u/MaximiseUrLife

Has anyone else experienced this after increasing their mileage in minimalist shoes?

I’ve been wearing zero-drop/minimalist shoes almost exclusively since I was about 18, and I’m 28 now. I’ve run in pretty much everything over the years—Vibram FiveFingers, running sandals, VivoBarefoot, Altras, water shoes, etc. I’ve also done ultras in sandals and other minimalist footwear, and historically I’ve never really had problems with my legs or feet from it.

The difference now is my mileage.

I used to be more of a recreational runner, probably around 20 miles/week. Over the past year or so, I’ve gotten much more into ultra running and have done Last Man Standing races, longer ultras, etc. Now I’m sometimes running 50–70 miles per week, while also spending a lot of time on my feet throughout the day.

For the last three weeks, though, I’ve noticed something weird. Every time I run, my legs have this strange feeling that I can only describe as deep pressure/aching in the bones. It isn't really pain, and I don't feel particularly sore during the day. I can wake up the next morning and run again without much trouble. But while I'm running, it feels like there is a ton of pressure inside my legs—almost like they're going to explode or pop.

It’s hard to describe because it isn't the typical muscle soreness or sharp pain you'd associate with an injury.

I’m also wondering if it could be related to how much mileage I’m doing in minimalist footwear. I rotate through several different shoes, so it’s not like I’m exclusively using one pair:

- Running sandals: ~24 mm stack

- Altra Lone Peaks: ~28 mm, but they're pretty worn out

- VivoBarefoot: ~10 mm, mostly for hiking

- Vibram FiveFingers: ~8 mm

- And I rotate between them depending on what I'm doing.

I’ve never had an issue hiking in my Vivos or doing shorter runs in FiveFingers/sandals, but I’m starting to wonder whether the combination of 50–70 mile weeks + being on my feet all day + minimalist/zero-drop footwear is eventually catching up with me.

At the same time, I don't necessarily want to blame minimalist shoes because I've been using them for 10 years without problems. The biggest variable that has changed is really my total workload and mileage.

Has anyone experienced something similar after going from recreational mileage to serious ultra mileage?

And for those of you who have been running minimalist/barefoot for years, have you found a point where the mileage itself became too much even though your feet/legs were well adapted to minimalist shoes?

I’m mostly curious whether this sounds like accumulated training stress, footwear/load distribution, or something else entirely. I’m not looking for a diagnosis—just interested in hearing from people who have experienced something similar.

Hey everyone,

This is kind of a weird post for me to make, but I’m genuinely curious about OMAD and whether anyone here has experience doing it while also being a pretty high-volume endurance athlete.

I’ve done OMAD in the past, but it was during a period when I was mostly just strength training. I wasn’t running, cycling, swimming, etc. nearly as much as I do now. These days my activity level is quite a bit higher, so I’m wondering if OMAD is realistically compatible with that lifestyle.

For context, I work in an emergency room and also work on a mobile crisis team, so my job can be pretty active. On an average day, I’m walking somewhere around 15–20 miles. Outside of work, I generally:

- Run around 40–70 miles per week

- Cycle around 40–100 miles per week

- Strength train/calisthenics roughly 5 days per week

- Hike and do other endurance activities pretty regularly

And by no means am I saying that to brag or flex. I honestly feel a little weird listing all of that out, but I think the context matters for the question. I do all of this because I genuinely enjoy it and it’s part of my lifestyle.

I also recently did a Last Man Standing-style ultramarathon. Obviously, I wouldn't try to do OMAD during an actual race. During races and long endurance events, I eat and drink throughout because fueling is obviously a completely different situation.

What I’m wondering about is normal training/life days.

For example, if I’m just going about my normal routine—working, hiking, running, biking, strength training, etc.—could someone realistically eat one large meal per day and still adequately fuel recovery, maintain muscle, and perform well?

I’m not trying to lose weight either. I’m more interested in whether OMAD could work as an eating pattern for someone who has a very high daily activity level.

So I’m curious:

Has anyone here successfully done OMAD while running/cycling/swimming or doing other high-volume endurance training?

How did you handle:

- Getting enough calories in one meal

- Getting enough protein

- Carbohydrate needs

- Recovery between workouts

- Maintaining or gaining muscle

- Energy levels during the day

- Long-term performance

And if you’re an endurance athlete doing OMAD, how much training are you actually doing?

I’d especially love to hear from people who are doing something similar rather than someone who just walks a few miles a day and lifts a couple times a week, no hate toward that person, this is just situation specific. Or example of people you know are doing it now.

Appreciate any experiences, advice, or even examples of people who are doing something similar.

Hey, everyone so I have a last man standing endurance event coming up in two weeks and I'm wondering what would be a good pair of shoes to use or sandals?

I currently have been running in altras lone peak 8, but I think they have too much stack height for me ( too much cushion), and I'm not as careful with them because I can't feel the ground as much. I use them rarely, but latley have been running in some cheap Hurley Water shoes now, they were like $15 lol.

I'm kind of looking for something in the stack.Height of around 8mm to 12mm. Something that isn't super super thin , but isn't super super thick too - but still being able feel the ground and is gonna help me last potentially hundreds of miles.

I did order some of Vivbram Five Fingers Trail 2.0 for fun, and switch between those and others shoes recommend.

Thanks guys!

Social media has become a tricky part of ultrarunning.

It feels like every day someone is posting their run, workout, race splits, Strava screenshots, recovery routine, or highlight reel. There's nothing inherently wrong with sharing your journey, but sometimes it feels like the focus has shifted from the experience itself to making sure everyone else sees it.

I've been fortunate enough to win endurance events in the past, and I never felt the need to post every run or share my Strava to prove anything. The accomplishment was enough for me.

I'm especially thinking about this because I have a huge Last Man Standing race coming up that will have plenty of sponsors and attention. I can already imagine how many people will be documenting every step of the process—Instagram posts, Facebook updates, 10-minute YouTube videos, daily training recaps, and everything in between. That's their choice, and if they enjoy it, more power to them.

But I can't help feeling that something has changed. Sometimes it seems like people do hard things just so they can tell everyone they did them. The challenge becomes content instead of something deeply personal.

Maybe I'm old-school, but I miss when running was simply about the love of the sport. You'd train because you wanted to see what you were capable of, race because you loved competing, and finish with memories that didn't need validation from likes or views.

I wonder how many incredible moments never happen anymore because people are busy recording them instead of living them.

I personally have lived a very unconventional life here in Montana. Folks are telling me to make YouTube videos, record, update others and so on - and I just feel exhausted by the thought of that. I live the way I do for me. I work in my field for me, not to impress others or to get a " wow that's so cool" from a thousand people on social media who have no idea who I am nor TRULY care about me like a close circle or community would.

I feel like being "known" used to be more localized and now it's so globalized. One person posts to 500k + followers and then excepts them to " go live their lives to the fullest!", yet if they weren't sitting scrolling on their phones, they wouldn't even be "influencers"

Does anyone else feel this way, or am I just looking at it through a different lens?

Is there a role where RTs are only in the ED department? If you do this, how do you like it? I currently work in the ER as an EMT. RT is something I'm pursuing in the near future. Thanks for any feedback!