tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24731304079639468882024-02-20T15:27:02.943-05:00Calloused SoleI am a minimalist ultra-runner. I have been running solely (pun intended) in Luna Sandals for over four years now. My blog is about my experiences as a minimalist athlete as it pertains to, you guessed it - minimalist footwear! If you have minimalist footwear that you would like me to DEMO (no high-heels please), email me at: callousedsole@gmail.comAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17703725582618772982noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473130407963946888.post-64479053411109904102013-03-20T08:57:00.002-04:002013-03-20T09:12:23.426-04:00UPDATE on MONO Buckle Issue...UPDATE ON MY MONO BUCKLE ISSUE...<br />
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As you may recall from my last post, I was having trouble with the buckle (primarily on my right sandal) keeping tensioned and tight during my runs. This is of course a pain during training runs and could be very problematic during races. <br />
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PLEASE NOTE: <span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: red;">OPERATOR ERROR!</span></span><br />
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After several emails back and forth with one particular Monkey (thanks Dylan!) at <a href="https://www.lunasandals.com/affiliate/1m0j5j1w">Luna Sandals</a> and some experimentation, I finally realized that I had the STRAP that traverses my metatarsal plate TOO FAR FORWARD - shoot!<br />
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Below is the <u><b><span style="color: red;">INCORRECT</span></b></u> placement of the buckle for my foot:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ikgHSv6D3M8ZFbAP6ii0KOU5DHffUIc_OlhxhyphenhyphenuLBENdDRymUeVV27sXDuQcOLpgmWvG4b2lOLkntAKTm9qJLCrE604inpNocbXzXOPwHzEAQ76hI23V9d2qK3gmA7WVUVoSpb2L6T5q/s1600/Luna1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ikgHSv6D3M8ZFbAP6ii0KOU5DHffUIc_OlhxhyphenhyphenuLBENdDRymUeVV27sXDuQcOLpgmWvG4b2lOLkntAKTm9qJLCrE604inpNocbXzXOPwHzEAQ76hI23V9d2qK3gmA7WVUVoSpb2L6T5q/s320/Luna1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNKvOO6NpWHsLkbaXS2A4Gm8Nr0uAJTOJBWMeMy6xi375w9fqvhUEEr5-6zrMObZXl3f-GnNRpZ3GdMS0rqNywwzO8X0TDSOaWVhkqzB6XI-AB8mH-JaUXoBFhGX5emrC04v0cS2yJEQL/s1600/Luna2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNKvOO6NpWHsLkbaXS2A4Gm8Nr0uAJTOJBWMeMy6xi375w9fqvhUEEr5-6zrMObZXl3f-GnNRpZ3GdMS0rqNywwzO8X0TDSOaWVhkqzB6XI-AB8mH-JaUXoBFhGX5emrC04v0cS2yJEQL/s320/Luna2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, duh, I moved the buckle back about an inch and now the buckle stays firm and snug. I ran a quick 8k last night and had no issues.<br />
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Below is the <span style="color: lime;"><u><b>CORRECT</b></u></span> placement for my foot:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VPqbkFQmsFBGH3MFKYEF0DmbNQR32PjvluDHWdIpL5Kwuxl8ZH8Amo1ynsSPiFBsCo-uswz7KT2qJ0RqeQIRCkNd-H4CyzhpWLmO_03rfOFSZwpKDEpx0quT2kJgAeL8j_h0ieeepOte/s1600/Luna3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VPqbkFQmsFBGH3MFKYEF0DmbNQR32PjvluDHWdIpL5Kwuxl8ZH8Amo1ynsSPiFBsCo-uswz7KT2qJ0RqeQIRCkNd-H4CyzhpWLmO_03rfOFSZwpKDEpx0quT2kJgAeL8j_h0ieeepOte/s320/Luna3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXCvuBtGZgsnTAReT4mxzJWrc0Ro_V4Moap2A0rxpR8bXuAKOGguNDt0yoUmHSxqTqIAqQFgFDqJWV8qWz8bqCv3osG-rb7e4eWOtPEIxeaHlyMHNBq05VKQFGnGjxwt5tNVVfOql2eO3/s1600/Luna4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXCvuBtGZgsnTAReT4mxzJWrc0Ro_V4Moap2A0rxpR8bXuAKOGguNDt0yoUmHSxqTqIAqQFgFDqJWV8qWz8bqCv3osG-rb7e4eWOtPEIxeaHlyMHNBq05VKQFGnGjxwt5tNVVfOql2eO3/s320/Luna4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am extremely confident that this buckle slippage issue is now solved...<br />
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Thank you Dylan @ <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/104312086314016045796" target="_blank">+Luna Sandals</a>.<br />
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I know you're probably thinking, "What's with this guy? He's been wearing LUNAs for four years, he can't get the buckle situated correctly?" Here's the thing - when your foot becomes accustomed to feeling the buckle positioned a certain way, you are reluctant to change it for fear of an improper fit leading to these sorts of issues on a run. The MONO felt fine and normal on my foot out of the box and I didn't want to fuss with buckle placement. I guess I just needed Dylan to be like, "Dude, move the buckle back a bit!" This is the thrill of being a LUNA Product Tester - trial and error, tweak and re-tweak. Report findings. Excelsior!<br />
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I will be going out for a long run today to confirm...<br />
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Stay tuned.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17703725582618772982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473130407963946888.post-52280173123282822062013-03-18T08:31:00.000-04:002013-03-18T08:31:24.588-04:00Luna Sandals - MONO - Out for one month trial...<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Out for one month trial... </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4P5r3z0NsYL-xA_nM2aD3MVNPjDNa_lQThaM_1_OEdIZItDVTApPxbo7qPiaTdKQO3Bt-90NHbhnyo5QNs5cGYLDCaUZJPIpSaOtifAl90pktrgQPcaipdwJjtUC7xCajZESIAr5nUUn/s1600/Purim+2013+108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4P5r3z0NsYL-xA_nM2aD3MVNPjDNa_lQThaM_1_OEdIZItDVTApPxbo7qPiaTdKQO3Bt-90NHbhnyo5QNs5cGYLDCaUZJPIpSaOtifAl90pktrgQPcaipdwJjtUC7xCajZESIAr5nUUn/s1600/Purim+2013+108.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">So, I've used the MONOs in training for
