Since going Paleo my family has fallen even more in love with our grill. Paleo and grilling just work well together. The past couple of years I've even been stepping outside my grilling comfort zone more and more. Grilling things I'd never thought to have grilled before and trying new flavor combinations. I have to say I'm pretty thrilled with the results of most of my flavor experiments. In the past I'd never have thought to grill fruit, but it's amazing. Grilling fruit and adding it to traditionally savory dishes? Brilliant. Oh yes, and? New rule: every burger recipe for the rest of forever must contain grilled pineapple. OK, maybe more of a guideline. It's a seriously delicious combination though. This Smoky Grilled Pineapple Burger is always a crowd-pleaser at my house. It's not only Paleo, but Whole30, glutenfree, lower carb, and clean eating friendly. I promise you won't miss the bun! paleo, grilled pineapple burger, smoky
Recently Activewear USA sent me a pair of FORM running shoes by Skora Running for review. I was excited to test out the FORM as I've been working my way down to more minimal running shoes and these seemed perfect for me. I really feel like the more minimal I go with shoes the better my hip does.
A little info on the Skora FORM from ActivewearUSA.com
1. SKORA Running Women's Shoes have Zero Drop. In order to maintain natural, bio-mechanically correct movement, the SKORA women's running shoes feature a zero-drop midsole. This means that the heel and forefoot are on the same plane.
2. Minimal Cushioning.By offering minimal cushioning, the SKORA women's running shoes allow for great ground feel while still providing appropriate protection. This allows for greater proprioception, or mind-body feedback, letting your feet do their job.
3. Asymmetric Lacing. If you haven't noticed, your feet are actually asymmetrical! Strange then that most footwear on the market ignores this. SKORA running shoes are different. Their lacing system is asymmetric to match the foot's natural shape and remove laces from high pressure areas of the foot, eliminating pressure on sensitive nerves.
4. Stitch Down Construction. The SKORA women's running shoes are constructed using a stitch-down method. This eliminates stitching under the foot inside the shoe for improved fit and comfort with or without socks.
5. Anatomical Last. The last is what the shoe is built around. The shape of the last that SKORA uses mimics the many features of the foot by providing a curved bottom profile, wider toe area and a larger ball-of-the-foot width to provide a much more natural, comfortable, and anatomically-correct fit.
6. Curved Out-sole Forefoot. SKORA women's running shoes have a curved outsole in the forefoot. This mimics the shape of the foot and encourage natural medial to lateral roll.
7. Curved Out-sole Heel. SKORA running shoes have a curved heel shape. This mimics the shape of the natural heel, allowing for natural heel movement (medial to lateral) in running and heel role in walking.
8. Concave Outsole Forefoot.Mimics the natural shape of the foot and allows for greater ground feel.
9. No heel Counter.The SKORA running women's shoes do not have a heel counter. The counter is the reinforcement you find in the back of most running shoes. The lack of the counter in the SKORA shoes, allows for a much better fit and higher comfort levels in all degrees of motion.
10. Elastic heel strap.
The SKORA running comes with a small elastic heel strap that will allow you to personalize the fit of the shoe. This ability to customize the fit, not only feels more comfortable, but will allow you to perform better.
My thoughts
I'm a wear-socks kind of girl. Even in minimal shoes. You? |
All of the great features discussed above translate into one thing for me: the FORM just feel good on. I've heard people say 'fit like a glove' in regards to running shoes and always sort of pictured it meaning tight or uncomfortable somehow. But these really do fit like a glove and it's a wonderful feeling. They flex and move with my foot yet have plenty of room to spread my toes.
I don't know that I'll ever be into 'toe shoes', I still like my shoes to look like shoes, but I definitely prefer a very minimal shoe. For me the Skora FORM seems to be in the perfect sweet spot of where I'm at with minimal shoes. They're light, flexible, zero drop, and with just enough cushioning/sole. Perfect.
In comparison, on the spectrum of minimal shoes I've had experience with, I'd say these are more minimal than my Brooks Pure Cadence and very close to my Vivobarefoot Breatho Trail (but obviously without a trail tread).
Overall, the Skora FORM felt great to run in and I have to say I love these shoes. They are incredibly light, very well made, comfortable, and I love the color. Absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for a well-made minimal shoe.
Any questions I didn't answer in my review? Hit me up in the comments!
Disclaimer: As stated above these shoes were sent to me for review. I receive no compensation for this post.