Barefoot Tennis

Today was only the second time in 15 years I've played tennis and obviously with any trainer addict the first issue was what foot wear to roll out.

As regular readers will know minimalist shoes are my first choice for any sporting endeavour. Actually they're my only choice and with no tennis shoes of any sort my Vibram KSO Trek Sport were rolled out. 

When I reviewed the Trek Sports before I said that I was yet to find something they couldn't do. That still stands true. The stop-start nature of tennis combined with playing on a hard surface did prove tough on the feet and joints but the Five Fingers came through with flying colours.

By the end of an hour on court my feet where feeling a bit sore although I think some of that soreness would have been avoided had I worn my Injinji socks.

Ten minutes of the Wimbledon-esque performance was also done in monsoon conditions and the 'fingers' still gripped perfectly on the wet surfaces and never felt uncomfortable despite being soaked through.

There were some quizzical looks from other tennis players but they'll soon get used to the idea you don't need mattresses on the bottom of your feet to play tennis. 

So who knew, Vibram's Trek Sport are great for tennis. Pretty sure we won't see them at Wimbledon next year though. 

The view from the top of Mam Tor

Making the most of both the sun and the Peak District with a walk up to Mam Tor yesterday. As usual the Spryridons performed faultlessly.

They were never anything less than sure footed and super comfortable. 

Looking at some of the heavy duty footwear on show you wonder where people think they're walking. 

It can be a rocky road to barefoot running

Last night i was catching up on some reading on some of the blogs I follow and an old post from Lizzie at Inov-8 got me thinking.

You see over the last few weeks I've been suffering from some hamstring problems. Nothing horrendous, just tightness and mild discomfort when I walk and a pain when I run. I was annoyed that it was stopping me running but also confused. Since I started running again in January I've not suffered any real injuries in fact my running has been literally revitalised by the use of barefoot shoes.

For a quick history lesson, up until three years ago I used to run two to three times a week. Then I started to suffer from shin splints. Now anyone who has had shin splints will tell you how painful they can be. I quite literally couldn't run up my drive without excruciating pain.

Eventually I gave up, combining a torn tendon with the shin splints my body persuaded me running just wasn't my sport.

Then in January my wife saw an article about how barefoot shoes can help resolve running related injuries through better form.  I'd already been wearing barefoots for about six months but not for running and that weekend I went for my first tentative run in over three years .

Apart from a few tight muscles there have been no problems and I generally do a couple of trail runs a week and having been doing so since January. And this is where my annoyance comes back in, why now, when nothing's changed should my hamstring start to play up?

Its all too easy to think of our bodies as a machine, if it can do a certain activity one day then it should be able to do it everyday. My mind worked overtime trying to work out what I had done differently.

What I hadn't taken in to account is that we aren't machines. There will always be injuries, there will always be times when your body resists. The important thing is to know how to deal with these setbacks.

I knew the basics of what I was doing were right, my warm-up was fine, my running form was getting better and my fitness improving with every run. I rested the hamstring for a few days, no running, no jumping around and it started to feel better. So then when I took my running buddy for his evening walk I raced him across the park (he always wins) and the hamstring was fine.

Lizzie's post made me remember that after three years of running there were always going to be ups and downs. It was never going to be instant or perfect. 

Sometimes you just have to trust what has worked for you previously, accept there will be downs as well as ups and most importantly, keep the faith.

If you missed it you can read Lizzie's post on the Inov-8 blog here.... 

Become A Natural: No one said it would be easy…

Updated review of Merrell's Barefoot Train Embark

It's not good news for my Merrells.

Back in April I reviewed my Merrell Barefoot Train Embark Gore-tex with mixed results. I loved them because they had the potential to be the all round shoe I was looking for but my first pair fell apart after six months. 

Now, right on cue, after a further six months the replacement Merrels have both started to show signs of not being able to handle the pace. 

The first pair of Train Embarks fell apart around the outside of the toe box after a walk on the beach. Merrell agreed to replace them and the replacement pair have been used continuously through the winter for hiking, dog walking and general wear duties. 

However after a walk in the local park this weekend I noticed the 'new' Merrells were starting to split in the same place as the previous pair. While the damage may not look too much at the moment it renders the Gore-Tex useless as they now let water in. Also from past experience the rubber coating peels off pretty quickly once it starts.

The walk that tipped the Merrells over the edge certainly wasn't rigorous, a gentle stroll with the wife and dog in the local park consisting of paved footpaths and grass. The Merrells did get wet however and I have a suspicion this may be the key factor.

When I say wet I'm only talking about standing in a puddle. Taking the dog down to the edge of a stream meant standing in about 2-3 inches of water for a few seconds.

This may not seem like much but the previous pair were also six months old when they disintegrated after getting wet on the beach. Their damage was much more significant but they also got much wetter. However surely a Gore-tex shoe should be able to withstand getting wet on occasions. 

My suspicion is after six months of use the materials and joints around the toes loosen up and allow water in which then means the coatings fall apart. These are my original pair's damage.

A Gore-tex equipped trail shoe should definitely be able to stand up to moderate use including getting wet on occasions. I can't help but feel that Merrell's decision to discontinue the Train Embark has something to do with the fact they just don't live up to the company's sturdy reputation. 

As can be seen from the pictures below, the sole of these shoes were by no means at the end of the usable life yet the shoe fell apart.

