Running to help others

Ready to run for charity

Running is fantastic. Whether it represents time spent with close friends or family, running in a huge pack of people in a race or fun-run, or whether it boils down to some quality time spent on your own out in nature; running is magical.

Recently I have run on my own many many times and many many miles. I love to get away from it all. I long to run free, surrounded by just nature. No people, no stress, just keep focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. It is my escape, a time used to clear my head, relieve stress and blow out the cobwebs that build up inside after hours spent phoning, emailing and meeting with people. Work is not relevant, nor are the petty arguments you have had when over-tired, nor is money or future plans. For an hour or two it's just you and the trail. Peace at last.

Vivobarefoot Neo Trail Review

Neo Trails in the snow...perfect!

Upon opening the box it was clear these were a gorgeous looking trail shoe. The aggressive tread in the form of 'V' shaped lugs was unlike any other I had ever seen on a bareform shoe. And that is exactly the reason I had purchased a pair. Couple the grip with the fact that these have a water resistant upper and you can see why I immediately had high hopes for these shoes.

Trying them on I was slightly disappointed. Firstly, the original pair i was sent had a faulty heel section inside the shoe. The stitching was not finished properly and had become undone, leaving a rather untidy mess in the left heel. This is not a good first impression, but i was reassured by Vivobarefoot that this was a one-off. First impressions are lasting though! Thankfully the second pair were absolutely fine. Also, once again as with many shoes I was slightly in between sizes. I knew a size larger would leave me with clown feet so I had to stick with slightly-too-small-but-just-about-OK!. This is not really a moan at the shoe companies, as I suppose it's my feet that are the problem. But on the other hand, shoe companies could easily solve this problem if they were to provide us with half size options like Merrell and New Balance already do??!! This being said, the shoes are still very comfortable.