Best 'standard' athletic barefoot shoe page 2

[geekgrrl]

Actually, all you need to do is to go run barefoot on gravel. Your form will lighten up right away.

Gordo

That's an interesting and valid point, though not one I'm going to take completely literally - it's just too dangerous here.

The Merrells look good.

Outdoors shops have a lot of rock-hopping shoes and sandals and the like, but they always seem to go for very rigid soles.

[New Renaissance]

I like the Merrells. I just have a fondess for New Balance because of the fit. I have to try on a pair of Merrells before I fork over $110 plus shipping. They look great.

I have thought about running barefoot on the gravel, but I haven't got to that point. I can't afford random injuries while I'm on call, and the NB100's are fantastic for me now. I don't want to tweak it too much yet. I sprint barefoot when I can on the grass. I'm only worried about the man-made obstacles, really... well, and the fire ants.

[gordo]

- it's just too dangerous here.

What, you live in Juarez or something?

Gordo

[geekgrrl]

What, you live in Juarez or something?

Gordo

Australia. Regularly see Brown snakes on the track, and we have a selecion of pretty nasty spiders, plus then there's the occasional rubbish dumped by local bogans. The tracks are strewn with sharp rocks - it's not soft like a european forest. Don't know what they are like in USA. Suffice it to say that your feet would be cut to shreds in no time.

[gordo]

Australia.

Say no more. If there are brown snakes about, I want to be able to run really fast on any surface at the drop of a hat. LOL

You can work up to some pretty rough stuff if you are motivated and patient. I run in the rocky mountains and desert southwest of the US: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona. Mostly barefoot, 99% on trails. I do throw on some huaraches when it gets really rough and I want to run reasonably fast. I've never run on a trail that was as friendly to the feet as pavement. The only real forest I've run in was on Vancouver Island, BC. The trails tended to be rocky and root covered, rather than friendly. The worst part for me was all the pitch that got on the bottoms of my feet. Pieces of gravel would stick to my foot and I'd have to stop and scrape them off.

Gordo