The good news is, my injury seems to be recovering nicely. I can still feel a slight ache from time to time, especially if there is a camber in the road or I am trotting up a steep hill. But on the whole, all is good and I have enjoyed a couple of scenic six mile runs in the lovely mild spring weather.

I have also on occasion, had the pleasure of the company of a few friends, whose run up the canal has coincided with mine. Usually I am a solitary runner - I rather like this, as I like to think, I like the quiet and I like to listen to the birds.

But sometimes it’s nice to chat too, even if that means my 180 beat goes to pot (don’t you find that you tend to fall into the same stride as your companion?) Invariably the chat turns to barefoot running, mainly about how it’s going, but also where to buy the shoes. This is I realise is a problem.

There is one shop in Bath that sells Vibram Five Fingers (although I understand it rarely has many in stock), but other than that unless you fancy a trip to London where you can find several options if you know where to look, it’s over to the internet. One of my favourite sites is Lovethoseshoes.com ^[1], they always have a lot of choices and very cleverly they put ‘coming soon’ styles up too, just to whet your appetite. So I thought I would have a chat with them and see if they had any interesting insights in the the barefoot world.

lovethoseshoes.com ^[2] stocks a range of trainers, minimal shoes and sandals all aimed at the barefoot runner. They started stocking Vibram Fivefingers back in 2009, when the concept was still very new, but as Sarah Scully (Head Buyer & Merchandiser) says,

“There was something very intriguing about Fivefingers. We believed they’d do great but at the very least we knew they would create debate! “

After positive sales of Fivefingers, lovethoseshoes.com ^[1] started to import brands from the US which again became very popular straight away. The sales continue to build steadily each season and as more brands come into the market then awareness grows. Currently the male market is bigger, but the women’s market is growing too as brands like Vivo Barefoot begin to develop and offer styles specifically for women.

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Recent posts:

Back on the road with hope and happiness! ^[3]

Wow – check out these latest barefoot running shoes! ^[4]

Bath Half Marathon - my race! ^[5]

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The best seller this season proves this growth in the women’s market since it is a women’s shoe - in fact from my favourite range of the season - it is the Merrell Womens Pure Glove. According to Sarah it has really dominated sales this season. “It’s a great style because it’s good for running and for casual wear too. It’s the first season for Merrell Barefoot and it’s nice to see a newcomer do so well,” she comments.

Clearly lovethoseshoes.com ^[2] are well ahead of the market in barefooting trends, so I asked Sarah if she could give us a sneak preview of an exciting developments coming up - so here it is: Merrell’s new barefooting iphone app. Which I must confess I didn’t know anything about (must be losing my touch!), so I have just installed it and will let you know how it goes!

So if you fancy getting some new shoes or want to give barefooting a go, it’s definitely worth checking out lovethoseshoes.com ^[2] I just counted and there are over 50 pairs on offer, plus they offer free delivery and returns too which is always nice!

Got a question, comment or just fancy a chat? Email me at [email protected] ^[6]

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Resources:

www.lovethoseshoes.com ^[2]

www.primalifestyle.com ^[7]

www.pediroller.co.uk ^[8]

www.treatfeet.me ^[9]

www.newtonrunning.co.uk ^[10]

www.merrell.com ^[11]

www.vivobarefoot.com ^[12]

www.chrismcdougall.com ^[13]

www.terraplana.com ^[14]

www.runningbath.co.uk ^[15]

www.compressport.uk.com ^[16]

About this blog: This blog is all about my experiences as I embark on converting to Barefoot running – I will investigate the market, sort facts from fiction (maybe) test the footwear. Initially I had planned to run the Bath Half Marathon in March 2011 wearing my Barefoot shoe of choice, but this has passed - I started with a slight calf injury and had to stop at 8 miles. However I have enjoying the barefoot style so much I am continuing on the journey as they say!.

What is Barefoot running? Barefoot running is not actually Barefoot in most cases, but a new style of minimal shoe and a more natural way of running.

Why Barefoot running? Many people believe that the technological advances in running shoes over the last 20-30 years are unnecessary and could be responsible for many injuries. Barefoot devotees say simpler footwear allows the foot to build up it’s own strength and protects against injury better than any shoe can.

Who am I? I am a 45 year old woman, mother of two, twice a week runner and co-founder of Sportsister. I was in my younger days a pretty decent canoeist and sportswoman, now I am pretty average middle aged woman.

Where did it all begin? For me it all began with the now cult book Born To Run by Chris McDougall. Chris embarks on research into his own running related injuries and refusing to believe he will not ever be able to run again goes in search of the Tarrahumara Tribe in South America to see how they can run hundreds of miles a week barefoot well into old age and yet we cannot.

I love this book, I love the slightly anti-establishment element that challenges and questions, I love the renegade characters featured In the Ultra marathon world and I love the fact that Chris has founded a whole movement. Plus now he can run and even attempt ultra marathons.

What do I hope to achieve? I am hoping this adventure will re-invigorate my interest in running, help me stay injury free and lead to me running more! Ultimately I would like to find the time to train for a marathon and I even fantasise about going further – maybe 30-40-50 miles. Towards the end of my time as a canoeist I found myself persuaded to enter a 125 canoe race (non stop) I could not believe it was possible - but it is and I went on to complete it two more times. I would like to see if I can run a long way too…