Footwear

What should you wear on your feet for workouts ?

Me - I'm a sucker for a good pair of crosstrainers - you can run in them, lift safely and do almost anything in them - they are multi purpose and useful for almost any WOD - kinda like CrossFit.

I wouldn't bother with running shoes, since we don't run a ton and when we do, it's short distances - usually 250 or 400 M, with the occassional 800 M thrown in there.  Running shoes do not have adequate support for doing heavy squats, deads, cleans, etc. 

Vibram Five Fingers are a new shoe that are basically a five-toed sock with a rubber coating on the bottom.  Athletes who have tried them really like them...but I wonder if running outside would create havoc when you step on rocks and other crap....

You can also try barefoot - which is the way we were made to move about in the first place.  In barefoot, you strike the ground with your toes and outer foot, instead of using your heel as you do with shoes.  But barefoot isn't a very good option for doing olympic lifts, as you do need some cushioning when coming down from the jump and catching the weight.  And I wouldn't recommend running on the dirty streets of Mpls with bare feet.

Some people like the classic Chuck Taylors - solid, gripping bottom, light, you can run, lift, jump, push off with them with no problem.  Longer distances - eh, maybe not - but for CrossFit workouts they are just dandy. 

Just remember, if your feet hurt, it is really difficult to do CrossFit...so wear the appropriate shoes.