Barely Running: August 2013

I love running on tread mill belt material... but maybe not how you think...

My friend Boyd mentioned that the maintenance guys at his gym change the tread mill belts regularly. I made him a pair of huaraches from scrap conveyor belt and we agreed the tread mill belt should be even lighter but give plenty of protection.

So... he talked a maintenance guy into saving a used belt for me rather than throwing it away... hummm sounds like a cottage industry of it's own... how many things can I make with this stuff!!!

I grabbed some old conveyor belt huaraches with which I developed a new lacing pattern and traced the pattern and hole locations onto the tread mill belt. I cut them out, burned holes with a soldering iron and laced them up!

I went for a very short run and can easily feel that they are very light and stable. The 2 mm material is more flexible than my conveyor belt soles but it is not at all floppy... it seems ideal! Running on a sidewalk is like silk, but you can easily feel pebbles that you would avoid if you were barefoot. Running on chip seal was very comfortable. I did not get any debris between my foot and sandal but I assume that will be pretty similar to any other huarache sandal. These might be easy to clear due to the additional flexibility.

I have not run much since I fell a few times last winter. It was scary because I did not figure out exactly what happened... I did not trip or slip on anything. I had some pretty sore knees and elbows and have been scared to run. It sure feels good to run again though, so I will take it slow and work back. Last summer I was running around 20 miles peer week and did 2 half marathons... going suddenly to 0 miles per week was hard on my body! I will be 65 in February, so I guess it is OK to go a little slow... as always, I am barely running...

Here is the roll. Trace them from your favorite sandal or trace your feet.

I traced my favorite huarache pattern and hole placements for my "new" no-knots lacing pattern. When the laces start to wear I cover them over with shoe goo to protect them. I do not cover them right away so that they flatten down a bit.

Cut them a little outside the line first, then cut again to the line. This gives a smooth, professional look!

Mark the holes locations or transfer them with a punch.

In a well ventilated area, use a soldering iron to burn the holes.

Grab your favorite lacing material. I am using para-cord here. Cut to length and melt the ends. Make some pointy ends to push easily through the holes.