I’ve been eyeing these shoes since last fall when I found out they would be coming out:

Pretty sweet.  They’re the new Pace Gloves from Merrell.  A Merrell shoe with a Vibrum sole.  I LOVE them.

Now that trail running season is here — and I’m practically running barefoot — I wanted a shoe that would be thin but not make me squeal in pain if I hit a sharp rock on the trails.

I took them for a spin this morning at Emma Long Park over on the west side of Austin on the Turkey Creek trail.  The 2.5 mile trail has elevation changes, some flats, some technical turns, lots of creek crossings, and a fair size hill with some switchbacks and steps.  It took me 28:30 to run the loop, including stopping to gasp for breathe near the top and slowing down to navigate the stones through some of the creek crossings.

The shoes were awesome.  They don’t fit like a glove like my 5-fingers, but they weren’t padded, the toe box was wide so I could wiggle my toes, and I felt like I was gripping the terrain with the thin and treaded sole.

I also didn’t wear socks, so when the creek fills up (it was dry), I won’t mind getting my toes wet.

Love it.