Minimalist Shoe Review: Skora Base

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about how Skora, a newcomer to the shoe market, is one of the "next big things" in minimalist running. A representative from Skora was kind enough to contact me and ask if I would like to review a pair of their Base model (that's the actual name; it doesn't mean is has roll up windows and no air conditioning), and I was happy to oblige.

I was feeling a bit adventurous when placing my order, so I decided to go for the yellow colorway. Warning: in the pictures on Skora's website and elsewhere, the color is listed simply as yellow, and the pictures look like a pale canary. This is just a tad misleading because this yellow shoe is freaking retina-searing, fluorescent highlighter yellow. This is not a complaint; I needed a high-visibility shoe in my arsenal. It's just something to be mindful of when ordering yours. Note: The color is not accurate in my pictures either. The flash washes them out a bit. They are seriously bright.

First Impressions
Out of the box, the Base looks really well constructed with sharp design and high-quality materials. Putting on the shoe initially proved rather quick and easy - exactly what you would hope for and expect from a shoe that appears to be marketed directly at the triathlon crowd. The interior lining of the shoe is a perforated synthetic material which provides sufficient comfort for sockless wear. The insole is removable, of course, which allows for better ground feel and more room on the interior of the shoe. A bit puzzling is the design of said removable insole with its reverse dimpling. It feels like a golf ball turned inside out which I didn't find especially comfortable, but it was not even noticeable walking around. The upper, overall, is more structured than many of its competitors, but I don't necessarily see this as a negative. Weight is also on par with the competition - slightly better than the Altra Instinct.

Pretty sweet looking shoe.

A laminated toe cap of sorts. I assume this is to prevent excessive wear from toes contacting the roof of the toe box.

Insole in.

Without insole - smooth as butta.

You cannot see the reverse dimpling here, but it's there.

The insole is contoured, but I had no discomfort in my arch from it at all. No support, thank goodness.

Fit
One of the most prominent features of the Base is the X-style velcro strap. I like this idea a lot, and it really sets the shoe apart aesthetically from other minimalist offerings. However, as attractive and clever as it may be, this was my first indication that fit issues would plague my experience with Skora's shoe. Full disclosure: I have a long, thin foot except at my toes. I prefer a slim-fitting shoe through the arch with a super-wide toe box. The Base is the exact opposite. While the toe box on the Base is respectable for a traditional shoe, it is not sufficiently roomy for my preferences. I would place it somewhere between my Mizuno Wave Musha 2s and the New Balance Minimus Trail (MT10). The width of the ankle and arch portion of the shoe, however, is crazy wide on my foot - a size 11.5. To make the problem  a bit worse - and this is an issue with many shoes that feature velcro closures - there is not sufficient adjustment to fully tighten the shoe. The velcro strip on the shoe is too short/not low enough to cinch the shoe down.

You can get a good look at the toe box width ratio to the rest of the shoe in this pic.

This is the adjustment strap in the "fully taut" position. I'm not sure why shoe companies do this, but Skora is certainly not the only one.

Here you can see the strap adjusted to the "neutral" position. Notice the slack.

Slack.

Rear adjustment strap provides a surprising amount of fit modification.

All is not lost, though. There is an elastic adjustment strap on the back of the shoe to allow wearers to tweak the fit a bit, but this didn't fully resolve the issue for me. Instead, I took matters into my own hands.

My handiwork. I will post another pic later.

On the Road and Trail
Running in the Base took a bit of getting used to. The knobby rubber outsole and thin midsole is a bit on the rigid side, but I have noticed a good deal of break-in over the time I've worn them. There was an initial *clip-clop* that worked out of the shoe within the first 20 miles. The fit and construction of the shoe, with my foot shape, make it great for running on hard surfaces and little else. I would be hesitant to suggest the Base for running on technical trails because of the slop in the fit; the shoe moves around a lot on my foot if I have to cut or torque in them. I just can't cinch them down like I would want. For casual wear, the Base is fantastic. The yellow is extremely eye-catching, but I am fine with that. It matches my personality, and I am more confident in low-light out there on the roads. There is also prominent toe spring present in the Base, which may bother some. I have never had a problem with it.

