People Don't Change, Lives Do - Part II

I wanted to go into the idea of how lives change a bit more. This is at the essence of my core values around hard work, diet, persistence and enlightenment.

I get questions from people all the time about some fad diet or fad workout program that promises that they'll drop X pounds or inches in Y weeks. I have no doubt that following these plans to the letter will likely return the kind of results they promise by the date they promise them by.

But that's just it. You can't really follow them to the letter while living your life in the real world, and you'll always be left with the question of what happens after that magic date Y weeks from now. Simple - you will return to the way you were before (or just about - maybe a little better, maybe a little worse off).  Why? You haven't learned how to live better.  You return to the same life based on the same flawed fundamentals.

See, everyone wants to look good for event (wedding, high school reunion, etc). I get it. But who doesn't want to look and, more importantly, feel good all the time? That doesn't come from shake diets. That comes from learning the building blocks of healthy eating and how to get and stay active.

Anyone can read the packaging on Slim-Fast or Hoodia or whatever gimmick you want to look at. It takes more to figure out how to eat smarter and live better. That takes help, guidance, and time. Time is the crucial element because it's how you really learn this stuff at a deeper level so you can sustain it. It becomes what you know naturally rather than something you need to refer to a convenient wallet card to understand to know how many points a turkey sandwich is.

I can help you learn what you need to know, and then you can help yourself change your life. That's how you enlighten.your.body.

People Don't Change, Lives Do - I Help Change Lives

People don't change...lives do.

-Me

I came up with that the other day, and it really struck me. I wanted to blog about this idea as I think it can be quite powerful. Ultimately, it's at the heart of what I try to do with newbodi.es - I try to help people change their lives - while remaining true to who they are.  Let me explain.

You hear two conflicting ideas about people and change:

1. A tiger can't change his stripes.
2. Everyone can change.

So which is it? I think they're actually not opposing, but rather are talking about different things.  And they're both true.  The idea of #1 is that a tiger's stripes are literally permanent.  It means we are, at our core, who we are.  Our bodies are somewhat fixed due to our genetics and life - we can't change our height, the number of limbs we have, etc.  We can't even change our hair color. I know, you're thinking, "Sure you can, you just dye it." No, you can't. You cover up the real color, but under that dye job, your real hair color remains. That's why people get roots when they dye their hair.

By the same token, aspects of our values and ethics are largely unchangeable as they have decades behind their development.  They can be tweaked, but they generally will remain. Perhaps not all of them, but enough for you to have an identity as a person. Don't agree with me? Would you ever kill someone for fun? Not self-defense, retribution, survival, etc.  Just for kicks.  Would you ever change that opinion?  See what I mean?  Notice I'm not assuming you would or wouldn't do it, just that your view on the matter is likely engrained permanently. Why is it so permanent? It's rooted in some very basic morals and values you hold - perhaps even subconsciously. These won't change on the whole (though they can be refined, of course).

Speaking more physically, if you want to become a great basketball player and are five feet tall, you can't work hard at being seven feet tall to be good.  You can become a great player regardless, but you can't change your height by will, reading, introspection or training.

These are the stripes of the tiger.  They don't change.  This is why I say, "People don't change."

Instead, what we can change is how we live. The choices we make around our actions and beliefs about what happens around us completely alter our lives. While the tiger's stripes are permanent, he can choose whether to eat that other animal. Whether you're a generally inactive person or not and whether you eat unhealthily or not, you can choose to go for a walk. You can choose to eat better. You can choose to believe this is good and feel good as a result. That good feeling will drive more good actions.

See, we are all dealt a hand in this card game. We can't change that. What we can change is how we play it. What strategy will we employ to win. We can also define what we consider to be winning (getting all the chips, having a great time, making stronger friendships during the game, etc).

You are who you are. That's fixed, but it's not a prison. Let's work together to change your life. It is how you enlighten.your.body.

Mind Over Miles

This post is long – very long, actually.  It’s the longest I’ve written. But that’s appropriate given the content and the message.  I hope you’ll read the entire post, and really take the message in as I think it can help.  I posted the essence to a running group I’m part of online, and the number of responses that came in almost instantly shows me how many people are out there thinking the way I was, and how much this message can help. It’s about persevering beyond your self-doubt to find a place where you achieve and grow.

