going to give up on minimalism......

you were obviously wearing too much shoe

I had a similar problem. Just wouldn't go away. Then I read Lydiards stretch technique of swinging each leg (feild goal kicking style) back and forth. It dynamically stretches the quads and hamstring which are usually the culprits in knee pain. Went from barely being able to run to fully healed in 2 days (first day was still a little tight). Haven't had a problem since. I run over 90 miles per week in the Puma H street.

Is this the leg swing?

http://ronjones.org/Coach&Train/ExercisePhotos/Mobility/LegSwing.html

yes

You have to break away from the cult and brainwashing. Good luck with that.

you'll be back

ha

You went from zero miles p/wk to 40 miles a week for 4 straight? If i understand you correctly, you're saying you were wearing regular training shoes 100% of the time and then immediately switched to minimal shoes at 40 miles p/week for 4 weeks? If that's so, that's too much, too quick. I eased into it over the course of 3-4 months, alternating at first between thick and thin-soled shoes.

Don't lose heart yet. Maybe it won't work for you — that's cool, cuz it don't work for everyone — but at least give it a chance by experimenting with it intelligently.

You misunderstand. After running pretty regularly for 12 years, i was on a long break. I decided to try minimalist shoes, and built up to 40 miles a week for four weeks in a row, after 9 weeks of slow increases.

it went like this:

w1 10

w2 15

w3 15

w4 18

w5 20

w6 24

w7 26

w8 30

w9 34

w10 37

w11 39

w12 41

w13 42

and i go barefoot around the house when i am home, and wear real thin flip flops a lot when i am out.

Tom

The knees were the first thing to go south, health wise, on me in my minimalistic conversion. Others here have claimed likewise. I was very careful in the transition, even more so than you. If you're under 140lbs and run on softer surfaces, then perhaps minimalism is worth a shot. The cult around here has a difficult time brainwashing further us recalcitrant ex-minimalists, especially those of us with screaming knees.

obviously you were doing something wrong. your shoes were probably too cushioned, or your form was off.

being sarcastic or not? can't tell

Are you one of the cult's leaders?

Yeah because running in flats can NEVER be the problem. Worship the minimlists!!!!

The problem is that you ran in regular trainers for 12 years and then made a cold turkey switch. Cold turkey is only good the day after Thanksgiving, never when trying something new.

Alan

Runningart2004 wrote:

Cold turkey is only good the day after Thanksgiving

Oh yeah, baby. Good one, Alan! I will have to remember that.

I agree with your observation. Drastic changes beg for a response (and sometimes the body's response is not so desirable).

Why not mix it up a bit? I wear a regular trainer or heavier racing flat for longer runs in town. I go barefoot on a golf course or decent field. For faster stuff or medium length runs I'll wear the NB 250 or my ultimate 81's. Surf shoes are good for trail runs. So explore all the phases of minimalism before you give it up.

More thoughts about turkey in general...

Turkey is best after running a hilly 5 mile race on a cold Thankgiving morning. You come home, get showered and ready, travel to at least 2 Thanksgiving dinners and just pass out from eating too much turkey and stuffing slathered in mustard. Mmmmm...only 4 months away! Bonus points if you get to wear a race t-shirt with a turkey on it, great conversation piece..:)

I agree with Hawkeye.... anytime anything hurts, CHANGE SOMETHING! Whether this means running a day or two in a different pair of shoes, running barefoot, wearing different socks, wearing no socks, running on a variety of surfaces..... don't continue to subject yourself to the same, repeated "stress." Change it up!