Topo Terradventure Review

Topo Terradeventure

One of my favorite Christmas presents so far is my new Topo Athletic Terraventure shoes (Thanks mom, dad, and Dahlonega Mountain Sports). Put 7 miles on them today; a mix of trails and road. So far I really like them. The shoe combines three of my favorite shoes.

Altra Instict 2 - similar footbed to
the Topo Terradventure

It has the width and toebox of the Altra Instinct 2. The tread and rock plate feels like Merrell Trail Gloves - good grip on leafy trails but harder tread, so might slip on wet rock.

The upper reminds me of the Vivobarefoot Breatho. Has a 3mm drop and feels like a good high mileage shoe with a little more cushion than a minimalist shoe, like the Altra Instincts.

Vivobarefoot Breatho - Similar Upper to the Topo Terradventure

I wouldn't buy a shoe that is uncomfortable. This shoe definitely fits my foot and has no tight spots. Running downhill my feet did not slide forward and slam my toes.

Merrell Trailglove - Similar tread and rockplate to the Topo Terradventure (Thanks myfivefingers.com)

I like the idea of an all-around shoe. Their site says that it is geared more toward trails, but the tread looks and feels fine on the road.

I'm very excited about these and hope they work out!

Swiftwick Aspire Socks - "The Best Sock You'll Ever Wear, GUARANTEED"

Socks? Now you are righting about socks? I thought you were a barefoot runner!

I have been harassed by my girlfriend recently because I have been buying shoes and socks and such to run in. Regardless, I find the Swiftwick Aspires an excellent choice. The title of this post has their slogan. I can't help but agree!

Up until now the only socks I have ran in are my Injinji socks. While they work excellent with my Five Fingers, I have trouble with my feet swelling in them. My toes get tight and the pockets of my toes get uncomfortable. They also didn't seem to release moisture that well.

Moving on, with my recent Swiftwick testing I have had a ton of success! Here are some things I like about the socks.

I like how they drain and release moisture. They are made of Olefin. The package says, "As the only Nobel Prize winning fiber, olefin retains less than 0.1% of its weight in moisture. It also resists deterioration from detergents and perspiration. This produces a fast drying, lightweight sock with incredible breathability."

When I first pulled them out my girlfriend said that they looked like baby socks. This is because they compress. I am a big fan of compression and find that it speeds up recovery by about 50%. I know this will be the right sock for my 100k. Hopefully it will keep some of the swelling down.

River

I like the way they feel when wet. I used to avoid water like the plague when I ran. Now I run right through it. Since the feet are a major part of body temperature regulation it is super refreshing to run through a stream or even a puddle. The best part is that it stays with you for about half a mile and keeps you cool without blistering! 

All-in-all I am very excited and pleased about my recent Swiftwick Aspire purchase. Even though I don't have much experience with socks, I believe Swiftwick Aspire's are a great sock and I highly recommend them, even if I don't have much experience with socks. In fact, I can't think of a time I wouldn't recommend them!

Wanna try some of their stuff? Go here and ask for some free stuff.

VivoBarefoot Breatho Trail Review - My Trail Running Glass Slipper

Take that title as a Cinderella reference, not a hazardous barefoot running warning!

VivoBarefoot Breatho Trail

On Saturday my parents and I took a trip to Natural Strides, a minimalist running store, in Marietta, GA. We went there in search of one thing: find Tyler some good shoes for the ultra.

Some history is involved before I start talking about these shoes. I purchased and returned a few pairs of minimalist shoes from other stores with limited minimalist selections. These shoes included the Merrell Trail Glove and New Balance Minimus(first generation). Both of these shoes were too skinny for my foot and gripped in places that caused bruising and rubbing.

After a long drive we finally arrived. I was blown away. The selection was huge. All the major minimalist shoes that I had read about were there!

Like a kid in a candy store I began trying on shoes. One thing lead to another and I stumbled on the VivoBarefoot Neo model. It was love at first step. They were so comfy.

Unfortunately, as life goes, they didn't have my size and the only size that was remotely close was a pink pair. No thanks!

The sales lady then suggested I try on the Breatho model. This zero-drop trail running minimalist shoe was an excellent second choice!

