b142581237Running.  It’s the simplest exercise there is, requiring nothing but a pair of shoes and your will.  Yet, when you go to the shoe store the choices are endless.  Air channels in the heels, elastic laces, sole pumps, honeycomb vents.  All that before you even consider a brand.  But recently a new shoe breakthrough has been grabbing the attention–and adorning the feet–of serious runners world wide.  Vibram’s new barefoot shoes, a glove-like footwear with separated chambers for each toe, offers the novel experience of running with nearly naked feet.  The trend comes on the heels of shoes getting unnecessarily complicated, lifting runners up with thick soles and creating a sloppy distance between the foot and the ground.  Like the hybrid’s blossoming after an era of overbuilt inefficient SUV’s that have now been all but discontinued, barefoot shoes embrace the idea of a progressive scale-back.  Streamlined and efficient, though unusual looking, these breakthrough shoes actually allow for faster run times as they eliminate the bouncy interference of 3 inch soles.  In short,  they hold the promise of keeping us connected to paths we tread. And you guessed it….that’s killin’ it.  I’ve already ordered my first pair.