Notes
Started wear testing the new Merrill Trail Gloves today. Wore them around to work all day and then out for an easy 3 miler this evening. When I put one of them on last night to see how they'd fit, they seemed much too long, but there were no worries about that this morning when I actually laced them up. That extra inch over what I'd like in the toe box disappeared when I tied the shoes since the shoes don't have as rigid a shape as most shoes and are more sock- (or glove-) like.
At the beginning of the run, they felt distinctly odd. That sensation went away after I picked up the pace a little later into the run, though. With my muscle pull, it'll be tough to put in anything fast or long in them for a while, but they felt all right when I started running low 8 minute pace.
I could definitely feel my achilles and calf stretching a bit (something I didn't really notice last night during my barefoot run) but that could have been due to the slow pace I started out with. I don't get a lot of feeling from the ground like I would in my huaraches but they are certainly harder and don't hide as much as normal trainers do.