KMD EVO - So much cushion!

If you read my previous post, you'll know that I tried and returned the new Vibram V-Runs for road running. Here's my replacement. The KMD Evo.

I've stated on this blog and to all my friends that my absolute favorite Vibrams are the KMD Sports. They have an amazing upper that wraps up your foot securely, and a nice sole for just about anything. I've run through 2 pairs, not because they don't last, but because I put tons of miles on them.

So I decided to try the new KMD Evos for the running on roads. They are the most expensive model Vibram has right now, but I found a good deal on theshoemart.com that made them closer to the price of other models.

HOLY CUSHION, BATMAN! If you want specifics about these shoes, you can check out the great review at http://birthdayshoes.com/vibram-fivefingers-kmd-evo-review. I read it and worried that maybe the cushion was too much. But on my first run, I could tell this may actually be great. Don't get me wrong, I love the ground feel of minimal shoes and love to run in my KSO Evos too, which have very little sole. But on super long runs, minimal gets a bit rough. I've found that I could totally run my marathons in my KMD Sport shoes and do fine, but I definitely feel the pounding on the bottom of my feet after 26 miles. Now, I'm training for a 100k ultramarathon that is on mostly gravel roads and some pavement. So my first run in my KMD Evos, I took out on the country roads around my small town in Iowa to see how they did. THEY WERE AMAZING. That little extra bit of cushion allowed me to run on gravel for an 8 miler without the same wear on the bottom of my feet that I normally get. I still feel like I'm running in Vibram FiveFingers and feel the ground, but with a little cushion to protect my soles.

I think these may be the best long distance Vibrams to date. I'm super excited to put a bunch more miles on them as I train, and now I plan to wear them for my ultra.

V-Run - So cool, but not for me.

So disappointed. After 2 marathons and hundreds of miles of running, my latest KMD Sport shoes are worn almost through and I need something for running the roads.

Though I'm moving into ultramarathons, trails in Iowa are few and far between so I have to spend most of my running time on pavement. I've found that the shoes I bought for trails - Trek Ascent, Spyridon MR - are not great for roads. Because of their aggressive soles with harder rubber, my feet hurt when I run long miles on concrete.

And then I saw the brand new V-Run shoes, first on REI.com and then on Vibram's own website. They may be my favorite design of VFF's ever. I love the grey, black, and blue. (The orange is okay too, though I wish Vibram would get past their obsession with orange. It's on  almost every pair I have. Give me some red or something.) The materials are awesome on the V-Run and the sole seems perfectly cushioned for long paved road runs. I was super excited to get these shoes. I actually even paid full price for them. (That's rare.)

They just don't fit me. To be clear, this is nothing wrong with the design or engineering of this shoe, they just simply don't work for me. The V-Run has the least tight heel of any of their shoes in general and that is part of my problem. The main thing, though, is that I often fall in between 2 sizes of shoes. My right foot is larger than my left, which means I have to size up to 43 for my right foot or else they'll cramp and hurt. Of my 21 other pairs of VFF's, I can get by without that being a problem. With the V-Runs, the left shoe is so large that my toes would literally slip out of the toes of the shoe. So I ordered a size 42, hoping that this would just be an anomaly and they would fit. And with the smaller size, my left foot felt great, but the right was completely cramped.

If only I could get a 43 right foot and 42 left foot, they would be perfect. But that isn't an option, so back they both went - one to Vibram and one to REI, since Vibram was out of 42's at the time.

Man, I love these shoes. If only...