A Place for Minimal Shoes in a Maximal Shoe Era

Learn how running or walking in minimal shoes can improve foot health, strengthen the feet, support optimal postural alignment, and more.
About this Event

At this free informational talk, you’ll meet Stacey, owner of Pie Footwear in Portland's Alberta District in NE Portland. She'll speak about the store's 18-year history of offering a wide selection of minimal, zero drop, and barefoot footwear and accessories for women and men, including running and walking shoes, casual footwear, dress shoes, and vegan options.

You'll also hear from Alice Peters Diffely, owner of Ease of Motion, Inc. In her role as a ChiRunning® & ChiWalking® Certified Master Instructor, Alice has taught Portland-area runners and walkers to move with greater ease and less risk of injury since 2007. She's also the longtime teacher of a Yoga for Runners & Walkers series. She's been running and walking in minimal shoes for over 15 years and has assisted many of her clients in doing the same. Topics we’ll touch upon include the following:

• Historical shoe trends in the running industry, beginning with the advent of running-specific shoes in the 1970's that evolved to include features such as elevated heels, narrow toe boxes, a fair amount of cushioning, relatively heavy weight, and motion control or stability features to address issues like over-pronation.

• The growing popularity of minimal shoes in the early 2000's, beginning with the introduction of Nike Frees and Vibram FiveFingers and followed by the surge of interest in barefoot running and minimal shoes inspired by Christopher McDougall's bestselling book "Born to Run" in 2009.

• A perceived uptick in lower leg injuries (sore calves, Achilles tendonitis, calf strains, plantar fasciitis) among some runners who transitioned too abruptly into minimal shoes.

• The near industry-wide pendulum swing in the opposite direction towards highly-cushioned, maximal shoes, beginning with the growing popularity of Hokas - first among ultramarathon runners and later among the more general running population.

• Common characteristics of minimal shoes (zero drop, wide toe box, flexible, low stack height, minimal cushioning, lightweight)

• Benefits of minimal shoes - for those who transition gradually and wisely (allow for natural foot shape, promote foot and ankle strength, support optimal postural alignment, enable better ground feel and proprioception)

• Tips on safely transitioning to minimal shoes (gradually increasing wear-time of minimal shoes; perhaps choosing a transitional shoe first and going to more miminal models over time as the body adapts; wearing minimal shoes for casual wear for awhile before gradually introducing them into running, longer walks, or hikes; going barefoot more often; performing foot strengthening exercises; strengthening other muscles, such as lower abdominals, gluteus medius, external hip rotators, and hamstrings that help support healthy alignment of the lower legs and feet (Yoga for Runners & Walkers can help with all of this!); improving postural alignment and running/walking technique through ChiRunning® or ChiWalking®; considering the introduction of toe spacers such as Correct Toes® to restore natural toe splay; perhaps consulting a medical professional such as a podiatrist, physical therapist, or chiropractor who is a proponent of minimal shoes)

We'll reserve time for questions and will plan to wrap up the presentation by around 10:45am. Afterwards, you'll be free to stay and shop, with Pie Footwear offering a 10% discount to attendees on the day of the talk. You'll also be welcome to join Alice outside on the colorful alley adjacent to the store for an opportunity to experiment a bit with preliminary ChiRunning® or ChiWalking® principles. Alice will offer attendees a 20% discount on an individual ChiRunning® or ChiWalking® session, to be redeemed within 3 months of the talk.