I'm as disappointed as anyone, if the Train Embarks had lived up to their potential I'm convinced they would have been the perfect minimalist shoe for me, comfortable, perfect for hiking and light weight. However they seem to have a fundamental flaw. 

There are major design errors that mean this shoe is simply not up to the job. Now the only decision is whether to replace the Train Embarks with another pair of Merrells or whether to go for a different brand. 

Has anyone else had problem's with Merrell's barefoot range? If so leave me a comment below, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Silence isn't always golden

Unfortunately the blog's had to take a bit of a back seat lately, injury, moving house and a full agenda at work have taken all my time but what the last few weeks have given me is time to pull together some further thoughts on barefoot and plenty more time in my minimalist shoes. These start with an update on my Merrell Train Embark which you can read here. 

Barefoot rehydration drinks

The perfect rehydration drink for all those Barefoot activities.

Vibram KSO Trek Sport Rated

No piece of footwear splits opinion quite like Vibram’s FiveFingers.

There's no getting away from it, Vibram's FiveFingers (VFFs) are definitely eye catching. The first thing I found, even before I bought my first pair was they polarise opinion. People either love or hate them, there's little middle ground.

After dipping my toe in the barefoot pool I decided to take the plunge and go all in with the infamous FiveFingers. My primary need at the time was for a walking / hiking shoe and after reviewing the Vibram range the additional grip and slightly thicker sole of the Trek Sport seemed to offer what I needed.

My first piece of advice for anyone new to the FiveFingers is go and try some on before you buy. Vibram has a very good sizing chart on their website (available here) but there's no substitute for actually putting them on your feet. Partly because not everyone will like the feel of having your toes in pockets. It’s worth trying before you buy.

The Trek Sports were comfy from the start and my usual size 46 were a perfect fit. As with any barefoot shoe there can be a bedding in period and I did suffer some minor discomfort in the early days of wearing them. The instep of my feet felt strained and my feet ached when I took them off after three / four hours of wearing. This wasn't bad enough to make me take them off and within a couple of weeks wearing them for between one and two hours the problems were history.

The mesh upper does a good job of letting your feet breathe while keeping stones and gravel out of the shoe. I’ve worn these shoes all day in +30C with high humidity and they've never felt uncomfortable. They do get a bit sweaty when they’re worn regularly with no socks but not any more than a normal pair of trainers would. They can also be thrown in the washing machine if they get too stinky.

The Trek Sport has a heavier tread pattern than the almost non-existent tread on the KSO. This gives a sure footed feeling with stones, rocks and other trail debris rarely having any great impact. You can feel it’s all there it just takes the sting out of it.

I've used my VFFs for a variety of uses including hiking in the peak district, beach visits, walking the dog and general shopping / coffee drinking duties. They've even had outings in the snow. Through all the different conditions the grip levels have always been limpet like. This feeling is increased because of the ability to use your toes to grip far more than you can in a 'normal' pair of trainers. Anyone concerned that other VFFs might not offer them the versatility they need should look no further. These really are the do anything shoe in the Vibram line-up.

As with all VFFs there's an art to getting them on and it takes a little time to master. My advice, slide your foot in while getting your big toe and second toe in position. It should only take a little rearranging to get the other toes in position. Once you've done this then hook your heel in to the shoe and fasten them up.

As an everyday shoe the black Trek Sports can often go unnoticed, especially when worn with jeans or cargo trousers. I wore mine to see the bank manager on Saturday and they largely went unnoticed. And if some one does notice them i find a quick twitch of the toes usually guarantees a horrified look. 

I’ve now got two pairs of VFFs having recently invested in a pair of Spyridons for trail running duties (first impressions to follow soon). The comparison is interesting, the green and black Spyridons feeling much more sporty in their construction and focus while the Trek Sport definitely taking the position of the more versatile shoe.

Following the success of the Trek Sport a pair of KSOs maybe the next Vibram shoe to find their way in to my shoe rack. My understanding is the soles are thinner and offer even more barefoot feeling so I can't wait to get my hands on a pair.

Verdict

There’s no getting away from the fact you will get attention with these shoes and you will have people staring and pointing. If you don't like that you might be best looking elsewhere. On the basis I didn't feel the need to draw even more attention to my new shoes I opted for the black version of the Trek Sport.

The feeling given by the Trek Sport is like no shoe I've ever worn. You know you're wearing a shoe but the amount of feedback you get from not just the terrain but also just the process of walking in the FiveFingers really adds to the sensation. It sounds corny but I found the Trek Sport added a whole new dimension to any walk or run. You actually feel what the ground beneath you is doing. A sensation that is increased by the air flow offered by the Trek Sport's mesh upper construction. 

This feeling combined with the subtle styling and versatility of the Trek Sport mean they are the first shoe in the bag for any holiday or trip away. Interestingly they are also my first choice of shoe after a long day in my work shoes. With tired, aching feet the last thing you want to do is put another pairs of shoes on but the comfort and breath-ability of the Trek Sport make them my preferred choice to relax in.

A couple of minor downsides, the treads seem to wear quicker than a lot of shoes. This is probably down to the soft compound rubber they're made from. Can you have it all, plenty of grip and long lasting? They're also trickier to get on than other VFFs I've tried. Apart from these minor points, I'm sold. Tough, comfy and great performance. 

When I suggest the Trek Sport are the everyday choice it makes them sound dull and boring, however they're anything but. The Trek Sport are my VFF of choice for a majority of the time, they offer the feel and flexibility with the ability to go anywhere and do what ever I need.

Score 8.5/10