Thank You EVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's my review of the Evo after my test run this morning:

I did a 50 min. workout. After a 15 minute warm-up barefoot on the treadmill, I did 15 minutes on the treadmill in the Evo's; 20 minutes outside in the Evo's in 1 in. of snow, trails and clear pavement and concrete, so I got a varying experience. Overall, the experience was pretty awesome. I had a tough time controlling my speed which is one reason I stopped my run because this is an "easy day" run for me. It was effortless because my feet, especially my problem left foot, was acting like I just let it out of jail and it was hard to not run faster.

What makes the Evo great? The fact that is doesn't do anything and that's the beauty. All it does is protect the foot. Immediately my feet (especially my left foot which has suffered from AT and PF) just smiled because there is nothing to interfere with the natural functioning of the foot. My Plantar and Achilles could fully stretch. Nothing interfered with my arch and I kept the insole and there was no problem. Evo clearly made this shoe specifically for me. The weight was no problem and after a few minutes, I had no idea it was 8 oz. And, by the way, 8 oz. still qualifies as a racing shoe so it's still light.

The Evo appears to be constructed very well. Even the lace outlets are well made. I see they took time and thought in constructing the Evo. I also have no doubt the Evo will work for trails. It's like the very durable slipper to protect the feet that Gordon Pirie described. I look forward to seeing how durable it is over time.

In comparing the Evo to the KSO or Trek, the Evo has 4mm on the sole so it has more than the KSO but provides better ground feel than the Trek. The difference in ground feel between the KSO and Evo was pretty minimal in my opinion. I suspect if you take out the insole, it would provide even better ground feel but I actually liked the insole. I used a thin sock and it was about 19F and my foot "never" got cold. I would have very cold toes in the KSO or Trek at that temperature.

Sure, one run is not conclusive but this is a bit different. I've also always distinguished between footwear and shoes. The Universe 3 is the perfect "shoe." I don't consider the Evo, Vibrams, Feelmax, etc., as shoes but instead I consider them "footwear," that is, something that doesn't interfere with the natural functioning of the foot. In terms of the best shoe available today, for me it's the Universe 3 but I didn't want a shoe, I wanted what Gordon Pirie described and I wanted it to look like a shoe. I've been running for 3 years and very consistent (I've only missed 3 days in a row twice) and I've averaged 50-60 mile per week over that time. The minute I put on the Evo, I knew things were different. As Golden Boy said, there's nothing like a "zero drop" feel and this is better than zero dropping a shoe because you will still end up with more cushion with a regular shoe. The Evo is 4mm from forefoot to midfoot to heel. A few months will "not" be necessary. I said the Universe 3 was the best running shoe I had tried after the first day and I stick to that today but only as it relates to traditional running shoes. I've been very consistent in my desire to find a shoe with no heel lift and, until now, the Universe 3 was the best I could find that also allowed me to run in cold weather (with consistent BF, I can run in the Universe 3 without major injury but I can't do that in any other regular running shoe). I won't retire my Universe 3's as they will be great to walk in :).

However, I will continue to run barefoot and I will never stop. As it warms up, I will continue to put in a good chunk of barefoot miles and may do some days where I'm 100% barefoot. I'm healthy because of BF and I will never ignore that again. It's because of BF that I can even wear the Evo.

Lastly, I'd say no heel lift is more important than the mm of cushioning but to get both is ideal and the Evo did a great job addressing both issues. My original thought was that the Evo would be my training shoe but I might race in the Universe 3 but it's clear I can race in the Evo.

In a few weeks, I will be buying a 2nd pair as I might get some leeway from the wife given the smile she saw on my face when I walked in the door. This has been a long 2 yr. journey. At least this hobby of running is a healthy one and I'm spending money on something good for me.

Happy to answer any other questions.

HHH