[RajT88]

I'm in a very similar boat. I never went in for the full-on barefoot running, but did jump in on the Vibram 5 fingers bandwagon (still love them), and even today prefer minimalist shoes.

The switch to forefoot striking helped me a lot with pain in my knees, with my tendons getting inflamed. The trade-off was inflamed Achilles tendons, and occasionally the plantar fascia. It was a great trade-off.

Running in VFF's is awesome - so light, free, etc. Better on grass than pavement for sure. Because of my stride, I'm prone to blisters on my pads behind my pinky toes, so I would really burn through the VFF's in ways I don't with minimalist shoes, hence the switch. VFF's are also stinky, even when you've got lots of toe socks to help with moisture. (Those socks would develop holes even faster than the shoes)

All in all, I thought the toe shoes were awesome. If I was still super into running, I'd probably only wear them on race days.