When asked what the difference was between the Neo and Breatho by the sales lady(she likes to get different opinions) I responded, "The Neo is like laying in a bed with a comforter on. It is soft, comfy, and encourages you to stay there all day. The Breatho on the other hand is like laying in bed with a sheet on. You can feel the air around you and you are more aware of what surrounds you." She liked my metaphor.

I figured the Breatho model was a better choice anyway since the Georgia Jewel will have river crossings.

Next was the sizing. I was somewhere between a men's 40 and 41. My toes barely touched the tip with the 40s, but the 41s felt a little looser. I called my ultra running buddy Willy "Natureboy" Ingram who told me to definitely go with the 41s if I plan on keeping my toenails. Sold!

I took the Breathos out for a run today and have a lot to say about them.



Fit & Comfort:
These are the second most comfortable minimalist shoes I have stepped foot in, the Neo being the first. I have a wider foot and don't like shoes that wrap my foot tight. I have tried the New Balance Minimus and Merrell Trail Glove. Both of these shoes don't give me enough room on the bottom of the shoe. Maybe it is a preference as I have been told the Trail Glove uses the inner part of the shoe as arch support. I think that is bogus. The inner part of these shoes is the way I envision the perfect shoe. It is big enough to let my foot do the work.

The toe box on these shoes is huge without looking silly. My toes can splay naturally and do what they are supposed to.

This ties into construction as well, but there are NO seams that I can feel while wearing these shoes. This is a lot to say from the guy who in elementary school refused to wear socks because he could feel the seam in them.(I have come a long way) :)

One downside to the added room is there is some movement of my foot when I am going down hills. I believe I have worked this out with a form change, but there seems to be no downsides to this movement anyway. My toenails are fine and I see no rub spots.

Another spot I had problems with my Vibram Five Fingers was the spot that grabs your Achilles. The Five Fingers would get tight and leave a bruise on my Achilles. Being more traditionally constructed, these don't grip your Achilles and leave room for movement. When fitting these my mom let me in a little hiker trick. She said to tap my foot so my toes were at the front of the shoe. She suggested the right shoe size leaves a finger's width between my Achilles and this spot. Perfect tip for a perfect fit!

Construction:
This shoe is well built. As mentioned, the seams are phenomenal and not noticeable. The soles look like they are going to last a long time. I can see myself running in these shoes for at least 1000 miles.

Ground Feel:
This shoe feels like the Merrell Trail Glove or New Balance Minimus 2011 model when it comes to ground feel. They are a little thicker than the Vibram Five Finger KSO Trek. While running in them I had to remind myself to keep a fast cadence. For the most part this is the trade off when it comes to slightly thicker minimalist shoes. As Karl Meltzer wrote on Jason Robillards Facebook wall, "When it comes to ultras comfort is much more important than form." I disagree with this but agree with it the same time. While some may enjoy excessive ground feel during an ultra, I want to concentrate on finishing. For this I do not need a rock on mile 16 of 62 to ruin my day. I can remind myself to keep good form with less ground feel, but it is hard to forget the sharp pain from a rock I stepped on 20 minutes ago.

The shoe also has some great grip on the sole for trail running. I don't think this is really necessary. Typically when I run, wet or dry, my feet stay under me. I'm glad to have the extra assurance that after 50 miles I have less of a chance of busting my ass. This tread, while maybe not necessary, is not a disadvantage to the shoe.

Drainage:
I ran through a stream about 7 times today. Every time my shoe was drained within a tenth of a mile. This + Swiftwick socks are my new favorite combination. Five miles after running through my first stream I had no rubbing, no blisters, nothing. Freaking incredible. Swiftwick gets a review next!

Weight:
I have never paid much attention to the weight of a shoe(unless it is ridiculously light or heavy). These weight 9.6 oz, which I find non-obtrusive to my running. That's about all I got to say about that.

Conclusion:

As you may have guessed, these are my favorite minimalist trail running shoes. The non-restrictiveness and strong construction get my stamp of approval. I feel like I have finally found a shoe that fits my foot right. With my current set of tools I feel like I have everything I need to get across the finish line at the Georgia Jewel 100k. I just have to use myself correctly. 

