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Kinvaras for foot & leg strengthening (Read 2416 times)

ud32


    I wear Brooks Defyance with a Super Feet grren insert and Mizuno Wave Inspire with no insert. Every year I get a few lower leg nagging injuries. Someone suggested barefoot running, which I am not willing to commit to right now. I also heard that wearing minimalist shoes liek Kirvana or Nike free will make the feet and lower legs stronger.

     

    Any thoughts ?? I bought a pair of Kirvanas and my plan was to use them as my everyday casual shoes and periodically run some striders and maybe some short runs.

     

    Any thoughts ?

    bhearn


      ud32


        Your not kidding - that was a pretty long thread. But not much in there about transitioning into them. I assume when in doubt less is better as I make these part of my rotation.

        Trent


        Good Bad & The Monkey

          I know nobody who transitioned to them.  They just put them on and ran.

            I know nobody who transitioned to them.  They just put them on and ran.

             

            +1 ... and I never noticed any calf soreness or the like.  I just took a look at my log.  My first run in my first pair of kinvaras was 7.5 miles.

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            Double IPA Please!

              I had some calf soreness/tightness during my first couple runs with them. No other real issues though. They do have a narrow toe box as well, I have a wide foot and this may prove to be a problem for me..other than that, they are comfie.

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                I have transitioned completely to natural running technique with the Newton Gravity for 8 months now. I received a pair of the Kinvara's to try. They are super comfortable but I think they are too soft. In addition, they have a 6.35mm heel to forefoot offset, not 4 like the literature says. I think the softness and the heel height difference in relation to my Newton Gravity's was not good for me. In addition, I have only run 90 or so miles in them but I doubt I will be able to get 175 out of them judging by the wear. I consider myself very light and pretty efficient.

                 

                To answer your question, you definitely need to transition to the shoe. Your Defyance and Inspire's probably have a 10 to 12 mm offset. The Kinvara's are at least half of that so there is going to be a transition. I'd run only a few miles per week for the first couple of weeks in them. The following weeks; slowly increase their use by feel. 

                 

                Remember, even though the Kinvara has some soft cushion in the heel it is not a shoe to heel strike in. Saucony has done a really poor job explaining this in their literature. 

                 

                I hope this helps.

                CMJHawk86


                  I've been training in Kinvaras since late November, have gone as long as 14 miles on the road in them and I love them. They are light like a racing flat but as supportive as any trainer I've ever worn.

                   

                  The only "transitioning" I did with them was to use them only on the treadmill for about the first 2 weeks.

                   

                  I still rotate in a pair of "conventional" running shoes (Adidas Response or Brooks Defyance) on my easy days but I consider the Kinvara to be my primary training shoe now.

                   

                  The only issue I've noticed with them, after about 150 miles of use, is that the upper on each shoe has developed a small tear near the instep. I borrowed some of DW's clear nail polish to at least try and prevent the tears from getting larger but we'll have to see how that works out.

                   

                  I should also mention I use the Nike Free in my speed workouts and have been for a couple of years. So in that sense, I guess you could say I am slowly transitioning to 100% minimalist training.

                    I wear Brooks Defyance with a Super Feet grren insert and Mizuno Wave Inspire with no insert. Every year I get a few lower leg nagging injuries. Someone suggested barefoot running, which I am not willing to commit to right now. I also heard that wearing minimalist shoes liek Kirvana or Nike free will make the feet and lower legs stronger.

                     

                    Any thoughts ?? I bought a pair of Kirvanas and my plan was to use them as my everyday casual shoes and periodically run some striders and maybe some short runs.

                     

                    Any thoughts ?

                     

                    All due respect, Kinvarasare hardly "minimalst" shoes to me.

                      The word "minimalist" really needs to be stricken from our language for misuse, over-use and general uselessness.

                      Runners run

                        All due respect, Kinvarasare hardly "minimalst" shoes to me.

                        after trying them I have to +1 to this!

                        Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

                          I run primarily in Inspire.  I gained some benefit from running in the Kinvara.  I would give them a few runs and see how you feel. Then, decide whether  - Oh, everyday casual shoes.  Yeah, why not? Have at it.  

                          "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus

                            that's it...i've heard enough...i've seen enough...i am gettin the pink ones.

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                            L Train


                              that's it...i've heard enough...i've seen enough...i am gettin the pink ones.

                               

                              I don't think they'll work as flippahs.

                               

                                The word "minimalist" really needs to be stricken from our language for misuse, over-use and general uselessness.

                                 

                                We need to keep it around to describe my intellect.

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