Merrell Trail Glove Shoe Review

Shoes! I hate them, but I have to have them. Without shoes, I would be a lost soul, with really sore and callused soles. I’ve always been shoe resistant, for the 14 years that I did martial arts, it was all barefoot. In High School, all the sports I played were shoeless (swimming, water polo). But now, running, plyometrics, and bicycle riding are my favorites. And, they pretty much require shoes.

When I took up running, I immediately noticed that my knees were getting sore. I’ve never had a knee problem, and I just figured that it was because I was a heavy guy. But when exercising in the house, I always took off my shoes, and running in place, jumping rope, doing plyo, never hurt my knees. I eventually came to the conclusion that it was my expensive running shoes causing me issues.

After hours of internet research, I found out that barefoot-running was probably my best solution. The industry leader in these types of shoes are the Vibram Five Fingers. I had seen the Vibram Five Fingers online before, and they look ridiculous. Although, they are curiously cool. (I secretly want a pair)

Also in my research, I came across the Merrell Trail Glove. These are not ridiculous looking at all, but I also read that they are less barefoot like. At $109, they cost a pretty penny for a shoe I was unsure of buying. I tried to find alternatives first. I tried Wal-Mart’s water sock, lame idea! I also looked at modifying my flip-flops, etc. I even… hold your breath… thought about running barefoot. After running the idea by my wife, she thought that would be a bad idea. I’d probably pick up a lot of gunk like pesticides, and chemicals on my feet. In addition, one small stick, syringe, or poo pile could ruin my day. So, after much back and forth about spending some serious $, I decided to go to the local mega mall, or the Galleria, to try some different types on. Well, the mall only had the Vibram Five Fingers. They are the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn. They are awesome, but like I mentioned before… D-O-R-K-Y!

So… on to the Merrell Review. I stopped by my local REI who has them in stock to try on. I left my socks on when trying them on, and they felt a little weird. Okay, I have to admit, really weird. They initially felt like they were defective, odd, uncomfortable, weird. That feeling lasted a good 5 seconds (otherwise, I would not have bought them). After trotting around the store, jumping on the fake rocks in there, and pretending I was actually going to go hike in them, I had second thoughts. These shoes were really cool, and comfy, but $109!?!. I went home, then returned to try them on again, then bought them online for $89. I could live with that price.

FIRST RUN: Best Experience Evar! It was like these shoes were made for me. It was like I was 17 again. I wanted to run in dirt (they’re called trail shoes), they were flexible, and it just felt so natural. I ran, and ran, and ran. I felt so good, I even skipped in them (Only one or two skips, seriously now). It was all good, I was so happy, I am even smiling now thinking of running that day. Then came the morning after… I had trouble making eye contact with my shoes… My calves were so sore! These shoes definitely work different muscles. I don’t blame the shoes, but sheesh, I had to blame something right? It took me about a week to recover. After about a week, I was fully recovered and went running again. Not as many miles, and zero soreness the next morning.

Bottom Line: The shoes are great. They fit snug, and I would recommend wearing them without socks. At first, they might feel a little weird, like there is something under the balls of your feet, but that feeling goes away very quickly, and becomes unnoticeable after a few wears. You have to run on the balls of your feet in these shoes, and that helps with my knee soreness. They seem durable, so durable, I had thoughts that they might last too long and I would need to find an excuse to buy a new pair.

They are super light weight. The UPS box they came in felt empty. I had the bright idea of putting these in my backpack/briefcase to take to work so I can run to catch the City Commuter Bus that always drives pass my stop.

I think investing in top notch equipment, especially shoes is well worth the investment. They’ll last longer, and keep you out of the doctor’s office (think co-pay, prescriptions) and save you money in the long run. Too, when you’re getting in shape you’ll want to look good doing it. I wore these shoes to work on casual Friday, and I got 3-4 good compliments. I couldn’t tell if they were sincere or not (I’ve never received shoe compliments) but the wife assures me that they were sincere, because they are ‘cute’ shoes.

Dorking Out with My Heart Rate Monitor

When I found my true exercise bliss, working out anywhere but the gym, I noticed I was exercising way too hard.  I would sprint, make myself sore, hurt my knees, and just be plain miserable.  Then, after recovering, I noticed I was not exercising hard enough.  I felt like I was jogging in place in order to avoid all the next day soreness.

I knew that getting a heart rate monitor was the best tool to make sure I was working out at just the right intensity.  But, I had the toughest time choosing one.  Price, features, compatibility with my fitness tracking software, etc., made choosing a heart rate monitor a daunting task.

After about six weeks of online research, in store gawking, and figuring out the features I wanted the most, I scored a Polar FT60 Heart Rate Monitor and GPS device.  The tool combo is normally $300, but for some reason, the fitness gods were on my side that day, and I scored exactly the tool I was looking for on sale at 75% off at Best Buy.  What was the killer selling point that led me to this monitor over all others?  The built in coach! Yes, a coach.

Now, there are a gazillion options out there for heart rate monitors, and Polar is the industry leader.  The coaching option, is, and was something I needed to provide, that little extra motivation and monitoring.  Once the watch is set up, you can choose your goal.  There are three options, the two that caught my eye were the ‘weight loss’ and ‘ultimate performance, kick your butt exercise program.’  Its really not called that, but I like to call it that.  The watch tells you how long to work out each week, how many calories to burn, and it sets heart rate zone time targets for you.  And, in case you are wondering, I picked the ‘ultimate performance, kick your butt exercise program.

The coaching function is seriously cool.  After each work out, the ‘coach’ gives you immediate feedback about how good your routine was.  It’ll tell you if you burned fat, maximized performance, improved fitness, or a combination of a few.  After a week, the ‘coach’ will adjust your program based on your results from the previous week.  It’ll tell you to work out harder, take a break, or stay the course and adjust time zones for you.

Reading about the coaching tool really does not do it any justice.  I remember reading about it, and my bull S meter went through the roof.   I’ve seen cheesy little computer programs before, but this is not one of them.  It really works well, and is not just a gimmick. I would recommend this watch to anyone.  In addition, it actually looks nice.  I wear it to work in preference to a normal dress watch.  The pictures you’ll see online look butt ugly, but in real life, it’s a decent looking thing.

 

If you do not get the FT-60, Polar also has some other good options.  I would not go any cheaper than the FT-60 if you want all the bells and whistles.  If it were not for the coaching option, and now knowing how often I use this monitor, I would consider paying the full $300 or more for a watch that provides more detail.  I am not so fond of the GPS receiver or function on any of the watches.  I always know where I’ve been and where I am going.  However, it is very cool to know your exact distance, and speed, pace, etc.  

First Post!

This is it!  I’m finally starting a fitness blog.  This has been a dream of mine for years, and after watching my wife develop a successful mommy blog,  I’m honestly a little jealous.  I’ll be bringing you fitness tips that I see online, and reviews of fitness products I buy or receive from manufacturers.  I’m a fitness gadget nut and given my current job analyzing data for eight hours a day, I come home and analyze my workout data too! 

I’ve become a fitness nut since the birth of my son in 2008.  At that time, I was close to 240 pounds, sluggish, and ugly (well, maybe the ugly part has not changed ;-).  Even though, I am not in peak shape (yet), I sure have started working hard at it.  Currently, I’m around 200 pounds, and I attribute the success to gadgets, gimmicks, and of course the internet.  Just learning what is out there, and keeping it fun helps tremendously with staying active.

I hope you will find my blog posts entertaining, as well as informative.  Please join me on a lifetime journey into the world of fitness… or as I like to view it, a high quality of life, longevity, happiness, parenting, and trying to look good for your spouse.