Xero Shoes... Love 'em.

Full disclosure, I won a pair of these shoes in one of the contests here.
That said, these are the best shoes I have ever run in.
A little background on me, so that it may help you decide if you're thinking about shoes to run in.
I primarily run on pavement in various weathers.
I'm am casual runner, (half marathons are good enough for me)
I always wore luna sandals with little complaint. When I moved to a place with a less agreeable climate, I got shoes because the smooth lunas were no good for trails in the cold. They were vivobarefoot. They seemed fine, but nothing spectacular.

I like these shoes better. Quite a bit more, actually. If you need to run in shoes, for whatever reason, these are the ones you want. Period. (my opinion, but whatever) ;) The grip on wet, uneven pavement was perfect, and that was one of my biggest concerns. I have been on several run, 5k to 10k in length, and no issues at all.
Wide toe box, zero drop, removable inner cushion. Super light. Everything you want.
If you have questions on fitting, performance, etc., I'd be happy to answer questions.
Theyh recommedn you go up a size, and I agree. (I'm a US-9, and I got a US-9.5)
These shoes will be my go-to footwear from now on for anything other than the dry, smooth pavement that is good for the sandals. (And that rarely happens in england)

Thanx to Steve and the crew at Xero.

The style I got can be found here:
https://xeroshoes.com/shop/ipari/prio-men/
 
Thanks.

I run in Sockwas, but the sole is very thin (plus the shoes are very hot and they're not comfortable in the summer). I run on dirt roads and when I land on a rock it hurts like h@!! I'll check out your suggestion.
 
Well, that sucked. I couldn't get a size that fit in either women's or men's, and I happen to have enough money today to buy them. By the time they get a size in that I can wear, I probably won't have the money to buy them. Sad.
 
Well, that sucked. I couldn't get a size that fit in either women's or men's, and I happen to have enough money today to buy them. By the time they get a size in that I can wear, I probably won't have the money to buy them. Sad.
damn, sorry to hear it. If the weather is hot, there may be other other options. I run in northern england, so I can't give you any feedback as to how the shoes feel when the temperatures get above 70.
 
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I've been thinking I should run in the early morning, before the weather gets hot, and see how far I can go barefoot. I mean, the soles of the sockwas are so thin it shouldn't be much of a transition. I need to stop being a wuss.

And the next time I have enough to buy those shoes, I can look at the website and see if they have my size available.
 
Full disclosure, I won a pair of these shoes in one of the contests here.

As did I - just forgot to post a review about them :oops:

I won a pair of the Hana's a while back. Took a little to get the sizing right (as I'm right at the top end of their Size 9's). They quickly broke in and I'd been using them them for over a year for pretty much everything (yard work, daily office wear, and yes - even Historical Fencing). I liked them so much that I've I bought another pair of the Hana's for work, and a pair of the Prio's for the more "active" things I do.

So yes, I'm sold on them. For someone with stupidly wide feet (9 EEEE in US), finding anything that fits my midfoot and toebox width is enough of a challenge. Finding anything in a "minimalist" shoe that fits is even tougher. At this point, Xero is one of my two "go-to" brands for footwear that isn't custom made.
 
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I absolutely adore my Xeros too - Jessies for work, z-treks / bf for running, z-trails when it gets really cold (a bit of extra insulation on the sole), and clouds for if I need "slippers" somewhere.

However... I'm on the look out for something that is:
* as flexible and thin-soled as my z-treks / jessies
* long enough (I'm a tall lass at 6'1" / 185cm and I have always had the large paws to go with it (see joke below). To make matters worse, since I've been wearing Xeros after years of cramming into high heels, my feet have lengthened to around 11.5 US / 42 European / 9.5 UK, which makes it almost impossible to get ladies shoes.
* narrow enough (the men's Xero's look like flippers on me)
* smart enough to wear with a suit and tights for work when I have to dress up

Does such a creature exist in the minimalist world?

