I’m in love…with my new Nike Frees. I have wanted a new pair of running shoes for quite some time. My ongoing battle with running shoes has finally come to a stop. I have been saying for at least 2 years that the weight of my running shoes always starts to slow me down at some point during my runs. For me, it’s all about getting faster and stronger.

I had heard about the Nike Free shoe and when I first tried it on about a year ago, while I loved how light it was, I was nervous about how light it was. I was brand spanking new to barefoot running, and felt that I needed to be introduced gradually. Thankfully Nike now has three stages of Nike frees.

1: Nike 3.0 – with a deep flex groove this is the most barefoot shoe. You can roll this little sucker right up into a ball

2: Nike 4.0 – this is for people that have free/barefoot experience. You still get the deep flex grooves, but you have the support needed

3: Nike 5.0 – this is my shoe, and perfect for people who are new to barefoot running.  Flex grooves in the outsole promote a natural stride while the dynamic fit hugs your foot and enhances stability.

I was told that with this shoe you have to allow time for breaking them in. Since it is a barefoot running shoe, you will be using muscles that you have not used before. I took this advice seriously. I did some walking, a couple of short runs and then I took these bad boys out for a longer run, only 8km, but long for my new shoes. I noticed a difference with my first stride. I was lighter, faster, but still in complete control. I was running at a speed that I normally use in races (thanks to my Nike + app, I am now able to track my distance, speed etc). I actually had to slow down a bit for fear that that I would tire myself out way too fast.  I definitely feel that I used muscles that I have never used before in my runs and races, but I feel fantastic!

I am officially in training mode for the Acura 10miler and the Scotiabank Toronto Half Marathon. I am confident that these fluorescent pink babies will help me shave some serious time off.

Have you tried the Nike Frees? Which Free are you, 3.0, 4.0 or 5.0?