Barefoot enthusiasts, rejoice!
I first saw Vibram's Five Fingers (VFF) on a woman who was exercising at the Manhattan Beach Sand Dunes (Which have been closed since August 2009 for neighborhood noise/traffic reasons or some such thing. I'll do a FT post on the Sand Dunes sometime soon - maybe when they reopen). I went right out and bought a pair. I highly recommend trying them on at the store for size because they are footwear unlike any other. Though my size was true to what I wear in dress-shoes.
Anyway, the shoes make you feel like you're barefoot. For those who dislike being barefoot, think about it like this, your feet, legs and entire body is brilliantly designed to be barefoot. We've been wearing shoes only a fraction of the time of human existence, and until the last 30 or so years, our shoes have been mostly for protection, not to modify our movement or gate. (Reference: Born To Run by Christopher McDougall - more on the book in a future blog.) With these shoes, we develop muscles in our feet and legs that have been under-used and under-developed because of traditional shoes.
Case and point. This fall I was traveling in the north and went hiking near waterfalls. Down stream the water level was very low so crossing the river over rocks was possible. I observed other people crossing in traditional shoes and they seemed off-balance and slow as they walked over oddly shaped rocks to get to the other side. A few times I thought these people would fall into the cool water. They might have if they didn't have a friend nearby to stabilize on. Now I'm relatively fit, but I know that feeling of walking on rocks and feeling unstable. This was my first time traversing across river-rocks in my VFF. The experience was entirely different. I could feel the rocks and grip them with my feet! I felt like a gazelle elegantly prancing through the field my balance and agility were so keen with these shoes on. It was fantastic.
Now, you may need to get used to them before you run marathons in them. They do take getting used to. Also, the way you step when you walk and run should change. The human foot wasn't meant to walk or run heel to toe, that is symptomatic of ultra-padded running shoes. Check online videos of Tarahumara runners or barefoot running or Kenyan runners. They tend to have more organic and gentle running styles. Wear them for just an hour at a time as your feet and legs build up your natural stabilizer muscles and shock absorbers that have been under-used ever since your parents made you put shoes on to play outside. Do any kids actually like wearing shoes to play? None that I know of.
My only criticisms are the following: I often practice martial arts outside in these shoes, and sometimes the soles of my feet get warm and worn from the friction or rotating on the ground. Also, sometimes my feet get cold. (It's an odd sensation when your feet are generally cold, but the bottoms are hot from friction.) Both things could possibly be cured by wearing thin toe socks. I'll test it out and report back. (Leave a comment if you're impatient to learn how my test goes.) Being barefoot in these shoes is great though. I can really feel all of my movements without compromising a certain level of protection the soles give me (I rarely go barefoot outside these days except on the beach.) All in all, I think a thicker or cold-weather (but breathable) version would be fantastic.
Other than those two relatively minor things, I LOVE these shoes. Well-done Vibram.
If nothing else, check with your local sports store, try on a pair for size and walk around the store a little. It's a unique experience. (You may be able to find better prices online once you know your size.) You're more likely to find them at specialty sports stores that cater to more extreme and serious athletes, hikers, rock climbers and campers. In other words, I don't think Sports Authority carries them, but Adventure 16 might.
Let me know what you think!
(Katie Strand is not sponsored or paid to endorse these shoes. Strand is merely stating an opinion about a public product. No legal copyright or publicity infringement intended.)
they are pretty cool, have you compared them to the nike frees? I saw a decent comparison here.
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