On a recent business trip to London, I was going to get a chance to run with a coworker (Bill) who has done some very long races relative to the kind of mileage I put in (half marathon, Ragnar Ultra Marathon Relay).  We were talking about running along the River Thames together, which I love to do, but he was thinking of nothing major – just five miles or so.  The longest I had run was 4.2 miles, and I tore the lateral meniscus in my left knee on that run.  Since my knee surgery, the longest I had gone was 3.8 miles.  I had Bill beat speed-wise (or at least according to the self-deprecating pace he claimed to run at) by quite a margin, so I told myself going so much slower should make it ok.

I got to London a few days before Bill, so I decided I best give the distance a try.  I suited up as soon as I landed, having flown in on a Sunday.  With my compression socks pulled high and my big hand bottle filled up, I took to the Thames Path (some of the best running in a city you could imagine).

With a 5K race coming up, I figured I needed to at least pull off a 5K around my goal pace (aiming for sub-25 minutes), but anything beyond that was gravy, and I wasn’t sure I could do it.  It was very crowded on the path, so I got some good training on dodging and weaving, which I’m sure I’ll need for my upcoming race.  If you’re familiar with the Thames, I started at Tower Bridge across from Butler’s Wharf, crossed the river, and ran out through More London by City Hall toward The Eye, passing The Globe Theater and The Tate Modern along the way.  It’s really a great run.

I definitely had to push myself.  I figured it was because I had just come off a seven-hour flight and had been feeling sick for the past week.

I ran to the landmark he had mentioned for a there-and-back route (the London Eye, which is about 2.7 miles from our hotel).  I didn’t quite go all the way, and turned at 2.35 miles.

I was surprised at how fresh I was feeling – fresher than I had felt at the first mile.  My pace was about 7’40”, which was well under my target pace.  Good stuff.

The run continued with me crossing to the other side of the river, crossing on the Millennium foot-bridge.  Coming back on the other side is a mix of running along the river and having to break back into the city for a block or two as the path isn’t as direct as it is on the side I ran out on.

As I crossed the 5K mark, my pace was still sub-8, and I felt really good, but had developed a blister on my right foot that was really starting to bother me.  Despite that, I found some other runners, reeled ‘em in, and left ‘em behind.  I had to stop a couple of times to adjust my shoe to deal with my blister, so some of my victims overtook me.  Momentarily.  I found them all again, and got my kills back.  Awesome.

I really cooked a few times, getting my pace down below 7’ for some 200-800 repeats, and felt great (aside from my blister).  I came back to my hotel at 4.6 miles – a new record distance for me.  But it wasn’t enough – I had more in the tank, and needed to know I could do five before I risked humiliation in front of a coworker.  I basically ran back and forth in front of the hotel with my arm up so I could see my GPS watch until I hit five.  Slap the wrist and I’m done.  Wow.

I expected that to be my long run before Thursday when this guy and I were going to run again, and then that would be my long run for months to come.  I was right about the first part, but not the second.

On that run with Bill, he took off at 5:20am at a pace in the low 7s.  So much for his claim to run 9-10’ miles!  I was definitely working at it to keep up.  He insisted he’d be running out of steam soon, which he did, but never down to the 9s or 10s he claimed to run.  We settled in the low 8s, which I’m very comfortable at.  The first two miles took some work to keep sticking at – I could hear a voice inside saying, “It’s cool if you have to tell Bill you’re going to turn and head back. It’s ok if you’re not feeling it today. He’s a good guy. Don’t worry, just turn around. And it’s ok to stop and take a breather. He’s cool with it.”  The thing is, it’s the same voice I heard the whole first half of the run on Sunday, and that I tend to hear during my entire 2-3.5 milers, which is my typical distance.  As our pace settled and I warmed up, we started talking more, so I couldn’t hear the voice so much.  Suddenly, we reached The Eye before I knew it, and I realized I was feeling really good.  I had done a lot of first aid on my foot since Sunday, so my blister wasn’t an issue.  I was just feeling on top of my game all around.

And then it happened.  Only this time, ‘It’ was nothing.  No pain. No tiring out. No negative inner voice.  I was in a zone I’d never experienced before when running. It’s like I had gotten past some initial wall of mental traffic, and was suddenly cruising on an open freeway with a huge grin on my entire body.  Call it Flow, call it The Zone, call it a runner’s high, call it whatever.  I had hit a place where endurance wasn’t an issue.  I had hit a place where my body and my mind were in perfect sync, and both feeding off each other to the other’s benefit.  It was awesome.

