Merrell Women's Pace Glove Trainer

This is only an update on my previous review. I like seeing if people still feel the same about a product a few months after the initial ardour wore off, so that is the purpose of this add on review. Do I still love these shoes? Absolutely! Even more so! More than 6 months of 50-70km a week and not a single solitary injury. Not even a little ache or pain. Nothing. For me, that is unheard of. I have naturally quickened my cadence and my overall performance has improved dramatically. I can run further for longer before I start feeling tired (mind you that is probably because I am getting fitter, from running more, and not because the shoes have magical powers!) My only complaint is the Vibram sole. I mean honestly, hardly any wear at all (at leats I have confirmed that I am not a pronator). Just the embossed name worn off the little yellow tab on the sole and a few grooves not as deep as they used to be. But really, how can I justify buying new shoes if there is no wear on the old ones?! Everlasting Vibram soles are terrific and all but I am still a girl and buying new shoes is just what I do. Hubby however is very much a bloke and buying new of the same shoes when the old ones are perfectly fine is dumb! I might have to treat myself for Christmas because Outdoorkit now stock the sea foam green/blue and at the very least, it's a different colour!

I have to start by thanking Outdoorkit once again for their outstanding service. Unbeatable, and I buy everything online so I know a good thing when I see it. Now, I bought these after about the 5 millionth bout of run for 17 days get injured, lay off for 2 weeks, start all over again. Sick to death of the world's most unreliable exercise program, I decided to investigate the barefoot running craze. Hey, if it didn't work out, at least I'd have a splendidly comfy pair of walking shoes, right? Well, I have been for 4 runs in these. One every night since I got them, already something I don't do as I usually go between 10 and 20 km and need a day in between runs. These shoes are, to be American: friggin awesome! The first time my calves felt it, but I took that as a good sign. If you run barefoot on the spot in your livingroom for 10 minutes, guess what's tight? That's right, your calves! Unbelievably light and comfortable, you can actually feel your feet whispering "thank you" when you move in these. If you buy them for running, be aware that if, like me, you have been running in so called top of the range running shoes, this will feel odd. I got used to it remarkably quickly and at 10 km a night, I'd say me and these shoes are going to be good friends. As an added bonus: I live in the North West. All we had this week is the regular old unfrozen kind of snow (aka rain!) and these dried out overnight. I am still considering a second and possibly a third pair. I like cycling my running shoes and I walk everywhere (no car) so these will be terrific for that, too.

I needed a pair of trainers for running and decided to go for the Pace Glove after the recent hype with barefoot running. I am not a big fan of the FiveFinger design so was pleased when Merrell brought these out as they look like an every day trainer but are still the barefoot design. These are lightweight and you can pack them down small which would be useful if you wanted to take them travelling with you. At first I wasn't sure about the no socks part but after several runs the shoes have proved themselves to be quite breathable so that they are not uncomfortable. Depending on the fit you could probably wear them with a pair of socks if you wanted. In terms of sizing I would say I am usually a 5.5 to a 6 and I had to go for a size 6 in these as the 5's were too tight! Overall a good shoe and although I have not used them excessively up until now, I am pleased with their overall performance so far.