Promised joke - A polar bear walks into a bar and says "I'd like a l...... .... .... arge gin and tonic please"
The barman replies "Certainly sir, but why the large pause".
The polar bear shrugs, looks at the end of his legs and says "I don't know, I've always had them."
 
Yup, I have a pair of xeros as well, I assume they only do one enclosed running shoe. They are nice and light with no cushioning and they protect my feet from the yuk (combinations of dog poop, rotting vegetation, snail, slugs etc) on the trail that was a former railway line. When I get back to Australia I'll go back to barefoot on all but the stoniest of surfaces. I'd buy another pair.

Neil
 
Promised joke - A polar bear walks into a bar and says "I'd like a l...... .... .... arge gin and tonic please"
The barman replies "Certainly sir, but why the large pause".
The polar bear shrugs, looks at the end of his legs and says "I don't know, I've always had them."

Hee. :playful:
 
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Yup, I have a pair of xeros as well, I assume they only do one enclosed running shoe. They are nice and light with no cushioning and they protect my feet from the yuk (combinations of dog poop, rotting vegetation, snail, slugs etc) on the trail that was a former railway line. When I get back to Australia I'll go back to barefoot on all but the stoniest of surfaces. I'd buy another pair.

Neil

I guess you're talking about the Prio? Out of interest, why did you go for those rather their running sandals?
 
Thanks.

I run in Sockwas, but the sole is very thin (plus the shoes are very hot and they're not comfortable in the summer). I run on dirt roads and when I land on a rock it hurts like h@!! I'll check out your suggestion.

Hi Random, for what it's worth (I'm a beginner runner, so I'm not doing huge distances yet), I find the z-treks very nice for running. If you want a bit more protection underfoot whilst still keeping your feet cool, try the z-trails as they are slightly thicker. This Xero page gives an interesting comparison of the "barefoot feel" of each shoe / sandal and its most common uses: https://xeroshoes.com/select/ and seems quite accurate.

For information, I've also tried running in my Clouds, but found that the heel strap slipped down, and that the toe post gave me blisters after a while. These problems may have been solved with the Genesis which have recently come out, and which has a similar style.
 
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Hi everyone,
I've been using Xero Z-treks for a year, alternating them with running unshod. I estimate +/- 550 miles of use on them, running on concrete and asphalt. Initially they performed quite well, I loved them, but for the last couple of months and because the inside part of the sole has lost some of its texture, as soon as I start to sweat an it gets between my feet and the sandals my feet start to slide, and the result in my feet end up very sensitive and tender, they hurt! I'm better off running unshod. I've tried tightening the straps more, but it makes them uncomfortable to wear and don't solve the problem, my feet don't lock completely.
Anyone has had a similar situation?

When I approached Xero they offered to apply their 5000 mile guarantee, but I don't want another pair that will end up having the same issue. Instead I requested a discount on the Cloud's to try them out, but they didn't accept.
I'm looking at getting a pair of Luna Venado 2.0, any feedback on them will be much appreaciated.
 
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I've tried tightening the straps more, but it makes them uncomfortable to wear and don't solve the problem, my feet don't lock completely.
Anyone has had a similar situation?

There's another post here which talks about technique versus strap tightening. Maybe the sliding is telling you something about your form? (Or maybe not... after all, I'm just an enthusiastic beginner ;))
https://www.thebarefootrunners.org/...uestions-from-barefoot-ted.21876/#post-195561
 
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There's another post here which talks about technique versus strap tightening. Maybe the sliding is telling you something about your form? (Or maybe not... after all, I'm just an enthusiastic beginner ;))
https://www.thebarefootrunners.org/...uestions-from-barefoot-ted.21876/#post-195561

Thanks for your message Noodles, I also consider myself an enthusiastic begginer!
I've tried many things with the straps, and different landing techniques, no big difference in the end. As long as my feet get sweat or moist between the sole and the sandal, there's sliding movement.
I've changed technique following Barefoot Ken Bob's advice from his book, don't overstride, land midfoot but also touch the ground with your heel, lift your foot quickly, etc...(great advice by the way when running unshod).
I already ordered a pair of Luna Leadville Trail sandals, I was originally going for the Venado 2.0 but after reading many reviews I decided to go with sandals that can also be used in trails.
 
