I've been running minimal a few years now, and until this year I've always used Vivo neo trails. Finally this year I wasn't able to get any old stock, and bought some Trail Freaks. Now, I always used to wear size 46 neo trails, and they seemed to be a good if slightly snug fit. The Trail Freaks didn't work for me in a size 46, in spite of supposedly being the same sizing. REALLY didn't work. Lots of blisters. Vivobarefoot kindly helped me out a little here, and I started running in 47s. One of the first runs I did was a 35km with far too much on the flat. Shortly afterwards my ankle & shin started to ache, lots.
I cut back on the mileage for a few weeks, and went to see the physio this week. It seems that running in the right size shoes has inflamed my ankle. For years (about thirty years in fact) undersize shoes have been cramping my toes under, so I've been putting my weight too far to the outside of that foot. Now I'm wearing wider shoes, my toes are uncurling and the weight is going on to the ball of my foot. The tendons controlling that part aren't used to lots of exercise, hence the inflammation. So it's no big deal, it just means building up the distance again, once my ankle stops hurting.
After four years of barefoot/minimal running and walking, I'm still finding problems with my feet caused by thirty years of ill fitting shoes.
