There’s a guy at my Church that does physical/occupational therapy that holds sessions every week as a ministry. Several of my friends (older ones) go to these.
One, in particular, always wore the same type of Nikes I used to buy. As a testament to their declining quality, you could hear him coming from across the room; squeak…squeak…squeak…squeak. One day he nearly snuck up on me. As he sat I complained that I didn’t hear him coming and admired his shoes.
The therapy guy suggested barefoot or zero drop shoes. So he changed up his shoe game.
I’ve heard about these off and on for some time. So much so I have two pairs of barefoot shoes. They need thin socks, and they look goofy as hell. So I don’t wear them much. But after my buddy got his, I thought maybe it’s time for a running set.
I typically wear Saucony running shoes. They come in wide, the soles are more cushiony than others. I’ve drifted once or twice to Nike or New Balance, but these start my feet aching so I head back to what I’m used to. When I went to replace my worn Sauconys, I got a pair of New Balance. This was a mistake. They are very light, but appear to have little cushioning. I’m still on the fence with them. I haven’t worn them enough to do any damage.
So I looked for a pair of Men’s Zero Drop Running Shoes that would come in wide. Virtually none do. So I wound up with a pair of WHITIN Men’s Zero Drop Running Shoes + Wide Toe Box. Looked cool enough, pretty high rated.
When they showed up, I was less than impressed. They looked as goofy as the others I have.
The image doesn’t do them justice. They seem as wide as swim fins. Must be the goofy wide toe box.
So I set them aside in my office to deal with later.
I gave them a whirl yesterday. First thing I noticed, right off the bat, was a lack of cushion. Second thing I noticed was that my calves seemed to be working more than usual. I figured I’d run, and if my feet started cratering, I’d bail. My right foot was still sore from last week, so I didn’t think I’d last long. Adding that extra lap is still a strain.
But the foot stopped complaining, they seemed no worse than my conventional New Balance shoes. My calves seemed to get a better workout. By the evening, my heel was complaining, but it does that when I do that last lap.
We’ll see. I have more in these barefoot shoes than I would’ve had if I’d simply got a better grade of Saucony. I wouldn’t give them the 4.5 star average rating, at least yet. I’ll see if I can go without them crippling me. Not a huge fan here, yet.
Oddly enough, as I was looking up what I bought for this post, I happened upon a set of barefoot high tops they make:
They look very much like some riding boots I’ve seen at the Kawasaki dealer. I’ll give them a whirl. They are 1/4 the price of a cheap set of boots. And none, and I mean NONE of these motorcycle boots come in wide. I prefer the tactile feel of the brakes and shifter, so these may be the ticket over the clunky Reboks I wear now.
Inspected By Pat 