First of all - are the shoes you are wearing working for you? Chi Running is about working on your form and not depending on the shoe to do that for you. That said, you want to wear as minimal a shoe as YOU can get away with. For someone who is currently wearing a highly structured shoe with orthotics, that would mean stepping down gradually in support, as your form gets better. It does NOT mean you should go to thin soled barefoot shoes right away. If you are already used to less shoe, you would probably do fine working down to a thin sole more rapidly. FWIW, Danny likes to wear a little more padding on pavement and his current favorite is the Mizuno Wave Musha. He goes for Innovates on the trail. It’s a personal preference - neither of those models work well on my feet.
I’m not sure where it’s said that trail shoes are better on pavement because of traction - quite the contrary. They would most likely be too stiff. See page 167 in the Chi Running book for a good description of what to look for in a shoe.
Hope that answers your question!
Laura Houston
Certified Chi Running and Chi Walking Instructor
Seattle WA
