Anyone Had Bad Experiences Training In Flats?

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I made the switch back in May. In early June I developed pain in the back of my right knee on the outside tendon back there (I forget what it is called). I couldn't bend my knee while putting weight on it, but it didn't affect my running at the time.

In early July, I developed pain and tightness just above my left knee joint. It eventually included the knee joint causing a very awkward stiffness. I was able to continue running through this as well.

In early August, an ankle injury that originally developed in regular trainers began to creep back, so I took a couple weeks off. When I came back, that was fine but the other 2 problems were still there. In fact, the back of the knee pain was worse when I wasn't running.

5 days into my comeback I was running about 8 miles at an easy pace. 3/4 of a mile from finishing, I felt this sharp pain on my right knee cap. After about a minute of it getting worse and worse, I realized it wasn't going away so I stopped to stretch it out and massage it. I continued on and it felt okay for about 30 seconds, so I just tried to make it home, which I did. The next day I could not walk on it at all, and it still is killing me even as I sit here typing this.

It has been 7 weeks now since I've run. My left knee tightness is still as bad as it was in early July, and the pain in the back of my right knee is just as bad as when it originated in early June, if not worse.

Now, I can't say for sure if it was the flats or not. I'm probably just one of those unfortunate individuals who can't stay healthy to save his life. But with that said, that is my current horror story.

for the most part, most people I've spoken with who have made the transition slowly and gradualy have done so without incident. The key is just taking your time, not doing a full load and just building slowly.

I started my turn to flats when I was coming of a hamstring tear -- i walked around everywhere in my flats while I wasn't running and then started back up as i would usually -- at 10min runs -- and was doing everything in flats.

It was all going well until one month in I started doing LT workouts -- my soleus had never been so tight or sore. After about three weeks, it aggrivated an old minor tear on the bursa of my right heel which irritated my achilles. So, I stopped doing quality workouts and went back into the Brooks Burn for three weeks and was religious about stretching and icing. Then I went back into the flats and took about three weeks of easy running until I started hard runs again. My soleuses still locked up, but never really irritated the bursa again. All in all, it took about 3 months until I was 100% comfortable doing everything in the Tiger Paws, and another two months until I was comfortable in the H Streets. Mind you, I was doing a good amount of barefoot running (about 100-150min/wk).

like trackhead said, make the transition slowly. i was never a believer in the low-profile shoe theory but gave it a shot starting early this spring. started out in the wave maverick then went to the elites. i know, neither are flats, but both have a much lower heel then traditional trainers. no problems so far.

i'll tell you the same thing i tell my customers. low-profile shoes are not for everyone. find your balance between heel height, cushioning and arch support. obviously, a 250lb crusher isn't going to work well in a magic racer. some people will do just fine in those though. given my mild overpronation and mid-foot strike, i found that 20-22mm heels are about right. i don't stay in contact w the ground long enough to rotate inwards, but when i get tired and sloppy, i still have some padding to fall back on.

watch out for your achilles. if you typically have a tight calf muscle or achilles, you could be prone to stressing it a bit. ice if you do. pay attention to your form. if you bounce a lot when you run, flats may not be for you; likewise if you have a rigid flat foot instead of the more common flexible flat foot. that said, most of the problems i thought i'd have with a reduction in stability and cushion have not arisen... maybe i'll move to a true flat if i drop a few pounds...

One thing I forgot to add, is I was doing 10 or so miles of barefoot running as well. My transition was slow, because I decided to make the switch while coming off an injury, so I was effectively forced to slowly ease into it. Prior to the switch, I also would walk around in sandals everywhere I went. I honestly don't know if it was the flats or not, because I get hurt all the time in trainers as well. It felt great while it lasted though.

I've been a limping gimp since monday. Gota love it. blast thou flat!!!!!

were you doing 10 miles runs or 10mi/wk?

10 mpw

I have had PF, achilles tendonitis and ITBS.

I submit that the older models were better. We never got hurt unless we tripped on a trail run or pulled a hamstring or something.