Very well designed sole. The rubber outsole has proven quite durable. The little island in the heel felt a bit annoying initially, though.

Toe spring.

Notice the curvature of the sole. Toe spring does not bother me, but some people don't dig it.

The Verdict
The Base is an excellent first effort from an upstart company with tons of promise. The shoe certainly has its flaws: it's bit traditional in the toe box and wide in the rest of the shoe with limited and flawed adjustability, but its positives certainly outweigh its negatives. If you are a wide-footed runner or triathlete looking for a shoe as a first foray into minimalism, I would definitely recommend the Base. They go for $110. Check them out at Skora's official website.

Pull me up, Scotty.

A very popular topic amongst my running friends is cross-training. Crossfit seems to be the flavor du jour, and I believe that is for very good reason. It's built upon what I believe is a solid philosophy of interval circuits, and it is "open source" to meet the needs of the widest possible variety of fitness levels. My local gym, however, is a nearly 30-minute drive from my home and is crazy expensive! What's a lowly barefoot runner living on teacher pay to do?

Well, I have been slowly collecting items and evolving my garage into a training grounds to deal with my lack of overall strength without having to pay outrageous gym fees. My intention is to create a versatile space with the necessary tools for total-body workout of various designs while keeping costs way down and not taking over my parking/workspace. This is my favorite tool.

My hangboard is mounted on 1/2" plywood above the steps down to my garage. It's a perfect location where I can't help but see it every time I leave the house.

Wider shot from the garage entrance. Please ignore the clutter. It's quite a bit better now.

I've had my training board for a while, but I just put it up (with the help my my bro, Wesley) in our house recently. My lovely wife bought it for me for Fathers' Day a couple years ago, and it unfortunately sat after we moved. In the last six or so weeks, I have gone from a feeble two - maybe three - pull ups to a solid twelve dead-hangers. Since starting, I have seen consistent improvement in my overall upper body strength, shoulder development, grip strength, and core stability. Perhaps the area that I have seen the most drastic difference is my recovery: I can do sets of pull ups now where just a few weeks ago I would eek out three or four reps and that was it for the rest of the day...maybe two days. Push ups are also easier which I suspect is a result of both shoulder and core strength.

My training has consisted of simply executing as many good-form pull ups as possible every time I walk out the door. When I reach failure, I just hang there until my grip is exhausted. Sophisticated, I know. Every once in a while, maybe once/week, I have been integrating sets of pull ups into a complete workout. That's it. I have just begun trying some of the more advanced elements on the board: L-hangs and leg raises (core-specific workouts) and some of the smaller holds. I shall have an iron grip and a six pack!!! My goal is 20 pull ups before the Summer is over.

Oh, and I don't kip. Kipping is for losers. :)

Here is the link to the board I have. It goes for about $80 at Backcountry.com which is retail. In my opinion, this is a much better tool than a pull up bar. It is more versatile, practical, and real-world applicable. I like it!

The Next Big Thing - Products to get excited about: Part 1 - Skora

So, barefoot running as a movement is officially having a serious impact on major shoe design throughout the industry. "Barefoot" and minimalist shoes are now making up a significant percentage of overall running shoe sales in the U.S., and all indications are that the trend is only going to increase. The fact that some of the big boys (New Balance, Merrell, Nike!, etc.) are on board with increasingly minimal footwear is great news for gear junkies like myself, but I get really fired up by the smaller, innovative upstart companies that are pushing the envelope in innovation and design. I most recently reviewed the exquisite, ultra-minimalist Altra Adam and found a new favorite road shoe.

All the pretty colors!

