Minimalistic winter shoes/ Asics Tai Chi

tincan wrote:

How do the asics tai chi hold up when wet?

That's what she said!

Inov 8 has some goretex shoes. THey are minimalistic

My water shoes don't breathe for crap.

I use something with a leather upper. The adidas Dragon is still around in the leather version and there is a shoe from Asics/Onitsuka called the Runspark, or something like that which has almost no heel and a leather upper. The Ultimate 81 is around in leather as well.

My legs/feet are a lot like yours. After a few years of training in flats, my legs feel like garbage after a day of walking around in dress shoes with a raised heel. I wear the sperry "authentic original" shoes for almost all of my daily stuff. Some people might not like they style, but they're pretty comfortable when broken in, almost no heel-toe drop once you pull out the EVA heel cup, and they're full leather.

First snow of the season here in Maine yesterday. I ran on the roads in New Balance 790s (their trail racing shoe). Less vented upper than road flats, and the outsole traction was good.

Ran in the Brooks Cascadia 2, which is on the Racer ST platform (racing flat) in freezing weather and trails. Great trail shoe.

Vibram Five Fingers

I do all of my training in the tai chi, and have recently made brief switches over to aqua socks. The aqua socks just wear out much too quickly but dried nicer than the tai chi.

Alas, I am back with the tai chi, which will soak up water over the course of any moist run. The trick is to keep them from drying out every day into crispy leather. From late fall to late spring I am basically always running with damp leather tai chis on. (I place them in a plastic bag after running, which allows for slow drying).

Oh well, they are the most minimalistic shoe that provides just enough protection to allow trail running.

I do all of my training in the tai chi, and have recently made brief switches over to aqua socks. The aqua socks just wear out much too quickly but dried nicer than the tai chi.

Alas, I am back with the tai chi, which will soak up water over the course of any moist run. The trick is to keep them from drying out every day into crispy leather. From late fall to late spring I am basically always running with damp leather tai chis on. (I place them in a plastic bag after running, which allows for slow drying).

Oh well, they are the most minimalistic shoe that provides just enough protection to allow trail running.

bump

sperrys rule, move to so-cal, they are the shit here!

I used Puma Liga indoor soccer shoes for most of my running last winter. They have a very nice minimal feel, better than H-Streets in my opinion.

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7171477/c/63904.html

Those things look like a PUMA version of the Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars. My feet hurt just looking at them.

I'm not sure what Chuck Taylors feel like (I'm thinking that you are implying stiff), but the Liga is almost as flexible as a Nike Free and the upper is pretty soft for leather. No blisters or anything, and I've done 15 milers in them.

just wondering... out of all the minimalists on here, how many of you would consider yourselves "fast" by the general standards of competitive running culture (i'm talking anywhere between a 16' and a 14'30" 5k, or equivalents)?

i'm asking because i see alot of GOOD runners, like top ten in the nation, running around in the beefy contraptions that the posters on this thread have eschewed.

i see that and i wonder "why haven't they clued in? do they know something that i don't?".

but then again, i do know some very good runners who have gone to minimal footwear... just not very many. and then of course there's the countless sagas of barefoot kenyans and ethiopians (although i have seen videos of east african elites wearing beefy monsters... what gives?).

Balms away,

Take a look at what they are wearing at the race track. I guarentee it is not "thick cushy trainers":):)

Jeremy

www.therunningman.ws

well obviously they'll be wearing flats & spikes for workouts and races, but i'm talking about training runs here, bud.