2nd Pair – Shoe Review

I’m on vacation this week!!
This morning I got up and jogged another 4 miles.  No big deal, but I decided to switch to my 2nd “shoe review” pair of shoes.  This pair is made by Speedo and is called:  “Men’s Seaside Water Shoe”.  I got them at Big5 for $19.99 (on sale from MSRP $24.99).
Product Details (as stated on the Speedo site):
Mesh and jersey upper for ultimate ventilation.
Quick adjust bungee lace with toggle closure.
Durable TPR outsole for maximum traction.
Soft removable EVA insole.
Import.
Initial Impressions:  I tried the shoe on for about a half hour yesterday and it almost blistered my right foot.  The shoe has drawstring laces and at the center of the foot, on the inside of the shoe, there is a patch of raw, psuedo-leather which will chafe the heck out of bare skin (at least it did mine!)  By the end of the half hour, I couldn’t wait to tear them off.
These are definitely “shoes”.  Unlike the Ahnu Delta Water Shoe, these have a top, sides and back which feel like a canvas-ie shoe.  I’d say they even feel “padded”.
Slipping them on and off is not a big deal because they come with grip loops at the tongue and heel.  You just loosen the laces and give them a good tug.
Having learned my lesson with the pre-wear session yesterday, today I wore socks for my jog.  What a world of difference!  No chaffing at all.
Now as for jogging in them – I pulled the laces pretty snug to make sure there was a minimal amount of slippage.  There was none to speak of.  The soles are extremely flexible and soft.  I’d say they feel like a very soft pencil eraser type of rubber.  In terms of jogging, I’d say they feel like the soft rubber of an old-fashioned dessert boot (crepe soles).  They have “ssh-ssh” sound when you jog, instead of the normal “slap-slap” of running shoes.  They almost make you feel like you’re running lighter than you actually are.
Ok, now the not so good news…  After barely four miles, the bottoms are already starting to wear.  The bottoms have a real “aggressive” knobbing pattern on them, which I suppose gives them good traction.  Well, the knobs on the outer edges of both shoes already look about halfway worn down.  The wear pattern goes all the way thru the mid-ball of the shoes.  I will be shocked if these soles last 100 miles, let alone the 140-150 of the Ahnu’s.  Just to put this in perspective, the industry standard for “real” running shoes is to replace them every 300-400 miles due to loss of the shock-absorption in the cushioning materials.
Time will tell…
On other related matters:
Here’s a link to a review of Vibram FiveFingers in Wired Magazine:  Shoes for Nerds
Here’s a link to a “Nature” article with information about endurance running and how it may have affected our evolutionary development.
Here’s a link to a site that discusses the biomechanics of running by Dr. Daniel E. Lieberman (PhD).  To see / hear the Barefoot Professor discuss barefoot running.
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