Last year I reinvented my running form after reading Born to Run and part of the Barefoot Running Book. As I progressed, I went through several Merrell barefoot products and loved them, but I was training for a 25K trail run, and much of the terrain was either packed gravel logging roads, steep and slippery dirt paths, or rough, sharp rocks on various paths and roads. Oh and some smooth and rough pavement as well. At a certain distance, the rocks were finally getting to me, and I got an Altra zero-drop trail runner, which was wonderfully cushioned and grippy, but seemed so much harder to run in, and I feel it masked my poor form, allowing me to start regressing.

After so many $100 pairs of shoes in the same year, after reading a review of the GoBionic, I figured for $65 I'd give 'em a try. While I have not put on more than six miles at a time, it seems like the perfect shoe. Just enough padding to deal easily with a rough rocky road, but firm and thin enough to feel stable and give good feedback on how each landing went. They are super light and fit well. I have a bunion on one foot that causes blisters in some shoes, but the Go Bionics seem roomy and flexible enough not to be a problem there, while the other "normal" foot feels perfectly happy as well.

My favorite fit feel is still the Merrell Road Glove, but these are still very good. I suspect the new Merrell Bare Access II might be very similar; the original one with the foam sole wore out quickly on gravel paths, and didn't have quite enough protection against rocky surfaces. The GoBionic also has a pretty grippy bottom for going up and down the dirt switchbacks. Smooth pavement feels good as well.