Published by Ronald on Thursday, 04 Aug 2011 10:16 EDT
InvisibleShoe has been kind enough to give both Derek and I a pair of their new 4mm Connect and 6mm Contact huaraches to test and review. This is extra fun because we have never owned the same footwear and this is the first time we can compare our opinions. Derek is interested because he already owns the 4mm Vibram Cherry Invisible Shoes huaraches and has absolutely fallen in love with them. I don't think I have caught Derek saying anything negative about them, but I am not sold on huaraches yet. It will be interesting to see how our views differ from each other and how differently we approach running in the huaraches.
Derek lives in the mountains in the eastern United States, and I live in a colder and mostly rainy country (The Netherlands). Sandals are worn here on vacation when you go camping in a country like France or Italy. They are worn when the sun is shining all day and the lovely warm sand is slightly too hot and you have a cold beer in your hand enjoying the sunset. That is when I am accustomed to people wearing sandals/flip flops/huaraches/thongs. So yes, I am a little bit skeptical of the huaraches, but Invisible Shoes has offered me these to test so I will attempt to do so with an open mind.
I will be testing both models from my point of view alone which is very different from Derek’s point of view. He already loves the huaraches and he will post his impressions later. Below is a collection of my observations and ramblings about these sandals and really just my experiences figuring out if they are any good. I have been testing both models for about five days straight, walking in them during the day and doing a short run each evening.
Published by RunningPoint on Tuesday, 22 Mar 2011 09:29 EDT
Justin over at Birthday Shoes has written an epic article about minimal shoes and the pros and cons of different designs with a focus on why the toe shoes, best example being Vibram FiveFingers, exist and are a superior design. After reading, I am a bit more intrigued by the validity of design choice to make shoes with toe pockets and would probably even consider trying a pair on now.
Published by RunningPoint on Friday, 18 Mar 2011 16:12 EDT
I think Spring is officially here in the mountains of NC. It's currently 78 degrees Fahrenheit and I took full advantage of the first truly warm day of the year. I decided that today was the day to rotate my Invisible Shoe Huaraches back into service. After a longer and colder than normal winter of running in shoes, I have been itching to get back the weather that allows my toes to soak in some much needed vitamin D.