The RUNNING SHAMAN: KAI''s : My attempt into the minimalist running concept.

With all these rave into barefoot and minimalist running, I kinda wonder if, as an injury prone runner, it will benefit me? I have always been critical and skeptic to novel ideas, what more to running "barefoot" or with the least protection to our feet. An idea so contradictory to the ones ingrained during our childhood with regards to protecting our feet.

Since our feet don't come with an Owner's Manual or an F.A.Q. leaflet, experience is the best and only real-life guidebook on how to use our feet.

So, to answer my own query if minimalist running will benefit me, there's only one way to know but to give it a shot (fingers crossed).

I have been reading a lot regarding this new (actually, its just a re-make, re-introduction of an ancient school-of-thought) way of running. And decided to go hunting for a shoe that is nearest to the minimalist dogma and also has "minimalist" damage to my pocket, since this is still an experiment. And I don't want to spend a lot then get injured in the process.

So enter Cebu's very own KAI sandals ! !

Just got my pair two days ago and tried it this morning, and here's my first few hundred meters of minimalist experience.

Made three laps (approx 300m) around friendship village after this morning's Long run.
During the 1st few meters, I noticed that approx 1 inch of both my heels gets off the sandals' heel part, towards the medial aspect. So I re-adjusted the straps, a little tighter, but same thing happens.

I thought maybe Master Jacob cut my pair a little smaller.
But as I was observing Bjorn yesterday, who was walking and running in the mall with his KAI's the whole afternoon, his feet lands right inside the sandals. Every time, all the time.

So after a hundred meters, I tried a slow jog, @ 7:50-8:00/km. And then as if like magic, my heels doesn't get off the sandals any more. Not even a millimeter off! My feet lands right within the KAI's. Every time, all the time.

I tried walking again and then my heels readily gets off even on the first few steps walking.
Again I increased my pace to 6:30/km in the next few hundred meters and the magic is back again. My feet lands right within it (KAI's). I repeated the run-walk-run-walk experiment a few more times and the same thing happens. Also, I observed that I land midfoot more with these magic sandals.

Does anyone have the same experience ? or its just me who has weird feet.

I still need to do some more experimentation on this.

My conclusion:
1) KAI's for me, are not for walking, they're for running, MIDFOOT ! (which is good)
plano pa naman unta nako nga himuon sad sya ug beach sandal. Pang Summer ! hehehe
2)I think kids walk and run midfoot . . . I think.

Addendum:

Made adjustments as published in huaracherod's blog, and it readily solved the problem. I made some adjustment since I already cut my KAI's straps as described in the original tying technique. I omitted steps 5,6 & 7, then moved the buckle to the lateral aspect of my foot.

1) Original Tying technique suggested by the creators of KAI sandals.