First blog, first post. Big pressure

I can pinpoint the moment the slippery slope started.

22^nd April 2012 at 9.40pm.

I’m not an evangelical runner, I don’t run every day and I’ll be honest and say I’d never really heard of Barefoot / Bareform / Minimalist shoes before April 2012. What I didn’t realise back then though was I was already looking for them.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I have issues with trainers, I love them. At the last count I had over 30 pairs in the wardrobe. Most are fashion pose rather than sport prowess but I love them.

But despite loving all these ‘sport’ shoes I couldn’t find a shoe that filled the gap in my life. Something that was rugged enough to go on long hikes, relaxed enough to wear every day and crucially were light weight.

Then in 2012 while preparing for a US road trip I needed some shoes I could wear all day sight-seeing, go hiking at the Grand Canyon and wouldn’t look out of place walking round Vegas or San Francisco.

I considered all the usual trail trainers such as Merrell’s Chameleon but they weren’t hitting the spot until a sales assistant in a well-known outdoor shop pointed me in the direction of Merrell’s Barefoot range and suggested I had a look at the whole range online.

Skipping home to my computer I logged on to www.merrell.com and that’s the point the slippery slope started. I realised the shoe I’d been looking for was the Merrell Train Embark Glove.

Within another 30 minutes of internet action I’d ordered a pair and become an expert on barefoot shoes. And then the real education began.

I've now been wearing both the Merrells mentioned above and my two pairs of Vibram Five Fingers (KSO Treksport & Spyridon) for nearly a year. I've done long hikes, short walks, trail running and just lounging around in them. While they're great for walking in I got a real shock when I tried running.

I used to go running at least two or three times a week (in traditional trainers) then shin splints and knee problems stopped me for over three years. Towards the end of last year i decided to give it a go again, however this time in "barefoots". The result was five months of running with no injuries and I'm a convert.

I know plenty of friends and colleagues who scoff at the idea of barefoot running as a trendy fad. All I do is just nod along, i they're happy running in their heavily padded trainers then great, you carry on. But for me, "barefoot" works and the results are undeniable. I can run again, I can do so with fewer injuries and better running motion and perhaps most importantly I really enjoy running again.

Until next time......