Well, it’s no surprise that the soles of my feet have not been in intimate contact with Bristol’s cobbled streets of late. The freezing weather, and my aversion to clinging grit, means I’ve been out in the aqua shoes four times now.
I’ve also run my furthest distance barefoot to date – 4.5 miles – not bad after 6 months. It finally feels now like I can build up distance as well as concentrating on form – which has been my first priority to date.
But was it barefoot? Do the aqua shoes make it a little too easy? I think not.
Yes, they prevent skin abrasion, but little else. And my concern to date has not been the loss of skin on my feet, or blistering, which has never been that bad, but more the swelling from impact on the foot tissue, and I can assure you that you still can get that swelling in aqua shoes.
I’m not sure how much longer the soles are going to last, and this might be their downfall, as their minimal treads are looking a little thin on one side. Still, I shall persist, as there is nothing like running (as close as the weather permits) barefoot, and whenever I get out like this my feet sing.
The other benefit of the aquas is that you can get away with looking relatively normal in a town centre – people just think that:
a) you’ve left the iron on and you’re running home in your slippers
b) you’re testing cycle overshoes
c) you know something they don’t
The other great thing about them is that they are so quiet, so you can sneak up on people – should you feel the need…
Leave a Reply