Last Saturday, I was invited to attend a minimalist shoe clinic sponsored by Saucony. It was a great chance to see their full line, including a shoe that won’t be available until the summer. I appreciate their philosophy that minimalism doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition. As the Saucony rep spoke repeatedly about exploring what works for you as an individual, and gradually integrating a minimalist shoe into your training.

I was particularly interested in learning more about the Mirage, their intro-to-minimalism shoe that features the lower heal-to-toe ratio of a minimalist shoe combined with a bit more arch support. I figured that given where I am in my training and my slight over-pronation, this would be a good place to start vs. taking the bigger leap  with the Kinvara. Luckily the Saucony rep had brought a bunch of shoes for us to try and I loved the feel of the Mirage. So yes, as you have probably guessed, I ordered a pair (the 15% discount sealed the deal!). I plan to use them on my easy runs first, while continuing in my Brooks Adrenaline for my long runs.

My hope is that as I strengthen some of the under-developed muscles in my legs and feet, I can make the transition to a more minimalist shoe as the year goes on. And, this combined with my ChiRunning efforts will hopefully improve my mechanics and help keep me injury-free!

Speaking of ChiRunning, I’ve got a private workshop scheduled for Sunday with Certified ChiRunning Instructor Ryan Miller. I’m really looking forward to spending time with Ryan – I’ve got lots of questions!! I’ll be posting a full report when we’re done.