Getting grounded the Earth Runner way!

I got sent a beautiful pair of sandals and just had to show you guys!
                                                                     

Alpha from Earth Runners

These wonderfully crafted beasties are my new toys from Earth Runners! Have a read about these guys at the site here (click to go to Earth Runners) for a quick bio on them.

I have known about Earth Runners for a while now from people mentioning them in the sandal world and what really intrigued me was all the talk about "earthing". Now I need to do some research on this myself and I would advise you to do the same as from what I have found so far it is fascinating!
Rough idea so far is that we pick up a lot of interference from the technology around us and we should "ground" ourselves to...well kind of reset I guess and return to our natural voltage?!
Interesting idea eh?
The best way to ground yourself is to walk about outside barefoot for at least 15 minutes but as we all know this isn't always the easiest thing to do.
This is what got my attention from the designs of the guys at Earth Runners. They have incorporated copper plugs and thread into the sandal to allow the wearer to be grounded while protecting your feet at the same time! You can walk around all day continually grounding yourself.

copper thread running up the white mesh

In the picture opposite can see the white kind of mesh? Well that is where the copper thread runs. Connected to the copper plug at the bottom it runs up the front and connects to another copper piece on the top of the foot to assist with the grounding.
Pretty clever eh?!

In the picture below you can see the toe plug and then two plugs that go straight through the foot bed for a better connection. These two plugs also act as an anchor for two D ring style holes for the laces.

toe plug and two side plugs

Below you can see the last connector on this model that rests on the outside of the foot.
Just above it, the buckle.

The buckle is sturdy, holds the lace well and it is very quick to adjust. I also like the way that you can take the lace all the way out as on my Luna you couldn't do this and it sometimes made the adjustment a little tricky.

The first time I picked up the Alpha to be honest I wasn't sure about the sole choice. They felt almost too light and I was worried that the Birkenstock sole just wasn't going to cut it.

I was wrong, very wrong.

I was still slightly recovering from my first 50 mile Ultra marathon when I first got these so unfortunately as yet I haven't been able to run in them but BOY DO I WANT TO!!

I needed to go in to London but tendinitis in my foot was making my choice of footwear a little difficult as the top of my foot was hurting.

"hmm I wonder?..." I thought to myself as I buckled up my Alpha.

buckle and side foot plug

They felt great straight away and having only the one strap across my foot was perfect for my tendinitis! WIN! 

So off we went to London and already after only 5 minutes of being in them I was amazed at how secure they were and how much they actually felt like a shoe! Having the strap at the front of the ankle was really comforting but did take a little bit of time to get the right tension. I was forever making it slightly too tight, this however wasn't really a big deal as they were so quick to adjust.

The suede foot bed is so comfortable and I cant wait to see what it is like to run on. I am even more curios to see what happens when you get it wet as this is a big issue with sandals as it can cause you to slip around a lot.

I walked all around in these for 11 hours and my feet felt great! I did have to stop every now and then to adjust them but im sure that will stop once I have found the sweet spot!

I know this might sound a little hippie but I have to write it down here as I think it is a very important thing to add. The whole time I was walking around I felt calm. I understand that this in itself doesn't sound like a big deal but I have to try and explain the kind of calm that it was. Tranquillity, still, centred, are a few words that come to mind. Now this could have been because the sun was out, it could have well been just in my head or it could be down to actually being grounded. You know something? I want more!
If that's what being grounded  feels like, sign me up!
A few of you may be staring at the screen right now thinking I have lost my marbles, some may think its all rubbish. For those of you who decide to grab a pair will be very glad you did!

Head over and check them out on Kick Starter (click) and get grounded!!

I cant wait to get back to running next week to start putting some serious miles on these!

Watch for updates guys this is not the last you will see of the Earth Runners!

Peace peeps!

Cardiosaurus