How to transition into 4mm drop shoes?

Mirage should be a good shoe for you. Just start out running 25% of your mileage in them and see how you feel. It's much less "cush" than you're used to with the lunarglides but if you liked the Kinvara then you should be fine.

Why do you want to transition to a shoe that is injuring you?

laughingostrich

I'm not 100% sure the kinvara is what caused my ankle injury...I never really got a diagnosis of what it was and I couldn't exactly pinpoint and feel the pain so I don't think it was serious. I x-trained for a week and pretty much rested then came back slowly and I didn't feel it anymore. It was weird.

Anyways although they may have played a role in my brief injury, I felt amazing in every single run I did with the kinvara and I love the shoe. That's why I'd like to go back to it, albeit the mirage since it has a medial post which I'm assuming will help me out a bit more.

I'm just want to be very cautious about this. I'm in shoes with a 10mm drop right now so I want to do this safely and not ruin my summer training by having to sit out a couple weeks. I won't try if its not worth it but I'd like to get into the mirage.

laughingostrich

I'm not 100% sure the kinvara is what caused my ankle injury...I never really got a diagnosis of what it was and I couldn't exactly pinpoint and feel the pain so I don't think it was serious. I x-trained for a week and pretty much rested then came back slowly and I didn't feel it anymore. It was weird.

Anyways although they may have played a role in my brief injury, I felt amazing in every single run I did with the kinvara and I love the shoe. That's why I'd like to go back to it, albeit the mirage since it has a medial post which I'm assuming will help me out a bit more.

I'm just want to be very cautious about this. I'm in shoes with a 10mm drop right now so I want to do this safely and not ruin my summer training by having to sit out a couple weeks. I won't try if its not worth it but I'd like to get into the mirage.

I stumbled onto minimalism as a preference over time, before the whole barefoot trend was big. In HS, I was in a program that took the time to do work on running form, stride rate counting on almost all easy distance runs, barefoot strides on a soccer field 2-4 times per week, and almost all running except workouts done on grass, dirt, or woodchip trails. Did that for 4 years, including twice per year at a running camp where we video taped out form and broke it down frame by frame, correcting flaws. By the time I got to college, my form was very good, and one day when I went to get shoes, they didn't have my normal shoes in stock. I really needed a new pair, so I tried something new, which happened to be lightweight. That shoe was discontinued, so again I had to find a new shoe, and again I ended up in an even lighter model. It progressed from there over the course of my college career through to now, where I am running all of my mileage in shoes in the 5.5-9.0 ounce range.

Don't feel like reading all that? Sparknotes: if you're serious about getting into barefoot running just for the hell of it, work on form drills and stride rate and run only on grass for about 4 years. Then, use a shoe that is one ounce lighter than what you're currently in. After a year, go another ounce lighter. Wash, rinse, repeat, boom, after a decade or so you'll be set. That's how minimalism is actually supposed to work.

I don't really have a desire to transition to barefoot running at all. I just want to get into a lower heel drop shoe safely. I loved the feel of the kinvara

Well, if you heel strike in minimalist shoes you'll hurt your ankle. Lunarglides were made with the common heel striker in mind but knivaras don't have that huge bulky heel cushion that lunarglides do.

to the OP, you think the kinvara's hurt you? I loved the shoe too, and was beginning to run more and more in them this summer but definitely took the transition too fast. Did a 13-miler in them and almost stress fractured. what was your injury?

The Kinvaras feel better because they're lighter, quite cushy in the forefoot, have a nicer upper, don't dictate foot position much, and help your overall posture.

Half of these things that make them feel better can also be problematic, such as if you do better with a more firm shoe, need medial support, or don't have elastic enough of an Achilles to handle the heel drop.

Don't be so quick to blame one shoe over another or to even blame your shoes. For example, what if running at all hurts your ankles because of something you did randomly, such as landing on the side of your foot one day? What if going between the Kinvara and the Lunarglide exacerbates the problem by causing your ankle to have to adjust again? What if the real issue is the surface or terrain you're running on and not the shoe itself? Lots to think about.

Your actual question was about the 4mm drop, though, but not much of what you wrote was about the drop. The drop itself shouldn't be a problem for your "ankle" unless you mean your Achilles. Foot position, terrain, and cushion have a lot more to do with your ankles than the mm drop.

Thanks shoebacca, you're right.

I guess the better, more general question I should be asking is how to transition to a mid/fore foot strike. I'm pretty sure I heel strike. I don't really understand how to transition. Maybe I should make another thread for that.

Any good info on how to make the switch to a more efficient stride? I'm a high schooler so I'm sure running on my midfoot or forefoot would benefit me in races too.

saucey bandit wrote:

Did a 13-miler in them and almost stress fractured.

Wow. Please provide insight on this. Do you have X-ray vision? Or super mental powers?

Try running a mile or so in grass at a really slow pace. You'll immediately notice that even when jogging barefoot you automatically land on your forefoot, for its natural. Pay attention to this new landing style and try imitating it when you run in actual shoes. Obviously, flatter shoes (as opposed to the tradition 12mm heel to toe drop shoes) will make the job easier (maintaining that forefoot strike). When I first started I purposely tried to maintain good form but id only be able to do it for a miel or two and then id transition back into midfoot. It takes practice. But again, if you want the definition of what forefoot striking is and what it looks/feel like, jog barefoot on the grass and try (it shouldnt be that hard) to land on your forefoot.

Mirageme wrote:

Thanks shoebacca, you're right.

I guess the better, more general question I should be asking is how to transition to a mid/fore foot strike. I'm pretty sure I heel strike. I don't really understand how to transition. Maybe I should make another thread for that.

Any good info on how to make the switch to a more efficient stride? I'm a high schooler so I'm sure running on my midfoot or forefoot would benefit me in races too.

Yeah, anyone know which running shoes are available that have at least a 8mm midsole, but a low <4mm heel drop?