I posted this in a running group I'm part of on Facebook, and got a response on the medical reasons for this:

And here’s the medical explanation…it’s ultimately about when your brain reads the signals that things need to change in how it’s dictating your systems and then how long before your body catches up given the deficit that’s built while your brain was ‘waking up’ to reality

We did 6.15 miles without realizing it.  I wish I knew so we could have made it a 10K (a quick run around the hotel would have been more than enough to get to 6.2 miles).   The thing is, I really could have kept going.  I wish I did – I honestly think I could have done 10 miles with the time I still had.  I ended up going to the hotel gym and doing 35 minutes on the elliptical, so I know I could have put in another 3-4 miles.

We emailed back and forth a bit, and I said we should do it again Friday.  I had to leave for the airport at 8, so I’d be up by 4, and would be game to hit it as soon as the sun came up (5:06am sunrise).  He emailed me at 5 to say he wasn’t up for it after a late night business dinner. I was bummed because I enjoyed his company, I wanted to show Bill the other side of the river (he’s never run by More London and wasn’t sure how to get to the other side, which can honestly be tricky with various stairs and some points where you have to go out a bit from the path to get back into it – at least to dumb Americans like me and him).  I was also bummed because I was afraid that my ability in the back half of the run came from Bill being there to push me and take my mind off things.  I had decided to run music-free this week, so I nervous about getting caught in my head too much.  I also had a really bad pain between my third and fourth met on my left foot.

I set out at 5:15am, crossed Tower Bridge, and told myself I needed to press to The Eye no matter what.  I had a plan for what to cover to get over six miles, and wanted to do seven.  My foot hurt, but I didn’t feel it as much if I focused on keeping my foot strong when I landed.

Sure enough, the first couple of miles were tough – not quite as tough as they had been on Sunday or with Bill the day before, but tough.  My foot hurt.  I was running slower on purpose because I was a little nervous about sparking an injury since I have a race coming up in two weeks and I did just run longer than I had ever run a mere 24 hours earlier.  I was in the 8’45” range, but actually decided not to look at my watch and just be a bit more disconnected.  I wanted to take things in – no music, no stressing the numbers, just enjoying the scenery and the run.

Next thing I know, I’m at The Eye, and a little bummed and want to run out past it.  I decided that wasn’t wise since a) it’s about three miles back, which could be tough if I was injured, b) I didn’t have time to walk back if I was injured or I’d be late for my flight home, c) I had no money, Tube pass or credit cards to buy my way back if I couldn’t run, and d) I wanted to run past Tower Bridge to Butler’s Wharf so I wanted to keep a little gas in the tank for that extra bit before heading back to the hotel.  I turned, and started back.

My foot hurt, but that was it. I had no problem otherwise. I actually had to remind myself that I need to be careful of my foot since my gait is probably off due to the pain when my left foot strikes, so I could injure something else or get some new blister.  I kept going anyway, and my mind and body were in that zone again – even when my foot sent sharp pains through my body.  I’ll admit my forefoot strike that I’m so proud of digressed into heel striking about 40% of the time to stay off those mets, but I kept going.

I came charging across Tower Bridge in the 7s, and started really pumping my arms to finish.  Slap the watch, and look down.  I had just crossed the 10K mark, which was awesome, but I was expecting my distance to start with a 7.  I decided I needed to do a cool down run, so I ran in the 9s around St. Katherine’s Dock (which is a beautiful little area), putting in another 0.68 on top of the 6.3 I had already clocked.  If only I knew I was .02 miles off from officially hitting seven rather than rounding to seven.  And my body and mind were still synced up, so that leisure pace dropped down into the 7s again – I couldn’t help myself.

I realized what was happening.  Biologically, there are reasons why I needed a warm up to get my body flowing, but mentally, I needed just a touch more distance, and then it was a light switch flick reaction.  Now that I’ve run past that place of doubt rather than always taking it as a sign that something is likely wrong and I need to stop – that is, interpreting it from a pessimistic and fearful perspective – I’ve allowed my mind to unlock.  What I’ve found on the other side of that door is amazing.  Putting specific pains aside (blisters, met pain, etc), I literally feel like my only constraint is time.  It’s an unreal and incredibly freeing and empowering feeling.

