Build your own lightweight trainer

Yes, I think I will call mine....The Foot.

Use flip flops and dr scholls inserts

Duct tape...

I've hacked together a few shoes to make a trainer before. I heated them in the oven and pulled apart the materials. After getting the parts that I wanted off each shoe I glued them all together and had my trainer. They really sucked. Its very hard to make a shoe without lasts.

If you can get a cast mold of your feet it will be much easier to create a shoe on them. Just making it without a mold is very hard. Its mostly the outsole that will give you problems. I have used cheap canvas and made an upper but getting the outsole on was hard.

What I do now is take my favorite track spikes to a shoe repair shop and have them grind off the plate and glue on a vibrum. Vibrum makes a lighter outsole that is harder to find but it is great for a racer. I have a kennedy that weights 7.1oz in a size 13 that I use for racing. None of my shoes weigh more that 10oz in size 13.

LaWoof

LaWoof wrote:

What I do now is take my favorite track spikes to a shoe repair shop and have them grind off the plate and glue on a vibrum. Vibrum makes a lighter outsole that is harder to find but it is great for a racer.

LaWoof

Is there a specific type of vibrum sole that you use?

You could try making a pair of Nike Sock Racers. Shouldn't be too hard to put together.

http://www.shoe-shop.com/content/ebiz/shoeshop/invt/sch340292/sch340292_blacknavy_m.jpg

Two that I use. The most common one that you will find at just about ANY shoe repair shop is a very durable heavy rubber that is generally used for hiking boots. There are different thicknesses so just get the thinnest one, about 6mm. It’s GREAT for training. Lasts forever.

The second one is a lighter, softer rubber that has less tread on it. Its still thick but it is MUCH softer. This one is just fine for training but it wears down faster. Not to say that it wears poorly. It is WAY better that most of the outsoles on most regular trainers.

Sorry, I don’t know the names of them but if you just go to a shoe repair shop they should have plenty of samples for you to look at. I have found that some of those shop people need a bit of prodding to bring out what you are looking for. I guess sniffing glue all day has something to do with that. Good blue caller people but they generally have NO way of relating to a runner.

I should have a website up by March that will have pics of the shoes that I have hacked apart and made.

LaWoof