Another 24k in the books in my Merrell ‘Barefoot Shoes’ (Oxymoron)

I know they are shoes, and I know they are called barefoot. They are also called Trail Gloves, but we all know they aren’t gloves, right?

Anyway. Whatever they are called, I like them. They(shoes) are a necessary evil up here in Canuckleland for a barefoot runner in the winter, so I have tried to seek out the very best option. Tell you the truth, I am a fan of the technology and R&D efforts of a company like Merrell, who seem to have my feets best interest at heart. Some complain about minimal shoes being so expensive, while I agree with the sentiment, I could have gone through a whole PILE of experiments, testing, including the inevitable  failed testing of cheap shoes, water walkers, sandals etc etc, and never found the right solution. I may have even risked injury in the attempt.

For those who think minimal shoes are too much money: have you seen what women pay for very tiny little dress shoes and such? I am not getting into an argument here, because I don’t feel like it, but the minimal shoe makers are still in business to make money. They are going to price their shoes to whatever the market will bear. We (barefooters) are an INCREDIBLY small segment of their market. Maybe we should have some kind of test that proves we are a real barefoot runner, then we get 50% off the price. There is a HUGE segment of the market that are going to buy these because they look fantastic and feel quite good to wear. I think a hike in these would lend to less potential injury issues then a run in them if you have never worn minimal shoes, so for the hikers, this is a really cool option, regardless of price. There are quite fashionable too. I would bet there are thousands upon thousands of people that buy these as comfy loafers for errand wear around the city! Good on ya Merrell, I think the exposure for you by targeting us (barefooters) is very smart as it (barefooting) is very trendy right now (although it is a bit 2010 already) and you will get a ton of sales to the regular runner/ non runner/loafer/ fashionista/ barista,  just by partnering with me (the trendy one).

Anyroad… I am REALLY happy with these Merrell Barefoot Trail Gloves. In the last 7 days I ran a 25k race in really deplorable conditions, an incredibly tough 8k trail run and yesterday I did a 24k training run on paved paths, packed snow and city sidewalks. Yesterdays terrain had a little of everything with steep downs, rolling flats and tough ups. All systems are a go in regards to my feet. No issues what so ever. Even the little blister I got in the first 25k run is gone and my feet are in pretty pristine shape again.

Here are the deets from yesterdays run. There were a few really difficult snowy sections where my pace suffered. Oh by the way, I started using SportTracks software for data analysis from my Garmin FR305. And .62 of a mile is 1k, just so you know why the splits are like that.

It was tough, but rewarding. Ok, I am off plowing tonight, so that buggers everything up in my life again, but it pays well. so whatevs…