With a market so newly-flooded with intriguing minimalist shoes, one may ask where a smaller company fits into the picture. Skora, a complete newcomer, appears to be aiming at becoming the Apple or Volkswagen of the running shoe world. Their product line, currently consisting of the asymmetrically-laced Form and the criss-crossed-with-velcro-straps Base road running models, boasts high-quality materials, innovative and unique designs, a "connected" running experience, and a fetching aesthetic. For a complete list of features, check out the tech section of Skora's website. The combination of these factors really sets Skora apart from the field, and their prices reflect it ($125-$195). If the shoes are as good as they claim, however, I believe the prices will prove quite reasonable. I would expect the Base to appeal greatly to the triathlon crowd which would put it in direct competition with another boutique-cum-heavy-hitter Newton. The Form is a bit harder to categorize, but its appeal to minimalists is already clear simply based on its zero-drop, proprioception-focused construction, which is still quite rare especially in such a neat looking package. I hope to be able to review one or both of the Skora models in the near future to bring everyone the full picture with a feature-by-feature breakdown. *fingers crossed*

Interesting marketing angle. Oddly enough, Skora's shoe might just be a preview of the future of running shoes - making minimalism the new normal. I dig it.

The two flagships. Note the prices.

One item that Skora has unquestionably gotten 100% right is the educational side of the running equation. Skora seems to have taken cues from the likes of Merrell and VIVOBAREFOOT by rolling out instructional materials that teach good running form. The fact that the majority of runners transitioning to minimalist shoes that have not run barefoot/minimalist before are going to have to drastically change how they run is embraced by Skora. Their method: "The Three Rs." They stand for reconnect, reposition, and rhythm.


Related anecdote: I remember being a teenager watching videos of skateboarders shredding a session down an entire city block and getting completely pumped to go ride my skateboard. As I matured, I recognized in myself a love  of watching videos of athletes doing athletic things athletically because it always motivates the heck out of me. Runners with strong form now top the list (followed by rock climbers/boulderers; I could watch that crap all day!). If you suffer from the same tendencies, here's a bit of motivation from Skora to give you that push off the couch. Enjoy!

For more info on form, products, and pricing, check out RunReal.com or Skorarunning.com.  

Sidelined!

Okay, so I just realized that it has been two months since my last post. That's unacceptable, but there is a reason. I'll explain. Warning, it's depressing, (at least to me), but maybe some of you can sympathize.

My last post explained how I was jumping into a marathon totally unprepared because I was getting free entry and I'm a cheapskate that cannot pass up a deal like that. Well, the race entry fell through, so my weekend running partner, Richard, and I ran over 20 miles that Saturday to commemorate the race. I had been battling some intermittent illiotibial band issues for a couple months at this point due to increasingly long weekend runs, but the issues seemed to come and go without much of a clear pattern. I ran about seven of those 20 miles on that Saturday morning barefoot and felt pretty good at the end despite being completely spent - the kind of tired you feel when you know you are getting good training. It might be important to not that this was the longest distance I had ever run... by far! Prior to this run, I had never gone more than 14 miles in training.

For those that don't know what the heck I'm talking about, this is a sinewy, muscly diagram. (medicinenet.com)

As the next week progressed, I just focused on resting and letting my body heal. On my next run, I could tell all was not well. I got a nasty tightness in one hip/upper-outside thigh, then the other in the same place starting around mile two that didn't go away. I stopped and stretched at a few points which helped a bit but didn't resolve it. After our run, I was concerned even though my legs felt alright. I enjoyed the rest of my Saturday on the couch until I tried to get up. Yeouch! The outside of my thighs and knees were wound tighter than a snare drum and hurt like the dickens! I knew immediately what it was due to my previous ITB bouts, but this was altogether different. The severity was several times that of previous attacks, and I have been basically forced to shut it down since then.

In the weeks following, I have tried to run distances up to five miles. Each one has been shorter than the last, and each one has been interrupted and/or followed by a bout out ITB flare up. I have essentially no choice but to completely stop running for the foreseeable future, and I will work toward rehab, healing and strengthening in the interim. Right now, I plan to spend a lot of time on my bicycle, do lots of squats and lunges, and utilize the heck out of my foam roller.

