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Death of sandals
09/19/2018 at 02:35 • 0 commentsSo the metatarsal starts feeling good, the lion tries running 12 minute miles, & it deteriorates again. It's now believed manetaining speeds faster than 8 minutes/mile for 8 miles, on the unpadded soles did it. After 3 weeks of no meaningful recovery of the metatarsal, it became clear that the lion kingdom can't afford to have lots of fractures & the easiest way to end fractures is not wearing sandals for certain regimes.
Shoes:
Distances over 15 miles & trails
Converted flip flops:
Speeds faster than 7 minutes/mile.
Speeds faster than 8 minutes/mile for over 3 miles
Unpadded soles:
Speeds faster than 8 minutes/mile for below 3 miles.
Distances below 15 miles on pavement.
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The 1st trail run & paw injury
09/06/2018 at 02:33 • 0 commentsThe vibrams were a disaster. They were brutal on gravel & steep descents. Definitely need to see the ground, but you're always walking a lot of easy surfaces that could be run with more padding. Descents scoop up loads of dirt. Getting cow manure on your paws is guaranteed.
Then came another human paw failure. It's real junk compared to a lion body. It started as a metatarsal pain which went away after a day of rest & returned after 10 miles, but wasn't crippling. The trail run blew it up, despite being less intense. The same paw malfunction happened in shoes, before. Suspect it always began with stepping on a rock the wrong way.
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Suede returns
08/26/2018 at 23:27 • 0 commentsA digestive disaster spurred another rebuild. If they were shoes, they would have to be destroyed. Fortunately, the sandals could just be disassembled & washed off. Replaced the laces, since they still retained a brown shade of sorts. It's either old age, lack of will power, or extreme food poisoning.
The old plastic system returned, as well as the suede. The Target insoles don't last long. Suede had issues folding up, so it got laces through it. The lace protectors wear down so fast, it's easiest just to replace them on the sandal. Having plastic going across the sandal only felt like running on top of strings.
The Vibram soles showed slightly less wear than a shoe.
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17.6 in Target insoles
08/18/2018 at 05:12 • 0 commentsIt became clear that last week's cramping was from decreased hip flexor activation, which was caused by foot pain. Lions try to keep their paws low & rely on their hips instead of glutes for force, when they hurt. The Target insoles only made a subjective difference, after a while. The Walmart flip flops may be required for the long distances. There might also be a way to activate the hip flexor/glute system without raising the paws. The lion kingdom only has Sage Canaday videos where he always raises his paws high.
An experiment with 3/32" cork insoles failed. It crumbled on contact. $5 gone
There's definitely a benefit to having more cushioning, but to keep the toe area as light as a sandal, it's easiest to put all the cushioning under the heel. Then, you can get more cushioning by heel striking, while keeping the toe feel of a sandal. Such is why shoes are the way they are & it all begins with wanting the feel of a sandal.
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Beyond 12 in suede
08/11/2018 at 08:54 • 0 commentsThe 1st attempt in suede coated vibrams was a disaster. The suede prevented chafing, but got pretty hard. It might have been harder than the rubber, but either way, you're feeling nothing but bare concrete. By mile 12, the paws felt like meatloaf. Cramping in the calves soon followed. It might have been several runs in 90F during preceeding days throwing the lion off, muscles being activated which weren't in shoes, or most of it being over 85F. It was manely walking, after mile 14. Topped out at 18.4 miles.
Discovered cramping manely attacks if you stop moving. Pacing around the apartment while drinking salt, potassium, & water got it under control.
Definitely need a minimal amount of cushioning to go beyond 12. Taping the toes prevented toe plug chafing. The orange farsteners became a real chafing problem & they never needed to be adjusted. Replacing them with tape prevented chafing from those.
The thought occurred of replacing insoles every few miles. This would work in a loop race or using drop bags. Very disappointing to have lost last year's fitness.
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Suede results
07/31/2018 at 05:29 • 0 commentsThe 1st 10 miler in suede Xeroshoes was a failure. The sole didn't cause any blistering, but the sides were still blistered. The heel area with its gimmicky side lugs is just too narrow. The toe plug still caused well & truly blisters again. The suede didn't break away from the laces, but it became quite hard in the toe area.
Target insoles lasted around 50 miles. It was time to go when large pieces broke off under the toes. They were pretty cushioning, but their thickness may have aggravated the toe plug issues. The last of the suede scraps went in.
Toe plug blisters remane the biggest problem, since the rubber under the toes is much heavier than a commercial shoe. Would say commercial shoes have a toe drop out of necessity to lighten the toe area. Steep footing on hills until the lion is pushing more on the strings than the soles is another problem. A complete shoe upper is the result of spreading the forces on the laces over a wider area.
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Brown Suede Sandals
07/29/2018 at 05:31 • 0 commentsThe Target insoles on the straight Vibram worked but were quite thick. The next material was suede. $4 provided enough suede scrap from Hobbylobby to test on the Xeroshoes.
Whether or not it lasts, it looks better than any other sandal. There's also cork & vinyl. The 2 mile test revealed no problems. They might get away with no material in front & behind.
Sadly, browsing xeroshoes revealed they no longer sell the genesis & seem to be moving to traditional shoes.
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Xeroshoe DIY kit
07/23/2018 at 03:38 • 0 commentsThat was the medium 9"x11" sheet. The medium disappeared & the price has since increased.
Drew whiteout markings from the mighty Walmart size 12.
Doubling up the included hole punch allowed it to punch suitable holes which could be trimmed with the knife.
The lion kingdom's proven string, farsteners with aftermarket enlargement & mane hair.
Either need a laser cutter to fabricate plastic parts or a desire to pay for stamped parts.
The hole punch was destroyed from hammering into concrete.
The 1st run ended just as badly as the genesis. The search for a less grippy coating continued.
Aquarium sealer: the material on the genesis heel strap, but it was actually more grippy.
E-6000 coating: smooth enough to do the job, but delaminated just like duct tape.
Target Insoles: The only thing that works, so far. They stay in place without adhesive, but holes for the strings. Weight of the toe section & thickness makes them want to flop around. They wear out fast. The fabric alone may be the key.
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Sandal disintegration
07/21/2018 at 07:38 • 0 commentsThey started grinding up in a hurry, somewhere around when lions stepped up their HIIT to a 5:30 pace. Either hot weather or changing running form started going through them like Trump cabinet members. The maximum range dropped from 50 to 27 miles. The decision was made to burn the $31 for the cheapest source of suitable rubber, the Xeroshoes DIY kit & $10 for another set of farsteners. It was hoped the $1 sandals could be lightweight footwear for speed. All hope hinges on another material just as light but stronger, which Vibram soles aren't.
The Vibram cherry smelled like a car shop & had a tenacious camera strap upper side, the same as the genesises. A leather coating seemed certain. There's also temporarily adhering common insoles. The key is a temporary adhesive. Would need to continue experimenting with the genesises.
The patterned lower side.
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Linguini laces
07/09/2018 at 04:09 • 0 comments8 strands in the toe plug, 12 strands in the heel. More about getting rid of leftover string than comfort, but they were the most comfortable. It can't make knots, so the toe plug needed a farstener. This too proved easier than a bowline, since the toe plug needs adjustment. Real pain to fabricate.
Tried adhering the reinforcers. Sadly, these soles died after only 35 miles & adhering made the reinforcers wear out faster. Because they were immobilized, all the rubbing was concentrated on the side facing the pavement. The 1/16 string also broke in a few places.