Last week, my cousin visited from Long Island, New York. The West is a foreign world to her and—just as I’m not at-home in the Hamptons—she feels out of place here. I lost count of how many times she said, “Different strokes for different folks,” and of how many times I thought, “That’s darn right.” During our one week together, we discovered how very different our interests are, despite our blood ties and similarly “normal” childhoods.
Our views on shoes make a great example. I see them as functional pieces but choose the fashions that fit my funky flavor and compliment my lifestyle. Jackie sees them only as accessories and likes items that, in her words, make her “look hot.” I ogled boots and clogs in one downtown Boulder shoe store while Jackie pointed to a pair of Uggs, saying she finally bought a cheap pair like them. I crinkled my nose, because they’re not my style. Waving at the array of boots on display, I asked which she liked best. “None of them are cute,” she said and proceeded to laugh at every shoe I touched. She snickered and rambled about the “old lady shoes” until she noticed I had stopped responding.
The one thing we agree on: running. We both love it. She likes to run solo. I prefer running (and most other things) with friends. So, in celebration of our one shared interest, we ran together—she faster than I—on a trail by my house. In order to run as far as she wanted to, I opted for my old trail runners rather than the minimalist shoes I’ve been testing this month. However, I did rave about and show her the barefoot shoes Merrell will debut in 2011, and she agreed they seemed neat.
I’ve heard only fabulous things about barefoot running but didn’t understand it until I experienced it. The first time I laced into Merrell’s Trail Pace Glove, I ran less than one mile. The next few times, I strolled around town and took a couple mini hikes. Then I increased the distances I ran in them. Now I wear them whenever I get the chance.
Every time I use the Pace Glove, I am more inclined to land on the ball of my foot rather than my heel. I also feel extra energetic and unusually sprightly thanks to their flexible and lightweight soles. While they add no height, I feel taller due to improved posture while wearing them. They grip well and help me better engage my foot, which enhances my balance and allows me to feel über connected with the ground. In addition to improving strength in my calf muscles (which really burned during week two), these shoes are said to increase core strength and build the body’s ability to burn more calories. (Any sort of running will strengthen the core and build calorie-burning muscle, but it sure is fun to get fit barefoot.) Plus, they really do look cute. I happened to wear these shoes out one Friday and danced away the night in them.
Perhaps Merrell’s barefoot shoes are just the thing we’ve been searching for—that something for everybody.
