About the shoe...
I was looking for a lightweight minimalist type running sneaker, and I could not be happier with my finding! It is super light, I feel like I am running in slippers compared to my old aasics, and so far they seem very durable.
I would advise ordering down a half size or so... I got the 7 in mens and I am usually a 9.5 or 10 in womens. They fit well, however my feet are a bit on the wide side so I do loosen the laces a little and then its fine. If you have VERY wide feet, I would no recommend, but to put in perspective I cannot even wear Nike they are so narrow, and these are fine.
These shoes are a great transition shoe for someone looking to get into minimalist running/ pose method. (I started on this path after reading BORN TO RUN). They are not on the level of wearing the Bikram 5 Fingers, but they are minimally padded, low heel, lightweight, almost like racing flats but a bit sturdier so you can go on trails as well.
Give em a try-but remember to take it slow if you are a new minimalist runner... basically don't do your normal runs, start off with a few miles once or twice a week at most and ice your legs after. You will use muscles you haven't used in a looong time! (if need be, do other runs with your old shoes to keep in shape. you will notice the difference right away as well!)
Ice does wonders and I am building up strength myself.
Hope this was helpful!
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I ordered these kicks because Jason Khalipa (Crossfit God) wears them (I use every product he endorses, see my MIR Weighted Vest review). I am so impressed with them! Right off the bat I will tell you, if you have extra wide feet these are probably not for you, however, Khalipa is a big guy and I am sure his feet are medium to wide and he never takes them off. There are no "cons" to this shoe, it is perfect in every way. They are light as a feather, very comfortable, extremely breathable, pretty as hell and affordable. I use these for many of the Crossfit workouts which include running, jump rope, box jumps, lunges, broad jumps etc. I used to be an Asics lover (still am). I have tried Under Armour, Nike, Brooks and Reebok and I kept coming back to Asics. That is until I found these. I can't see myself deviating to another company after wearing INOV-8 shoes. They are THE BOMB. For me, they were true to size, if anything, ever so slightly larger then typical american sizes. I wear a 10.5 in Asics, Brooks and Nikes, I ordered a 10.5 and they fit perfect. BUY THESE!Best Deals on Inov-8 Men's f-lite 230 Trail Running Shoe
Shoes really matter, but not for the reasons most weekend warriors think. For example, if you spend a lot of time looking for high cushioning and support, or if you buy shoes because a sales guy at the running store put you on a treadmill and took video of your feet to show you how a certain shoe "corrects" your stride, you might be caught off-guard by the Inov-8 approach.Here's why:
During recent decades, running shoes have been designed to help initially prevent injuries in poorly conditioned legs and feet by building shoes that replace natural body functions with artificial stabilization and extra cushioning. The resulting problem is that the person using those shoes initially becomes more aerobically fit and starts running faster and longer... without their feet and legs being structurally strengthened to handle the increased demand. Before long, the shoes can't continue to compensate for the fact that the person's feet and legs' inner structures simply aren't trained to handle the running. It's too-much too-soon meets too-little too-late. Consequently, painful "overuse" injuries (shinsplints, knee pain, back pain, stress fractures, tendonitis, fasciitis, etc.) are practically an inevitability for many well-intentioned and dedicated aspiring runners who take up jogging or join a cross country or track team.
A very large number of "overuse" injuries in otherwise healthy people result from a combination of two factors. 1) Weak/underused feet and leg structures, as described above; & 2) Bad running form it doesn't immediately hurt to run improperly on 2" of cushioning, but bad form will catch up to you as you increase mileage. Really, the problem isn't "overuse" so much as "use" when, thanks to laziness and bad shoes, critical parts of our bodies are only conditioned to "under-use".
The solution is to make the following transition: Stop running in shoes that put us on a cushy path to a painful destination and carefully learn to run in shoes that enable our bodies to run the way we were actually built to run. Most people are completely capable of much more running than you might think, but it takes a little work to correct years of under-use. This transition will require a little patience as you build the strength in your legs and feet to avoid injuries. It will also require learning to run with healthier running form, which is a lot easier on your body as well as more efficient for long distance.
Inov-8 shoes are designed to enable your foot, not to support it to the extent of replacing natural foot functions. In other words, if you are out of shape and decide to start running 20+ miles per week exclusively in this shoe, you are taking a risk. The shoes are designed for the runner who is carefully making or has already made the transition as described above. Inov-8's entire product line is built on a minimalist philosophy. More and more runners and fitness buffs are realizing that the Inov-8 approach is, indeed, a better approach. (Not to mention a darned good shoe in terms of materials and quality as well as design.)
If you have not carefully transitioned to a minimalist running style and built up strong feet and legs for this type of shoe, a sudden switch could injure you. Take the transition slowly because your feet and legs need to get strong enough to actually do what they are built to do.
