The Verdict

I think I'm going to love the Vibram Fivefingers. Brandon gave them to me Friday evening. I ran in them Saturday morning. I generally wear high stability shoes (aka a lot of padding.) They suggest doing a slow transition into the Fivefingers by trading high stability for neutral shoes then neutral for low padding shoes and eventually into the Fivefingers. Anyone who knows me knows that would never happen. So Saturday I decided I was just going to run a mile in the Fivefingers. I ended up running around 3 1/2 and walking another mile or so. It definitely has a different feel. But I like it. I'm not even sure if I have the right running form yet...I think I might be too high on my toes. I do have a lot of blisters. I've read that those go away after a few times wearing them. My calves are also sore. But I do think that overall it was easier on my joints. Running "barefoot" uses different muscles or uses muscles differently. I know that I will have to work up to running the 8 miles every other day that I usually do. I ran 3 1/2 more miles today but the blisters didn't help much. I really think there is something to the claim that running "barefoot" is more biomechanically correct for your body. I can see that these "shoes" would be very useful in many other situations. They are marketed for everything from running to yoga, to kayaking, water sports, climbing, etc. I think they would be great for most of these activities. Overall I think they are a hit! Hopefully the blisters will go away soon.