60 Minute Huarache Run

I took my Invisible Shoes (huaraches) out for an hour test run up Morrison Canyon road this afternoon.  Just like the website boasts about Invisible Shoes, these shoes are like running barefoot on a 4 mm Vibram surface.  It's not much different than running barefoot other than you have a little-and I mean a little bit of protection for your feet.

I am reading "Born To Run" By Christopher McDougall.  I am a big reader of all sorts of health books.  But come on, running books?  I thought I knew so much about running.   This guy rips apart conventional wisdom and flushed it down the toilet.

At times, I think I act like invented trail running.  Now, I feel like a total dim wit. I bought into the over manufactured shoes for years.  When my feet started hurting the most was when I  started wearing "trail" shoes.  My last pair of trail running shoes felt like they had steel shanks.  The bottoms were as tought as a Hummer.  'Bout as heavy too!

Christopher totally exposes the marketing scams of running shoe companies.  I bet McDougal will never get a Nike endorsement.  I dumped Nike years ago when they kept on doing the bait and switch with my favorite running shoes.  Seven years ago, I found an awesome Gortex trail  runner that actually  kept my feet dry in the winter.  I bought two pairs knowing that Nike would stop production without notice. 

So, where was I  going with  all this?  My latest shoes look like I  stole them off a native jungle man dressed in a loin cloth.  Invisible Shoes.

I decided to run up a monster hill on single lane road over looking San Francisco Bay with my home made huaraches. 

Were my feet protected?  Little.  Did they hurt?  Just a little.  I could feel a little tenderness on the bottom of my fore feet.  They felt like I  had run barefoot for about 5 minutes on pavement.  What the huaraches do for me is allow to me to run barefoot for much longer without damaging my fragile heel pads.  I  was amazed that I  lasted 60 minutes.  I  had my Vibram 5 Fingers shoes with just for insurance in case I blew out my feet.