Merrell Trail Glove Evaluation

I recently purchased the new Merrell Trail Glove after 3 weeks of research and apprehension, and procrastination. I love my KSO's, but found the constant questioning from people to be beyond annoying. (Not many people point and make fun of me, I have that cranky, big old man "I will kill you" because I have with nothing to lose look) .

I spent time in the stores wearing them. I simulated rocks by throwing objects on the floor and running over them, I was driving the sales staff crazy, trying shoes on without socks, running around the store and then leaving without making a purchase...In a weak moment last week, I caved in. So, I new that I wasn't going to be totally happy. But at $110, I figured it wouldn't hurt my wallet too bad.

I took them to a local trail about 5K long with killer hills. I loved the weight of the new shoes at 6.2 oz. and the zero lift heal. BUT, I immediately noticed the lack of tactile feedback. The sole is entirely too thick! I was able to run across a rock road without any feedback. In my KSO's, I had to skirt the edge of the same rocky road due to the "positive pain feedback". After about 2K I noticed that my BFR form was not being maintained. When I let my mind drift, I caught myself over-striding and noticed my "landing" to be loud/hard. I was putting my foot down , instead of picking up. In other words, I was not running lightly. After 4K, I came to the realization that these shoes were never going to pass my test for barefoot styled running. This was expected..

My conclusions, The Trail glove has its place in my life. I will wear them as everyday shoes as a compromise to my over-supported Nikes. They will limit the questions about "those finger shoes", and decrease the the "your jumping on the band wagon" or "I can't believe your buying into that fad" comments. I will also wear the Trail Glove when running on muddy trails. The added traction on the sole that detracts from the tactile feedback will come in handy on the muddy trails. I find that my KSO's are very slick in these situations.

Although the Trail Gloves come with antimicrobial "anti stink" lining (another layer between my feet and ground), I found my feet to be very sweaty while walking around in everyday situations. I am using powder now to try to help with that. I also found the toe box to be large. I have wide feet and usually happy with the wider toe box. I think people with slimmer feet may have a problem with the added room. Another design note, I had to stop and empty out the trails dirt and little sticks that snuck into the shoe around the ankle area, not a problem with KSO's.

From another point of view, my wife, Gayle, also purchased the Merrell Pace Glove (the female version). She has been wearing them as everyday shoes and have found new muscles. This indicates to me, that she has found her shoes, in her situation, to be beneficial. She has NOT trained barefoot or minimalistic prior to her purchase. I think that she was the target audience for Merrell: People who want to try or transition to minimalistic.

I want to be clear about one thing...NEITHER MERRELL SHOE IS EVEN CLOSE TO BAREFOOT! They are more like an introduction shoe for people who want to consider minimalistic training. From Shod to minimalistic...Barefoot Tyler and other BFRs will tell you, its best to start to run totally barefoot first to get the maximal tactile feedback, develop your form, then pull back to minimalistic.. I have to agree!

I wish that someone would make a non-fingered KSO style lace-up shoe while keeping the sole to a minimum. I sometimes wonder if I would be happier putting duct tape on my soles and run. (or "man up" and go 100% barefoot)

On a side note, After logging over 300 miles in my KSO's and barefoot, I discovered my shoe size has shrunk one whole size...I have regained my muscle tone that was stolen from me by Nike. BUT, now my $300 hiking boots that I wear backpacking, no longer fit properly..ughhhh

Carpe Diem


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Addendum: After three months, I find myself wearing these shoes on a daily basis for everyday living. I DO NOT RUN IN THEM. (I prefer VFF"s)
It is a compromise with the so called "real world". I wear them without socks, nobody notices them and I can be "semi-minimalistic" while fitting into society. (If I had my way, I would live in VFF's or barefoot). So I will probably buy another pair when I wear these out.But will shop for something more minimalistic at that time. Alas, I am still waiting for a Vibram NO Finger version for everyday, society excepted use.

Carpe Diem

Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers Review

I recently got a new job which requires me to dress a little more professional. Not completely professional, but at least not in a tee-shirt and shorts. I was not liking my current Vans slip on shoes, so I set out to find something more minimalist that I could wear to work without socks.

