Day 65 - Altra Samsons, finally

So I finally got my pair of  Altra Samsons (not terribly impressed with the efficiency of the shipping process).  They arrived on Friday but I have not had a good chance to run in them until today (Sunday).  Running last night was a possibility, but I was quite tired.  I wanted my first run in these to be when I was fresh so I could evaluate them realistically.

To this point, all of my running has been barefoot, which has limited me to an extent.  Can someone develop a thick enough callus on the sole of the foot to regularly run on concrete and asphalt?  Probably, but I haven't seen it in my feet yet.  That is, of course, where shoes come in.  What was the purpose of the first pair of foot coverings?  They were likely for protecting the foot.  That is all I really need.

The best way I can describe them is running slippers.  There is no support in them.  They are not constricting in any way.  They have a sole that is flexible but not soft.  The sole is relatively thin, such that I can feel small rocks under my feet but they did not hurt.  They came with a thin insole, but I removed that, which I think helps with fit.

What was running in them like?  I pretty much forgot about my feet.  Without focusing on what the soles of my feet felt like, I could focus on my form and technique.  This was quite valuable.  In the past, I was often distracted by raw feet.  Most of the run was spent thinking about good posture, light foot strikes and a quick cadence.  One other note, in the last half mile I began to notice a hot spot on the outside of my right Achilles'/ankle.  Thin socks might be needed.  We'll see how it goes.

Please keep in mind these are my first minimalist shoes, so I have no means of comparison to other models.

The run was 2.5 miles long, right in my neighborhood (HOORAY!) and I finished it in 23:46.  That is faster than I have been running.  I would be willing to bet that I was less inhibit by having some protection for my feet.

With only one run under my belt, the Samsons seem like a good investment.  Time will tell.