What I took away is the need to keep pushing myself regularly.  I need to seek a personal record (PR) every day – whatever that might and however it might be measured.  If we don’t push, we don’t grow.  We don’t achieve.  We don’t empower ourselves and see our true strength from within, which is a much more impactful place to see it from than from an external source.  I empowered myself to achieve and found this amazing place I wanted to perform at from now on.  How will you find that line so you can cross it and empower.your.body?

Open Letter to Runner's World on Carbs

Dear Runner's World,

                I love you. Seriously. Your magazine is fantastic. It has this amazing energy to it that I feel really helps keep me thinking about running, loving running, and helping others with their entry into and sustained practice of running. You have some excellent feature pieces (NYC Marathon, Shalane and Kara, Pre, etc), really enjoyable regular columns (I love "Ask Miles" and Marc Parent's "Newbie Chronicles"), and just a great attitude to the magazine that is so crucial in feeding a runner's passion.

But, my friend, it isn't all love. I know all the talk for runners is about carbs, and you do an admirable job helping dispel the myth that you can or should eat loads of carbs pre-race. However, I read all of your recipes and nutrition advice, and I see a consistent theme of fewer calories, less fat, less protein and more carbs, and it disturbs me. Protein is the fuel of muscles. Carbs is the fuel of short bursts of energy and fat storage.  Runners aren't usually associated with fat stored on the body, but there are tons of runners who don't 'look like runners', and should really be focusing on diets higher in protein and veggies and lower in carbs.  The truth is, you don't need carbs in the quantities your recipes suggest, and you certainly don't need the added sugar that keeps popping up in every recipe, from honey to straight sugar - especially when many of your recipes already have fruit in them.

I have been following a Slow Carb diet for a few years now, and have much higher energy and endurance than I've ever had.  I also have lower body fat than ever before despite eating materially more fat on a daily basis than I ever did.  I coach others in the same path, and their results are similar.  Protein can be a better fuel than carbohydrates, and doesn't run the risk of turning to fat if you don't use it. Nor is it too rapidly digested, so you don't need to reach for it again and again like you do with an energy gel to avoid bonking. Nor does it run the risk of creating insulin resistance, which means you are more likely to store carbs as fat, which will make you produce more insulin, which will make you more insulin resistant, and the circle starts over again.

Using the right protein in the right way is a far better solution than fueling with carbs. For me, it's getting whey protein for shorter runs and post-workout; or using casein for longer runs (eat some cottage cheese, for example).  Starting your day with a high protein breakfast has proven to spark fat burning throughout the day, and keep you feeling fuller longer than carb breakfasts.

Another theme I've noticed is anti-gluten-free diets for non-gluten-intollerant people. You have articles that essentially tell people to watch out if they're considering going GF and warn about the risks due to giving up whole grains. People didn't eat whole grains for thousands of years, and yet we're all here today, so it can't be as crucial as the FDA tells us.  You downplay the benefits experienced by those who go GF by explaining the improved general energy and wellness as merely due to cutting out processed foods. How do you know that? What about all those who eat whole foods including gluten, go GF, and then get that increased energy and general wellness improvement?  I'm in that boat, as is my wife and many others around us.  I also know people who are GF yet eat plenty of processed food, but still feel much better overall and have fewer gastric issues.


I don't mean to knock you. Really. I just want to ask you to start to open up to the non-1970s/1980s medicine that pervades our dietary advice. It's the same stuff that insists that 'calories in < calories out -> lose weight', despite evidence that this isn't the case. It's the same stuff that leads to 'a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and a sensible dinner' being the definition of 'diet' for most Americans, rather than what we eat day in, day out.

If magazines could read, I'd recommend that you read "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes. I wrote a book review of it here. Since you can't read, I advise you to interview Taubes and see what he thinks about his findings and advice relative to the needs of a runner.

Let's get smarter about nutrition. Let's look at real facts. Let's help people get to a better place. Let's help people enlighten.their.body.

Sincerely,
Bryan Falchuk

Recipe: Egg & Gluten Free Baked Zucchini Crisp

I have been trying to think of creative dishes to make for my family that are gluten free, dairy free and egg free.  Something that is wonderful to have discovered is the wealth of GF flours out there - my favorites being coconut flour and almond flour.  The coconut flour has a great taste, but it doesn't substitute well for all-purpose flour - something in how it mixes and stuff.  I dunno, I'm not a baker.  Almond flour does much better.  Garbanzo flour works better, as does Buckwheat flour, but they both have strong tastes.  Bob's Red Mill has a huge selection.

