New Huarache Models and Features

Since my last posting in August 2011, I have experimented with a few new sole and lacing materials to make Huaraches running sandals. This has been a fun and ongoing project for me that have resulted in the development of two new models and a new lacing system that I am very excited about. I have personally put hundreds of miles on these two new models using various terrain and weather conditions to test out their reliability and performance and have just added them to my Town and Country product line series at www.allwaysbarefootsandals.com. But that’s not all, I am still in the process of developing and testing a new trail running sandal that I am very excited about, but that will be the subject of a later posting.

The two new models that I just added to my Town and Country series of Huaraches are the Ultra-Lite Supreme and the Equinox. The Ultra-Lite Supreme utilizes a 6mm thick Vibram sole material that is very light weight (2.7 Oz for my size 10) and durable with a slip resistant light tread pattern on the bottom. I find this material to be very comfortable to run in on hard paved or packed surfaces while still providing me with a very good ground to foot feel and a smooth ride.

Naturally, I made myself two pairs as prototypes for testing. One pair I kept as a basic (Bare top with no leather suede top) and one pair as a Deluxe (Suede Leather footbed).

Ultra-Lite Supreme Deluxe (Suede Leather top) and Elasticized Lace

Ultra-Lite Supreme Basic (Bare Top) with Elasticized Lace

I was really surprised at how well the basic (Bare Top) felt to my bare foot. This Vibram material is really impressive and does a great job of molding to your foot over a short period of time. The more you wear it the more comfortable it gets. They also protect your soles from rocks and other objects really well with a little less ground to foot feel than the 4mm thick sandals.

As you can see in the above photo’s I have equipped both of my pairs with the all new Elasticized lace which I have tested in two different widths (3/8 inch and ½ inch) and colors (Black and Brown). I have also tested them with my Poly/Nylon lace and Latigo leather laces and have found the Elasticized lace to be the easiest to adjust and wear for a simple slip on slip off style. The Traditional tying style would require either the Poly/Nylon or Latigo leather lacing.

In my opinion all three lacing systems do a great job for everyday use, but on a wet muddy trail I like the extra security of either the Poly/Nylon or Latigo leather laces to keep my foot from slipping inside the sandals. The Elasticized laces do great in non-muddy conditions.

At first I was a little concerned about using the Elasticized lace because of the amount of material between the toes so I went with the 3/8 width first and found them to be quite comfortable for me. Then I tried the ½ inch wide material and found that to be a little too much for my comfort but I liked the extra secure feeling of the wider lace. To fix this, I simply folded the two edges together where they go between my toes and used a little piece of black vinyl tape to wrap them together and presto, no more discomfort between my toes.

I have also experimented with a recessed center hole on the bottom of the sandal to provide additional protection to the knot and comfort for the wearer. This feature allows the knot to flatten as they normally do with wear and seat into the recessed hole, extending the life of the knot.

Recessed Center Hole for knot on Supreme

I now include this feature on all models except for the Ultra-Thin Sandals. The Ultra-Thin at 1mm thick is just too thin to cut a recess into.

The second new model is the Equinox with a 2mm Vibram rubber out sole and a 2mm thick black leather upper for the footbed, providing a balanced combination of rubber and leather. This sandal provides really great foot to ground feel and protection as the sole material though flexible is really dense.  Combined with the leather upper I find that I get great protection and comfort. I really like the way this sandal feels and performs.

Equinox with ½ inch wide Elasticized Lace

This thin and light sandal only weighs 3.5 Oz with the Elasticized Lace and 3 Oz with either the Poly/Nylon or latigo leather laces for my size 10. This prototype did not have the recessed hole at the time this photo was taken but it does now.

The other thing I found with the Equinox is that the 2mm thick leather footbed molds very well to my foot. Combined with the 2mm Vibram sole for a total of 4mm thickness the Equinox is very flexible but holds its form better than the 4mm Cherry sole. By this I mean if I hold the 4mm thick Cherry sole by the heel and the 4mm Equinox by the heel, the toe end of the Cherry sole drops down a lot further than the Equinox. I think this is why the Equinox stays formed to my foot better while running. 

Also, with the 50/50 combination of rubber and leather the foot to ground feel is not at all compromised, in fact I believe it is enhanced. This is sandal I like to wear when running in town and for casual wear. I like to wear the Supremes for longer runs on roads and light to moderate trails.

Life is good, be happy and walk or run for your health and enjoyment. Check back later for updates on the new Trail sandal. Happy trails.

To learn more about Ron G’s custom made Huaraches, please visit my Web Site at: www.allwaysbarefootsandals.com.