After hours of searching my mom mentioned some shoes that I "probably won't like because they did not look minimal enough."
 
Luckily this was not the case. After trying on countless shoes we went to our last resort, "Those shoes at Mountain Crossings." These "shoes" were the Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers.

First, a little background on Sanuk. They write,

"Sanuk, which means "Fun &; Happiness" in Thai, was started by a southern California surfer with a whacked out taste in footwear. Whether you're a surfer chasing the perfect wave or a rock climber seeking the perfect line, our goal is to offer you sandals that are as much about funk as they are about function."

The first thing that stood out to me with the Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers was the slogan: "These are not shoes (They're sandals)" Interesting concept. When I first put my foot in the Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers I noticed the  minimalistic design of the shoe. There was no arch support or elevated heel. Perfect! One of the tags on the shoe even read,

"Unlike stiff shoes, our patented sandal construction allows your feet to bend and flex the way nature intended. Walking with this natural motion strengthens your feet, enhancing both your balance and your performance."

I'm glad they have their minds in the right place!

The next thing I noticed was the amount of room that I had in them. The designers created them to fit loosely. This allows for high breathability when wearing without socks. Though they are a little bit warmer than barefoot or sandals, they are much cooler than my Vibram Five Fingers KSO and other shoes that I commonly wear socks with. Another benefit of the ample room is that they allow your toes to splay naturally, unlike my Vans and other western shoes.

As far as ground feel goes they feel the same as a pair of flip-flops. They don't have as much ground feel as my Vibram Five Fingers KSO. Although this doesn't really bother me, this is my only caution to other barefooters that are looking for a decent looking minimalist shoe with a ton of ground feel.
 

The material of my Sanuks are all-organic hemp. I like this because it feels good against my skin and lets air flow in. It also feels durable. I have ran, biked, and spent many hours walking in them and they are holding up nicely. Since they fit loosely, I wouldn't recommend running far in them unless you have experimented with barefoot running first. The way you have to run in them to avoid blisters involves having good barefoot running form, as you have to lift your feet straight up and stepping directly below your hips.

The grip on the bottom is what you would expect from the sandal-like design. I have slipped a few times on ice with them, but that was more due to my poor ability to judge ice.

While most of my time in them is spent behind a desk, I feel they are a great shoe that gives my feet some freedom at work. At the end of the day I still kick them off, but not many barefoot runners don't
kick their shoes off even with the most minimal of shoes.

To learn how to say "Sanuk" and check out what they are all about, give them a visit at Sanuk.com. Also check out news and updates about Sanuk on Twitter.

  

Valeo Yoga Kit Review

I have been doing a lot of floor exercises. Previous to this I was doing some foam rolling. The carpet was uncomfortable for both. When CSN Stores contacted me about their inventory I went in search for a yoga mat.

The yoga mat that I ended up buying was pretty cheap in price compared to the other ones. It also came with a cotton strap buckle and 2 foam blocks. I don't really use them but I'm glad that I have them.

When I first looked at the mat online I thought it was going to be flimsy. This is not the case. I have used it every other day for about three weeks and it feels just like it should.

The texture feels like it is made out of layers of the rubber that you put under cups and dishes in your cabinet. It has nice grip and doesn't attract junk off the floor.

I was also weary about the bag that it comes with. Thankfully it works great and I haven't had any problems with the quality.

The following are a few of my complaints:

• I wish they had more colors. Purple is okay. It actually reminds me of Barefoot Ken Bob's shirt when I met him, which was also purple.
• The box CSN sent this in was not economical at all. It was roughly 4 times the size of the Valeo Yoga Kit box and filled with bags of air. This seemed a bit excessive. I did take into consideration that they may be reusing a box, which is somewhat resourceful.

I really like my yoga mat and would recommend it for someone who needs a yoga mat but is on a budget.

PADMA NailMat Review

A few months ago I contacted PADMA, the creators of the PADMA NailMat, to ask if I could do a review for them. They were kind enough to send me one!

I explained to them that us barefoot runners all have something in common, feeling. We love to feel the ground and anything on it.