That said, the trick has always been how to get it to bind - for example when breading chicken breast with it.  Eggs work like magic, but I am trying to avoid them in my cooking due to some allergies I'm working around (not for me, but one of the people I'm cooking for).  I've learned of flax eggs, and have tried those.  They're great, but don't see to work with breading.  Why?  Unlike an egg, flax eggs don't solidify when heated.  They're more like gluey stuff than anything.

So, this recipe came together almost by accident, but it's fantastic, and I have to share it.  It was my attempt at making zucchini latkes (since potatoes are out for me and my wife's diet, and I'd rather give my son something more nutritious than white starch).  I made the mixture below, tried to fry it but failed.  What I came up with instead is so much better than the latkes would have been.  My mistake is your benefit...and my wife's, who loves this stuff.

Ingredients

• 4-6 zucchini (I prefer organic), peeled and grated, then pressed in a strainer to get as much water out as possible - the more the better
• 2 flax eggs (each egg is: grind 1 table spoon of flax seeds and add 1 table spoon of water, stir, let sit and thicken, stirring occasionally - don't hesitate to add a touch more water until it has almost (but slightly thicker) the consistency of a raw, beaten egg) 
• 1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic - go with your taste preference
• 1-1.5 cups of almond flour (the amount will depend on how much zucchini you use, and how wet it is)
• Seasoning to taste per your preference (I used turmeric and sea salt, chopped cilantro, and would also throw in a touch of cayenne if this was just for me and not my wife and 4 year old)

Directions

• Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, really working it through with your hands so there are no areas of flour or flax egg bunched up, nor any zucchini left out of getting coated
• Spread onto a cookie sheet with some tin foil that you lightly coated with olive oil (this is healthier than using a Teflon coated cookie sheet, but do as you like); spread it so that it isn't too thick across or high/deep, this will ensure it gets crisped throughout. A trick I figured out was to leave a gap in the middle so you get more 'edges'.
• Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, and check on it.
• Keep baking until it's got a nice brown color around the edges, and has started to get more golden throughout. This will vary by oven, cookie sheet, thickness of the spread, etc. The first time I made it, it took 20 minutes.  The second time took 27.
• There's no such thing as over or under cooked. You aren't using raw egg, so there's zero health risk to undercooking, so you're really going for the level of crisp that you want. That said, crispier is better.  If you like it less crispy, you're wrong. Stick it back in and cook it longer. :)

That's it. This is such a fortuitous mistaken discovery. Enjoy, and make your own cooking attempts, failures and triumphs as you enlighten.your.body.

Review: Merrell Run Barefoot Bare Access 2

The buildup
After finding the ultimate replacement for my Vibram SeeYa's in the Merrell Vapor Glove from their M-Connect line, I had some issues that meant I needed some more padding underfoot, as discussed in my recent review of the Vapor Glove (read it here: Review: Merrell Barefoot Run Vapor < Barefoot Run Access 2).

I picked the yellow ones since they looked similar to the yellow in a lot of my Skins compression clothing, and close to what I use in the newbodi.es logo. More on that later.

What it is & how it works
This is the second-most minimalist member of Merrell's M-Connect line, and an update to the Bare Access (hence the number 2 in its name),  The shoe supposedly breaths, but I found my feet getting hot, especially with any socks on. You can also wash it, which is good considering the heat issue I noticed, and it's very light for its structure.  I'm used to shoes that feel far more flexible and unstructured, so this shoe is surprisingly light to me.  It has laces, but, like most of the M-Connect shoes I've tried, I found they're helpful but the fit still isn't glove-like around where my foot and ankle meet.  In other M-Connects (like the Sonic Glove), this has been a problem, but not here or with the Vapor Glove.  The shoe sort of bows out at the sides of the collar, but it doesn't really matter. I don't feel unstable or like there's slop.

The shoe comes in a lot of colors (black, two whites, blue, green, yellow, etc), and has a good, wide toe box - a must for minimalist runners.  I've really come to feel my toes constrained in most shoes, and fell in love with the space the Vapor Gloves and Bare Access gave my toes.  The Vapor Gloves stretch a little better, but these are still great.

The sole is made of a very thin piece of Vibram rubber mounted to a foam cushion layer.  The shoe is zero drop, but has a 13-14mm stack height (I see conflicting reports online).

