About a month ago I received the long-awaited Instinct shoes by Altra Zero Drop Footwear. I have already put almost 150 miles on mine. They have worked so well that I've been too busy running to take time to blog about them.

Prior to owning the Altra Instincts, my weekly footwear rotation included barefoot, Vibram FiveFingers Bikila (VFF), Mizuno Wave Universe 3 (MWU3), and sometimes my Adidas Kanadia 3 trail shoes or Soft Star RunAmocs (and for a short time the New Balance Minimus Road).

I like the Altra Instincts so much that I am running in them almost exclusively. I still try to incorporate at least one barefoot session per week, but I haven't reached for any of my other shoes (including the VFF) since getting the Altras. The experience has led me to question some of my previous notions about minimalist running shoes. Yeah, I like the Altras THAT much.

The Altra Instincts are not minimal shoes. They are fully-cushioned but with zero drop from heel to toe (there is no ramp angle, no differential in sole thickness from the back of the shoe to the front). The front of the shoe is shaped like a foot, so it does not squeeze the toes back together towards the middle of the shoe. There is no extra "stuff" in the shoe to interfere with the human foot's amazing biomechanical capabilities. These features allow one to run with a natural gait and encourages a foot landing on either the forefoot or midfoot (e.g. the whole foot).

These are pictures I took when the shoes were still fresh and shiny:





And here they are on my feet:

I meant to post this a few months ago, but I have been too busy running to spend time blogging. ;)

I have changed my opinion about the Soft Star Shoes RunAmoc Lite and the Invisible Shoes huarache sandal.



When I first blogged about my huarache sandals, I complained about feeling the knot under my toes. Later on, when I tried to run in them, the lacing between the toes caused painful rubbing. My feet are wider now, my toes are spread farther apart.

Similarly, when I first blogged about my Soft Star Shoes RunAmoc Lite moccasins, I complained that my big toe would hurt due to pressure from the front of the shoe.

With both shoes I can now feel the shoe sliding forward when I run, rather than having my foot jamming up into the front of the shoe. I am now running with a wholefoot strike rather than a forefoot strike, and I have learned to run closer to my center of gravity rather than so far behind it. All of these factors seem to have combined to make running in the sandals and mocs a more enjoyable experience.

I now find the RunAmocs to be comfortable for running. The heel area is still a little loose which allows the heel to slide over and off the footbed (I hear rumors that Soft Star Shoes may be working on this issue with some kind of heel cup), but this hasn't turned out to be a tangible issue. They are fun to wear when running on gentle trails. I wear the RunAmocs frequently as a casual shoe (I'm wearing them right now, in fact!).

I still don't find the huarache sandals quite as comfortable for running but I will likely give them another chance this summer since it is getting hot again. I do wear them frequently on nights/weekends and even occasionally to work. They were fun to wear while hiking in El Yunque National Rainforest, Puerto Rico. My huarache sandals were custom made (by me!) from a kit available at Invisible Shoes - huarache sandals.

I work with this guy Caleb...

As mentioned in my other posts about hiking in the rainforest and Old San Juan, my wife and I took a trip to Puerto Rico for our 10-year anniversary.

We stayed at the Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort which is perfectly located near San Juan, the northeast coast beaches (and ferry to Isla de Culebra), bio-luminescent bay kayak trips, and El Yunque National Rainforest.

We had an awesome view from our room:





One day during our stay, we took the ferry over to the Island of Culebra:

As mentioned in my other posts about hiking in the rainforest and the resort and beaches, my wife and I took a trip to Puerto Rico for our 10-year anniversary.

We spent one day walking around old San Juan. It is truly a beautiful city.

This painting is on the outside of the Catedral de San Juan:



The scale of the city wall and fortifications is immense compared to anything I had seen before. Structures such as Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida pale in comparison.

Here is Kristen outside the massive city wall:

Last month I went on vacation with my wife to Puerto Rico for our 10-year anniversary. We stayed at the Rio Del Mar Resort which is perfectly located near San Juan, the northeast coast beaches (and ferry to Isla de Culebra), the bio-luminescent bays, and El Yunque National Rainforest.

I loved the rainforest! I hiked in my huarache sandals which was nice because it was very warm (and wet).

Here is a photo of me glad to be back to the top of La Coca trail:



The trail begins at an elevation of 1476 feet and begins a steep descent, and goes down, down and down. This picture shows one steep and rocky section: