Lately, I’ve been seeing people running half and full marathons wearing minimalistic shoes or running barefoot. I even saw someone running in sandals. That surprised me since I thought the minimalist movement was no longer around. However, after meeting the owner of Xero shoes at The Running Event in Austin last fall, I realized that the natural movement is very much alive!
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Weren’t we born to run?
Years ago, all of the major brands made barefoot running shoes. My favorites were the New Balance minimalist shoes. I wore them for a number of half marathons and loved them.
However, with the trends in the market, I stopped wearing the naturalist shoes and started to wear shoes with lots of cushions.
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Xero Shoes
After meeting Steve Sashen, CEO of Xero Shoes at the conference and having a long conversation with him, I asked him if I can try out the shoes.
He gave me a pair to take home and I’ve been wearing them ever since.
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For starters, they are extremely comfortable. I wouldn’t recommend wearing them and then going for a race. But, I would recommend, breaking them in, just like you would any other shoe before racing.
I’ve been wearing them out for shopping and for long walks. The other day, I decided to run with them. And you know what? I loved them!
Test Drive
Xero shoes make your feet work. You will definitely feel them working. But, that’s a good thing. When you wear some of these ultra cushion shoes, you don’t feel the road as much.
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I loved wearing the Xero shoes. I felt they were light and had a quick response. My turnover rate was much faster than most of the other shoes I wear.
Would I wear these for a half marathon or full marathon? I’m not sure. But I would certainly wear them for a 10K or 5K. I would also see myself using them for track workouts as well.
You can buy Xero shoes online at https://xeroshoes.com/shop/.
And now the videotape…
Here’s a fun videotape that I found online where the owners talk about the reason why they invented these shoes and the purpose. I thought you would find it interesting.
Let me know if you’ve ever worn natural shoes and what you think…