I have to be honest. It’s been a while since I’ve ran. I think the last time I ran was when I first tested the Nike Free 5.0 on a treadmill as well as compared it to my normal Asics running shoes. Since I’ve been a lazy ass I decided to break out the new Nike 5.0 running shoes and give them this time an outdoor running assessment. Verdict: I’m out of shape, but my feet feel pretty good….considering.

A little background about my run. I decided to run for about 30 minutes outside which at my slow out-of-shape rate is about was about a 10 minute mile. If you do the math it was just about 3 miles. The running was on sidewalk and streets.

The first thing you notice when wearing the Nike Free 5.0’s is the shoe tongue design. I’m not sure if all new shoes are doing this, but one side of the tongue is actually part of the shoe. So getting a snug fit is not that big of a problem because the tongue is normally in the right place. With some of my older shoes the tongue would move all over the place which would then cause discomfort. Other than that once they are on they feel pretty snug. I wore socks with them even though Nike says you can run barefoot in them. I’d rather not have smelly shoes…if I can avoid it.

Off on my run I began. During the first mile I tried focusing on running more of a mid foot strike style (ie not landing so much on my heels). Doing this was a little uncomfortable, mainly because I don’t think my feet were so used to it and I could slowly tell certain parts of my feet getting a little fatigued (this could also be due to my lack of exercise). I decided to switch back to how I normally run. I figure this way I can better evaluate over the haul whether these shoes help me with my shin or knee problems that I’ve had in the past with my running shoes.

During the end of my 3rd mile I was starting to feel some soreness/fatigue on the inside of my foot bone. I’m not sure what it’s exactly called, but it’s the bone that kind of juts out right under the joint that connects your leg bone to your foot (sorry for my lack of bone knowledge). There was discomfort there and it might have been due to my attempting to run "barefoot" style or could be related to my getting used to these new shoes. Knees were a little sore as well by this point. Also from looking at the anatomy of the hip my Sartorius muscle was sore.

At this point it’s hard to gauge whether these shoes prevent injuries since I was feeling a little sore. The biggest problem so far is the fact that I haven’t run in so long and then decided to run 3 miles without slowly working up to it. Not the smartest idea. More consistent running will be a better gauge. I was just happy I finished the 3 miles

Current Nike Free 5.0 Mileage: 3 miles

Verdict: Comfortable shoes, still unsure if it prevents injuries…need more running time in them.

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