My impressions
When I put them on, it was immediately the most firm shoe I'd worn to run in for a long time, and the arch support was noticeable.  These two things really concerned me.  I've been reading a lot of shoe reviews lately, and have learned that things you noticed when standing or walking don't necessarily get noticed when you're running.  Since this is a running shoe, I reserved judgement.

I'm glad I did.  As soon as I started running, I felt zero issue with flexibility, and didn't have any sensation of an overly intruding arch design.  I don't have high arches, so I'd be more sensitive to this than most people, and I had no issue.

The shoe's cushioning was firm but good enough to eliminate any of the pain I was getting with the Vapor Glove.  All in all, I really liked the shoe. It will be a tough contender for my top shoe vs the Adipure Gazelle. There are signs that this will surpass the Gazelle, though, as I find the Gazelle to be getting sloppy as it ages.  The upper is a sort of spandex-like material, so you can imagine it would stretch out and lose elasticity.  The Bare Access isn't made of this kind of material, and the cushion seems denser, so I'd imagine it will resist wearing down while the upper resists stretching out.  I'm expecting the Bare Access at 50 miles to be noticeably better than the Gazelle is at 50 miles.

My depressions
My only issue so far is the color.  It isn't yellow (or "sulphur", as Merrell calls it).  It looks nothing like the pictures.  It's more of a fluorescent yellow-green.  It's that sort of 'safety neon yellow' you see a lot of night running jackets in.  It's the shade Nike uses for their SportWatch and Nathan offers for it's ID bracelet.  It's not bad, but it's nothing like I expected.  I should have wised up with I saw City Sports refer to it as "Lime".  It's not quite lime green, but it's definitely a more accurate description than yellow or sulphur.  Think "lime juice".  Incidentally, City Sports describes that shade on the SportWatch "Lime".  At least they're being honest and consistent.

Since I have an all "Lime" (or "Volt", as Nike calls it) SportWatch, these ended up matching my absurdly bright wrist accessory perfectly.  Still, I would have preferred actual yellow.  If I was to buy them again, I think I'd get the gray and orange, or maybe the white with black and red.

To buy or not to buy
I wouldn't pause on recommending these to anyone. They're a great first minimalist running shoe, but also great for the experienced minimalist who wants something with a bit of cushion in their arsenal.  At $90, they're not cheap, but no shoes are anymore, and, unfortunately, $90 is becoming 'cheap' for brand-name shoes.  You can get the Barefoot Run Bare Access 2 at Amazon in all of their myriad colors, and do check out the Ladies versions if you're not a dude. They have some great color options in the women's model.

I haven't totally decided yet, but these are a very strong contender to be my shoe of choice during my upcoming 5K race.  I wanted to run in the Vapor Gloves, but there's too much liability with those right now. The other contender is yet to be run in and yet to be reviewed - the ugly but enticing Adidas Adipure Adapt (they finally came out with a cool color combo...at least to me - yellow and black) - stay tuned.

I'm a firm believer in minimalist running, and to work toward using as minimal a shoe as you can.  These don't look like that shoe, but they run much more minimal than they look. As my own struggles to get back to a more pure shoe prove, it's ok to take your time when getting in touch with your inner Chi runner while you enlighten.your.body.

Review: Merrell Barefoot Run Vapor < Barefoot Run Access 2

The buildup
So, I have been running in Vibram Seeya's for a while now.  By "a while", I mean, "off and on."  I ran exclusively in them when I first got into running in 2012, but have used them far less since getting back into running after each of my last two surgeries.  I had a couple of reasons for that, mainly that I found I was getting more blistering on my soles and sides of my feet than with other minimalist shoes I run in (see this blog post: Review: Adidas Adipure Gazelle Running Shoe).

I wanted something truly minimalist (no padding), but no toe pockets and no strapping that might lead to some of the blisters the SeeYa's gave me.  I saw Merrell announce the Vapor Glove, and I was like, "that's exactly what I'm looking for."

What it is & how it works
The most minimalist member of Merrell's M-Connect line ever, The Vapor Glove is a truly minimalist

shoe in its lack of padding, lack of real structure to the upper, super light weight, and extra flexibility.  You can roll the shoe up.  You can also wash it, it breathes like crazy, and it's unbelievably light.  It has laces, but, like most of the M-Connect shoes I've tried, I found they're helpful but the fit still isn't glove-like around where my foot and ankle meet.  In other M-Connects (like the Sonic Glove), this has been a problem, but not here.

