Vibram FiveFingers

Although I'm a rower, I need to cross train when I'm off-season or I can't row due to floods. I had picked up a Nike+ shoe back in January or so, but the darn shoe hasn't been as comfortable I'd like, in fact, it's been rather painful. A coworker of mine picked up a pair of Vibram Five Fingers about and has been raving about them since. The Five Fingers are the shoes that are as close to being barefoot as one can be without being barefoot. Each toe is enclosed singularly and the sole is thin and very pliable. Together it makes for the anti-shoe, As you really don't feel like you are wearing a shoe. 

Vibram FiveFingers KSOI looked into the Five Fingers as well as the Nike Free. The Free is more like a traditional sneaker but with the sole having groves cut horizontally which causes the shoe to be more flexible in the toes. This really doesn't help with the mid part of the foot which for me seems to move all around. I decided to grab a pair of the Vibram Five Fingers KSOs. 

These shoes are comfy. I was warned that I should start wearing them gradually as your feet would not have the strength to run in them right away. Sounded funny so I decided to throw this advice into the wind. Big mistake. After wearing them and running in them for two days, my calves hurt. Not in the "that's a good workout way" but in the "OMG, they are going to explode!" way. I'd advise anyone that is new to the shoe to follow the instructions provided. I did take a day off to give my calves a rest but the day after I noticed that I could run a 6k without going down to a brisk walk. That's something I could never do with the Nikes.

The big difference in how you run in these shoes is the strike. In a sneaker you are encouraged to strike with your heal, causing the force to go up your leg. This can lead to shin splints and issues with your knees. Running barefoot (or in the FiveFingers) requires you to switch to striking with the balls of your feet and then dispersing the force with a roll of the foot. It's something that your body starts to do after you realize that you are killing your feet when you strike with the heal. This transition will cause you to use muscles in your calves, ankles, and feet which you might have not used as much before.

At work, the biggest question is, "how much do you feel in these shoes?" I can feel quite a bit. But it doesn't cause me to stop running. You notice the ground in these shoes, but if you start to feel something under your foot, you instinctively alter your weight, or, at least I do. I feel and accommodate. I think feeling the ground under your feet has brought me closer to the path, made me more aware, and happier with the ground. I don't shy away from the mud or grass. In a sneaker I'd hate to go though these areas as it felt uncomfortable on the grass and I knew that my shoes wouldn't get clean in the mud. In the FiveFingers I like the grass as it's softer and massages the foot. Mud feels fun too.