating around the minimalist/barefoot community for the past couple of days and, whether you are new to barefoot/minimalist running or have been at it for a while, it is definitely a must-see. The video, made by Dr. Mark Cucuzella and the folks over at the Natural Running Center, is a great technical overview of proper barefoot form. It also includes tips for fixing common mistakes you may be making and some great ideas for drills to improve your form. I am always incredibly impressed by how effortless and smooth barefoot runners look when they are implementing proper form (also, Dr. Mark’s legs are crazy muscular!), and this video clearly pointed out a few areas that I need to work on so I can be more efficient! Proper form is essential to barefoot/minimalist running, and even though I’ve been a minimalist runner for over 9 months, I still have work to do. Enjoy! Technorati Tags: barefoot, barefoot form, barefoot running, minimalist running, running technique
Running Wired or Wireless Posted by Steve on February 20, 2012 2 Responses » Feb 202012 Heart rate monitors, sport watches, iPhones, and Nike+ are just some of the technologies we choose to run with. Recently, I began to wonder how these tools are affecting our runs and whether or not all of their effects are of a positive nature. How do tech-based tools help? In an article from Runner’s World by Bob Parks, he asks four runners to test HRMs (heart rate monitors) and GPS watches to see how their training was affected. In “Why Monitors Make Us Fitter”, Parks says that various training monitors help to: 1. Stop Overtraining Many runners don’t do easy runs easy enough and this hurts their fitness in the long run. Professional triathlon coach Hank Lange says, “Watching your beats per minute can serve in a terrific governor role to keep you from overdoing it.” 2. Stop Undertraining Likewise, you can’t get the full benefit of tempo runs if you don’t work hard enough. Barker finds that monitors help hard workouts designed to improve your lactate threshold. 3. Get Feedback on the Fly Sometimes it’s hard to gauge your effort level on your own. It could be the wind, fatigue, the hills. In any situation, a monitor provides a pretty good picture of how hard your body’s working. 4. Monitor Your Fitness Beyond furnishing the basic pulse rate, many monitors also tally the time you spend at different training intensities. This data can help you assess how your fitness is progressing and adjust your training plan as needed. Continue reading “Running Wired or Wireless” » Technorati Tags: barefoot, fitness, Heart Rate Monitor, HRM, iphone, minimalist running, Nike+, Polar FT4, running, running wired, running wireless, wifi running, you are the technology
Merrell Embark Glove Review Posted by Steve on February 5, 2012 1 Response » Feb 052012 Brand: Merrell Name: Men’s Barefoot-Train Embark Glove – GORE-TEX® Color Options: 4 – Deep Olive/Kryptonite, Black/Olympia Blue, Castle Rock/Adventure Yellow, Castle Rock/Dark Cheddar Weight: 9.2 oz (1/2 pair) (varies with size) Drop: 0mm ball to heel Other: GORE-TEX® lining (waterproof), Vibram® Trail Glove sole Price: $170.00 Continue reading “Merrell Embark Glove Review” » Technorati Tags: barefoot, barefoot running, barefoot shoes, cold weather running, embark glove, goretex, Merrell, minimalist running, minimalist shoes, water-resistant, waterproof