The shoe comes in a variety of colors (orange, red, green/blue, dark gray), and has a good, wide toe box - a must for minimalist runners.  I've really come to feel my toes constrained in most shoes, and fell in love with the space the Vapor Gloves gave my toes.

The sole is made of a very thin and extremely flexible piece of Vibram rubber.  Like I said, it can roll up really easily, and I don't mean how you can 'roll' a pair of Nike Frees.  I mean, you can roll the shoe up over itself.  They're awesome to travel with since you can sneak them in any corner of your bag or clip them to the outside of your bag without noticing they're there or swinging around.

My impressions

I really like this shoe, and love running in it.  According to my Nike+ account, I've put 17 miles on them, almost all of which has been in Boston around the Harbor on the great Harborside path there.  They provide excellent road feel (probably within 5% of what my SeeYa's give me), have the right balance of grip without being problematically sticky, and really can sort of disappear on your feet.  They can be worn with or without socks, and I've tried them both ways.  I think I need a little time to adjust to them without socks, but it's clearly better.  Therein lies my issue...

My depressions
For whatever reason, no matter what sock I run in with these, I find my feet feeling raw and like I've been running on sandpaper starting around mile 1.5.  That's way too early to have issues like that.  I've tried CEP and Zoots compression socks, Swiftwick anti-blister socks, Nike Dri-Fit anti-blister socks, Adidas climacool socks, running socks from The Clymb (awesome site, by the way - check it out) and all end up in the same boat.  I did 1 mile barefoot on a treadmill, and found they were better than with socks, but still not perfect.  My last 3.5 miler had me stopping at the 2.5 mile mark to take off my socks because I couldn't go on.  The finish was better, but the damage was done.  It took me 3 days to not have so much burning in the skin of my soles to be able to run.  And there were no explicit blisters, so there was nothing to pop or treat and get over.

Additionally, and I can't fault the Vapor Gloves for this, but I've had some serious pain in my right foot during and after running with them.  I'm still getting through rebuilding my left leg after my knee surgery, so I know my gait isn't ideal, and I'm sure that's why my right foot is giving me trouble.  I've had extreme pain at the base of my Achilles' (painful to the touch), and the outstep of my foot felt like something was broken in it, with sharp snapping pain and extreme stiffness.

I'm working through both (amazing Physical Therapist at JointVentures), and, like I said, I don't really blame the shoe.  However, using such a minimalist shoe wasn't a good idea for me yet, so in a sense it is the shoe's fault, though not a design issue.  More my issue for choosing it just yet.

This is so strange for me since I started running with the SeeYa's and had no issues.  I've only had issues when getting back into running.  I'm sure once I'm really at 100% of my minimalist game, and my feet are strong enough, these will be awesome...if I can figure out what to do about the sandpaper feeling.

To buy or not to buy
This is a tough one.  If you want a real minimalist shoe, don't want to look like you're wearing gloves on your feet and don't want to go full throttle and rock huaraches, then I can't recommend this shoe enough.  If you're not sure about having no padding at all, or wonder if your feet, calves, ankles, etc are ready for a true minimalist run, then hold off.

My intention was to use these for my upcoming 5K (and 3.5 mile JPMorgan Corporate Challenge race 3 weeks later).  I would still love to given how light and responsive they are, but I'm just not sure I trust them for me at the moment.  Maybe in a few months, but not in less than a month.  I'm just hoping my foot recovers from what's already happened in these shoes in time for my race!

The shoes are $80, which is pretty competitive for their space.  Unlike some companies, Merrell charges less as the level of build-up of the shoe decreases (e.g. the next shoe up in the M-Connect line in terms of how built-up it is would be the Barefoot Run Bare Access 2, which costs $10 more).  You can get the Vapor Glove at Amazon for more or less, depending on color.  Personally, I am also testing the Bare Access 2, and prefer them - at least right now.  That said, there's little benefit apparent to me yet of the Bare Access 2 over the Adidas Adipure Gazelle, which has been my favorite shoe so far.  I say, "yet," because I have only put 3.4 miles on the Bare Access, and I have about 50 on my Gazelles.

I'm a firm believer in minimalist running.  It's the only way I've been able to really love every stride, and see running as something love and long to do. Running minimalist has been the best way that I've found to enlighten.your.body.