This photo depicts a very unrealistic foam rolling exercise. Why is it unrealistic, you ask?  Because the lady  is smiling. This hurts like hell!!!!

Deal Alert! Altra Shoes up to 50% off.

Altra Adams - my go-to shoe for when the pavement is too hot or cold. They are as close as it gets to minimal perfection, in my humble opinion.

Altra Adam, Instinct, Eve, and Intuition models are on ridiculous sale (50% off!!!) at Left Lane Sports!

I reviewed the Adam (women's version is the Eve) here a few months back.

Click on my referral link to sign up (if you haven't already). It costs nothing, and their daily deal emails are full of great stuff for runners, hikers, bikers, triathletes, surfers, climbers, campers, skateboarders, and generally outdoorsy types. Act fast, though; the deal is only good until July 3rd!

Referral Link!

Feel free to post any questions about the Adams below in the comments.

Just a little bit nuts...

Have you ever wanted to do something really badly, but when the opportunity arises you are totally and completely unprepared to do it?

I had this happen recently, and this is your preview for what could turn out to be a huge mistake, a glorious adventure, or some combination of both. I received an offer last weekend from a friend to run Nashville's Country Music Marathon next weekend. I said, "Heck, yeah!" However, I am grossly underprepared for such an undertaking. No matter; I'm totally doing it.

And I'm totally stealing Homer's look. Headbands + wristbands + singlet + legendary beer belly =  legit marathoner!

"Why?" you say? Well, first of all, I have been wanting to run a marathon for quite a while now, but they are so doggone expensive that it's just not feasible on my shoestring budget (lol, pun intended). I just couldn't pass up an opportunity to run a big-budget marathon (part of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series) for absolutely nothing.

Secondly, this is not the first race I have entered with little targeted training. I ran a local half marathon a couple years ago grossly underprepared (never running longer than six miles prior to the actual race), and I finished in under two hours. I was very pleased with the results of that race, all things considered. By the way, that race entry was free, too. I ran in place of a friend whose nagging back injury prevented him from going on race day. In short, being a slacker who hates paying for stuff has worked out beautifully for me so far. I have every reason to believe that the CMM will be a fantastic experience. If it isn't or I have to DNF, well shoot, who cares! It's free! No harm done.

I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Am I right?

Lastly, I think that many a layperson takes training for and competing in many sporting events they have to pay to enter just a tad too seriously. (Case in point: pretty much any triathlete most of us have ever met!) A marathon is a significant undertaking and shouldn't be taken lightly; however, people should not confuse themselves with Paula Radcliffe or Geoffrey Mutai either (If you do not follow the marathon scene, they're elite women's and men's marathoners, respectively). Basically, if you are reading this blog entry, you are likely a layperson much like me who will never win much of anything while running. You run because you enjoy it and like to challenge yourself. Races are great fun if you have the right attitude, and most runners are in more danger of taking things too seriously than they are being too laid back. Don't confuse me with those people who just goof off and enter races with no ambition to finish, but you won't see me elbowing old women out of the way on the sprint for the finish, either.

Not quite this seriously....

...and nowhere near this silly. /lolJapanese

So maybe I'm in a perfect place to run a marathon for the enjoyment of the experience, and maybe I'm woefully delusional about my lack of preparation. Plus I have just a dash "I don't really care," thrown in there for good measure. And because I am sure some are curious, I will be running at least part of this marathon barefoot. My goal is completing the half bare before throwing on my Altra Adams (love!) to finish it out. I believe that this marathon - my first - will be a race to remember. I am excited, confident, and fully prepared to enjoy myself.

....and maybe just a little bit nuts.

Link of the Week: New Balance Minimus Zero Road Review and Giveaway!

If you are interested in the New Balance Minimus Zero Road shoes, and I cannot imagine you couldn't be, check out this review from Donald at Running and Rambling. Dude is rad. Hopefully I will get a chance to review these puppies soon.

http://www.runningandrambling.com/2012/03/new-balance-minimus-zero-road-review.html