Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Barefoot Running - Huarache Sandal Repair

While I was in Illinois I ran with my huarache sandals. Either my form isn't smooth enough or the asphalt is especially bad for the leather laces. The knot that was on the bottom of each sandal wore off.

The good news is that I can just draw the lace through, tie another knot, and continue on. But I only had 20 miles on the sandals and I'm not keen on fixing the laces that often.

I didn't receive the leather footbed when I first ordered the sandals so I made the sandals without them. They're not necessary, but apparently they make the sandals a little more comfortable. So I had this idea. What if I glued the end of the lace between the footbed and the sole?

So I cut the footbed to fit and punched a hole for the lace. I glued both pieces and...

...this is what the finished product looks like. Now my concern is the parts of the lace on the sides. I'm wondering if those wear through eventually. If so, then I can always put the lace through the sole and tie another knot.

I've been getting a lot of barefoot running in. I've been running nearly every day and I always do at least one mile barefoot except for days I run to work. Most of the time I do 2-3 miles barefoot. It's quite the contrast with my first 4-5 months where I ran barefoot maybe twice a week. Patience.

And now I'm wondering how it's going to go with the winter coming. I find my minimum temp is 40 degrees. Lower than that and it gets painful.

BTW, there's a lot more talk about barefoot running in the news. It's really not a novelty.

2 comments:

EvilElf said...

I am wondering how it will feel in the snow. No rocks or acorns just smooth, smooth, cold, cold snow. How slippery is it going to be?

I read about someone else who repaired their sandal by countersinking the knot.

Thanks as always for the great information!

Hank Greer said...

I avoid lone rocks, acorns, etc. They're still very uncomfortable with these sandals. I'm sure that if you used a thicker (but heavier) material, like a tire, you'd probably have more protection.

Countersinking works if you have enough material. The sole is only 4mm thick so I don't have much room.

Did Pia from the Spokesman Review get in touch with you? She's working on an article about barefoot running and I pointed her your way.