The advantages of the PADMA NailMat are described by PADMA as:

For centuries, nail mats have been used for meditation and yoga in China and India. But you don't have to know the first thing about either acupressure, yoga or meditation to use your PADMA NailMat. Simply lie down on it and feel the mat start working its magic. Within minutes, you'll start feeling warm and relaxed. You might even fall asleep lying on the mat, and that's quite alright. You can hardly overuse your PADMA NailMat, and the longer you lie on it the greater its effect.

The first thing I did when I got the NailMat was read the instructions. They basically said that I can do whatever I want with the NailMat. I can lay on it with my shirt on, off, in any position that I want for as long as I want. I like to use a small pillow to support my head on my hard wood floor.

Naturally, I took my shirt off and dived right in! I lay down on it as fast as possible to apply an even amount of pressure across my back. At first it felt uncomfortable. My back kind of stung, but I stuck with it. I layed there for five minutes and decided to get up and let others try. My grandmother loved it!

The next day I tried it again. This time it wasn't as uncomfortable. I layed there for 5 minutes and decided to stay a little longer. This time for 10 minutes. I got up and felt nice and relaxed.

The back of the PADMA NailMat

I have been using the NailMat for about three months now and love it. I lay on it whenever I need to relax and take some time for myself. I can comfortably lay on it for extended periods of time. I found after the first five minutes I completely forget that I am on it and am in a very relaxed state.

After some time on the PADMA NailMat I get some cool markings on my back. As red as my back looks, it does not hurt. Actually, when I get up it sends a cool feeling to my back.

On the feet the PADMA NailMat is a little different. Even with the reduced sensitivity on my feet the NailMat is a bit uncomfortable to stand on. I do, however, enjoy sitting on the couch and put my feet on it. I don't think running in place on it would do much for a barefoot runner as far as training goes, since it gets you used to sharp small objects, which aren't so common while running barefoot. It could, however, help decrease the foot's sensitivity. I will have to try this more and see if it helps with anything.

The PADMA NailMat looks like it is a great product that will hold up nicely over the years. It obviously doesn't take much abuse, as I just lay on it. The construction is simple. There are two parts to it. There is the foam inside, and the cloth+nail outside. I have not needed to wash it, but I figure I can just put the cloth part in the washer and air dry it.

All-in-all I really enjoy my PADMA NailMat. I recommend it to anyone that wants a new way to relax. After fifteen minutes on the PADMA NailMat I feel refreshed and ready to continue on with my day. Hopefully you will too.

If you are interested in purchasing the PADMA NailMat, please do yourself a favor and use the promotional code KQ76-8382 at PADMANailMat.com for a $5 discount.

My Dad's Transition To Barefoot Running, My "Counterfeit" Vibram Five Fingers, And Anything Else On My Mind

I started writing this as just a short blog post, but after twenty minutes of typing I realized it would be much more. If you read this, or even skim through it, thank you!

 

A Spark of Interest

My father called me as I was driving to a restaurant. He asked, "Does that store down the street have those Five Finger shoes?" This surprised me, as he always seemed to doubt my barefoot running. I said, "They do, but not the kind you want." I assumed he wanted KSOs since they are what everyone seems to be using. I cut the call short, not wanting to give a huge speech on barefoot running over the phone, and told him to wait until I got home.

I think to myself, "What could have caused this sudden change in thought?" Then I remembered, I let him borrow Born To Run, by Christopher McDougall. He must have hit one of the last chapters where it basically explains some of the benefits of barefoot and minimalist running.

I explained to him that he needed to be comfortable running barefoot before buying them so he could learn to run right. He said, "I am going to, I just want to wear them when I go to out to the store and stuff so I can work the muscles in my feet." Fair enough.

So the next day I was planning on running five kilometers run as fast as I could. We met at the park and I ran next to him, giving him tips. We went slow, so I could run and talk at the same time. He only wanted to do one mile. I actually suggested a quarter mile, but it sucks to drive somewhere to run and only run a quarter mile. That and he wears his fifteen year old Dockers a lot, which are quite minimalist, at least at this point. Maybe his muscles are a little more developed than the average beginner?