Inov-8 shoes are generally comfortable, very well built, and perfectly able to carry a fit runner through many hundreds, and even a thousand, happy miles. However, they do not replace under-used arches or compensate for pounding, heel-striking strides. (Contrary to popular myth, flat-footed runners can run just fine in these shoes if they get their feet and legs in shape. Flat feet are not the running liability many have been lead to believe. Ever watch world-class runner Haille Gebrselassie's stride?)
How can I say all this? I have flat feet, "terrible" pronation, and am 6'3" tall. I ran four years of cross country in high school and was on the varsity squad for a state-championship team. The whole time, I fought miserable shinsplints, knee pain, and back pain. I popped Advil like tic-tacs. I loved the sport and ran relatively good 5K times but my chronic pain was bad enough to sideline me for all of track season senior year. Any time I increased my intensity or mileage, the problems got worse. Doctors were talking about "scar tissue" and "surgery". Well-meaning doctors told me to stop running. They said my body just wasn't made for it. Shoe-store employees continued to put me into higher support, more motion control, more cushioning to try and "correct" my feet and legs.
It wasn't until college that a former teammate (who is now a professional runner partially sponsored by Inov-8) explained the concept of minimalist running to me. Although I was in good aerobic condition, I spent a month resting and then the better part of three months carefully re-training from scratch, patiently overhauling my form to be more efficient, working my way into exclusively running in racing flats (Inov-8 wasn't available yet), and allowing my feet and legs to get much stronger and more flexible.
Since then, I run further and faster than ever before, with no more "overuse injury" bullcrap. My training mileage has at one point been greater than 90 miles per week. I have competed in a major marathon and placed in the top 4 in my age group. I have won a handful of smaller races. Better yet, I have not been injured or hurt ONCE since I made that transition to minimalist shoes and better running form. I haven't even owned a pair of traditional "trainer" shoes in over 8 years. (Much of my training is in an old pair of trashed racing flats with at least 1,500 miles on them. I prefer to use Inov-8 for more rugged terrain and tougher trails, where they excel, but they have models that make good trainers on almost any terrain. When my beloved racing flats finally die, I'll replace them with an Inov-8 racing model.)
I consider myself a "weekend warrior" and I am a far cry from an "elite" runner. Had I listened to the well-meaning doctors who told me I just wasn't built to run and should give it up, I would have stopped years ago. Inov-8 understands that we humans are literally built to be running machines. Tap into it, and enjoy.
Honest reviews on Inov-8 Men's f-lite 230 Trail Running Shoe
I read about Inov-8 in a Tim Ferriss's "The Four Hour Body" and became interested in the potential an improved type of shoe may have on my training. I began to look around the internet a little and found that most of this model was all sold out of my size,(11.5 UK sizes, 10.5 USA) so I decided to wait.Having just run my first marathon with my newly discovered "natural" fitting shoes in the form of the Vibram 5 finger, I was all-in for these new kinds of shoes . The Vibrams alleviated my knee pain I had experienced for the past 2+ years of running 100%. It seems that, due to the really thin sole, my foot hits the ground in a way in which my weight is evenly distributed across my knees, rather than an angle that places too much stress on the outsides of my knees. However, the Vibrams placed so much more pressure on my toes that I received a nagging calf injury, putting my running to a halt. I blame this mostly on my jumping into training with them too fast, rather than easing into the new style. My main critique of the Vibrams are that they are so odd looking they made me feel like an eccentric, and the inability to wear socks with them caused serious odor problems very fast. I didn't wanna be that guy with the weird, stinky shoes anymore.
One day while searching for a solution in my local athletic shoe store, to my great great excitement, I ran across a the Inov-8 brand of shoes, though not exactly the model I was looking on. I tried them on for sizing purposes, and the shoes fit like a dream. I proceeded to go home that day and Immediately order this model in the same size I tried on at the store. The results have been ideal.
The narrowness of the shoe and thinness of the soles, to me, are this shoe's bread and butter. I never realized I had a narrow foot until I bought these shoes... and they fit perfectly! However, I imagine they would not be so desirable to people with a wider foot. It seems to me the narrowness is mostly in the heel. Before you buy any Inov-8 shoe, I highly recommend trying on a pair first. Shoes aren't a big deal to send back, but it's kind of a hassle.
These shoes were designed for trail running, and it shoes in the durability. I wear them to run, and around town, and the shoes are holding up great.
Lastly, I've never gotten so many compliments about a shoe before these. Most people have never seen or heard of this brand. The blue and white really pops out at you, and the shape is much sleeker than any other shoe I've ever seen.
In short-
Buy if:
1) You are looking for a stylish, durable shoe
2) You have received an injury from running with "traditional" styles of shoes
3) You run on pavement or trails... these shoes can do it all
4) You want a heel that fits tight and never slides
Don't buy if:
1) You have a wide foot.
2) You are looking for a shoe with a ton of support... these shoes are minimalist.
Performance, style, and 6 months later, I can speak for durability as well... this shoe has it all.
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