Vibram 5 Fingers - a Couple of Questions (Read 2387 times)

Where are you guys buying them? Me wants a pair, but don't feel like ordering/reordering to get the right size. I suppose I will have to though.

Where are you guys buying them? Me wants a pair, but don't feel like ordering/reordering to get the right size. I suppose I will have to though.

The local running store that I coach at carries them. Very convenient.

Does anyone think I would be OK with one pair?

Possibly...the only way to know would be to try them on. That's a pretty big discrepancy. You can tighten them pretty well but that might be a little too much.

Wait a minute guys...... Do you wear these 'glove looking things'' instead of shoes????? Do I understand them to be a shoe replacement???? Man, I cant even walk on in the yard without my feet pinching on something or stepping on a rock or something else that hurts my foot/feet.... Are you saying that you are going to RUN without shoes on???? Forgive my ignorance here, but I haven't even imagined something like this....

Man, I cant even walk on in the yard without my feet pinching on something or stepping on a rock or something else that hurts my foot/feet....

That's because your feet spend all their time wrapped in dark, damp, overpadded cocoons. If you wore a blindfold all the time, opening your eyes outdoors would hurt like hell too. I see the constant stream of runners complaining about their overuse injuries (there's a whole thread dedicated to "what hurts today?" right now), and just have to shake my head. Running shoes don't work for the majority of people. But we are social creatures, and very few are willing to do "odd" things like run without running shoes. Lots of people will get angry at me just for contradicting the dogma that running shoes are great. But they will be unwilling to perform the experiment themselves to confirm (or reject) their belief. Running is a very complicated activity. We are still unable to build two-legged robots that can run like humans. The feet alone have a very large number of joints and muscles, and some of the most dense nerve endings in the body. The nervous system provides a sophisticated feedback control system. It depends on those nerves actually being able to feel. Let me give a concrete example. When I was first learning to run and walk barefoot, I went for a two-day hike in the woods in FiveFingers. Typical rocky, root-strewn New England trail. It turned out to be a bit much for my still-weak lower leg and foot muscles -- afterward I ached in placed I didn't even know I had muscles before. There was one particular tiny muscle in my foot that I had never been aware of before that got really tired by the end. The odd thing about it was that I couldn't actually find it most of the time! I could walk, run, stretch, massage my foot and not feel it at all. But if I happened to step on a little rock that was shaped just so, with just the right part of my foot, this tiny muscle would instinctively react to make my foot conform to the terrain, and I would again feel how tired it was. Now that my feet are strong, those same little muscles protect me from taking any significant damage from rocks and uneven surfaces. Your feet are not dumb solid slabs, they can actively react to the surface they're on. I step on pebbles barefoot every day, they don't bother me and they don't do any damage. Sure, an extremely sharp one could still hurt me, but those are very rare. Even most glass bits you find around are perfectly safe for me to run over -- the combination of active reaction and very thick skin prevents all but the biggest and sharpest from getting through. And the big ones you can see. When you pad your feet, your body loses much of the ability to judge impact properly, and so you're likely to adapt a high-impact running form. There was actually a study that measured impact forces in runners -- they all exerted more force on the ground when wearing more heavily padded shoes. If you don't believe me, just go try to run barefoot. You'll be acutely aware of how much impact you're generating, and you'll instinctively start treading much more gently. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an extremist. If you live in a parasite-ridden third world country, or you're trying to run with a windchill of 20 below, or cross broken lava rocks, shoes are pretty freaking handy. But this insidious idea that they can help you run better by deadening all sensation and immobilizing many important muscles is dead wrong. The whole point of running is to gradually make your body stronger by pushing a little bit outside your normal comfort zone. It's no different with your feet. You may have the body of a runner from the knees up and still have the feet of a couch potato.

I don't run much in my FFs... more of a adjunct therapy a day or two a week. It's totally eliminated my plantar fasciitis though, so my running in regular shoes has definitely improved.

I started my barefoot running last year. I have walked barefoot a lot before, but I just did not get to the running part till lately. I usually run 1/3 of my miles barefooted. I just take my normal running shoes off and carry them ( I have logged 1200km in them now and they are still in good condition, will run 2000miles in them). I do recommend at least part-time barefoot running. But, start it slowly and give your feet sufficient time to rest. Start from half mile runs few times per week and increase the distance half a mile to 1 mile per month (this rule applies to 5fingers too). Biggest mistake is to start too fast and get injured. Your foot muscles are in a baby stage so be patience. Also, be ready to face the pressure from society. You are an odd bird and you might hear it. I was even assumed to be mentally sick because I ran without a t-shirt, with my HRM strap on (they did not know what it was ), carrying my shoes. Boy, I do appreciate their concern

Same rule applies to pronators too, but they should take it even more slowly. Start from walking (few months) and give your feet time to get strong. Use your normal shoes most of the time, but try to give them barefooting in small doses. Pain is always bad and you should put your normal shoes on if pains appear. Also, let your feet to have few weeks rest periods now and then at the beginning. Approach this project with caution and rest, rest and rest. Make it clear to your mind that it will take 2-4 years before you can do "proper" barefoot running. Even "healthy" foot runner should take first year easy and not to even consider to do any long runs before second year. If you have to take rest from barefooting during winter, remember to give your feet time to get used to barefooting at spring for at least month or even two. Everything is possible to everybody.