Dalton Wilson - Minimalist Footwear Transition

Minimalist Footwear Transition

Recently I’ve been hooked into the idea that Mother Nature with her millions of years of evolution, more precisely, the last 1.5 million years with Hominids (bipedal primates… US), that running “naturally” makes the most sense. The most common complaint by non-runners or “would-be”s is that “running is bad for the knees”. This untruth in my opinion can be blamed on the fact that most regular modern humans don’t know HOW to run. As ridiculous as it may sound, I have been propositioned by many at a local fitness center to give “running lessons”. Running, the act of putting one foot in front of the other seems to escape those who don’t regularly enjoy this most basic and primitive of athletic expressions. Having only 10 or so years of ‘serious’ running experience under my belt, but at least 6 years of coaching high school distance runners, has led me to believe that the more we try to ‘correct’ a runner’s gait with devices such as orthotics, motion-controlled shoes, and other “new technology” that we actually deprive the body’s natural ability to cope with impact forces and transfers of energy… therefore slowing us down… or worse, injuring ourselves. Although I take no credit in this revelation, as I am only a recent disciple myself, but I am 100% convinced because of my own recent successes that ‘running natural’ is the simplest way of keeping injury-free and running more efficiently.

The basic premise behind minimalist footwear is that it is less restrictive and allows/forces the feet and ankles to do the job that evolution engineered them to do. The more ‘motion-control’ a shoe has, the less the foot can operate naturally. Less shoe = a more natural, less intrusive stride, which equates to more speed. Most ‘running shoes’ are designed with the heel highly cushioned to absorb the impact of the leading foot to take stress away from the knees, ankles, hips, etc. But in actuality, humans don’t ‘naturally’ run with a ‘heel-strike’ that is in need of the cushioning in the first place. This built-up heel ‘programs’ the runner’s mind into a heel strike type of gait. To ‘reprogram” most runners, a “barefoot” regimen is begun to force the participant to learn to land with a mid-foot plant. This style of running causes less stress and negative acceleration forces to the musculoskeletal structures that means faster, more efficient injury-free running. All of this can be fully researched at http://runningbarefoot.org/ . Once I bought hook, line, and sinker into this idea, I found a shoe that fit needs of the low heel that allowed a more natural gait… these being La Sportiva Fireblades. I was so excited about my newfound quick and natural stride, I began to cut down the heel of all my normal running shoes. I found when I did this, it created a few problems. 1) Cutting the heel leaves the EVA foam exposed, which has NO traction when wet. 2) ON brutal downhills of trail, the EVA alone provided no protection from rocks and other hard objects. 3) EVA doesn’t hold up to wear. After some creative hours in my ‘woodshop’, I think I finally found the answer to finding a use for the half dozen pair of training shoes in my closet. The trick is to lower the heel but retain the outsole with the tread.

The following is a description of my experiment with a few pairs of Teva X-1 Control… my favorite trainers (discontinued… of course).

The X-1 prior to “modification”… high cushion heel commonly found in most running shoes… note the downward angle between heel and toe.

The X-1 marked with a sharpie to denote the area of dissection.

I start by cutting a slice from heel to mid-foot with an old “Ginsu” knife… those they used to sell in the 90’s that would cut a beer can then slice a tomato, but I think any sharp bread knife will do. Stay close to the outsole, but leaving a thin layer of EVA attached.

Next, I cut along my sharpie mark to remove approximately 3/8” of the EVA foam of the midsole.

Here is a view after the heel wedge and nonsensical lateral lace device has been removed.

I’ve used “Shoe-Goo” for years, but have found that it doesn’t stick too well to hard rubber, but it does to EVA foam. When peeling the sole, leaving a thin layer of foam to the hard rubber sole creates a good adhesive surface. Before applying the Goo, I put the shoes on… heels a’ flappin’… to make sure there are no high or weird spots. Form here it’s just a matter of applying the goo and duct taping it down for 1 or 2 days.

Before

After

After the goo sets up, I put the shoes on a bench grinder to finish off the process, removing flares and making things smooth…. Not for the fashioned-minded, but definitely functional and comfy at a mere 8.2 Oz. :^)

Here is the finished product… pancake-shoes… my favorite training shoes… integrity intact, with high-wear tread, now tailored to accentuate my new mid-foot running gait, giving new life to old shoes, relieving my wallet of a completely new “shoe wardrobe”, and sparing my knees and other joints, so I may run painless for the rest of my days.