Forums >Gears and Wears>any barefoot/ZEMgear customers?
Looking into barefoot running but want something to protect my feet...any thoughts on the ZEMgear shoes?
Hobby Jogger Especial!
I have a pair of the older ones (pre-360). I didn't care for them as they made my feet sweat a LOT and they weren't very wide. The new ones may be better though.
I'm not, but one of my buddies wore them (also pre-360). He really didn't like how short their life was (under 200 miles). This may be fixed in the new ones, though, for all I know.
For "near barefoot," I run in Luna sandals or Xero Shoes sandals and like both. If you want something that thin that's also more of a proper shoe, Inov8's Bare-X 200s are great. 4mm thin. My first pair lasted 1,200 miles.
"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." Emil Zatopek
That's like saying you want to be a mathematician but don't want to learn to count.
You know, when I het "post" I though my little quip was clever, but in the light of day I'm afraid it might sound a little snotty; stupid internet. Anyway, here's what I mean:
There are shoes on the market that allow you to run as if barefoot, that is, they allow your toes to splay, arch to support itself, doesn't elevate the heel, and generally allows the foot to do what it wants to do when not covered up by a shoe. However, these shoes (the Merrell Vapor Glove is my favorite) do not actually make you run this way. This means that it's possible, and I would argue probable, that most runners will continue to run the way they did before when they put on a minimalist shoe, only now with no cushioning. Ouch!
When you say you want to protect your feet, what do you want to protect your feet from? If running barefoot on hard asphalt would hurt them, then you probably would be risking injury by running in minimalist shoes. Learn to run gently enough so that asphalt and concrete are a pleasure to run on without any shoes at all, then you'll be ready for a minimalist shoe.
But that's just my opinion, and very few people actually do it this way, so take it for what it's worth. Oh, and a disclaimer: I do sincerely enjoy the Vapor Glove (when it's either too cold or too pointy for my bare feet), but that might be influenced by the fact that Merrell has been very generous with free shoes for me to test, and they've been very nice to me in general. At any rate, best of luck on your continuing running education!
Josh
barefootjosh.com
I got the zemgear-360-round-toe-shoes-mens. A hole wore through the left shoe in the middle of the forefoot at 152 miles. The crack was along the hinge/seam on the left shoe. I won't be getting any more of them.
I recently got the Stem/Lems/Leming Primal 2. (Manufacturer keeps changing names.) Zero heel-toe drop. It is the most comfortable shoe I've ever put on, but they are a bit heavy. I use them for easy runs. Only have 66 miles on them so far. Have no idea how long they will last.
I guess my favorites are my Mizuno Wave Universe 3s. I have 1210 miles on them. I also have two pair of Mizuno Wave Universe 4s with 636 and 353 miles on them respectively. I just rotate between them for paced runs and races. They are the lightest shoes I've ever worn. I wish they had a lower heel- toe drop (they are 4mm) but it doesn't really bother me.
I also ran barefoot for a couple of years, but backed off. Just too much trouble and I got tired of always having to pay so much attention to where my foot was going to plant because of pebbles, twigs, nuts, broken roadway, bridge grill work, debris, etc, etc, etc.
I got the zemgear-360-round-toe-shoes-mens. A hole wore through the left shoe in the middle of the forefoot at 152 miles. The crack was along the hinge/seam on the left shoe. I won't be getting any more of them. I recently got the Stem/Lems/Leming Primal 2. (Manufacturer keeps changing names.) Zero heel-toe drop. It is the most comfortable shoe I've ever put on, but they are a bit heavy. I use them for easy runs. Only have 66 miles on them so far. Have no idea how long they will last. I guess my favorites are my Mizuno Wave Universe 3s. I have 1210 miles on them. I also have two pair of Mizuno Wave Universe 4s with 636 and 353 miles on them respectively. I just rotate between them for paced runs and races. They are the lightest shoes I've ever worn. I wish they had a lower heel- toe drop (they are 4mm) but it doesn't really bother me. I also ran barefoot for a couple of years, but backed off. Just too much trouble and I got tired of always having to pay so much attention to where my foot was going to plant because of pebbles, twigs, nuts, broken roadway, bridge grill work, debris, etc, etc, etc.
I also have some Wave Universe 4's that I use only for racing but not for anything longer than about 12K as my legs take too much of a beating. As daily trainers I don't think I would survive very long. I'm impressed by your ability to use these for so much running and I consider myself well able to tolerate minimal shoes.
The heaviest shoes I have right now are my Altra Instincts at 9.5 ounces. I bought them for the nice wide toebox and zero drop. They're in my rotation quite a bit. My main training shoe is the NB Trail Minimus 100 at 7.5 ounces with 4mm of drop. These are my favorite, daily shoe right now. Another shoe that has made it into my daily rotation is my old pair of racers (I used to use these before the Wave Uni 4's) - Brooks T6. These shoes are light at about 6.5 ounces but they sure feel cushioned compared to the NB or Altra shoes. Might be because of the thicker sole and higher heel-to-toe drop (20mm/10mm) than the other shoes I train in. I use the T6 now when my feet / legs are beat up and I feel the need for a change. Weird when a shoe like the T6 can feel like a cushioned trainer.
I use the 3s & 4s for everything, including the marathons I do. I like the light weight.