Vibrams
About 5 weeks ago, I picked up a pair of Vibram Five Fingers at REI, after Matt's positive review. The selection at REI was narrow in my size, so I ended up with the Sprint. I've been running in them ever since, up to 8 miles last week.
The experience in the Vibrams is fairly unique if you've only ever run in traditional running shoes. I struggled for a bit to describe what was different, but I stumbled on a reviewer that expressed it well: I felt like I was running on a couple of springs, rather then in shoes. Running in Vibrams feels very natural to me - my feet and calves operate in harmony to run, rather than just slamming padded shoes against the ground.
Prior to acquiring the Vibrams, I had largely already shifted my running form so that I was striking on the balls of my feet, anyways. But changing my gait in running shoes took significant effort, there was no feedback that said my form was horrid (except hours-later knee pain). The Vibrams basically seem to enforce a good running form. Heel striking? Ha, ever struck your heel barefoot? Large bounding strides? Funny thing, slamming down on the balls of your feet after striding too high also hurts. Because I was already ball-striking, my gait didn't radically change, but I now run with a shallower, faster gait than I did 5 weeks ago.
It's not all roses. The balls of my feet are still sore after my long run. I know that they're toughening up, though - my short runs are now basically pain free. Gravel is still a little painful to run on, but that also has been getting more comfortable. Something about the Sprint gives me blisters on the bottoms of my big toes, but that problem seems to be easing as my feet adjust. All of these are temporary issues, I'm sure.
I'm a fan. If you're thinking of trying them, I'd highly recommend getting some at the beginning of a training cycle. You won't be able to run far in them at first, the balls of your feet will probably be sore quickly. I was able to start with a 3 mile run, but I was definitely sore after.
One of these days, maybe I'll take the next step and try barefoot running. :)
The experience in the Vibrams is fairly unique if you've only ever run in traditional running shoes. I struggled for a bit to describe what was different, but I stumbled on a reviewer that expressed it well: I felt like I was running on a couple of springs, rather then in shoes. Running in Vibrams feels very natural to me - my feet and calves operate in harmony to run, rather than just slamming padded shoes against the ground.
Prior to acquiring the Vibrams, I had largely already shifted my running form so that I was striking on the balls of my feet, anyways. But changing my gait in running shoes took significant effort, there was no feedback that said my form was horrid (except hours-later knee pain). The Vibrams basically seem to enforce a good running form. Heel striking? Ha, ever struck your heel barefoot? Large bounding strides? Funny thing, slamming down on the balls of your feet after striding too high also hurts. Because I was already ball-striking, my gait didn't radically change, but I now run with a shallower, faster gait than I did 5 weeks ago.
It's not all roses. The balls of my feet are still sore after my long run. I know that they're toughening up, though - my short runs are now basically pain free. Gravel is still a little painful to run on, but that also has been getting more comfortable. Something about the Sprint gives me blisters on the bottoms of my big toes, but that problem seems to be easing as my feet adjust. All of these are temporary issues, I'm sure.
I'm a fan. If you're thinking of trying them, I'd highly recommend getting some at the beginning of a training cycle. You won't be able to run far in them at first, the balls of your feet will probably be sore quickly. I was able to start with a 3 mile run, but I was definitely sore after.
One of these days, maybe I'll take the next step and try barefoot running. :)