I am really into barefoot running and I really enjoy going without any shoes the most. When I started and for certain undergrounds I tried a number of minimalist shoes, like Vivobarefoot, Merrell, Vibram Fivefingers, Zemgear and Skora. Since I did quite a bit of research I also came across the Huaraches kind of running sandals and was close to order some when I won a pair of Invisible Shoes at one of these giveaway contests. So, I got the custom made 4mm connect style with black laces. It took a while to have them shipped to Germany and get them through customs ("these are a prize in a lucky draw, that's why they put 'gift' and no value on it… yes, riiiiight….").
In Germany we have a saying "Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul" ("Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth"), but since it was part of the deal, I will give an honest feedback.
After reading all the lacing and running tips on the website, I tried them on and did my first run – and did not like it at all: (1) Somehow the knot under the sole felt uncomfortable, (2) one shoe was slapping and bending over all the time, (3) I got stones between feet and sole, (4) I got some pressure sores at certain parts of the feet and toes, and (5) the running didn't feel smooth and natural.
But as it is probably true for barefoot running in general, you got to continue trying, listen to your feet, adjust, and have patience. That's what I did. I used the Invsible Shoes for short strolls to do some errands, running short and fast 3-5km or longer and slower 15km, along the Isar river in Munich and the lakefront of Lake Michigan in Chicago. I actually did a good amount of running in these sandals over the last couple of weeks. And some things – but not all – got better:
· 1: The knot under the feet I feel only in the beginning, not really uncomfortable anymore, and after some minutes I completely forget about it. However, I am wondering whether the Luna Sandals with the flat plug which is countersunk into the bottom of the sandal will eliminate this problem completely.
· 2: Regarding slapping, adjusting the laces and tighten them really helped to put the sole very close and tight to my feet, so that they hardly ever slap and bend over anymore. This just needs some patience and experimenting with the lacing and tightness. However, again I am wondering whether the "All Terrain Strapping" laces system from Luna Sandals would make it easier to fit these sandals to your feet without having to fiddle with laces all the time.
· 3: Getting stones between feet and sole happens from time to time, but with a snug fit, it doesn't happen that often. I guess if you run on roads with a lot of small stones, you might want to use some closed minimalist running shoes. However, the Invisible Shoes are probably the closest you can get after pure barefoot running: You feel stones through the sole and get a very good feedback for your running technique. This is probably due to the fact that the soles are not a flat piece of rubber but some slightly anatomically formed soles which – when laced correctly – really snug along your feet.
· 4: To avoid getting pressure sores, I really tried to vary my running technique. I don't get these kinds of pressure sores from running pure barefoot or with minimalist shoes, so it must somehow be related to the Huaraches. I just assume that I involuntary lift my feet slightly more than barefoot or with shoes to avoid the slapping and folding over of the soles. And this seems to result into some slight different landing and touching the ground. I tried smaller steps, bigger steps, higher cadence, lower cadence, but somehow this problem remained.
· 5: Even after killing quite some kilometers in the Invisible Shoes, the running still doesn't feel perfectly smooth and natural as if I run barefoot. Somehow, it still feels like a foreign object on my feet. And I have to adjust the laces, think about not slapping/bending the sole, etc. When I run with my Vibram Fivefingers or Zemgear I have the feeling that the shoes and sole are much more snug to the sole like a tight glove so that I don't have to think about them and my running technique is extremely close to pure barefoot running. However, running without socks in Fivefingers or Zemgear gives me some blisters at some particular areas. I wish I could have best of both, free and light like the Invisible Shoes but snug and tight like Fivefingers or Zemgear. Again, I am contemplating to try the Luna Sandals with the aforementioned ATS lacing system.
So, what does that mean when I put it altogether? This is how I will use all my gear in the future:
· Pure Barefoot: still my favorite way of running. Since I can go easily 10km without any harm to my feet – and I only started earlier this year – I will experiment even more with distance and speed.
· Vivobarefoot: The Ultra and Evo II are my favorite minimalist shoes because I can run them without socks and they fit very snug and are extremely light.
· Vibram Fivefingers and Zemgear: I love both but need to wear socks because I get blisters in one area.
· Skora: For running I find the sole too thick, but the Skora Form with their super soft leather are so comfortable to wear without socks that they are my favorite leisure time walking shoes.
