I get asked all the time what shoes I run in, and when I give the answer- Nike Free’s, most people are shocked.  Nike Free’s are a minimalist shoe, and probably the most minimal of all minimalist shoes (aside from those weird frog-toe shoes that were cool 7 years ago.)

I mentioned this in my FAQ briefly, but many years ago, after I had run a few marathons, I read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.  Chapter 25 had me believing in the minimalist movement, so I decided to give it a try.

I did not dive right in and start running everyday in my Free’s.  I decided to make the switch right after a marathon, because this is when my mileage is low and slow.  I began by running in them once a week for a while, then slowly increased my mileage in them.  Running in Free’s felt like a whole new experience when I was transitioning.  I was using completely different muscles.  While I slowly increased my mileage in them, I noticed my muscles- specifically in my lower legs- doing more work and feeling more fatigued.  Eventually, I was running all my miles in them and my legs didn’t feel like they were working as hard.

I have been told (by Nike employees even!) that the fact that I have trained for and run 15 marathons in Nike Free’s is unheard of.  My take? If it ain’t broke…..

Do I think that Nike Free’s are the reason I am injury free? I don’t think it’s 100% the reason, but I do think it’s a big contributing factor because reading Chapter 25 of Born to Run just made sense to me and it still does.

Here’s what the Nike Free Website says about running in Nike Free’s:

“Nike Free shoes are specifically designed to let your feet move more naturally

and freely than traditional athletic shoes. Because you’ll be using some muscles

in your feet more than you might be used to, it may take some time for them to get

used to all that freedom. To give your feet time to adapt, we recommend you transition

into using your Nike Free footwear gradually.

As you increase the use of your Nike Frees, you may experience some muscle soreness,

just like when you exercise other muscles in your body. This shows that your

Nike Frees are working. Keep in mind that everyone responds differently, so your

progress may be different than others wearing Nike Free.

And of course, running and training in any footwear is never without some risk

of injury. So listen to your body, your trainer and your physician—and don’t feel

bad if you need to stop or rest if necessary. After all, we want you to

run Free and train Free— but we also want you to run and train smart.”

{I ran in Nike Free 3.0 until Nike discontinued them.  I now run in the standard 5.0. I have a few pairs of Flyknit 4.0 that I wear for running errands and doing mom stuff.}