What's a good alternative to VFF's for a minimalist running shoe? page

[The Big L]

My KSO's are comfortable for walking around, but I believe they're a bit small for running. Specifically, the pinkie toe pocket is a little tight. After two easy 2-mile jogs last week, the toenail on one of my pinkie toes started to turn black. My calves have responded favorably to a mid/fore-foot strike and no longer burn the next day, but jogging just isn't much fun for me when my toes are getting crushed like this.

While I like idea of the individual toe pockets in the Vibrams, in practice I think it's very tough to get a good fit due to variability in the relative lengths of our toes; Vibrams has to pick a ratio and go with it, and unfortunately one size does not fit all. In my case the big toes fit perfectly, the pinkie toes are cramped, and there's a lot of excess room for the remaining toes. If I were to go one size bigger just to accommodate my pinkie toes, then 8/10 of my toes would fit poorly.

I wouldn't mind trying barefoot running, but that's not going to work out very well for me with the winter cold, snow, and ice. Can you recommend another minimalist running shoe to try out?

[The Big L]

Ok, pending further input, I did find a number of threads with a theme similar to mine, and possibly containing the suggestions I'm looking for. Yeah, I probably should have searched first.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...oe-alternative

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...ar-alternative

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...er-Alternative

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...rra-Plana-Evos

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...moks-my-review

[Sam Cree]

I'm not too convinced the VFF's will be warm enough outdoors in winter either, for that matter.

What did the northern Indians wear?

[The Big L]

I'm not too convinced the VFF's will be warm enough outdoors in winter either, for that matter.

My feet were a bit cold when I ran in ~ 40 deg weather in the VFF's last week. I think the combination of sore & cold didn't help much either.

What did the northern Indians wear?

Mukluks, or something like it apparently: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukluk

And I doubt they ran much in them.

[skyscraper light]

not sure how they'll stand up to a cold winter, but i'm really loving my nike frees

[chameleon]

check out terra planna's evo shoes

dh loves his (hasn't worn his KSOs since the Evos showed up) (he's a triathlete)

[thanatos]

The Merrel Barefoot range and the New Balance Minimus ranges are coming soon. For me it's a toss up between those.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...oes-coming-out

[apples]

One alternative would be actual barefoot running. Riskier--you could tread on glass or something--but certainly cheaper! If it's your little toe that's giving you problems, try modifying that pocket, although that would require cutting into (or cutting from) a rather pricey piece of equipment. Also try Naturalizer Shoes, they are another good alternative.

[erica057]

http://birthdayshoes.com/saucony-gri...ng-flat-review

[urbansix]

I wanted to try minimalist as well but immediately balked at the price of VFF. Thought about moccassins, but my research landed me at huarache sandals. www.lunasandals.com or www.invisibleshoe.com . I've been running in them for about a month. I got a pair of toe socks for when it gets colder, but so far I've been OK with temps in the low 40's with nothing but the sandals.