Run, Taylor, Run!

Long timey, no talkey.

There's a rich culture surrounding the running world -  a culture where a mainstream is shunned, and brand loyalty is a statement of that.

To many (or maybe just me) Nike is the status quo when it comes to trainers. Those who choose to run in Asics, Newbies, Mizunos and/or Sauconys are making a statement of rejection (or affluence) by choosing their brands.

Then there are those I like to refer to as the "Gagas." These are the people that buy the most obscure brands out there. The brands whose following has to be esoteric enough to call Animal Collective sell-outs. These are your Pearl-Izumi buyers. (I don't know any brands because I don't fall into this category...I hope).

Take a walk with me...

In 2009, Christopher McDougall published his best-seller, Born to Run. It was a book that rocked the foundation of running shoes and what we expected of them. Born to Run highlighted the fact that the Tarahumara indians, a tribe of Native Mexicans world-renowned for their long distance running capabilities, ran on little-to-no shoes, and had no documented (or documentable) cases of run-related injuries. To further the argument for barefoot running, instances of run-related injuries have steadily increased since the advent of the running shoe...Sorry Nike.

No longer was your running shoe expected to "correct" over or under-pronation. Barefoot was the right way (or left) to run.

Quit walking...

Many would call Nike's release of the "Free" line as a reaction to McDougall's book. I do.

Either way, it doesn't matter why Nike created their new line, but what it did to the industry. Now, to stay alive, many of the shoe companies that pride themselves on their status amongst runners are finding that there is a viable market in the minimalists (and with good reason).

I've been on some sort of quest to find the perfect minimalist running shoe. It started with my Nike Free V4's. They were 5.0's (this means they were designed to resemble 50% of a shoe). After running about 3-5 miles a day for 3 weeks I developed tendonitis in my peroneus brevis. So I dumped the shoes and went back to my $140 Asics that contained more technology than a Ghostland Observatory concert and...problem fixed.

Old habits die hard. I went and bought my second pair of Nike Free's. Same result. Switched back to Asics. Same result.

I'm wearing my third pair of minimalists - the Saucony Kinvara. They're lighter and more breathable than any Nike Free I've owned. They don't restrict what little, natural range-of-motion I have left in my feet. You know the direction this is going in. I've owned these for close to a month and have logged who-knows-how-many miles in them, and my feetsies are fine.

Nike, call up Saucony and ask 'em what they're doin'. They're doin' it right and you're not.