The New Edition - Newton Gravity

So the foot is feeling a bit better.  Still a bit stiff at times, but good enough that I think I can start with some short runs.

As for the new shoes.....I did some reading, and liked what I found in the Newton Gravity.

Here they are:

Anyone with any experience with these, let me know.  I'm going to start slow and will give a report after I try them out.

Barefoot Running - The Injury Update

Pain is still there, almost two weeks later. It's strange because it comes and goes.  I can walk for a while with no pain, but then all of a sudden, it becomes really uncomfortable.  And the strangest part...the pain seems to migrate around the front of the foot..it's not always in the same spot.

Any way you cut it, it's discouraging.  The weather is finally starting to get nice, and I'm limping around. Still investigating shoe options.  If and when this ever gets better, I'll need to buy something new.

Foot Pain

Went to a doctor earlier this week to have my foot looked at.  I couldn't put any weight on the front of it, making walking difficult.

The diagnosis was something called Morton's Neuroma, which is went the nerves running between the front of the bones in your foot get pinched, causing pain.

The rationale for this diagnosis was that it couldn't be a fracture, as he could apply finger pressure all over my feed, without stimulating any kind of painful response.  The only way he could get me to react was by squeezing (compressing) the bones of my foot together from both sides.  Apparently this is a common reaction in Morton's Neuroma, as it causes the metatarsals to squeeze together against the inflamed nerves.

Treatment consists of prescription anti-inflammatories and rest.

Personally, I'm not sure if this is what I have, as some of the symptoms don't seem to match. Morton's is often described as a burning sensation between the toes (especially the 3rd and 4th toes) and this isn't the pain that I'm experiencing.  It's hard to pinpoint the pain, it's very random and can shoot up either side of my foot into the heel, but always when I put weight on the front of the foot.

At any rate, maybe the medication is working, as it is now Saturday and I can pretty much walk without limping. I still get some discomfort occasionally, but it's much better.  Was it from minimalist running? Who knows..I have to imagine the lack of cushioning across the front of the foot, and trying to land on the forefoot had something to do with it.  Either way, I may have to explore other shoe options, perhaps something in between the standard running shoe, and the Vibram FiveFingers KSO.

The Barefoot Experiment

The experiment with minimalist shoes started late last summer after I became tired of dealing with knee problems associated with IT band issues.


My first part of this experiment involved the Vibram FiveFingers KSO.

I eased into the whole thing slowly, running shorter distances at a time over the last portion of the summer.  I felt great, and was able to run much faster without any knee pain.

This spring, I bought another pair of FiveFingers....the Bikila.

Again, I took my time with the mileage, and felt great.

Yesterday however, on a routine run I ended up getting a significant amount of pain across the front of my right foot.  Today, I can't put any pressure on the front of the foot at all.

Not sure what I've done, but perhaps I need a shoe with a little more cushioning across the forefoot.