The long review of the Invisible Shoe Huaraches I received from Steven Sashen went online on the Living Barefoot website a few days ago (I just got back from vacation so could only post about it now).
You can check it out at: http://www.livingbarefoot.info/2010/04/review-of-the-famous-huarache-running-sandal/
Steven, Invisible Shoe's founder, said this about the review "It’s an incredible comprehensive review, with great pictures of the process of making your own huarache running sandals from our kit."
Thanks, Steven!
I really do enjoy these shoes, with or without socks (depending on the temperature). They are so comfortable to run in and I often forget that I have anything on my feet now when I wear them. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs a little extra protection for their bare soles but still want all the mobility of being barefoot.
April 29, 2010
April 21, 2010
Running in Invisible Shoe Huarache Running Sandals
I've had the Invisible Shoe Huarache Running Sandals for almost a month now and, in addition to many walks, I've worn them on four runs. Oddly, I've run in them once at home in Cochrane on the trails, once in Lachine, Quebec (a suburb of Montreal), Boston, and New York City. They're very well travelled shoes. :)
I absolutely love running in them. They are comfortable both with and without socks, depending on the temperature. I love the incredibly free feeling I have running in them. My feet can bend and move in whatever way they need to while running.
I could go on and on about how great they are for running shoes and how comfortable but I think I'll wait until my Living Barefoot review comes out in a just a few days. Until then, here's a picture of my custom-made by me huaraches and my black injinjis.
I absolutely love running in them. They are comfortable both with and without socks, depending on the temperature. I love the incredibly free feeling I have running in them. My feet can bend and move in whatever way they need to while running.
I could go on and on about how great they are for running shoes and how comfortable but I think I'll wait until my Living Barefoot review comes out in a just a few days. Until then, here's a picture of my custom-made by me huaraches and my black injinjis.
Meeting the Vibram FiveFingers Folks
On Friday, I went to the Boston Marathon Expo to check out the VFF booth. It was FABULOUS!!! I finally got to meet Michael Martin and Georgia Shaw from Vibram USA. I've spoken with them both over email and the phone for so long it was fantastic to finally meet them. They are such nice and gracious people.
I also got to meet Corrado, Michele, and Irana (sp?) from Vibram FiveFingers Milan in Italy. We had an excellent half hour conversation about barefoot running, minimalist shoes, the new Bikilas, and the new Speeds. It was a wonderful conversation and it had to reluctantly end because the expo was closing for the day.
I got to see the new Bikilas, which I couldn't try on because the women's sizes were not available yet. They are beautiful and are going to make most excellent running shoes. I also got to see a large pair Speeds (they were Corrado's), which were also really nice. It's so great to see that Vibram listens to their customers and improves their new models to reflect the wishes of their fans.
It was really a joyous experience for me to spend time with like-minded people. The VFF folks are fantastic and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have spent some time with them.
I also got to meet Corrado, Michele, and Irana (sp?) from Vibram FiveFingers Milan in Italy. We had an excellent half hour conversation about barefoot running, minimalist shoes, the new Bikilas, and the new Speeds. It was a wonderful conversation and it had to reluctantly end because the expo was closing for the day.
I got to see the new Bikilas, which I couldn't try on because the women's sizes were not available yet. They are beautiful and are going to make most excellent running shoes. I also got to see a large pair Speeds (they were Corrado's), which were also really nice. It's so great to see that Vibram listens to their customers and improves their new models to reflect the wishes of their fans.
It was really a joyous experience for me to spend time with like-minded people. The VFF folks are fantastic and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have spent some time with them.
April 17, 2010
Boston All-Star Barefoot Running Clinic- Updated
This morning's Vibram FiveFingers All-Star Barefoot Running Clinic at City Sports in Boston was fantastic! There were fittings for VFFs, including some men's sizes of the new Bikilas. Chris McDougall, Dr. Daniel Lieberman, and Corrado from Milan were the main speakers. The 200+ attendees were split into five groups with different 'coaches'. Mine was Dr. Lieberman. He was fabulous and answered many questions from myself and the rest of the group. We ran to and around Boston Common. After the running, there was a short Q+A with the speakers. It was an awesome experience and will probably be one of the highlights of Boston for me (of course, I'm not running the marathon on Monday :) ).
