Ok, here's the deal. I decided to take a break from this blog, while I enjoyed writing about life barefoot in Sheffield I just felt there was room for more.
I love trail running and barefoot shoes, but...... I love the outdoors even more. Anything, running, hiking, camping and especially cycling it doesn't matter.
The thing that hooked me on barefoot shoes in the first place was the connection with the world under your feet. Barefoot shoes remove that insulating layer, that numbing feeling, the padding between you and the world around you. And for me that is the very reason we look for adventure in the first place? To remove the padding of everyday life and make us feel more connected with the world around us.
So with this in mind I've taken the decision to expand the scope of this blog.
Yes I'll still be covering hiking and trail running and yes I'll still be doing most of it in barefoot shoes but now I'll also be featuring and reviewing a much wider range of outdoor equipment and adventures including some cycling adventures.
I hope the blog not only continues to entertain those people who have enjoyed the blog but attracts those people for who life isn't about how quickly you complete your run but where the trail takes you and how much fun you have on the way.
Just remember, the race may be long and hard but ultimately it's only with yourself. So go out and just enjoy yourself.
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Kinder Land
I've not had a lot of time for blogging or outdoor adventures lately. A three hour daily round trip to work combined with the stresses of work have made for limited time for getting out and about let alone writing about them.
So with the wife away for the weekend and nothing planned for my Sunday it seemed the ideal opportunity for a trip to Kinder Scout. While it may not be a peak it is the highest point in the Peak District and synonymous with the English 'right to roam' and mass trespass of 1932.
However, despite its history there are times you have to wonder what you're doing.
Stood up on the bleak edge of Kinder Plateau this afternoon was one such moment. With the wind gusting at 60mph, rain stinging and the visibility down to 25 feet it was certainly more of an endurance test rather than a pleasurable walk.
In fact the camera only came out on one occasion. Truth be told I really didn't fancy digging through my rucksack in to the drybag to get my camera out and then have to fight to keep the lens dry long enough to get a picture of the grey mist.
As you can see from this picture as I descended towards the top of Jacobs Ladder the conditions weren't great. However the mist parted long enough to remind me for a second quite how amazing the scenery in the Dark Peak can be.
I used my Goretex Merrell Gloves on this walk and while they proved surefooted on all but the slipperiest Peat bog they did mean soaked feet thanks in no small measure to my previous issues. I'm still on the hunt for a 'waterproof' minimalist shoes that can take the Merrell's place as my standard all weather option for walking and hiking. Answers on a postcard please...........
So with the wife away for the weekend and nothing planned for my Sunday it seemed the ideal opportunity for a trip to Kinder Scout. While it may not be a peak it is the highest point in the Peak District and synonymous with the English 'right to roam' and mass trespass of 1932.
However, despite its history there are times you have to wonder what you're doing.
Stood up on the bleak edge of Kinder Plateau this afternoon was one such moment. With the wind gusting at 60mph, rain stinging and the visibility down to 25 feet it was certainly more of an endurance test rather than a pleasurable walk.
In fact the camera only came out on one occasion. Truth be told I really didn't fancy digging through my rucksack in to the drybag to get my camera out and then have to fight to keep the lens dry long enough to get a picture of the grey mist.
As you can see from this picture as I descended towards the top of Jacobs Ladder the conditions weren't great. However the mist parted long enough to remind me for a second quite how amazing the scenery in the Dark Peak can be.
I used my Goretex Merrell Gloves on this walk and while they proved surefooted on all but the slipperiest Peat bog they did mean soaked feet thanks in no small measure to my previous issues. I'm still on the hunt for a 'waterproof' minimalist shoes that can take the Merrell's place as my standard all weather option for walking and hiking. Answers on a postcard please...........
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
A view from Stanage Edge
The pictures don't really need too many words.
I'll never get bored of living five minutes drive from the edge of the Peak District, being able to decide to head and (after grabbing the dog and a camera) being out in the Peak in 10 minutes is a real privilege. Of course this late evening walk also gave me a chance to give my new Merrell Trail Gloves a test run as well.
I'll never get bored of living five minutes drive from the edge of the Peak District, being able to decide to head and (after grabbing the dog and a camera) being out in the Peak in 10 minutes is a real privilege. Of course this late evening walk also gave me a chance to give my new Merrell Trail Gloves a test run as well.
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Minimalist in every way
It seems barefoot shoes aren't just minimalist in construction.....
Last Saturday I managed to crawl out of bed and get down to Endcliffe Park in Sheffield for the weekly Park Run. However as anyone who knows me will tell you I'm not great in the mornings so my key role was drinking coffee and acting a chief cheerleader for the wife who was upholding family pride and taking part.
