Xero Shoes , just beginning to wear them.

Amuri Z-Trek Sport Sandal by XeroShoes

I am not setting out to become a barefoot runner, but I have just begun to use XeroShoes sandals to help strengthen my feet.  First off, the feeling while wearing the Amuri Z-Trek sport sandal is incredible. Extremely comfortable even though there is almost nothing there. The outer sole is only 5.5 mm thick, or thin in this case, it is what XeroShoes calls a FeelTrue® sole. The sole is primarily there to protect the bottom of your foot from anything sharp or jagged. I also have a pair of Amuri Cloud which has 3mm Barefoam™ insert in the forefoot and is constructed on a 6 mm FeelTrue® outer sole. A huge difference right off the bat of the two is the Z-Trek has strap that pretty much goes across the top of the foot and eventually goes around the top of the ankle. The Amuri Cloud has a strap that starts off between the big toe and second toe and meets up with other cords across the top of the foot and is adjustable behind the ankle above the heel.  I have taken both sandals out for a mile run, a day apart.  I tightened them both up pretty well so they would not be floating around while wearing them. I wore the Amuri Z-Trek first.  Wearing it around, just as a regular piece of footwear, it is extremely comfortable. If I could I would wear these all day, but with work and all some type of foot protection is needed. When I started on my run, I did not set out to break any world records or anything. I just wanted to get a feel of these sandals and how it felt to wear them while running. With other minimalist footwear I have been wearing for awhile now, I am becoming more of a mid foot striker when it comes to running. The next day I set out and took the Amuri Cloud out for my mile trek.  About .10th of a mile into my run I had to stop and tighten up the cords as I could feel my feet slip around on them.  The run was once again nothing record breaking, yet I could feel some discomfort in-between my big toe and second toe. A blister was beginning to form just after I finished running. I’m not sure if I had the shoe too tight or my foot was too sweaty, it was over a 100 degrees by the way.  With both sandals the feeling of just walking around in them is incredible and allow my foot to flex around, sometimes on uneven surfaces.  I am mainly setting out on once again just helping strengthen my feet.