Barefoot Running, Minimalist Shoes, Interbike 2012, Ant+ Alliance Symposium

Hello Everyone, and thanks for reading my blog!!!

A new direction in shoes...
This week I took the "plunge" and ordered a pair of running shoes that are classified as "minimalist", which means that I will be trying to switch my running mechanics from traditional, heel-lifted,  running shoes, to something with a flat heel, minimal padding, but that also provide protection for the foot that going barefoot obviously won't accomplish (glass, rocks, etc.).  I chose a Brooks product because I have a pair of Brooks running shoes and like them, and because I found a nice article in Running Times  (http://runningtimes.com/Channel.aspx?CategoryID=355) that told me what I wanted to hear about the shoes.  I chose the Brooks PureConnect shoe ($90) and expect to see it arriving at my door in the next few days.



I must say I'm a little nervous about the switch because I have had some difficulty with pain in my arches in the past.

Why am I willing to give this a shot?  First of all - I have to admit that I have had a great season with my traditional running shoes this year.  My improvements this Summer season have been very statisfying for me.  So, it's not this season's performance that drives me to try minimalist shoes.  I have to go back to last Fall when I first started using my traditional running shoes.  I had spent the entire Summer of 2011 running in some basic cross-trainer shoes (wasn't sure yet that this running thing was for me).  Once I got hooked, there were some suggestions made that "you better get some decent shoes so you don't hurt yourself".  So I made the move.

Since switching to traditional running shoes, I have had a variety of aches and pains, injuries, and set backs that made me think that my running mechanics may be the cause.  The most severe of which was a terrible case of Runner's Knee (sometimes also referred to as Jumper's Knee) this last Spring when I got back on the open road with my training. 

What finally pushed me to try minimalist shoes was a discussion I had with a gentleman from Australia that visited our booth at Interbike 2012 in Las Vegas last week.  Dominic Bricomb, an Osteo, suggested that moving to a barefoot or minimalist motion would reduce the shock and impact affects of "heal striking" on my knees.  That was it, I was sold.

Then today I read the following post, and being an engineer, I really liked the technical explanation.  Take a look.  It comes from a blog that I hadn't heard of until this week - "The Science of Sport".   Here's there blog post on minimalist shoes: http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/03/running-shoes-part-iii.html.

 I will keep you posted as I attempt to transition slowly and safely to my new running mechanics.

I should also give "honorable mention" to my good friend Herbie for running a 5K with me this Summer in a cheap pair of flat canvas high top tennies to show me that minimalist doesn't always mean that we give in to the big shoe companies and their marketing campaigns.  I, of course, didn't pass that same test...


 Ant+ Alliance Symposium
Welcome back to Roger (my partner in www.moxymonitor.com ).  He just got back from Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, where he attended a great symposium on Ant+.  Lots of highlights are forthcoming, but according to Roger, the networking was great, and a keynote speech by Ray Maker (www.dcrainmaker.com ) was worth the trip.



If you don't know what Ant+ is - it's a wireless protocol used widely (and growing) by the fitness community to connect devices (like the Moxy Monitor of course) to the user interface (wristwatch display, GPS watch, bike computer, etc.).  We have been looking at a variety of options for Moxy, like BlueTooth, BlueTooth Low Energy, and of course Ant+.  No final decisions yet (stay tuned).


Thanks for reading my Blog!!!

Stu