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Don't get me wrong... I still love my Xero's... but...
Having got all fired up by Ken Bob Saxton's book (@Lambda, merci encore!), to my husband's consternation, I took my sandals off this evening during our run together, and ran 200m barefoot over a handy patch of rough and gravelly road surface.

:jaw drop: Wow :jaw drop:
  • So different from walking barefoot.
  • So different from running in sandals, even if they do only have a "5.5ml FeelTrue outsole".
  • So much feeling! Like having a brass band playing joyously in my feet :woot:
I could hear warnings echoing through my head "don't get carried away the first time", so I put my sandals back on, and we carried on home.
Looking at my statistics later (I also love my watch), the ground contact time, cadence, stride length, etc. don't change for the barefoot bit, but the vertical oscillation reduces by about 1cm!
I'm not at all surprised, as I could feel my whole body change - hard to explain but it was a sort of relaxing, coming home sensation. I'm preaching to the converted here anyway - you guys know better than I do what I'm wittering on about.

So excited! :D
 
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Having got all fired up by Ken Bob Saxton's book (@Lambda, merci encore!)
Glad I could help, although my role was limited to pointing you in (what I think is) the right direction.
By the way, I'm also wearing Xero shoes (Amuri Cloud) when I'm not barefoot (which happens maybe 2 or 3 hours per week in total), but I'm certainly NOT running in shoes anymore :)
 
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Don't get me wrong... I still love my Xero's... but...
Having got all fired up by Ken Bob Saxton's book (@Lambda, merci encore!), to my husband's consternation, I took my sandals off this evening during our run together, and ran 200m barefoot over a handy patch of rough and gravelly road surface.

:jaw drop: Wow :jaw drop:
  • So different from walking barefoot.
  • So different from running in sandals, even if they do only have a "5.5ml FeelTrue outsole".
  • So much feeling! Like having a brass band playing joyously in my feet :woot:

I’m finding the rough and gravelly road sections to be easily navigable now. It continues to fascinate me how the feet adapt and compensate on rougher terrain- I’ve often noticed something under foot that if I hit it dead on would hurt but the foot seems to wrap itself around the object thus avoiding injury.

I recently discovered another benefit to rough/gravelly road running- when I run through grassy sections that are heavy with thistle growth they have minimal effect on me.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I recently discovered another benefit to rough/gravelly road running- when I run through grassy sections that are heavy with thistle growth they have minimal effect on me.
Out of interest, can you do the same through stinging nettles and brambles? The forest where I run with colleagues is full of them.
Do you think that this minimal effect is because your brain has learnt to interpret the sensations properly, rather than panicking at the overload?
 
Out of interest, can you do the same through stinging nettles and brambles? The forest where I run with colleagues is full of them.
Do you think that this minimal effect is because your brain has learnt to interpret the sensations properly, rather than panicking at the overload?

A scramble through the brush on an underused trail a couple of months ago involved wading through lengthy stretches of Stinging Nettles and Devils Club. The soles of my feet weren’t troubled but the tops of them took some serious abuse- they looked like I’d stuffed them in a pillow case with a couple of angry cats. I’d try to wear pants or some kind of gaiter if I was to do that again.

I’d agree that my brain is no longer overloading with sensation when it comes to terrain and they adapt to surfaces/textures quickly. It’s like the feet have a mind of their own and respond to potential pokey troubles before I’m cognizant of them.

New challenge- as it’s cooling off here in British Columbia I’m learning to adapt to the cold- it’s currently 4C/39F and raining, a little numbing initially but good now.
 
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