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Humans are designed While humans have traveled barefoot for millennia, transitioning from running in modern running shoes to run barefoot, so the ideal training or minimalist shoes is easy; you're born, learn to crawl, learn to walk, learn to runnot trivial. What could be easier? The problem comes when you've been wearing traditional There is [[Shoes]] for years. The [[Shoes]] act like a cast on a broken limb, supporting the limb, but also causing it to become weak and vulnerable. Science of Running in traditional running [[Shoes| good evidence that this transition time has an increased risk of injury]] also trains us to run in an unnatural way, which has to be unlearned. The minimalist running movement is a recent phenomenon in developed countries. This means that there is relatively little experience in moving from traditional [[Shoes]] to minimalist or barefoot running. We do not have a well defined There is no established body of lore to call upon, or and few scientific studies to refer to. This post gives some general guidelines and advice based on the current body of knowledge. Initially, I expect that many runners will move to minimalist running because they are forced to by injury. As the benefits of minimalist running become better understood and publicized, I expect this will spread. I am going to give suggestions for two types of people; those that are not currently running, and those that are running. I'll then add in some general suggestions, but remember that these suggestions should be taken as a starting point for your journey to minimalist running, not as rigid rules. ==The Danger - of Too Much Too Soon==While minimalist running offers a more natural running style that is less prone to injury, the transition to minimalist running can cause serious injuries, especially stress fractures in the foot. Moving to minimalist running requires learning to run again from scratch. One useful analogy is that of taking of a cast from an injured leg; you have to slowly rehabilitate the leg to rebuild the strength. Likewise, a traditional running shoe is like a cast for your foot, and removing it will require a slow rebuilding of strength. Doing [[Too Much Too Soon]] is such a common problem that the acronym TMTS is widely used on barefoot and minimalist running forums. [[Too Much Too Soon]] can result in various foot problems, including stress fractures.  ==Minimalist Running for the nonNon-runner=Runner=You may not be a runner at all, or you may be a runner who has been forced to stop running by injury. In either case, you should start minimalist running as a new runner. I'd recommend using the plan described in [[Starting to run]] goes into more depth on this subject, but I'll include which is a short summary heregradual transition from walking to run/walk, and finally to continuous running. Start off by walking in your chosen minimalist footwear (or barefoot) for 30 minutes. This is a critical step to build up foot strength and get used to moving without cushioned [[Shoes]]. Once you are happy doing 2 miles in 30 minutes, start introducing a little running. Do two one-minute runs in the 30 minutes - run 1, walk 14, run 1, walk 14 (2x1R:14W). Then gradually build up, doing 2x2R:13W, 2x3R:12W etc., until you are running the full 30 minutes. ==Minimalist Running for the runner=Runner=Transitioning from traditional running shoes to a minimalist shoe or barefoot running should occur very gradually, and cautiously.* Consider transitioning from your current running shoes to increasingly minimalist shoes a step at a time. For instance, the Saucony Kinvara could be used as an interim step between a traditional and minimalist shoe. The difficulty in making the transition will largely depend on how minimalist your shoes are. For instance, I had a few problems in adapting to the Nike Free, but the FiveFingers were far more problematic.* It would is be prudent to start off by doing some walking in your chosen minimalist footwear. Walking a few miles for a few days will give you a sense of how strong your feet are. If you have problems doing the walking, then you will need to be more cautious in your move to minimalist running. Spending as much time as possible in walking minimalist [[Shoes]] shoes or barefoot will also help to build up your foot strength. * After the walking stage, I would suggest that you add a little minimalist running to the end of each of your normal runs. For the first few timesInitially, just run a quarter of a mileto get a sense of the new stresses. It may take a few days for the changes to manifest themselves as soreness or pain. After a few days increase this by repeating it once or twice. If, after a few days Do not do more than 10% of this, your daily distance.* Once you are comfortable with the running 2-3x quarter miles and have no problems, move on to minimalist running for build up the last mile or two of your normal runsdistance gradually. From there, gradually move from traditional running to minimalist running Some people recommend increasing by increasing the minimalist portion10% per week. I would avoid * Avoid doing speed work or hill work in the minimalist section at this stage. When I got to 50/50 I then swapped to only minimalist running, but did not do any speed work shoes or hill training for a week or sobarefoot until you are well established. ==General Advice== 

* Doing too much too fast Too Much Too Soon is counterproductive. Some people naturally go * Pain is a warning sign that should not be ignored, especially pain in the bones of the foot which could indicate a stress fracture.* I have found that running in minimalist shoes requires a fundamental change in my biomechanics. If I swap from traditional to minimalist shoes, I find there is a period where I am landing harder, and this gradually gives way to extremes; if you are one of these peoplea more gentle touch down.* In the minimalist shoes I still land midfoot, expect some painbut the motion is more cautious and controlled. If you don't listen are swapping changing your foot strike from rear foot to completely forefoot, then the painstress on your calves is likely to be dramatically higher, the pain and you will get worse. You have been warnedneed to allow much longer adaptation.* Listen to your feet. A loud slapping sound is a bad sign.* Find your own style. Most peoples' biomechanics are naturally much better with minimalist running than running in traditional [[Shoes]]. When minimalist running, you can't Your feet should land on your heel without so softly that it hurting's hard to hear them. However, don* Don't force yourself up to land on your toesforefoot. Let your body and mind try different things to find out what works for you. Some folks seem to run on their forefoot, but many land on their midfoot.* People who have a forefoot style for minimalist running will often find their calves become sore. It will take time for these [[Muscle|muscles]] to build up.

* Consider ChiRunning or the POSE method, which are running styles that are intended to be more natural. You will probably move towards this style of running naturally with minimalist runningHowever, but understanding these styles strongly encourage a 4 foot landing, which may helpnot be appropriate. ==Further Reading==* Chi Running ([http[Category://www.chirunning.com/ http://www.chirunning.comAdvanced]) and the Pose Method ([http://www.posetech.com/ http://www.posetech.com/]) are natural styles of running that work well with barefoot running.* How to run barefoot - [http://runningbarefoot.org/?page_id=6 http://runningbarefoot.org/?page_id=6]* Google group for barefoot/minimal running - [httpCategory://groups.google.com/group/huaraches http://groups.google.com/group/huarachesTraining]* Barefoot Running has three plans for transitioning [http://www.barefoot-running.com/transition/index.php http://www.barefoot-running.com/transition/index.php]* The best video looking at barefoot and traditional running [[Shoes]] [httpCategory://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jrnj-7YKZE&feature=player_embedded The Barefoot Professor: by Nature Video]* A video of a persistence hunt [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wI-9RJi0Qo "Persistence Hunting" video by the BBC on youtube.com] ==See Also==* [[Are your running shoes injuring you]]?* [[Shoes| Minimalist Running Shoes]]* [[Toughening Feet]]* [[Modified Nike FreeInjury]]