Runners - What Shoes Do You Wear?

How funny, I got the Nike Free V5's too! They are way more shoe than the VFF KSOs, so I don't even consider the Nike as a barefoot shoe. But overall I like them (except when I get blisters!). I don't like the KSO so much for trail running. Or even track. My ankles just aren't strong enough it seems. My tendons have gotten much better, but my ankles always hurt if I do more than 2 miles in the KSOs. And then of course if you hit a rocky trail you are in big trouble because there is basically no protection against rocks. Try getting bruises on the bottoms of your feet. But I still am happy I bought them. They're good for short trail runs on soft dirt. And if I ever did a mud run, for sure they are the shoes I would wear since they will stay on your feet no matter what. I don't have any wear showing on my shoes yet, but maybe when I get more miles on my Nikes I will go to the running store and see about getting a trail shoe. Sometimes even the Nikes just don't have enough ankle support it seems. And they are horrible on trails since rocks stick in them immediately. But since I'm still mostly doing roads and the track, I think I'll continue to use them for now. Oh, but one really good note on the VFFs... they really make you run correctly. If you heel strike, instant feedback! Pain will shoot up your heel. So right away they fixed that for me (I still occasionally do it in my other shoes though). And you really can feel the work out in your foot muscles, unlike shoes that jam your toes together. But I think you need to have some really good muscle before you can actually race in these. And some trails without rocks.

You are insane, lol! But hats off to you, I wanted to do barefoot running but my ankles just aren't strong enough. I should try taking the insert out of my Nikes though. The toes are also really tight for me. I don't feel like I need cushion, it's my ankles that hurt, not my feet themselves. I did go for a run on a very sandy 3 mile trail this morning, and thank goodness for the VFF KSOs, because any other shoe would have been filled with sand! I tried on the sprints in the store and they fit me really weird because I have narrow ankles (or had at least, before running). The classics weren't available in my size at the time. I think if I get the classics eventually I'll go with the ones for men. I think I will try that trail run race at the end of this month. I'd probably run faster in trail shoes vs. the VFFs, but since they'll still work I'll just use the VFFs so I don't have to buy more shoes just yet. Funny how I started running so that I wouldn't have to pay for the gym, and it turns out to be nearly just as expensive!

I've been running in my Nike Frees for the past 2 months and they show absolutely NO wear. I say they are very well made. I just took the insoles out as the toes were just too tight for me. I'll be ordering the VFF sprints in a couple of weeks. I actually want to start running barefoot and hopefully do my first 5K barefoot in the springtime. I'm not planning on a barefoot harsh winter outside though.

Hmm, I haven't heard of MBT shoes. I have muscle spams in my feet, but thankfully that is all because that is already more than I can handle sometimes. My feet just seize up and hurt like crazy and all I can do is wait for the pain to stop.

Thanks for your response! I'm going out shoe shopping tomorrow. I've been looking at Nike's a lot online and it seems like a lot of people prefer them. I would have bought some online except that it seems like Nike sizing is different from regular sizing from the reviews I've been reading. So I found a store near here and will be going to try on different styles. Which ones specifically do you like? Any that you don't like?

Thanks! That is very helpful. I always wonder how to tell which shoes are for which purpose. I was reading reviews of some shoes and people said if you're heavier you couldn't wear them. Luckily for me, I don't think I'm heavy enough to worry about that. But I still haven't figure out if I need support or not.