Opening the toe boxes came a lot faster than it did back in the days of being used to wearing shoes.  The Hoka was truly awful, after 3 years of racing flats & sandals.  The severe hamstring pain, blisters, & plantar fascia pain returned.  It became obvious how they could cause all the tendinopathies of years past.    Cushioning converts force into heat.   The compression of the load bearing paw & expansion of the raised paw checks your paw strikes slightly higher than normal, exerting more stress on the hamstrings in their extended positions.   

Metatarsal healing proceeded rapidly after converting to the Hokas.  Got back to 9 slow miles within a week, but swelling was persistent.  

Then, got back to 18.6 slow miles.  The thick sole of a Hoka caught a curb & sent the lion down for the 1st time in 7 years. There was unbelievable hamstring pain from the Hokas & the historic initial plantar fascia pain which slowly faded away with use, but the feet didn't hurt as much as sandals.  Have come to recognize it as swelling in the upper hamstring tendons rather than glute pain, because the pain is magnified by sitting & eventually leads to pinching of the sciatic nerve.