I recently participated in a barefoot running study at the University of Florida Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation.  As of the time I started writing this blog post, the study is still seeking participants (http://www.ortho.ufl.edu/research/studies/barefoot-running).

The stated purpose of the study is to compare how many calories are used and how much force is produced when the feet make contact with the ground while barefoot compared to wearing cushioned shoes.  Eligible test subjects are trained runners who have a mid-forefoot run pattern (where the middle foot or ball of the foot touches the ground first compared to the heels landing first) and meet the following criteria:

- Men and women 18-60 years old.

- A verified running foot striking style of mid-forefoot strike

- Run on average at least 20 miles/week.

- Able to run for at least 20 minutes at one session.

- Free of any ofthopedic limitation (e.g. acute injury to the lower limb, hip or back).

- Must have, and run in, cushioned running shoes at least once per week.  

 When I first heard of the study a while ago I didn't think I met the criteria (I either wasn't hitting the mileage or I was doing all of my runs in minimalist shoes). More recently I have been doing bigger mileage and running in my Altra Instincts at least once per week and I felt like I would be a really good fit for the study. 

The lure for participants is that they receive a copy of much of the collected data and the high speed video footage from the Biomechanics and Motion Analysis Laboratory / UF Sports Performance Center.

Here is a picture of me wearing the metabolic gear, motion tracking dots, and with my Altra Instincts all taped up to cover the reflective surfaces:

The red light in the background is one of the many cameras used for motion capture.  More on that in a moment...

To be fair, the Spring 2012 shoe models from many companies are not yet widely available and I have not yet tried them all. Reviews are starting to appear on the web and some of the forthcoming shoes do look interesting. However, they would have to be really completely awesomely perfect to knock the Soft Star Shoes Moc3 off the top of my best minimalist shoes list.

The Moc3 provides only minimal protection, no cushion. I have a tendency to increase my leg pounding as the level of cushion in a shoe increases (and my ability to feel the ground decreases). The Moc3 keeps me true to barefoot form but at the same time provides a fiction barrier to allow me to run more miles. The sole is made by Vibram and is the "street sole" used by Soft Star in their RunAmocs. The Moc3 sole has interesting cutouts that increase the flexibility of the shoe and reduce weight. The gaps in the outsole material are still protected with a thin flexible sole material that Soft Star uses in some of their other shoes. I have not yet been poked by anthing that snuck past the vibram.

The soles looked fine after the first 200 miles of mostly road/sidewalk miles and it is even still possible to make out the word "Vibram" at the ball of the foot:



I have owned the shoes for about 7 months and I am glad to see they will be usable for many more miles.

I spent time over the holidays in Austin, Texas. Austin has some wonderful trails and greenways. I entered the Barton Springs Greenbelt at its Zilker Park trailhead, parking the car near the Barton Springs Pool facility.

I have to digress and mention that Zilker Park is just great. Children and adults alike can entertain themselves for hours. Besides the wide open spaces and nature trails, there is an awesome playground, ball fields, a train, and even climbing rocks. Notable events that happen there include the Zilker Park Kite Festival and the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

So back to the running... I had not traveled very far along the trail before finding rocks sticking out of the path. At this point I was already glad that I had opted to wear my Altra Lone Peak trail shoes. It turns out that these scattered rocks were only a small taste of what was to come.



And then the trail became rockier...

The other day I snapped a photo of the awesome wall of shoes at Lloyd Clarke Sports:





This really deserves a wide angle lens rather than my little smart phone camera.

The shoe choices are amazing and include many minimalist shoes. I continue to hope that they will start carrying Altra Zero Drop shoes.

A few people have asked how many shoes I have. Ever since running became one of my primary recreational activities, shoes have become a significant hobby of mine. I used to spend money on things like video games and computer gadgets. Now I spend money on shoes.

Here is a picture of all of the shoes that I originally bought for the purpose of running (Oops! Missing from the photo are Nike Free Run+ which I gave away. Also missing are my bare feet!):



Pictured Top Row (from Left to Right): Mizuno Wave Universe 3 (MWU3), Vibram FiveFingers (VFF) Bikila, New Balance Minimus Road MR10, Adidas Kanadia 3, Invisible Shoes huarache sandals

Pictured Bottom Row (from Left to Right): Soft Star Shoes RunAmoc DASH Smooth, Soft Star RunAmoc LITE, Soft Star Moc3, Inov-8 Bare-X 150, Altra Instinct, Altra Instinct black, Altra Adam, Altra Lone Peak

And here is the mileage that I have on each shoe: