Sacramento Running News

The Minimus Road in garish blue and yellow. (Go Bears?)

Until now, I couldn’t imagine finding a running shoe that I ever felt was worth writing home about. I always enjoy getting new running shoes, but for me shoes are by nature a utilitarian purchase, something not typically freighted with emotion.

But, there is something different about these particular running shoes.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Remember those “jogging” shoes I wanted back when I first took up running in junior high school? You said we couldn’t afford them and that I already had “tennis” shoes, which I believe were knock-off Chuck Taylor All Stars. (Note: I never tire of telling my kids that when I was young, we were so poor my parents couldn’t even pay attention!)

The shoes I wanted were simple and fast looking. There was a little gum rubber, zig-zag sole and a colorful nylon upper. All the fast guys had them. All I had were my old canvas gym shoes. And I wasn’t a fast guy.

Well, these New Balance Minimus Road shoes look like they belong in the 1970’s. And when I wear them, I feel like I’m in junior high again!

Love,

John

Late 1970s running shoe.

Fortunately, I did not have to go back to junior high to get these shoes. That would be overly harsh, although I do wish I had the hair I had back then! To get these shoes, all I had to do was fork over about $99 for them at my local Fleet Feet.

It is also fortunate that these shoes are made with modern, high tech, super light-weight materials, and totally kick-ass on those 1970 shoes. They do, however, get back to the basics of what we need in a proper running shoe: as little as possible.

The Minimus Road (also sometimes known as the MR 10) is another in the light-weight (8.2 oz), low drop (4mm difference between heel and toe height), neutral running shoe universe.

I have already written about the New Balance Minimus Trail shoes, and it is hard to believe that these share the same geometry and use the same last. They feel and run like very different shoes.

Like the trail version, the Minimus Road has a nice, roomy toe-box and a solid, stable feeling, low-profile ride. It is ridiculously light-weight and the sole feels firm underneath my feet.

I’ve been running a lot in the Saucony Kinvara, which shares the 4 mm heel-toe drop, but has a completely different feeling underfoot. The Kinvara’s ride is very soft and I can often feel small stones through the thicker cushion. The Minimus Road has a thinner, but stiffer sole, and the ride is more firm. I have to say, I feel more of a sense of control in the Minimus Road and my feet feel more protected from debris underfoot.

The Minimus Road has a reinforced heel and a fairly smooth sole. Note the lack of an insole.

The Minimus Road has a reasonably secure feeling upper and a fairly solid feeling arch support. If you are a flat footed runner, you might feel the arch is a bit too intrusive but they feel about right for me (I have pretty normal arches.).

So far, I have put the shoe through easy runs, tempo runs, some track intervals, and a medium-long run (13 miles). The Minimus Road has felt more than adequate each time and I was surprised to find that I especially enjoyed them on the track.

While the Minimus Road doesn’t have the sock-like fit of the Minimus Trail, and they lack the trail version’s stylish stability strap, they still manage a secure fit with no noticeable tight spots. I take it as a good sign that I stop noticing the shoe when I’m running in them. I’ve run over 100 miles in my first pair and they show no unusual signs of wear.

The Minimus is designed, and marketed, to be worn with or without socks, but I find them most comfortable with a thin sock, usually an Injinji Tetrasok.

This is not a “barefoot” shoe (whatever that means), but it is a simple, very light weight, nearly flat shoe that somehow isn’t a racing flat. If you’re used to running in a typical trainer, with a normal heel-toe drop (10+ mm), you should probably ease into wearing these shoes. The lower heel height in these, or any low-drop shoe, will definitely tax your calves and Achilles tendons.

Over the past several years, my foot strike had shifted to be more on the mid-foot rather than the heel. Moving to a lower heel shoe has allowed my foot to move more naturally through my stride and I don’t feel the heel bang the ground when I run downhill. It only took me a couple weeks before I was running in a low-drop shoe for all my runs. Now, if I put on an ordinary trainer, it feels remarkably odd.

I’m happy I tried these shoes and am looking forward to logging many more miles in them.