Boston exclusively for the past month. I was reluctant to try the MGT
footbed since I thought that having grippy rubber underfoot in immediate
contact with my skin was going to precipitate hot-spots and set me back
training wise...thankfully none rubbed out since I have some pretty Calloused Soles! That said, I do miss the silky smooth feel that the Shell Cordovan Horse butt leather offers...There
is nothing quite like quality leather on human skin either in boot or sandal form. I have a few pairs of quality European Alpine hiking boots and some American made logger boots that are leather lined. I wonder what the Pittards High Performance Leather footbed feels like and
grips like in comparison to MGT. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">After a few weeks of using my MONOs, I was having some issues with
the excess strap material at the end of the buckle loosening and going back through the buckle instead of tensioning on every stride. This caused my
sandal to loosen mid run which necessitated pulling over and snugging up the
sandal. I spoke with the monkeys at Luna and they suggested a few things:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">1) Try and shift where the buckle sits on your foot so that it is as flat as possible and does not sit lopsided on a bone or tendon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">2) Try securing the excess strap material in the lace holder better.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA45yxLBILK7cgd40aQlq-Xtx03WSJkwv9wr-4UjCYrHTybdj_GTKcZrND7gk2dX9g27hI8UeJGCG_j1UO9YA-1qeEWjm3mvST0E0CdCdk7a4pZ-csboT5C618XIGRnXmjyRfhQSctbmHb/s1600/Purim+2013+110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA45yxLBILK7cgd40aQlq-Xtx03WSJkwv9wr-4UjCYrHTybdj_GTKcZrND7gk2dX9g27hI8UeJGCG_j1UO9YA-1qeEWjm3mvST0E0CdCdk7a4pZ-csboT5C618XIGRnXmjyRfhQSctbmHb/s1600/Purim+2013+110.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Since Luna Sandals stands behind their products, I was told that I could send the sandals back in and they would take a look at them. It could just be a faulty buckle. I was told that I am the first to be having this issue. I said I would like to try and experiment with them for a bit longer and then if need be, send them back in or inspection. My feet could be those one in a million pair that just wont work for these sandals. My wife has told me that I have ugly feet, but come on, I just want to run in my MONOs without a care in the world.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9XzXLbwmwhhXXsHCv6A67WwhuvbaDBSsf2ehK7QvHxHntCt6Y5Wjb4YSInWKWtcsqO3VPK2EF0D90qCLIUIaKbtLwKo4ECmRL1D6OZfz2qrGbcn2OQvBvVC4UmFDMWdMhoRSoobvsngT/s1600/Purim+2013+111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9XzXLbwmwhhXXsHCv6A67WwhuvbaDBSsf2ehK7QvHxHntCt6Y5Wjb4YSInWKWtcsqO3VPK2EF0D90qCLIUIaKbtLwKo4ECmRL1D6OZfz2qrGbcn2OQvBvVC4UmFDMWdMhoRSoobvsngT/s1600/Purim+2013+111.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I don't think I ever once fussed with the elasticized leather straps on
my Catamounts. I was washing the MONOs after each run since the salt and sand
from these New England winters can weather and do a number on Nylon - especially the sand dust, it gets in between the fibers of the Nylon and starts </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">abrasively</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> tearing them down. Perhaps I
was washing away salty grime and dead skin build up - yum - that would otherwise allow
the polypropylene straps to have some friction and stay put at the
buckle. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Aside from that, these appear to be very competent
contenders particularly for long distance road or trail runners and hikers. I look
forward to smattering them with thousands more miles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17703725582618772982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473130407963946888.post-88604841021790583382013-03-17T12:35:00.001-04:002013-03-17T12:35:24.219-04:00Luna Sandals - MONO - Out on first long run...<br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><i>Out on first long run...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I went out for a 13miler last week and ran a PR in my MONOs. At this point with ~100mi on them, the Vibram neoprene or whatever polymer Vibram chose to use for this sole (Ted do you know?) have begun to mold to my feet and are starting to fit more slipper-like, like my Cats. These sandals give the runner confidence at any speed, any terrain, and so far any distance. They are anchored to you by a 3-point harnessing system with a quick release buckle and stretchy elasticized leather heel. Running through the occasional puddle and snow patch, I got some water on the tops of my sandals. The MGT footbed became even more grippy and yet my feet dried off in about a quarter mile. At the end of the run, my feet felt fresh as they always do - no complaints.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />As a side note, I am running the Boston Marathon again this year for Team TAN. You can support my running efforts by clicking here:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/elichernin/bostonmarathon2013">Eli Chernin's Donations Page</a> I intend on running Boston in my MONOs</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17703725582618772982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473130407963946888.post-78772225205250013562013-03-17T12:12:00.001-04:002013-03-17T12:16:44.115-04:00Luna Sandals - MONO - Out on the first run...<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Out on the first run...</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I need to be up front with you. I've labored thousands of
