One Hundred and thirty Two Kilometres in Trail Gloves

In theory shoes are meant to last for eight hundred kilometres before they need to be replaced. I am now one eighth of the way towards needing to replace my Trail Gloves. In theory.

In practice the left shoe is worn and the tread is gone, in two spots. The toes, where most of my force is transmitted to the ground, and the heel, where I tend, or least tended to strike. That’s why the vapor gloves hurt if they’re used too much.

The Five kilometre Run

Yesterday I went for a walk, but as I walked I decided that I felt like running, so I did. I had not intended to run but I managed to run five kilometres without suffering. My feet felt fine, my legs felt fine. I felt fine. I was able to run five kilometres in minimalistic shoes. No real heel protection. Just the tone of my leg muscles to ensure that I did not injure myself. I consider that switching to “barefoot shoes” on a whim was a success.

What I enjoy is that they’re half the price of running shoes, and paradoxically, you work on your own body, rather than rely on the shoes. It was a smart move. Instead of spending 180CHF or more on running shoes, I spent around half of that amount.

The Feel

There are moments when I’m walking in these shoes and the ground feels really smooth and gentle. It’s really nice when the road surface and temperature are just right. For some reason it feels like walking on a soft matt, rather than the road. I prefer running on dry soil and short grass than tarmac.

With the vapor gloves I feel like I am walking slightly tip toe, to avoid smashing my heel into the ground and feeling pain. In the trail gloves I walk normally but try not to land with a thud, on my heels. The trail gloves forgive my mistakes. That’s why I wear them as my normal shoes now.

The Push Away from Normal Shoes

I was pushed away from normal shoes for two reasons. The first reason is that for some reason the vertical part at the back of the shoe gets worn through, and when my foot rubbed against the plastic back I had to wear blister protection. I also didn’t like to feel the top of the shoes rubbing against my toes. For some reason shoes that had been comfortable, have been changed, and are now uncomfortable.

And Finally

I never expected that one day I would feel the desire to wear barefoot shoes. I thought “What a stupid idea” but now, several week in, I like the sensation of such shoes.