When I finally Adidas Superstar Baratas arrived home, my legs were absolutely screaming at me. It wasn’t pain like shin splints or joint pain, but rather the type of pain you feel after going to the gym and lifting weights for the first time in a year. My leg muscles were done, and they were letting me know it. I’m now a firm believer that these shoes work you out in a novel way, as the pain was localized in areas that I haven’t felt soreness before. I had to jump in a hot bathtub to soothe the pain, and this seemed to do the trick almost instantly. After some food and a nap at bedtime with my daughter, I’m actually feeling pretty good right now. The legs are sore, and tomorrow will be interesting, but I’m glad I pushed through today. In a way, I’m also glad that I wore these shoes on this run – it gives me confidence that they do what they are supposed to be doing – working your legs out and strengthening them in a new and different way.





Contrary to expectations, runners in the Nike Free 3.0 exhibited higher impact and loading rates compared to when they wore the Nike Pegasus. Furthermore, they did not exhibit changes typical of barefoot runners such as reduced step rate and stride length, or reduced foot inclination at initial contact that is indicative of adopting a midfoot or forefoot strike. In plain terms, the Nike Free 3.0 didn’t do a good job of simulating barefoot running. Rather, wearing the barefoot-inspired shoe resulted in a more impactful stride.

About a month ago I wrote a series of posts in which I was critical of the newest member of Nike’s Free line of minimalist running shoes: the Nik Nike Air Max 90 Hombre e Free Run+. The strong response to these posts took me by surprise, and though I found a lot of agreement from readers, I think some people misunderstood the point I was trying to make. It wasn’t so much that I had any particular problem with the Free Run+ itself (I’m sure I’d probably like running in them if I had a pair), it was moreso a problem with how the shoe is being marketed as one that promotes “barefoot-like” running despite the fact that it has “more cushioning,” a non-zer Nike Air Max 90 Mujer Zapatillas o heel-toe offset, and increased arch support for “improved stability.”