I tried the vibram five fingers KSO for a few months and decided I just didn't like them. The toe feature was annoying, ugly, and it gave me blisters. After shopping around on the web I discovered the Terra Plana website through blogs recommending their Aqua shoes for everyday walking around in a “barefoot” fashion. Their vivio barefoot technology seemed pretty solid and they had just come out with their EVO line. Now what is it about minimalist shoes? They're all ugly! The EVO wasn't too bad; the shoe just looks like you're wearing a beehive on your foot. They are pricey at $160 but I decided to take the plunge and got a pair of the black and red ones. It was a decision I do not regret.
The EVO has a wide front so there is plenty of room for your toes to move freely. Overall the shoes are light, durable, and quite comfortable. On close inspection, the tred looked like it had pretty good grip, which my first run confirmed. The fabric covering the top is light, gives good air flow, and is pretty sturdy. You can bend and tug on these shoes and everything holds firm… tough shoe! I removed the insoles to thin the shoes down a bit and maximize the ground feel, which I think is superior to the vibrams. I chose to wear socks but I imagine it's an optional decision. The top of my heal rubbed the shoes on the first run, but I used tape and the problem vanished after a few runs. I really like these shoes, they fit snugly, are slim and light, and they are much easier to wear than the vibrams. On my first run in the EVOs I did five miles with out a hitch, no blisters, no pain, nada…. I just zipped along!
It was the beginning of March '10 at this point and I decided that I would try and run the SF marathon in July in my EVOs. If I started training at the end of the month I could use an 18 week training schedule, which looked pretty doable. I did three for four more 6 mile runs in the EVOs before starting the marathon training, and my feet ached a bit during the runs but nothing too bad. I never ran in the EVOs more than twice a week. You can read my other blog post to see how I progressed (Shooting for a marathon in minimalist shoes, the barefoot emerges, and I learn what over-training is). Overall, I was able to train up to a half marathon in 8 weeks, but the heavy training load for a marathon (150 miles in 8 weeks) was too much for my poor feet and I had to start mixing in my regular shoes to give my feet more time to adjust.
The EVO has a wide front so there is plenty of room for your toes to move freely. Overall the shoes are light, durable, and quite comfortable. On close inspection, the tred looked like it had pretty good grip, which my first run confirmed. The fabric covering the top is light, gives good air flow, and is pretty sturdy. You can bend and tug on these shoes and everything holds firm… tough shoe! I removed the insoles to thin the shoes down a bit and maximize the ground feel, which I think is superior to the vibrams. I chose to wear socks but I imagine it's an optional decision. The top of my heal rubbed the shoes on the first run, but I used tape and the problem vanished after a few runs. I really like these shoes, they fit snugly, are slim and light, and they are much easier to wear than the vibrams. On my first run in the EVOs I did five miles with out a hitch, no blisters, no pain, nada…. I just zipped along!
It was the beginning of March '10 at this point and I decided that I would try and run the SF marathon in July in my EVOs. If I started training at the end of the month I could use an 18 week training schedule, which looked pretty doable. I did three for four more 6 mile runs in the EVOs before starting the marathon training, and my feet ached a bit during the runs but nothing too bad. I never ran in the EVOs more than twice a week. You can read my other blog post to see how I progressed (Shooting for a marathon in minimalist shoes, the barefoot emerges, and I learn what over-training is). Overall, I was able to train up to a half marathon in 8 weeks, but the heavy training load for a marathon (150 miles in 8 weeks) was too much for my poor feet and I had to start mixing in my regular shoes to give my feet more time to adjust.