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How to Select the Sole Thickness for Your Huarache Running Sandals

Huarache running sandals, often referred to as barefoot running sandals, are really minimalist footwear designed to  provide a good barefoot to ground feel with the least amount of restriction to your foot and ankle movement. Out of all the minimalist footwear that I have seen only the Huaraches fully meet the minimalist requirement of no restriction to the foot and ankle movement. The barefoot to ground feel is determined more by how thick the sole material is and the type of sole material you use.

The Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyon in northern Mexico are famous for their ultra-running capabilities, running hundreds of miles in their homemade Huaraches made from old tires. They simply used the material that was available to them for the very rugged rocky terrain that they run in. Fortunately for those of us who do not regularly run in this rugged and rocky environment, there is a great selection of different modern materials and thickness to select from.

So how do you go about making the selection of sole thickness and material? Since I have no experience with a leather sole as of yet, the following guidelines refer to rubber sole material and thickness that are available through several internet sites (mine included) both as a do it yourself kit or as a die cut or handmade finished product.

Guidelines:

1)      When choosing a minimalist running or walking sandal you should first consider the current condition of your bare feet. Are they already conditioned to going barefoot or are you just getting started.

2)      Where do you like to do most of your running or walking? Is it on a track, sidewalk, pavement, grass, packed down dirt or wooded trails or rugged rocky trails?

3)      How far do you like to run/walk? A couple of miles or greater distances?

4)      What type of weather conditions will you be out in? Will it be wet or dry, hot or cold? The surface temperature and condition will come into play here.

Once you are able to answer these few questions, it will be a lot easier for you to make a selection. You simply match the current condition of your bare feet with the type terrain you will be covering, the weather conditions you will be out in for distance you plan to travel. Sounds simple enough, but it does require you to give it some serious thought.

The general rule of thumb is that the thinner and more flexible the sole material is, the greater the barefoot to ground feel gets with less protection. This includes feeling surface temperatures as well as ground contour and texture. The thicker sole material provides more protection with slightly less barefoot to ground feel.

For example, if you choose an ultra-thin Huarache for the greatest barefoot to ground feel, that is exactly what you will get. Running on hot pavement with these may not be what you want as you will most certainly feel the heat. A thicker soled Huarache would be a better choice for these conditions. The same holds true with colder surface temperatures. So if you have ultra-thins during very hot conditions you may want to stay on packed dirt or grassy trails so the bottoms of your feet do not burn or during colder weather you may want to run on pavement to keep your feet warm.

Although I have seen some barefoot runners take on wooded trails in their bare feet, mine always find the hidden acorn, walnut or rock, so I opt to wear my thicker sole huaraches when running to better protect my feet and my ultra-thins when walking these trails so I can really connect to the ground. On rocky trails or longer distances, I stick with the thicker sole and change back to my ultra-thins when I am done.

I have also found that the stronger and better conditioned my feet have become that I can wear my ultra-thins in more areas than when I first started. It used to kill me to walk on gravel areas with the ultra-thins but now it hardly phases me. Again, you have to match the condition of your feet with the terrain you are traveling to select the right sole thickness for you. I learned this the hard way.

When I first started wearing minimalist footwear it was with the ultra-thin model and I took it to fast and on terrain that was to rugged for my poor conditioned feet. I learned quickly to choose safer trails until I made a thicker sole Huarache for the more rugged trails that I liked.

Another option that you have is to add a leather footbed to your Huarache’s. These not only add an extra layer of thickness, insulation and feel but help to absorb moisture from the bottom of your feet. So many different choices to make, what do you do?

 My solution was simple. I simply made two pairs of the Vibram 1mm thick ultra-thins and two pair of the Vibram 4mm thick Cherry sole Huaraches. One of each I kept as a bare top and the other two with the suede footbed giving me the perfect selection for any type of running I plan to do. For the terrain I can choose from either the 1 to 2mm thick ultra-thins or the 4 to 5mm thick cherry sole Huaraches. If I am running in wet weather or expect to go thru puddles I wear the bare tops as they take only a short time to dry as I am running. If I am running in dry areas I like to wear the leather tops to help absorb moisture from my feet. The 4mm thick soles with leather also provide that little extra protection for rocky trails as well.

I have found that the above selection will meet most requirements but I am eager to test out other materials as well at different thicknesses. To that end I have ordered a few new materials that I will start testing in September. I will keep you posted on my progress, good or bad. In the mean time I will continue to offer the only custom made 1mm ultra-thin Huarache on the market as well as the classic Vibram 4mm Huarache from my website. Happy trails.

To learn more about Ron G’s custom made Huaraches, please visit my Web Site at: www.allwaysbarefootsandals.com.

