Stererunner.com just poste a video and The runner's roundtable just had a phenominal show.

Here is my response:


I cannot wait to try to running with minimalist running shoes! I have been dealing with various injuries for the past 1.5 years and really think that it is attributed to the restrictive bricks that I have been running on for the past few years.
What is a good alternative for us northern runners? I live in Minnesota and can't imagine wearing the Vibram FiveFingers in the middle of our less-snowy, but much-colder winters.
Here is why I think the shoe myth complicated and hindered my running lifestyle.
I started running again 2.5 years ago. I tried to start running a few times before then, but it was in a pair of very restrictive cross-trainers. Each of the 3 or 4 times I tried to start, I inevitably stopped after the first or second run because the inside of my knees were killing me.
In January, 2007, In bought a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline shoes and was thrilled to discover that the extra flexibility meant no more pain!
I ran a little bit 5 miles a week or so until July of that year when a friend, Jon, and Phedipidations, inspired me to start running with a purpose. I started training for a 5K race, and upon its conclusion, decided I should train for a half marathon in January 2008. Since I was 6'3" and 270 lbs, I thought I should get a more cushioned and stable pair of shoes.
I bought a pair of Brooks Trance shoes because they would be better for me with my size and the additional miles I would need to run.
They worked out fine for that race, but I bought another pair because I expanded my goal from there to run Grandma's Marathon in June, 2008. I wanted to be sure they weren't worn out as I increased my miles.
In April, 2008, I pulled up lame 13 miles into a 15 mile run. I thought it was a result of trying to increase my mileage too quickly.
I went to a Chiropractor / Physical Therapist. They convinced me I should buy a pair of orthotics. I tried to run in them, but were too hard. I took two weeks off and ran a half marathon, focusing on landing on the outsides of my feet for the first mile or two. This worked out fine for that race.
I ended up running only my long runs every week, from May 10 until my goal race on June 21. When I ran them, I focused on running on the sides/balls of my feet to begin the run and used a Run-3, walk-1 Galloway method. this got me through my training as well as my life-long dream-race at Grandma's Maarathon.
I have decreased my my running down dramatically since then. I took a several month hiatus and started running again. My local running store suggested that I switch back from the more restrictive Trance shoes to the more cushioned Adrenalines.
his worked for a while, but I started developing tendonitis my Achilles. The only time I had experienced this before is when I got a new pair of running shoes in high school in 1980. I tried running in my Orthotics, and that stopped it from getting worse, but it has not gotten better since April.
In football and in softball, I had very little cushion in my shoes and I know I always ran on the balls of my feet. Even screwing around with the kids, before I became a runner again, I knew I ran on the balls of my feet. I thought it was just bad form.
Stupid Me!!!!!