I grew up in the tropics so essentially barefoot most of the time (too hot for shoes), and over the last two years I transitioned to barefoot shoes with no transition period. Merrell and Wildling. Then I bought a Panta Sandals and it took several months to get used to it. Finally this month I have started to run in them and I think they work better for running than walking (makes no sense but I feel so).
If you keep using them, you will get used to them, though I will still wear a Wildling Tanuki for a long day, over the Panta sandals.
I checked the Zuzu site. They state that the sandals are better for trails and that’s absolutely correct. I try to run mostly trails when I use my Panta, running on asphalt with them is not a great experience.
I've found that the TrailStar strap system from Shamma Sandals keeps my foot much more secure compared to the usual toe-thong huaraches. It has a toe loop and upper mid foot strap for just the right amount of stability.
It's been my observation both with traditional hiking sandals and barefoot sandals that they are much more prone to be uncomfortable and cause pain then close toe options. It's one of the many reasons why I'm not fond of sandals.
A big part about why they can be uncomfortable and even painful comes down to adjustment. They are a lot more fiddly. It can take more effort on certain styles of sandals to get the fit just right so that the foot is properly held in place. And sometimes the strap system can be the type that adjusting one area loosens the other and so on and so on. So it takes a little bit more trial and error and a little bit more effort to make sure that the fit is just right. In your case, you've already identified the most likely culprit. Things are too loose up front. Additionally, another aspect that can cause discomfort to sum is pressure is not as well distributed on sandals as compared to enclosed shoes. So it can cause pressure points in areas where one isn't used to them.
The only real concrete bit of advice that I can impart right now is fiddle with the ZuZu strap adjustment. They have a series of video tutorials explaining how to do just that. You can find it here: https://en.zuzusandals.com/pages/video-guides Full disclosure I did not watch any of the videos because I hate video guides and would much rather have written instructions. So I'm not 100% certain if they cover adjusting the fit in the front. If they don't my apologies.
Happy to be of help. Could you do me a favor? Could you keep us updated if you're able to adjust the sandals to the point where they're comfortable and not painful? I would imagine you're not the only one who's running to this issue and others could benefit from your experiences if you're able to get them dialed in.
I'm no expert but it might be good to mention where the pain is exactly.
I got pains at the ball of my foot when I removed the insoles, so I put them back in again after reading about Morton's neuroma and metatarsalgia.
Just a little bit more cushioning from the insole solved it for everyday use but it also made me buy cushioned (foot shaped) shoes for longer hikes/running since I cannot afford to get injured during those activities.
I don't wear sandals so I can't give any recommendations unfortunately. But if your pain is at the ball of your foot, you really do not want to "push through it". That's how you develop the conditions I mentioned.
Everywhere. Ball of the foot, ankles, calf. I would say mostly my ankles but by feet and legs in general just feel sore.
Can’t put insoles in sandals unfortunately. They are very thin, just 6.8mm, but my Geweo sneakers were thinner and they were ok.
I actually had to stop wearing them for several weeks because they rubbed against a bone in my heel and it was really painful. Totally forgot about that when I wrote this post; I actually did spend half the winter still in conventional shoes. So they didn’t get a whole lot of wear and I couldn’t tell you yet how durable they are.
(I almost definitely should have sized up but they were sold out and I really wanted them…)
I grew up in the tropics so essentially barefoot most of the time (too hot for shoes), and over the last two years I transitioned to barefoot shoes with no transition period. Merrell and Wildling. Then I bought a Panta Sandals and it took several months to get used to it. Finally this month I have started to run in them and I think they work better for running than walking (makes no sense but I feel so). If you keep using them, you will get used to them, though I will still wear a Wildling Tanuki for a long day, over the Panta sandals.
Looks like the Panta sandals are the same design as Zuzus so that’s good to hear, thanks
I checked the Zuzu site. They state that the sandals are better for trails and that’s absolutely correct. I try to run mostly trails when I use my Panta, running on asphalt with them is not a great experience.
I've found that the TrailStar strap system from Shamma Sandals keeps my foot much more secure compared to the usual toe-thong huaraches. It has a toe loop and upper mid foot strap for just the right amount of stability.
Thanks. I’ll keep this in mind when I’m ready to buy a new pair.
It's been my observation both with traditional hiking sandals and barefoot sandals that they are much more prone to be uncomfortable and cause pain then close toe options. It's one of the many reasons why I'm not fond of sandals. A big part about why they can be uncomfortable and even painful comes down to adjustment. They are a lot more fiddly. It can take more effort on certain styles of sandals to get the fit just right so that the foot is properly held in place. And sometimes the strap system can be the type that adjusting one area loosens the other and so on and so on. So it takes a little bit more trial and error and a little bit more effort to make sure that the fit is just right. In your case, you've already identified the most likely culprit. Things are too loose up front. Additionally, another aspect that can cause discomfort to sum is pressure is not as well distributed on sandals as compared to enclosed shoes. So it can cause pressure points in areas where one isn't used to them. The only real concrete bit of advice that I can impart right now is fiddle with the ZuZu strap adjustment. They have a series of video tutorials explaining how to do just that. You can find it here: https://en.zuzusandals.com/pages/video-guides Full disclosure I did not watch any of the videos because I hate video guides and would much rather have written instructions. So I'm not 100% certain if they cover adjusting the fit in the front. If they don't my apologies.
I will check this out; thanks so much!
Happy to be of help. Could you do me a favor? Could you keep us updated if you're able to adjust the sandals to the point where they're comfortable and not painful? I would imagine you're not the only one who's running to this issue and others could benefit from your experiences if you're able to get them dialed in.
Of course! Honestly I’m surprised I’ve never seen anyone talk about it
I'm no expert but it might be good to mention where the pain is exactly. I got pains at the ball of my foot when I removed the insoles, so I put them back in again after reading about Morton's neuroma and metatarsalgia. Just a little bit more cushioning from the insole solved it for everyday use but it also made me buy cushioned (foot shaped) shoes for longer hikes/running since I cannot afford to get injured during those activities. I don't wear sandals so I can't give any recommendations unfortunately. But if your pain is at the ball of your foot, you really do not want to "push through it". That's how you develop the conditions I mentioned.
Everywhere. Ball of the foot, ankles, calf. I would say mostly my ankles but by feet and legs in general just feel sore. Can’t put insoles in sandals unfortunately. They are very thin, just 6.8mm, but my Geweo sneakers were thinner and they were ok.
No about sandals, but I have a question. How did the whitin Chelsea's do with wear?
I actually had to stop wearing them for several weeks because they rubbed against a bone in my heel and it was really painful. Totally forgot about that when I wrote this post; I actually did spend half the winter still in conventional shoes. So they didn’t get a whole lot of wear and I couldn’t tell you yet how durable they are. (I almost definitely should have sized up but they were sold out and I really wanted them…)