Two approaches
The first approach is to use a series of shoes, each less cushioned and with a smaller heel to toe drop than the previous one. The other is to go for the shoes you want to use or to go barefoot if that's what you want straight away and slowly increase the distance. I've also read different ideas about the surface you ought to run on: some say you should start on soft surfaces to let your feet adjust, others say you should start on a hard, smooth surface in order learn the correct form. (e.g.: If you jog barefoot on a beach you may still land on your heel, but if you do so on a hard surface your body will feel this is wrong.)
Finding the right shoe
I chose to go for the shoes I want to run in straight away and learn to jog in them in the street. So then, the search for a pair of suitable shoes started. I didn't know many brands that make minimal shoes and even if they do, those models aren't always sold here. I'd watched YouTube videos and read reviews and thought that Nike Free shoes would be good for me. So I ordered a pair of Nike Free 3.0's, but upon their arrival, I was a bit disappointed. They were not nearly as flexible as I expected them to be after having read and watched reviews. Also, I knew beforehand that they have a 4 mm heel to toe drop, but the shoes weren't as flat as I had expected.
I'd tried jogging on my bare feet in the house and found that I do indeed land on my forefoot when doing so, but the Nike shoes made it more difficult to land like that when I tried them on. Those 4 mm make quite a big difference! So I searched for a pair of shoes that were completely level, as you are without any shoes on, and ordered Merrell Road Glove Dash 3's. When I tried those on, I knew that that's what I was looking for! Unfortunately, they were too big, so I had to send them back and order a smaller pair. I now have them in the proper size and a very bright colour as these grey/black ones were no longer available in my size. I may do a 'review' of them and compare them to my old shoes in a future post.
PreparationsBefore even putting on your new shoes (or ditching your old ones) you should work on strength, flexibility and coordination in your feet and strengthen your calves. When I was looking for a transition schedule, some sources assume people wear shoes all day long. This is not true for me: I spend a lot of time barefoot or in socks and my feet are very flexible already.
What I chose to do are the exercises that I found on Vibram's website (heel raises, toe grips, dorsi/plantar flexion, toe spread/tap, exaggerated eversion/inversion, and grabbing a towel on the floor with toes and passing it to other foot), practising standing on one foot and stretching my Achilles tendon and calves. I also recommend going to the 'get to know your feet' page on Vibram's website. I did the touch part of the sensory foot exercises.
Running barefoot
Whilst I was still waiting for my shoes to arrive, I grew impatient and wanted to try a forefoot strike for a longer distance than being indoors allows for. So after my jog on Wednesday, I took off my shoes and jogged for about 450 on my bare feet in the street. It's really best to do only half of that, but I got too enthusiastic. That barefoot jog was not comfortable at all: it was cold and the street was wet, and harsh on the skin. Also passers by must have thought I am a crazy person. But at least I gave it a proper try! I won't be doing that again until spring and it really is too cold and one is prone to hurting their feet if they get numb from the cold.
Now I have the right shoes, I can get on to transition to them.
Sincerely,
R.
