Help with shoe choice (and hello!)

[chickpastor]

Hi y'all,I don't get to post much but am trying to keep up with this growing forum! I've been running for 10 years, and one year barefoot including one half marathon and am training for a Nov. marathon. Here's my deal....I made a stupid mistake. My beloved classics got a hole in the bottom after a year of use, and I got excited and bought some @#$% Bikilas. I hate them. Too much shoe, they irritate my Morton's, etc. Trying to sell them on a couple sites. Anyway, I keep hearing stuff about Vibram's quality control being crappy in general these days and am just not sure what to do. I love the huraches (sp?) from BF Ted and am tempted, but then I don't want to mess up a good thing by getting something other than Classics since they worked for me. I could get both, but not at the same time....finances and all that, so it's one or the other first. Any thoughts? I run barefoot for training for a lot of my shorter runs and long runs I wear my Classics with the hole, but it's starting to blister where the hole is, ouch. So mama needs some new barefoot shoes. Thanks for any thoughts.....hope to catch up with the atl runners again at some point!--CP

 

[Jimmy Hart]

 There are ways to repair

There are ways to repair holes in the vffs. i like some stuff called plasti dip. beyond that i say get another pair of classics if they work for you. yes vibram has had some quality issues but i have yet to purchase a pair that have problems of any kind and my closet if pretty full. if you're buying them in person it's really easy to look at things like sole thickness, straight seams, etc. if you're ordering i've heard of people having the seller take a look at the pair they are sending you and making sure your concerns are met before they ship.

if it aint broke dont fix it, especially in the middle of training. you like the classics. stick with the classics

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Hi Chick!  I say the same

Hi Chick! I say the same thing. Get another pair of the Classics. You can't go wrong there.

 

[saypay45]

Chick, I haven't heard any

Chick, I haven't heard any quality control problems with the Classics. Those concerns apply more to the new Bikilas as far as I can tell.

Don't mess with a good thing. Classics are awesome.

 

[chickpastor]

 Now if only REI would get

Now if only REI would get them back in stock....I have a blister the size of the hole in my Classics! Youch. Shoe goo shopping tonight for the time being.



And I'll admit that I am leaning toward buying some Lunas, too, or maybe some Invisible shoes, to switch off with. It's weird but the Classics are starting to feel like too much shoe. Yikes!

 

[nature runner]

I finally got my warranty

I finally got my warranty store credit for some new vff kso treks, but have to wait there are none in stock As a possible morton victim the kso actually worked really well for me, I am getting the treks this time for trails and stuff in the winter cold temps. Otherwise I absolutely love doing it all barefoot!

 

[chickpastor]

 So I finally accepted the

So I finally accepted the fact that I'm not going to sell the #$% Bikilas, and tried the Morton's Toe mod. What do you know...it worked pretty well, enough to get me through 4 miles this morning while my Classics were Shoe Goo'ing on the back porch. I don't love them, but perhaps they can be another tool for short runs in the dark (barefoot would NOT have worked this morning!).

I got an unexpected check and am going to buy some Lunas. Woo hoo! Incidentally, Barefoot Ted emailed me back today and said that the suede top is okay unless you're going to run through really wet conditions, which I don't, usually. Took him less than 24 hours to respond, even right after Leadville. He is awesome.

Thanks for the input, y'all!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Chick, was that Nyal's

Chick, was that Nyal's Morton's Toe Modification you used? You have Morton's Toe too? So does Nature Runner and I and a slew of others (25% of the population, I just learned.) Do you have Morton's Neuroma too?

 

[chickpastor]

 I'm not sure if I have it or

I'm not sure if I have it or not. I definitely have Morton's Toe, although it's not super pronounced, but even when I wore shoes that one toe would get blisters, lose a toenail, etc. And it got sore in the Classics after ten miles or so, pretty long runs. But the bikilas seem to have pronounced it for some reason. Got through four this morning and then it started hurting, not terribly though.

So I don't know if I have full-on MN, just something related. I did go ahead and order the Lunas in hopes that they would help some. No toe encumberment! Barefoot of course is great but I don't have as much endurance full-on BF, and I don't know the terrain for the marathon, ya know?

 

[LavaRunner]

I could be speaking out of

I could be speaking out of place here but you might want to try making some huaraches and see if you like them before shelling out the $$ for Lunas. Not trying to take away from Teds Biz but not everyone loves Huaraches. Have you wore a pair before? You said you love them but didn't say you had a pair.

Enough of that, I looked at the Bikilas, wife bought a pair of them, I could stand them on my feet. Heck, these days I cant stand wearing my birkenstocks anymore. If you like Classics, wear classics.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Chick, are you wanting to

Chick, are you wanting to sell your Bikilas because they don't fit? What size did you get? What size (US) do you wear? I have a pair I've only worn for very, very short distances three times, and they are too large. Maybe we could swap?

 

[chickpastor]

 Hey TJ,They are 39s.  I

Hey TJ,

They are 39s. I don't think they are too big...in fact after the Morton's Toe mod I did (which involved jury-rigging some heavy books and a dowel to stretch it out) it is a little big on me. I will probably hang on to them and see if I can mod them some more since this morning went pretty well, but thanks for the offer!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Well pooh!  That's okay

Well pooh! That's okay though. Size 39 is very small for me. You must have tiny feet.

 

[migangelo]

Is the hole on the sole of

Is the hole on the sole of your classics? If so then you may want to reevaluate your form. I run in Bikilas, huaraches, and BF. Each one changes my form. Huaraches were the most difficult to learn to run in, especially since when i made them it was raining a lot making running impossible in them. I have found they are best to help me correct my form.



Bf is the most fun, Biks for when i can't handle being bf, huaraches when i want to check my form. Honestly i wear my huaraches everyday and run in them occasionaly. It truly is an art form learning how to tie them properly and then getting used to the string between your toes. I have some cauluses developing between my toes, more so on my right foot.



Probably not the direct answer you were looking for. Since they're your feet, and wallet, you have to decide which is best. One suggestion, worry more about form then distance. Distance will come easily if the form is good.

 

[chickpastor]

 Thanks, Migangelo.  That is

Thanks, Migangelo. That is truly helpful. I did hear from my chiropractor that I needed to work on my form after she noticed that I landed harder on the right (where the hole is), so I have been working on that too. That's one reason why I went ahead with the huraches order (I know I will never get it together to make them, and it is worth the $$ to me to have decent ones) is to work on my form, even if it's harder to run in them. Since I've been running BF and my form has changed a lot, I have noticed that distance is much easier. I can only imagine it will get easier still as I keep on working on my form with the huraches too! No idea how the marathon will work out and which footwear, if any, I will wear, but honestly I'm not terribly worried about it! Maybe a good lesson from BF running? ;-)