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The Benefits of Running with Barefoot Running Sandals

There is no argument that running barefoot is the most natural way to run, mankind has done just that for thousands of years. Barefoot running strengthens the foot-ankle complex as well as the rest of the kinetic chain, the knee, hip, core and upper body. Barefoot running promotes a more natural mid-foot/forefoot landing which allows the runner to take advantage of the elastic energy stored in both the Achilles tendon and longitudinal arch of the foot. This also helps to develops calf and foot muscle strength. Walking or running barefoot allows the thousands of nerve endings in our feet to connect us to the world and communicate with the brain to maintain a body position and posture that is neutral or balanced to the ground. This sensory perception is hindered by thick cushioned and inflexible shoes. Range of motion of the foot and ankle is also hindered by these shoes.

So why wear  Barefoot Running Sandals? Simple, it is safer than barefoot as it provides minimalist protection for the runners sole from unseen hazards on the ground while still providing all the benefits of going barefoot. Barefoot running sandals (also known as Huaraches) are made with a thin piece of flexible sole material (usually rubber or leather) that is suspended to the bottom of your foot with some lacing material. Since these sandals are thin and light weight with no upper material, there is no restriction to the foots range of motion or barefoot feel. This promotes a natural barefoot running form with a mid-foot/forefoot strike vs. a heal strike that many of the modern running shoes promote with their wedge shaped designs and thick padding. Heal strikes of course increase impact on the foot, knees and hips that could lead to joint injury over time.

If you are new to barefoot running (or walking) start off slow and break your feet in gradually. Go around the house, yard or beach barefoot when you can. You may find that even after a short time of walking or running barefoot that your feet are getting sore. That is because they are now moving in an unrestricted range of motion that they are not used to. The muscles, ligaments and soles of your feet will need to strengthen before you go full time barefoot walking or running with out injury. Also the calfs of your legs may get sore as they adjust to the full range of motion of the unrestricted foot.

Over time you will find that barefoot walking or running will help to naturally improve your posture, gait and carriage as it continues to strenghten the muscles and ligaments in your feet, legs and hips. Increase your barefoot time gradually and pay attention to what your feet are telling you and wear your barefoot sandals to protect your soles from unseen hazards on the ground.

Quote:

The foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.

Leonardo da Vinci

To learn more about Ron G's custom made Huaraches, please visit my web site at:
http://www.allwaysbarefootsandals.com/

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What are Barefoot running Sandals (Huaraches) and why wear them?

Barefoot running sandals (also called Huaraches) are simply a piece of flat sole material (usually leather or rubber) that is secured to the bottom of the foot using a piece of leather or cord lacing material. This basic and simple design has been around for thousands of years, does not restrict foot and ankle movement (Range of Motion) and provides an excellent barefoot sensory perception. Because of their simplistic design they are often referred to as minimalist running sandals. As such, they promote a natural running form (Midfoot/forefoot strike vs. heel strike) just like running barefoot does.

So, why do I wear them when going barefoot is by far the best way to feel the ground? As a kid, I remember going outside barefoot as soon as the weather was warm enough.  The soles of my feet took very little time to toughen up so by early summer I was able to go just about anywhere I wanted to without hurting my feet until I stepped on a piece of glass or a bee.

Well that was many years ago and has I growing up, like most people, I began wearing shoes more often than going barefoot. Sad to say, the only time I was going barefoot was in the house or at the beach. In fact, my feet became so used to shoes that it hurt the soles of my feet to walk outside without shoes. Not only did the soles of my feet become more tender but my whole foot and ankle complex became weak and less flexible. Not a good thing for anybody.

With all the research showing the benefits  of barefoot walking and running I knew that I wanted to start going barefoot more often and that I had to start out slowly and safely. I did this by finding safe areas to go barefoot and would simply carry my shoes while I walked or ran until I needed to put them back on. This was a pain but well worth the effort. The soles of my feet were slowly getting tougher than they had been in years and I was gaining more strength and flexibility in my feet.

My only concern became the hidden hazards on the ground when I began running on unfamiliar trails. I found that I would have to take my shoes off and on numerous times to enjoy my barefoot runs. More often than not, I would have to put the shoes back on because I stepped on something that hurt. Did I mention glass, sharp rocks and bees?

Another problem I noticed when I put my shoes back on was that I was running differently.  The heel of my foot had a tendency hit the ground first causing a shock wave up my legs that was jarring to my upper torso and neck.  I had to work very hard on my landing to reduce the jarring effect. I was not very successful in eliminating this problem. With the wedge shaped sole of my running shoes, my heel could not easily avoid hitting first.

It was not until 2009 that I first read about Barefoot Running on the internet and then barefoot Running Sandals (Huaraches) from Chris McDougal’s book “Born to Run”. I was intrigued.  Chris described how the Tarahumara Indians of Northern Mexico regularly ran hundreds of miles at a time either barefoot or wearing huarache sandals over rough canyon terrain. These people were true ultra-runners.

