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You really couldn’t miss them could you? After seeing the pictures in my race report of the Smuttynose Marathon, many people asked me what I had done with my VFF’s (Vibram Five Fingers). You couldn’t miss the fact that I was wearing the bright radioactive orange Saucony Kinvaras for the marathon. Rest assured, I still have my Vibrams and I still use them.
Still, I know, it’s confusing. I’m “the Vibrams guy”. I’m the one who has been preaching the benefits of barefoot-style running. Every marathon I had run before Smuttynose, in fact every race save my very first, a 10k, has been in some model of the VFF’s.
So what gives? Why the switch?
Here’s the deal. They don’t call the marathon a marathon for nothing. It’s a long race. I am still a novice at this running thing both in time and in skill. Do I know more than the average Joe? Sure. Am I faster than the average runner? Maybe a little. But the bottom line is that my body and mind are still learning how to do this thing called running.
When running a 26.2 mile footrace, things start to break down, both mentally and physically. It can happen early or it can happen late, but inevitably, for me, it happens. Somewhere along the course of 26.2 miles, my focus will wander and my form will break. Old habits will kick in, and bad form will simply happen.
In shorter races (5K to Half-Marathon) I can get away with that. But at 26.2 miles, it’s hard to reel it back in.
What in the world does this have to do with the Kinvaras?
I love my Vibrams. I do. And I will continue to wear them and race in them at shorter distances. However, if I am going to be completely honest, I have to admit that in all three of my marathons where I wore the Vibrams, at some point, I was thinking about my feet.
Did my feet hurt? Not particularly.
Were there hotspots? Definitely.
My problem was NOT with the Vibrams. It was with me. Physically and mentally, I am not good enough yet to maintain the focus and form necessary to run the way I want to for the marathon distance.
That’s where the Kinvaras come in. They are Saucony’s entrant into the minimalist shoe arena. They are extremely light and have a minimal heel-to-toe drop (4mm I believe), and encourage a mid-foot strike. They help you run the right way.
BUT they are soft underfoot. There is just enough cushion underneath to let you get away with bad form late in the race without encouraging it early on. They are forgiving. They also handle the road very well. Tight turns or straight aways, the shoe has held up.
The one drawback of the Kinvaras may be that they want to go fast. I found that from the moment I put them on the first time they simply wanted to go. I initially struggled in keeping my pace down when I ran my long, slow runs. I have since tamed the shoes somewhat, but I have discover that my perceived pace is actually much slower than my actual pace. To have that feeling in a marathon is priceless, especially if you have the discipline to stay at your goal pace. That feeling allowed me to have a nice kick at the end of Smuttynose.
I have found in the 8 weeks I have been running in the Kinvaras that I never, NEVER think about my feet. As a runner, that is a huge luxury. Even when my form began to break down at the Smuttynose Marathon, not once did I think of my feet. My legs eventually grew tired, my energy ebbed, but my feet didn’t ask for attention at any point.
If you’re looking for a shoe that will encourage you to run with what I believe is proper form and let you forget out your feet, this is the one for you. My personal favorite is the bright, radioactive orange, because you friends and family can spot you from a half-mile away.
The result at Smuttynose? The Kinvaras carried me to an 11 minute PR of 3:19:19. An 11 minutes PR and a BQ. A pretty convincing endorsement for a marathon shoe.
Team Kinvara at the Smuttynose Marathon 2010 - 3 PRs, 2 BQs
Run Luau Run 
it all starts in the brain and what we tell ourselves and if you need to wear Kinvara’s to race so that you don’t focus on your feet, or think “run with your hair on fire”, then by all means do it. whatever it takes! thanks for the tip too, I will be searching them out for moi!
Yeah, I experienced the same thing in my marathon too! How weird is it that after running 26.2 miles you suddenly realize that you forgot to think about your feet? That’s never happened in any marathon before. But there were no pains, no aches, no blisters. They just kind of GO! Amazing.
I love the Kinvaras so much, I’m on my third pair! I’m actually trying NOT to run in them as much just so I don’t get addicted to them. Go figure.
Too late. I’m addicted.
Hey, Luau:
I read your review and have been thinking a lot about getting these shoes (and jumping on the minimal-shoe band wagon.) One thing concerns me: I have seriously flat feet. No arch. I’ve had problems straining calf muscles in other shoes. In that past, I’ve compensated with small heel lifts to fix the problem. Makes me wonder if flatter soles would not be good for me. Here’s my question: have you ever encountered runners with flat feet or arch problems that have had success (or failure) in minimal shoes? I figure you’re the guy to ask!
My honest answer is that I don’t know the answer. I have had some friends with flat feet that had success in the Vibrams – I would take a couple things into consideration. How much stretching do you do on your calves? Is it the typical “15 count on each side and I’m off and running” or do you seriously work your calves and you achilles? One thing that I found in my first year of running was that my lower calves would get seriously tight – to the point where getting up in the morning was uncomfortable. I discovered the rolling pin (yup, the one in your kitchen). From the seated position I literally roll out my calves from knee to ankle. Makes a huge difference. The other thing I would take into consideration is your foot-strike. Are you a heel striker? Do you think you can move toward a more mid-foot strike? If you can, you may want to take shorter runs where you focus on your form and see how the calves and feet hold up.
Finally, I think that most running stores will take your shoes back if you go out for a run and are just miserable in them. I think it’s worth a shot. They are very comfortable shoes.
I have run into someone who couldn’t run in them because his feet were too wide.
Very interesting! I just got Kinvaras last week after hearing about racing successes like yours and blogged a review last night. I found just the opposite; whereas in my (non-minimalist) sneakers I wear to race in (Asics DS Trainers), I never think about my feet, in the Kinvaras I was very conscious of feeling the mesh outers crease and the breeze on my toes. Not a bad thing; just different from what I’m used to. Still, I am excited to get more familiar with them.
Ran 5 miles in my Kinvaras last evening… I know exactly what you mean about the shoes being fast. I was trying to run at GMP and ended up about 22 seconds faster per mile. I couldn’t slow down! Granted, it’s probably all mental, but it was fun…. Going from a shoe that weighed about 11 ounces to one that weighs 6.6 is amazing.
One thing I did notice, however, is that I do have heel striking tendancies. I always thought I was not a heel striker… the minimal cushioning (compared to my Nike’s) in the Kinvara has showed me that I am. Oh well… gives me something to work on!
I’ve been training in a pair of Kinvaras for a few weeks and agree completely with your comment that they want to go fast. I’ve run up to 10 miles in them so far and will wear them in a half marathon this weekend. I’d love to try them in a marathon next month, but I’m running out of time to test them on long runs first. So far I really love this shoe.
I thinking if you’re taking them on your half-marathon, you’ll be fine with them in your marathon. Good luck in both races. Will check back at your blog to see how you did!
[…] I’ve heard lots of good things about them, and I thought it would be go to try them. (my friend Cris has a pair and can’t say enough good things about them and I know of a runner in America who also sings their praises.) […]