Minimalist Shoes -- My Take

I've had these shoes for a couple of years now. I've used them around the house and, periodically, to work. I like them and its about the closest I can get to bare feet in a business or polite social setting. That said, I could never quite get myself to run in them until the last couple of weeks. I was too afraid of hurting my feet (particularly my gimpy left foot) as I've heard differing opinions on the matter. On a whim I packed them for my trip to France and used them exclusively on the treadmill at the hotel. I managed to get 4 runs in over the 10 days I was in France and liked the experience very much. I decided to do get some street runs in (I'm trying to get ready for a mud run on the 16th) and set off on the first with a little bit of trepidation. I was extremely pleased with the results. I managed to get a 5.35 mile run in (which marks the fastest distance ramp up I've ever done, less than 4 weeks from total sedentary to 5+ miles) with plenty of hills and really enjoyed the experience. Felt lighter on my feet than I have in years and finished with no shin or knee pain. I had plenty of foot soreness and extremely sore calves, but that resolved itself rather quickly and I vastly prefer to muscle pain to the traditional alternatives. A couple of days later I also did a 4 mile run and felt even better. Ended a bit earlier because I suffered from the only major downside of running like this, which is a massive blister on the little toe on my left foot. Need to figure out how to address that as I have a couple of painful abrasions from the constant fabric rubbing. Overall, I think I'm sold. Still early in the process and we'll see how my left foot holds up, but really enthused by the results. I'm thinking of getting a casual version in brown kangaroo skin which could probably work better at the office. Check out some of the options here.