All you people advocating VFF or barefoot for a beginner runner are idiots. Besides the fact that they limit most people to extremely slow running speeds, if you don't have the mileage base already built up, and strong feet those shoes are a good way to get stress fractures or other injuries.

It's all about technique, not the type of shoes you wear. Having a flat heel and less padding is nice, but you can run with good technique in any shoes. Most minimalist shoes are scams anyways, they are lightweight shoes because all of the rubber has been removed from the soles, and they wear rapidly.