· Invisible Shoes: I really wanted to love them, but they are not the 100% solution for me. However, since they are the closest to barefoot running and so light, they will be my solution to bring along as a back-up in case I hit underground which makes running barefoot uncomfortable or for unknown terrain. I will definitely continue running in them, because I still find them pretty cool and so close to the way of running of the historic running tribes.
In Germany we have a saying "Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul" ("Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth"), but since it was part of the deal, I will give an honest feedback.
After reading all the lacing and running tips on the website, I tried them on and did my first run – and did not like it at all: (1) Somehow the knot under the sole felt uncomfortable, (2) one shoe was slapping and bending over all the time, (3) I got stones between feet and sole, (4) I got some pressure sores at certain parts of the feet and toes, and (5) the running didn't feel smooth and natural.
But as it is probably true for barefoot running in general, you got to continue trying, listen to your feet, adjust, and have patience. That's what I did. I used the Invsible Shoes for short strolls to do some errands, running short and fast 3-5km or longer and slower 15km, along the Isar river in Munich and the lakefront of Lake Michigan in Chicago. I actually did a good amount of running in these sandals over the last couple of weeks. And some things – but not all – got better:
· 1: The knot under the feet I feel only in the beginning, not really uncomfortable anymore, and after some minutes I completely forget about it. However, I am wondering whether the Luna Sandals with the flat plug which is countersunk into the bottom of the sandal will eliminate this problem completely.
· 2: Regarding slapping, adjusting the laces and tighten them really helped to put the sole very close and tight to my feet, so that they hardly ever slap and bend over anymore. This just needs some patience and experimenting with the lacing and tightness. However, again I am wondering whether the "All Terrain Strapping" laces system from Luna Sandals would make it easier to fit these sandals to your feet without having to fiddle with laces all the time.
· 3: Getting stones between feet and sole happens from time to time, but with a snug fit, it doesn't happen that often. I guess if you run on roads with a lot of small stones, you might want to use some closed minimalist running shoes. However, the Invisible Shoes are probably the closest you can get after pure barefoot running: You feel stones through the sole and get a very good feedback for your running technique. This is probably due to the fact that the soles are not a flat piece of rubber but some slightly anatomically formed soles which – when laced correctly – really snug along your feet.
· 4: To avoid getting pressure sores, I really tried to vary my running technique. I don't get these kinds of pressure sores from running pure barefoot or with minimalist shoes, so it must somehow be related to the Huaraches. I just assume that I involuntary lift my feet slightly more than barefoot or with shoes to avoid the slapping and folding over of the soles. And this seems to result into some slight different landing and touching the ground. I tried smaller steps, bigger steps, higher cadence, lower cadence, but somehow this problem remained.
· 5: Even after killing quite some kilometers in the Invisible Shoes, the running still doesn't feel perfectly smooth and natural as if I run barefoot. Somehow, it still feels like a foreign object on my feet. And I have to adjust the laces, think about not slapping/bending the sole, etc. When I run with my Vibram Fivefingers or Zemgear I have the feeling that the shoes and sole are much more snug to the sole like a tight glove so that I don't have to think about them and my running technique is extremely close to pure barefoot running. However, running without socks in Fivefingers or Zemgear gives me some blisters at some particular areas. I wish I could have best of both, free and light like the Invisible Shoes but snug and tight like Fivefingers or Zemgear. Again, I am contemplating to try the Luna Sandals with the aforementioned ATS lacing system.
So, what does that mean when I put it altogether? This is how I will use all my gear in the future:
· Pure Barefoot: still my favorite way of running. Since I can go easily 10km without any harm to my feet – and I only started earlier this year – I will experiment even more with distance and speed.
· Vivobarefoot: The Ultra and Evo II are my favorite minimalist shoes because I can run them without socks and they fit very snug and are extremely light.
· Vibram Fivefingers and Zemgear: I love both but need to wear socks because I get blisters in one area.
· Skora: For running I find the sole too thick, but the Skora Form with their super soft leather are so comfortable to wear without socks that they are my favorite leisure time walking shoes.
· Invisible Shoes: I really wanted to love them, but they are not the 100% solution for me. However, since they are the closest to barefoot running and so light, they will be my solution to bring along as a back-up in case I hit underground which makes running barefoot uncomfortable or for unknown terrain. I will definitely continue running in them, because I still find them pretty cool and so close to the way of running of the historic running tribes.