I tried to make him not run strictly on the balls of his feet and actually land mid-foot and gently land on the heel. He had a hard time doing this. I am going to read some articles tonight about barefoot running and figure out what he may be doing wrong. This left him with a tiny blister and discomfort the day-after-next day he ran shod.

Here's my five kilometer run by-the-way. It was in fact the fastest I have ran five kilometers at 24:20. This was almost two minutes faster than my last attempt at a fast five kilometer run, which was at my previous race.

The Hunt

Later that day we went out in search of the infamous Vibram Five Finger KSO model. It was like finding a needle in the hay stack. We went to one REI, they didn't have squat. The second REI we went to had only the classic and one other model, but did measure our feet for us. They did this without the Vibram measuring tool, just using a measuring tape. They told me I was probably a 40. REI did help us out by mentioning that they were even sending people to their competitors to find the shoes. They were kind of enough to list those competitors, Half Moon and Abbadabbas.

So, next stop, Half Moon! We arrive and start hunting for the shoe department. The store was kind of small, but had a second level. As soon as we found the shoe department and spotted the Vibrams I walked back and requested assistance. We told the salesman, Dusty, our sizes. He said that he didn't have anything in my dads size, but my size may be available.  He brought out the best he could find, which were a size 41 Mens KSO in grey/palm/clay. These fit comfortably, a little too comfortably.

The sizing chart said I was a 38 or 39, so these were probably too loose. I tried to run in them, they felt great but my feet slid a tiny bit. I know that if my feet are sliding when I am thinking about my form, they will most definitely after ten miles of do-or-die.

I asked him if he had anything smaller and he said he didn't. This was so frustrating, so close yet so far! He then perked up and remembered woman's sizes. He ran to the back, and came back with a womans 39 in the same color. I tried to put them on, but my foot was crushed. Darn! He saw my feet were scrunched, skipped the 40 and brought out a 41. He said that size 41 was kind of a middle ground, where 41 is about the same size in both mens and womens. Luckily, it was a tiny bit smaller. I slipped one on my left foot and it felt a tiny bit snug. I put the other one on my right and noticed it too felt a little bit snug, but something cool happened. I had spent so much time trying to put on the right shoe that I forgot the left shoe was even on! These shoes will work!

Meanwhile my dad was trying on other models. He found a 43/44 worked for him.

After some running around the limited space in the store we bought mine. I was doing work with my dad later that day and he paid for them, telling me that this was pay for the work I was doing. Sweet! Kind-of-free Vibram Five Fingers!

So what's next? My poor dad could not find his size in the KSO. Luckily there was still hope.  We called Abbadabbas, and had them put some on hold for two hours. I was really surprised they had them. We had to go do the job so we could hit it on the way back.

When we got to the job, the persons mother was there waiting for us. She was wearing running shorts and a shirt from some kind of running event(I forget). My dad mentioned that I run barefoot, and while she never tried to run barefoot, she was interested and brought up Born To Run. It is really neat meeting other runners and hearing about what they have to say. She actually did triathalons. She has all my respect. I can't swim for the life of me.

After spending thirty minutes battling Atlanta traffic we  walked in, informed her that they were holding them for us. She asked us our names, because "the people who called about the Vibram Five Fingers" was not enough. Apparently there were something like sixteen pairs on hold! Oh my god these shoes are selling like crack!

After spending five minutes putting them on, my dad said they felt right. We compared how they fit and agreed that it was the right size. He noted that they felt like his heels were going to slide out, but didn't. He had read this in reviews as well, so didn't put much thought into it since the rest of the shoe felt great.

The sales-man asked us what we were using them for. We both replied, "Running." He talked about how a lot of people that he has met swear by Vibram Five Fingers. My dad talked about how he was reading Born To Run and said, "I'm just trying to buy some time with my knees. They aren't bad now, but I want to keep them that way." This was great to hear. I sure hope this barefoot/minimalist running/lifestyle is for the best!

Counterfeit Vibram Five Fingers?