Anyone who saw me may have thought I'd nodded off as I stared at the floor while clinging on to my coffee but I was awake (just) and watching people's shoes. What do you expect from someone with a trainer addiction?
With approx 250 people taking part there were plenty of shoes to watch as well but I didn't see a single other person wearing barefoots.
It would seem despite more and more versions coming on to the market the manufacturers still have some way to go to sell them to the wider running community. But what is the underlying reason?
- Is it simply they aren't marketed widely enough so people aren't aware of them or their benefits?
- Are they still seen as a niche market for people who like to be different?
- Is the need for big padded trainers so inbuilt now that people can't move away from this idea?
- Are barefoot shoes just too expensive for people to take a gamble on?
My personal opinion is its a mixture of all four of these points but from what I've seen over the past year its clear the manufacturers still have a long way to go in selling the concept to the wider public. I can probably count on my fingers the number of other people I've seen wearing barefoot shoes since I bought my first pair.
Minimalist in numbers as well as construction then.
Monday, 29 July 2013
A new delivery
While the world was eagerly waiting for a VIP delivery in West London last week, 200 miles north in Sheffield I was waiting for a special delivery of my own. My new Merrell Run Trail Gloves.
My issues with the Goretex version of the trail glove are well documented on this blog. However with the demise of my second pair I was in need of a new pair of barefoots and I decided to give Merrell's barefoots one final opportunity to prove to me they can last the distance.
My criteria for a pair of barefoots is challenging. I do some trail running in them so they need to stand up to running in the Peak District in all weather conditions. However I'm by no means a daily runner and my barefoot shoes will need to adapt to spending a large proportion of their time doing long hill and beach hikes, plenty of dog walking and all-round general wear (including plenty of shopping, pubs and coffee stops).
So I chose the Merrell Trail Glove in Apollo / Ice (blue and silver). There's no getting away from it, Merrells shoes look the part. The construction of the trail gloves is quality, they feel like they'll last the distance and I personally think these are the best colour option in the range.
The Vibram soles look identical to my previous Merrell Train Embark and that's no bad thing, they've always been comfortable with good levels of grip. Lets just hope they remain attached to the upper half of the shoes this time.
First impressions after two hours of wearing are positive and they seem comfortable shoe. Which is a relief since these are the third size I've tried and its fair to say the trail glove comes up small. My usual size is a euro 46 and these are a 48. Even now they feel short and my toes slightly touch the end of the toe box. Time will tell whether they prove comfy enough or not.
The full spec list is available here at www.merrell.com which is also where I ordered them from. It's worth noting they are available at a better price from other websites if you don't need Sasquatch size feet. I couldn't get a size 48 in the blue anywhere else.
Stay tuned for regular updates on Barefoot in Sheffield and of course if you've got any question feel free to ask away in the comments box below and I'll answer them as best I can.
My issues with the Goretex version of the trail glove are well documented on this blog. However with the demise of my second pair I was in need of a new pair of barefoots and I decided to give Merrell's barefoots one final opportunity to prove to me they can last the distance.
My criteria for a pair of barefoots is challenging. I do some trail running in them so they need to stand up to running in the Peak District in all weather conditions. However I'm by no means a daily runner and my barefoot shoes will need to adapt to spending a large proportion of their time doing long hill and beach hikes, plenty of dog walking and all-round general wear (including plenty of shopping, pubs and coffee stops).
So I chose the Merrell Trail Glove in Apollo / Ice (blue and silver). There's no getting away from it, Merrells shoes look the part. The construction of the trail gloves is quality, they feel like they'll last the distance and I personally think these are the best colour option in the range.
The Vibram soles look identical to my previous Merrell Train Embark and that's no bad thing, they've always been comfortable with good levels of grip. Lets just hope they remain attached to the upper half of the shoes this time.
First impressions after two hours of wearing are positive and they seem comfortable shoe. Which is a relief since these are the third size I've tried and its fair to say the trail glove comes up small. My usual size is a euro 46 and these are a 48. Even now they feel short and my toes slightly touch the end of the toe box. Time will tell whether they prove comfy enough or not.
The full spec list is available here at www.merrell.com which is also where I ordered them from. It's worth noting they are available at a better price from other websites if you don't need Sasquatch size feet. I couldn't get a size 48 in the blue anywhere else.
Stay tuned for regular updates on Barefoot in Sheffield and of course if you've got any question feel free to ask away in the comments box below and I'll answer them as best I can.
Sunday, 28 July 2013
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.
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.
Monday, 1 July 2013
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.
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.
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