Xero Shoes Women's HFS Barefoot Running Shoes - Zero Drop Minimalist Trail Sneakers for Women | Lightweight & Flexible for Natural Movement | Perfect for Trail Running, Gym Workouts & Everyday Wear

Where shall I begin. I am a long distance daily runner. I do not only love to run but I HAVE TO RUN. My journey began when my Nike Flex Experience 8 were wearing out at about 250 miles. If it went to 300 it was absolutely noticeably done. So while it was the perfect shoe for me, I was buying a new pair every 2.5 months. Unacceptable. The nightmare began. My sensory processing disorders, perfect symmetry and neutral strike with a perfect plant and gait landed me here- Xero's. I even Ned the shoe Xero to Hero. The first pair was too small and second to big. The 8 fit- I am an 8 especially when I hit 5 miles in and the swelling begins.Yes, Steven of barefoot is right. These shoes are amazing -if you are a barefoot minimalist runner. But take heed of every warning that you have to let your body get to know this shoe. I disagree with "going down in drop gradually. I run over 100 miles a month and 2 half marathons a month. That is basically a daily 10K. But truthfully I have even worked up to more 8 mile runs a day. I have "the urge to dash" as part of my Autism/Tourrettes diagnosis. So if it is not my body desperately yearning to run, it is the routine. Some days I just cannot stop. I love it. I am happy there. Until these last two greuling months. What IS necessary is working the shoe in over time. You run a mile first day, then 2 and keep increasing. I AM extremely annoyed. I have not been able to run a half marathon in these shoes yet. So much concentration every second on posture adjustments and training your body for this shoe. If you need a shoe now- get your old-trusty, when you can afford to work this shoe in great do it. Go on your regular run, swap to this Xero and take it for a ride and all you do is add miles and gradually increase. But do not just switch and make this your sole shoe (see what I did there lol).My knees are killing me and they have never hurt. My Achilles hurts and it's never hurt. Yes, the advice is spot on, your center of gravity is changed and zero drop is amazing. My nightmare is here particularly, I need to feel the ground and yes these allow you to feel every tiny speck , pebble, crack etc. They also do seem to grip the road. But for some reason in this shoe, I do not feel the sensation that I can just "go for miles" . It is raining on my parade on a daily basis. I need to feel the ground but also somehow I need something to help absorb the shock. My knees are taking the blows. There is zero reactivity and I understand my body is supposed to do that work but as a person who can literally feel sensory reintegration happen when I run I am telling you, minimalist in theory is logical. Yes. I do have to feel the ground, but also I want to run more than 8 miles without these shoes hindering my half marathon days. These are not your long distance dailys. And that is what I was looking for. Yes I needed that 5000 mile warranty but, apparently this shoe is making it impossible for me to run 5000 miles. Lol. I have to return it. The whole point for me was to go for miles.I do recommend the shoe for daily wear barefoot chilling, and barefoot running up to 5k but I already feel the issues around then. Also, speed will be sacrificed. You will not get that nice long stride you love with this shoe. You are forced to take small intentionally postured steps with absolute concentration on lifting through the knee. I think the difference is we are not running through pastures and God's natural ground...it is cement sidewalks and gravel roads. So I think for that I need cushion.These shoes awakened me to how much I have to feel that ground though. It has been a journey.And like every good runner says, "if it is not broke, do not fix it".I GAVE 4 STARS because the letters in shoe wore off day one. So I had only walked in house and it was gone which is ok unless it becomes a return issue. The shoe is what it advertising with the exception that it is not clear anywhere that this is not a good long distance shoe. Everything I have read and watched claims people are wearing this shoe around the clock, yes even to bed. It literally draws a verbal and visual picture of a runner who heals and can increase runs and just run forever with no pain whereas for me the opposite is true. I have had to take tons of days off from this shoe to wear my other and work this one each day but this shoe has been such a chore that it is robbing my joy.If you are a barefoot minimalist already- this is your shoe.If you are addicted to running long distances...daily...beware. get the cushion. Stay with zero drop. I do believe in that. Our center of gravity is no joke. As you lose weight be mindful also your center of gravity changes. Also, your chest opens up and your posture is correct . But add the shoe in gradually until you find yourself living in it. I think people also mistake their need to feel the ground with needing a heavier shoe...noooo. adding weight to feel a solid plant is terrible for your body. You need less cushion. Cushion Rob's your senses so that heavy solid plant tells your brain "steady", but that is a lot to lift through the knees. This shoe is so light and wonderful. I needed a long run. That is all.If you have a child