miles in Luna Sandals (Originals, Equus, Catamounts, DIY Kits, MONOs) and I am
extremely partial to my pair of Catamounts (DISCONTINUED - boo!) with a Shell
Cordovan leather footbed and elasticized leather laces. Back to the MONOs. That said, the simple
feel of the MONOs is reminiscent of the Catamounts in that regard.
They are also easy to slip on and off like the Cats. About 5seconds per foot. I felt myself
getting shin splints in my right leg on the first run...whether this was due to
low mileage the week prior or the fact that the MONOs sit 12mm off
the ground, 4mm more than what I was used to in the Cats, I don't know if I was
subconsciously picking up my foot a little extra so that I wouldn't drag and
scrape it on the concrete or if in fact I did have to lift it higher than what
my muscles had memorized when wearing the Cats for 1,500miles. The shin splints went
away completely by my third run and its been about a month or so of running in
the MONOs, so I think I'm in the clear on that front. The ground feel on
the roads is very supple as is on the trail. I have a hunch that on the
longer training runs the extra 4mm of Vibram neoprene will be a welcome addition.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17703725582618772982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473130407963946888.post-21914666148924685122013-03-12T23:32:00.000-04:002013-03-17T12:16:34.504-04:00Luna Sandals MONO - SNEAK PEAK & FIRST REVIEW!<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">For the past four years I have had the privilege of product testing some of the upcoming running sandals from the <a href="https://www.lunasandals.com/">Luna Sandals</a> company in Seattle, WA. The Monkeys at Luna are seemingly well fed as they are exceedingly polite and helpful in responding to my requests, comments, and concerns.</span></i></b><br />
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I was sent the NEW (released to the public today!) MONOs which are rumored to be the ULTIMATE do-everything minimalist sandals; great for hiking, running, hanging out, strolling around, around the house, etc.<br />
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Here are my ramblings...<br />
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<i>Out of the box...</i><br />
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The MONOs have a handmade in the good 'ol USA look, feel, smell and taste - yes, I bit them. They are slightly reminiscent of Chacos and of SOURCE sandals - that is a huge compliment. There is conscious branding by Luna with a sewn in Luna tag and malleted Luna stamp. The seemingly painstaking process of hand-sewing/handcrafting each pair of Lunas by the Monkey manufacturing team in Seattle is astounding. I mean, there is a piece of MGT (Monkey Grip Technology) rubber sewn onto the bottom side of the lateral strap- its purpose, just like its big brother footbed - to reduce slippage in wet/muddy conditions. Luna has also reinvented the wheel with their new lacing system with the introduction of a "backpack buckle" type closure called ATS (All Terrain Strapping) laces so that you can shift, adjust, tighten and loosen on-the-fly. Only like-minded runners who are conscious of every detail would or could care about this sort of minutiae and be able to take 3,500 year old sandal technology concepts, keep them true to their roots and upgrade them to today's standards. Again, combating slippage under wet conditions, an issue I had with the Original Lunas and others with Shell Cordovan leather footbeds, Luna has started using MGT to keep proprioception real and your feet on course. <br />
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[As a side note, on my other Luna sandals with leather footbeds, I treat them every few months with a generous coating of Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP - an all vegetable and honey bee propolis waterproofing product made by a wild-land firefighter for use on leather smoke-jumper boots, saddles, and to revive and rejuvenate leather products. This has allowed me to have pretty minimal slippage during rain and snow up to about 16mi at which point the leather does take on water and becomes slick. Perhaps if I treated them with Obenauf's immediately before running during inclimate weather there would have been no issue - have you noticed yet that I have a thing for boots and sandals!]<br />
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Listen up...The guys and gals at <a href="https://www.lunasandals.com/">Luna Sandals</a> have done it again in this minimal market which isn't so minimal a market anymore!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0