New Kinvara's...

So, apparently Kinvara is a place in Ireland - it means "head of the sea."

These are the new shoes for my transition to minimalist running as I get back in shape. Now, I am a natural neutral runner and have been wearing the Mizuno Wave Riders solely for almost a decade. But, as I am currently overweight, I didn't want to transition to a straight 0(zero)mm drop shoe, (the experts at Swag's Running agreed)... What does "0mm drop" mean? The 0mm Drop is in reference to the difference in cushioning height, hind-foot to forefoot. Now, if I was an experienced minimalist shoe runner, (like when I was 16-18yrs old), and not at least 30lbs over a healthy running weight, I'd probably go for a 0mm drop shoe - like the New Balance minimus. But, alas, I am not - so I went for the Saucony Kinvara's, which have a 4mm drop. I thought this would be a good idea, to avoid issues with my achilles tendon, often associated with a transition to minimalist shoes. The guys at Swag's agreed, they also believed that because I am,  historically, (at this point it feels), a neutral cushioned runner, (with an even foot strike), the transition will not be as difficult or drastic - especially from the Mizuno's.

I guess the biggest problem they see is that people who wear supportive shoes, try to transition to minimalist running - wearing Vibram's, (toe shoes), and end up being injured. Just too drastic of a change - their body doesn't have time to adapt to the new form and foot strike, muscles and bones are not in condition to take on the stress.

I plan on taking it slow, building up my aerobic capacity on the bike and supplementing with running as I build more muscle mass in my legs, (which is important to maintaining good joint strength and structure - when muscles are weak/off balance it can predispose you to joint injuries - knees, hips, etc.,).

So, for the remainder of the weekend I will be breaking in my new shoes... Monday I will begin my training plan, which I will probably post Monday for what I will be doing the first two weeks.

Review of Saucony Kinvara 3: (coming soon)
Saucony page:Kinvara 3 (click on Kinvara)

Side note - SWAG's is great to their customers and, (in my experience), very knowledgeable. Also, they give a standard 15% off any purchase over $100.