New Balance Minimus Barefoot Trainer Review

A new workout regime is clearly an excuse for a bit of new workout kit right? In my case, it meant a new pair of workout trainers.

New Rules of Shoes for Lifting

I love my running shoes (I run in an awesome pink and dark grey pair of New Balance 760s, which have sadly been discontinued), but they're not right for a weight training based exercise regime. Firstly, because running shoes, in my eyes, should be used for running and running only - they don't need to get bent out of shape with heavy weights and things like that. Also, when weight lifting you want your heels to be firmly grounded to the floor - this gives you a better centre of gravity and for me, helps me to feel more connected and stable. Ideally, this means you're looking for a shoe with a pretty flat sole and not very much in the way of cushioning and support (which my running shoes have an abundance of, as I'm a heel-striking, over-prontating, weak ankled mess).

New Balance Minimus Trail Shoe

I spent a lot of time drooling over Cross-fit blogs and finally decided on the New Balance Minimus 10 Trail - it has a 4mm drop (which means it's got a teeny tiny bit of a heel) and a fierce vibram sole to give excellent grip. The shoe itself is incredibly lightweight, which is another bonus - I don't want to be carting around a really heavy gym bag as my job involves me doing a lot of walking and I don't have an office to store my things in. It's made of a breathable, minimalist upper, which is treated with ACTEVA+ - an antimicrobial treatment that reduces odor, so hopefully they'll stay smelling fresh too!

They truly are things of beauty and come in a wide range of colour combinations. Another great thing about New Balance is that they make half sizes - I went for a 7.5 and it's a perfect fit. 

I picked up mine from Amazon pretty cheap - it's worth searching around to work out which colour combination you fancy as that, and your size, can affect how much you pay. I recommend the trail version because the Vibram sole is an excellent addition for weight lifting, but there's also a running version and a 0mm version of both the running and trail shoe if you're so inclined.

Questions:

Do you have different shoes for different work out?

What do you think about barefoot shoes? Have you ever tried them?

Goodbye old friends, hellllo new!

Hello lovelies!

Today is a wonderful, wonderful day - I've got some new friends in my life, but it means I have to say goodbye to some old ones.

What on earth am I talking about?! Running shoes of course! Meet my old friends:

These are the only pair of trainers I've ever owned. I think I got them when I was about 14 and needed some trainers for school or something. They were about £12 from our village shoe shop. They've not been bad, and I wore them through my 10k training last year and for my 10k race last year but since starting training this year I can tell that they're getting old and I've been getting a bit of shin and knee pain which I reckoned was down to a lack of support.

Hence I trudged off to my local running store Up and Running in York and had my gait analysed on a treadmill with a snazzy video thingy. I'm a mild overpronator and I have a fairly heavy heel strike. I definitely, definitely recommend going to a proper running store to get fitted for shoes - you might have a vague idea what your running style is, but I'd much rather get an expert opinion! Also, if you're lucky and your store is run by running legends like mine is, they'll probably give you some training advice too!

I ummed and ahhhd about whether to get them in the store or online but seeing as I'd completely forgotten which shoes they were anyway, I decided to go back to the store itself because, if I'm honest, it was love at first sight with those shoes :) *Queue a gazillion pictures*

How pretty are those inners?! Decorated with the Breast Cancer Ribbon because of the work New Balance does with Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Funky laces!

Ahhhh, aren't they just beautiful? If you're wondering, they're the New Balance 760 which is technically last season so a little harder to find (this season's replacement is the 860 if you're wondering :) )

Now all that's left to do is actually run in them and I have to say I can't wait! It's taking all my willpower not to just head out there right now on a full stomach!

What shoes do you run in?