with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorders I recommend this shoe. If you have a little runner buy this shoe and keep their body used to this. Sensory Integration Therapy is good and this shoe will help them. The impact at joints releases chemicals and the brain receives the input and keeps sending messages all the way down and back up. Running is especially important for Tourrettes. This shoe blessed all of that and they probably did not even realize this is what is going on.Just do not run for 13.1 miles . Or even 10k a day.As you can see I am torn on return, but have to to get the cushion.I have spent a few thousand dollars over the past 10 years trying to find a comfortable sneaker. Until now, every shoe I have purchased has caused pain in some part of my body. Depending on the shoe the pain is in my arches, my heel, behind my ankle, my knee, my lower back, etc. I have spent countless hours reading and researching what is causing my pain. I kept thinking it had to be the shoes since the pain moved around. My husband kept saying it was just my aging body. But I refused to believe that. So I kept trying.I went to all kinds of speciality stores and listened to all kinds of exclamations as to why I was in pain and why their speciality shoe would be the miracle. I talked to my doctor who just shrugged. I tried a few different zero heel drop brands, orthopedic brands, lots of cushioning, no cushioning, cross trainers, hiking shoes, running shoes....I really tried everything. I bought from brick and mortar stores and from Amazon. I just looked up my past orders on Amazon and typed in shoes in the search function. It brought up 54 different orders on my account. I am not kidding when I say I have searched high and low for a pair of sneakers. I thought my days of enjoying a nice walk outside were over. I was so discouraged.Then I ran across a comment on a blog where someone mentioned the brand Xero shoes. I figured what do I have to lose?I ordered from Amazon because the return policy for the Xero company is not good from their website. I have more shoes in my garage than most shoes stores have in their current stock. So I wanted to be able to return these shoes if they did not work for me.Well I have finally found the miracle shoe I have been searching for!! I have an exercise tracker app on my phone. I have had these shoes for 100 days and have logged 720 miles on them. I have not had one bit of pain. Not a single ache. My husband was wrong! It was not my aging body.It was the shoes!!!I have even tried to take a walk a couple of times in some of my other shoes just to compare and see if maybe it was a coincidence that my pain went away at exactly the same time as I discovered these shoes. But nope! The pain comes back after I walk 100 yards or so in other shoes. But as soon as I change to my Xero shoes the pain disappears.The biggest reason I believe these shoes are so great is because they are so flexible. Never have my feet ever had so much freedom. I tried Altra shoes, which are also a minimal drop shoe, and I liked them a bit more than most other sneaker brands. So I examined my Xero shoes against my Altra shoes to try and see what it was about the Xeros that made my body feel so much better. The huge difference is the sole of the Xero shoes is so completely flexible. It doesn't force my foot to conform to the shoe. It allows my foot to bend exactly where it wants to bend. This has been a complete game changer for me.I will say there is the smallest issue which was simple to resolve. The insoles are really thin. You can really feel the road. Every little pebble. I assume Xero did that to add to the flexibility of the shoe. I just bought a pair of Dr. Scholl's Athletic Series Fitness Walking Insoles and cut them to fit my sneakers. They add the right amount of cushion to my foot but they do not have any support features so I still get all the flexibility I love about the Xero shoes. I mostly walk on concrete sidewalks and asphalt roads and my feet, legs and back feel amazing. I have also hiked many many miles in the woods and over rocks. The combination of the Xero shoe with the Dr Scholl's Athletic Series Fitness Insoles has been perfection for me.I now own almost every style of shoe Xero makes. I recommended the shoes to my adult son, my husband, and a few friends. Everyone who has tried them has ordered several pairs also. I would give these 100 stars if I could. This is the absolute best purchase I have made on Amazon.If you have been searching for a pain-free shoe Xero maybe for you. Look at all their styles. The style from this review is my least favorite of all the Xeros I now own, but it is still the better than any other shoe I had before discovering Xero. My favorite Xero shoe is actually Oswego - High Performance Casual Comfort. I love every single Xero shoe I own.My pair fit in my regular size with no socks on. Thick socks make them too short and don't feel near as nice as bare feet in them. I've always wanted to walk barefoot on my walks but it's impossible because of the hot pavement. Can't wait to try these tomorrow. They feel great just walking up and down the driveway. I'm going to go on a 3 mile walk with them (so excited!) and see how they feel. Update: 3 mile walk went great! I love the way these feel on my feet. Reminds me of walking on the beach but without the sand. Whole new experience. I'll probably wears these everywhere.