"....Nick Pang, who is the creative force behind the popular blog, Minimalist Running Shoes, wrote that “going from the Vibram FiveFingers KSO to the Evo II is like upgrading from coach to first.”
The low-slung, uniquely designed Neo is a minimalist running shoe that doesn't look like a running shoe.
Vibram’s FiveFingers was the first to get a significant toehold in the barefoot running shoe market, and sales continue to soar upward each year. But for all its popularity, VFFs don’t seem to make the BFF list with many traditional runners who love hurling all sorts of derogatory epithets at the simian-looking sneaker. “Monkey feet” is a favorite anti-VFF expression. So when other companies like Merrell and Terra Plana came out with a more conventional-looking barefoot running shoe, it was easy to imagine what happened next: it generated many new converts to barefoot-running shoes.
For the past several weeks, I have been running in Terra Plana’s barefoot running shoe that is called the VivoBarefoot Neo; it’s a less expensive version (by forty bucks) of the first-generation Evo. A name like Neo can become a tricky issue if you are a fan of the “Matrix” trilogy, and don’t like being used as a tool by secret, sinister forces. But I never saw any of the films. I had the urge to try out the Neos because I wanted to experience more of a barefoot-running, zero-drop sensation than I get with my Nike Frees. There was no Morpheus urging me to morph to more minimalism. No red pill. No blue pill. In other words, I was literally exercising my own free will.
Because I have wide Fred Flintstone feet, many minimalist shoe brands are inhospitable to my dogs. Going through life as an EEEEE ain’t easy. (Prom night was especially painful--narrow rented shoes, ridiculously looking tux, and reluctant date in that quick order.) So you learn to read online running shoe reviews with a healthy skepticism and an abiding hope that maybe, just maybe, the shoe being described by a blogger is the long-awaited one for your tugboat-size feet.
Mark Cucuzzella, M.D, elite runner, and owner of Two River Treads, first told me about the Evos. He’s a huge fan of them. Here’s how they are described on his store site: “The 4mm outer sole provides excellent ground feel and response time and is very durable and puncture resistant.....the same material as lightweight bullet-proof vests. The fit of the Evo is unique compared to other minimalist running shoes. The shoe hugs the area around the upper heel. The entire midfoot and forefoot area have ample room to move within the shoe. This creates the unique experience. Unlike other minimalist shoes that attempt to mold to your foot, the Evos allow your foot to move within the shoe without producing friction. I love this shoe for all activity from running, to golf, to walking around town, and occasionally sneaking into work on casual day.”
Another minimalist running pal, Nick Pang, who is the creative force behind the popular blog, Minimalist Running Shoes, wrote that “going from the Vibram FiveFingers KSO to the Evo II is like upgrading from coach to first.” Nick especially liked the shoe’s intimate rapport with Mother Earth. “The ground feel and my running form is unaltered in the Neo just like the Evo II. If this is your first pair of VivoBarefoot minimal shoes, you will feel the ground immediately with your first foot strike and you may have to adjust your running form (unless you came from barefoot running) – run lightly. If not, you will hear your shoes striking the ground in a loud and noticeable noise. Listen to your foot strike and tread lightly.”
On my first run in the Neos, I went five miles-- a distance far too much for a zero-drop newbie, but more on that later. I was amazed at how comfortable my feet felt in them-- I had removed the inner soles and I wore normal socks. I could have a sublet the extra space in my shoes to a family of gypsies and still have plenty of room for my toes. They are especially light. I also immediately noticed several other things. I was running too loudly, the soles slapping the road like a pissed-off beaver with its tail. With the Nike Frees, in contrast, I loped quietly. The excessive decibels came from an altered foot strike-- more up front near the ball than I was accustomed to. My soles also felt the pavement. It was definitely not a smooth ride during that initial run.
Hoping for a bit more cushion, I re-inserted the inner soles for subsequent runs in the Neos. Moreover, I decided to only run two or three miles each time in them, because I felt something odd or twingeing going on in the plantar area in the right foot. Because my feet were landing differently, new muscles, tendons, and ligaments were being put to the test. And since I was well aware of the high frequency of foot injuries to those who don’t take sufficient time to ease into a barefoot running shoe regimen, I saved my longer runs for the Frees. Shoe rotation is a good thing; it doesn’t mean you are backsliding.
On the aesthetic side of the ledger, the Neo’s canvas-like uppers and colors are rather ho-hum, whereas the honeycomb tread pattern of the soles are killer to look at. I was sent a black pair by the company to review. I had never run in black sneakers before, so that took some time getting used to.
I will continue to run in the Neos because they will help strengthen my feet and make me more aware of an optimal "loading rate," which is the foot's relationship to the body's center of gravity during each stride. With that said, running on the rocky trails in Neos has not been a picnic. I was required to pay extra close attention to where each foot landed, and I definitely felt the small rocks underfoot. But running on asphalt is a different story. On this more even surface, my proprioception was able to switch to cruise control. I still need to learn to run more quietly. Come this fall, there will be a trail version of the Neos. By then, I hope to be running as noiselessly as Natty Bumppo in “The Leatherstocking Tales.”
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