What? Running hundreds of miles in bare feet or sandals? How can that be?

Now I was hooked. I love going barefoot but could not imagine running hundreds of miles that way, barefoot or with sandals. On the other hand, if you grow up going barefoot all the time or in flat sandals your feet are going to toughen up and become strong. I knew that my feet would need a lot of reconditioning to go barefoot for any distance and the best way to accomplish this was to go barefoot or as close to barefoot as possible more often.  Again, slowly and with caution I would need to gradually increase my barefoot running and walking time to avoid injury. How was I going to accomplish this? You probably guessed it; I was going to start wearing Huaraches.

After reading the book I began experimenting with making my own pair of Huaraches. I found an old piece of rubber material that I cut to fit the outline of my foot and punched the toe and ankle holes with a rotary leather punch.  I purchased some leather lacing and began the process of securing the sole to my foot. I will admit that it took a little trial and error for me to find the right degree of tightness, but once I found it, the sandals felt great.  Even better, it felt like I was walking around in my bare feet with the added benefit of some protection for the soles of my feet. They are safer than barefoot, but with all the benefits of going barefoot.

Now it was easy for me to tackle new terrain and slowly increase my barefoot running time. When I found ground that could easily be scanned for hazards while running barefoot, I would take my barefoot sandals off, fold them up and put them in my back pocket and go. When the terrain became less than friendly, I simply took my Huaraches back out and slipped them on. This is way easier than carrying around socks and shoes and I found that the huaraches did not affect my natural barefoot running style. No more jarring heel strikes and very little added weight.

Like I mentioned earlier, I was hooked on this old but new to me style of running sandal. Further experimentation was the order of the day. I made several pairs out of a variety of materials such has rubber floor mats, rubber gasket material, rubber roofing materials and flip flops. They all worked and provided slightly different characteristics in feel and flexibility. I did more research and decided to make my next pair out of the popular 4mm thick Vibram cherry sole material and found these to be a really strong, flexible and durable material with an excellent barefoot feel. I like these a lot.

 From what I could find, the 4mm thickness seemed to be a standard thickness offered for huaraches sold over the internet and I could feel for myself why they are so popular. The other options I noticed that were available over the internet were even thicker soles with some cushioning effect. I wanted to go the other way, thinner; with the less is more concepts for minimalist footwear.

I began experimenting with thinner materials and found two really good materials. One was 1.2mm thick piece of rubber roofing material that was smooth on both sides. This pair worked very well for me but became somewhat slippery on both sides when wet. The second piece I used was a Vibram sole material that is 1mm thick with the same texture on the foot side as the Vibram cherry material and a lightly patterned side for traction on the ground. This material worked a lot better when wet as my foot did not slide as much and the patterned bottom side provided better traction.

These 1mm thick soles became my ultra-thins and they weigh less than 1.2 oz. each. Talk about a barefoot feel. These should only be worn if your feet are already used to being barefoot as you will feel everything on the ground. The back yard or beach are also good choices. I love these sandals. Not only are they ultra-thin and ultra-light, they provide good minimalist protection for your soles without sacrificing any barefoot feel.

The experimenting continued with adding suede leather footbeds. I found the suede leather footbeds to be comfortable, adding a certain look and feel to the sandals that I liked. The footbed looks and feels great and it adds style and strength to the sandals (especially to the ankle holes) with very little effect on barefoot sensory perception. The footbeds also help with absorbing moisture from the bottom of your foot during dry walking or running conditions. I do not, however, recommend them for running in wet areas. If you know your feet are going to get soaking wet, stick with the plain tops. They dry out a lot faster.

As far as the tying material for securing the sandal on my foot I am currently using a variety of colorful polypropylene cord or soft Leather lace. Both are very good and durable with the polypropylene being the standard for my bare top running sandal since it is waterproof and will not shrink. The leather will tighten up a little as it starts to dry out. Not always a bad thing as the sandals will loosen up a little while wearing them. To further reduce weight on the ultra-thins, I will be experimenting with other lacing material as almost half of the weight of each ultra-thin sandal comes from the lacing. This will be fun and if anyone else has already tried this, please let me know what you have found that works well for you. Also, feel free to share your own experience with wearing Huaraches.

Quote:

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

Leonardo da Vinci

To learn more about Ron G’s custom made Huaraches, please visit my Web Site at: www.allwaysbarefootsandals.com.

For some very good articles on barefoot running, I would recommend you visit John Siffermans Blog site at: www.physicalliving.com. And look up “The Definitive Guide for Going Barefoot” and “Learn the Skill of Barefoot Running”.

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