Follow OnlineShoes.com’s Dave M. as he reconnects with his passion for running.
When I run, I listen to books. Balancing between work and family, especially with three little girls, life can get a wee bit difficult at times, even if you’re married to the coolest woman ever.
I am currently listening to this book called The Social Animal by David Brooks. The main thesis is that we all have a conscious and an unconscious mind and that the unconscious mind is much more influential than the conscious in directing our actions. Sorry for the book review, but I found the lesson instructive. It reminded me that to achieve my list of personal goals in running and life, I must be willing to defiantly advocate for the things I am passionate about.
While I was listening to this book, I was running in my new VIVOBAREFOOT shoes. The style name is the Neo and I got them in black and white.
When you look down on the shoes while they are on your feet, they are shaped like Birkenstocks. Because of this design, they let your forefront spread out a lot more than the NB Minimus or the Merrell True Glove (check out my previous blog posts, where I wrote a review of the New Balance Minimus and a review of the Merrell True Glove, which is actually sort of cool. The outsole is their proprietary technology, NOT borrowed from Vibram®.
When I first put on the VIVOBAREFOOTs, they felt a lot like normal shoes, primarily because they came with a fairly cushy insole. A couple of weeks back, I ran on them about four times, with the insoles in, on some short runs for a total of about 12 miles or so. They continued to feel like normal shoes—not even running shoes—just normal shoes.
Last weekend, I tried something different. I removed the insoles of the VIVOBAREFOOT Neo and ran about eight miles in them, and I felt like I was unlocking the secret to these shoes. Removing the insoles made them feel like barefoot running shoes, and I really enjoyed running in them. I took them on a run through Bellevue and Kirkland, Washington and I ran primarily on pavement. They have nice traction and were thick enough to help prevent sharp biting pains when I ran on top of a rock, yet they were still thin and pliable enough to really feel the terrain on the run.
I think the only thing I didn’t like about the shoes was the color I got them in: Black/White. The shoes serve their purpose well, but they are just not the most appealing to look at due to the color. And when you run as slow as I do, people can see your feet. So it’s kind of a problem for me. I don’t think they are as scary looking as the Vibram FiveFingers (check out my previous blog post, where I wrote a review of the FiveFingers), and my dog Bellaboo was not scared of them. But I do think the aesthetics of the shoes are a bit goofy. They get high points for function (once you take the insoles out), and low points for form. In my opinion, they are just not that pleasing to the eye. In fairness to the brand, though, they have a lot of much better looking shoes; this pair was not one of them though.
I think it is important to recognize that VIVOBAREFOOT (coming soon to OnlineShoes.com) has minimalist shoes that can be used throughout the day. For those of you (not me yet) who are trying to go unstructured minimalist all day long, this brand offers you some really cool choices.
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