I started talking to the salesman, who was a really great guy! We discussed barefoot running and I informed him that it really doesn't take that long to get used to it. Somewhere in our conversation I mentioned that we had just bought my Vibram Five Fingers and the only difference I could see between the mens and the womens were that the mens had Vibram written on one foot, and the womens had Vibram written on both.

He immediately said, "Umm... Where did you get those from? We have been told that a lot of the fakes have Vibram written on both feet." I told him it was from an authorized dealer, but could some fakes somehow have gotten in the batch? At this point profanity was running through my head. He asked me to take off my shoe so he could compare them. Here are the differences that he spotted.

1.  The Vibram logo was on both feet:

 My dad's right shoe is on the left

2.  The Vibram logo was written slightly different on the side.

 Once again, my dad's shoe is on the left. Note how mine stand our more and have more glue around them

3.  The rubber looked a slightly different shade of grey.

 My Dad's are on the left. Although dirty, his are a bit darker

The greens looked slightly different.

Dad's are on the left. My greens are a bit more gold

The Vibram logo on the bottom looked a little less bright.

 The flash kind of screwed this picture up, but mine are a tiny less bright

At this point I was really mad and confused. I called Half Moon. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hey, I just bought some Vibram Five Fingers from you. I am at another retailer and the sales-guy is pointing out all these differences between the model you sold me and his. Some of these differences are signs of fakes. Is there any way I can verify that these are real?

Dusty: Yeah man all of our Vibrams are real. We get them straight from Vibram. I am 100% confident that they are real. If you want to bring them back it's fine, but I am positive they are legit.

Me: Okay, that's fine. I don't mean to be accusatory, but I was just checking. You guys seemed cool, I was just kind of looking out for you too.

Halfway through this conversation I was walking around the store, looking for and praying for evidence that my Vibram Five Fingers KSO model was real. Then, I spotted the new Vibram Five Finger Bikila. I showed it to the salesman and it was constructed similarly. A lot of the things that were "wrong" on my shoe was also "wrong" on them. At this point I was slightly relieved but stil pretty confused.

The sales-lady called Vibram and asked them about it. Apparently the first of the newer models that they manufactured were manufactured "incorrectly", the most noticeable "flaw" being the Vibram logo on both feet. This was also true for some other models, including the Bikila and KSO. I assume all the other "wrongs" were due to them just being newer models. The models were structurally sound, they just had some originality!

Thank God! This was the best news all day, besides the fact that they even stocked the shoes I wanted. We thanked the people at Abbadabbas. They were super happy to figure out what the problem was, even though I didn't buy the shoes at their store.

I did owe someone an apology though. I called Dusty from Half Moon back and notified him of what I just learned. I apologized for accusing him and the store of anything being fake. He said it was fine and seemed interested to learn the same information I did.

Finding Balance

That day and the next my dad and I tested out our Vibram Five Fingers KSOs. My dad said he walked around in them a lot. I didn't so much.

I figure that I am really happy with being barefoot. I want to be barefoot as much as possible. The places I can't go barefoot, like school, I will wear them. Until that occasion arises, I will just be Barefoot Tyler.

Complaints

The next day my dad complained about different muscles hurting him. Keep in mind, this was only after running barefoot, not in Vibrams. This soreness was not in his feet, but elsewhere in his body. He ran that day, shod, and couldn't remember which muscles hurt. He also spoke of a blister on the bottom of his foot from running barefoot and how the skin on his heels hurt.  I assured him that I would be running the next day and we could run barefoot for another mile and work out the kinks.  I intend on looking up some barefoot running instructions so I have something to think about while watching him run.

Conclusion

All-in-all, my Vibram Five Fingers are cool. I wore them today since the weather was in the high eighties and the sun was shining bright. I have burnt my feet. It stinks. I just walked around a bit in them. It definitely is not barefoot and should not be called barefoot, but it is a step in the right direction. Woah, that was punny. I think my cushion-less Walmart aqua socks have more ground feel, but they are hotter and more restrictive. 

Like I said before, I don't actually intend on running with my Vibram Five Fingers. I like to feel the ground and get feedback from it to my body. I really enjoy it. The Vibram Five Fingers will be saved for events where I need to dress my feet all fancy and junk. 

Thanks for reading!