Now that I've had some days to think about my experience at the clinic, I thought I'd write about some things that I remember in particular. Some advice that Dr. Lieberman had about technique includes:
- Listen to YOUR body.
- Regarding cadence, do what feels right for you.
- When landing, land on the lateral ball of your foot (at the 4th and 5th metatarsal heads)
- Transition slowly! (Always good advice.)
- Don't push too hard too soon or you could end up with tears in your calf muscles (among other injuries).
- Enjoy what you're doing.
- Pain is never a good thing.
I'm so glad that I got to be in Dr. Lieberman's group, although I'm sure that the other groups had just as much as we did. He spent a lot of time answering all the questions that we had for him.
And here's some pics from the event.
And if you want to see a video of the clinic that Vibram put together, check it out on YouTube here.
Now that I've had some days to think about my experience at the clinic, I thought I'd write about some things that I remember in particular. Some advice that Dr. Lieberman had about technique includes:
- Listen to YOUR body.
- Regarding cadence, do what feels right for you.
- When landing, land on the lateral ball of your foot (at the 4th and 5th metatarsal heads)
- Transition slowly! (Always good advice.)
- Don't push too hard too soon or you could end up with tears in your calf muscles (among other injuries).
- Enjoy what you're doing.
- Pain is never a good thing.
I'm so glad that I got to be in Dr. Lieberman's group, although I'm sure that the other groups had just as much as we did. He spent a lot of time answering all the questions that we had for him.
And here's some pics from the event.
And if you want to see a video of the clinic that Vibram put together, check it out on YouTube here.
April 6, 2010
The Living Barefoot Podcast Show - Episode 11 Released
The latest Living Barefoot Podcast Show has been released. Al and I interviewed Anna Papij from Australia about running in minimalist footwear, Donna Rosser the Barefoot Photographer, and Adam Wik of the newly created Move Free Shoes company.
You can check out the new show at: http://www.livingbarefoot.info/2010/04/the-living-barefoot-show-podcast-episode-11-released/
You can check out the new show at: http://www.livingbarefoot.info/2010/04/the-living-barefoot-show-podcast-episode-11-released/
April 4, 2010
First Trail Run
It's been a very long wait for me to hit the trails around my town. I think it's been around 16 months since the last time I ran on the wonderful pathway system that is literally steps from my house. I really missed them. I finally went for my first trail run. I wore my favourite KSOs. And it was glorious!
I avoided the trails because with the herniated disc and the total lack of core stability, any slip on an uneven surface could have been extremely painful and detrimental to my healing. So when I started running again a few months ago, I decided to stick to the sidewalk. It was either that or not run at all.
It was a short run on the trails for my first time back at it in over a year. Just one way around my neighbourhood. Nothing steep in either direction but lots of red shale, some gravel, some grass, a little mud, and a creek crossing. It was so great to run on a soft surface again with trees on either side of me.
I also noticed how different uneven terrain feels like on the ankles. It is quite a different workout for the lower legs to run on rocky, slippery, and generally uneven ground. I marveled at how sore my ankles were shortly after the run. I'm glad there was no pain, just a happy muscle soreness.
Eventually, I'll move off the sidewalks for almost all of my runs and get back to the fantastic trail system around my town.
I avoided the trails because with the herniated disc and the total lack of core stability, any slip on an uneven surface could have been extremely painful and detrimental to my healing. So when I started running again a few months ago, I decided to stick to the sidewalk. It was either that or not run at all.
It was a short run on the trails for my first time back at it in over a year. Just one way around my neighbourhood. Nothing steep in either direction but lots of red shale, some gravel, some grass, a little mud, and a creek crossing. It was so great to run on a soft surface again with trees on either side of me.
I also noticed how different uneven terrain feels like on the ankles. It is quite a different workout for the lower legs to run on rocky, slippery, and generally uneven ground. I marveled at how sore my ankles were shortly after the run. I'm glad there was no pain, just a happy muscle soreness.
Eventually, I'll move off the sidewalks for almost all of my runs and get back to the fantastic trail system around my town.
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