New shoes

Fiona had outgrown all her shoes from last year and for some reason those in the hand-me-down box were mostly too big. And of course my sensibilities about footwear have changed in recent years. The clunky high-support traditional running shoes I put my big kids in when they were Fiona's age no longer seem like the best option.

Last weekend Fiona came and ran a 5k race with me. She did phenomenally well, and she ran with the unadulterated great form of a mostly-barefoot kid, even in the clunky shoes she had to don for the event. I sure don't want her losing that form, or her enthusiasm for running.

In light of her need for new shoes, her nice natural form and her interest in running, a couple of weeks ago I took the plunge and dropped a lot of money on shoes untried and unseen, but which seemed from my research to be the best of the very slim pickings in kids' minimalist shoes.

These Vivo Barefoot Aquariuses from Terra Plana arrived this morning. They are very impressive, exactly what I wanted for her. They fit nicely, feel comfortable on the inside, have thin, zero-drop soles with grippy treads and a puncture-resistant membrane. And they're wonderfully flexible, very much like the little siblings to my New Balance Minimuses.

We're going to squeeze in an inaugural run together this afternoon.