Vibram Five Fingers

8.09 Miles, 1:06:34, 8:13 pace, no HR info

I bought a new pair of "shoes" today called Vibram Five Fingers. I've been toying with the idea of purchasing these shoes which give you the sensation of running barefoot, and finally broke down today and bought them. Here is an article from Runner's World describing the author's experience.

Here is what they look like:


And here they are on my feet. Notice the blade of grass between the toes.


I also have a reflector on my leg since this was a night run.

The alleged benefits of running barefoot are:
1) Develop a more natural gait
2) Encourage mid-foot striking and proper pronation
3) Strengthen individual small muscles in the foot, helping you to run faster.

My reason for buying the shoes:
Even though I'm a pretty normal guy, I like to be a little quirky from time to time.

I don't know if natural is really better. Technology generally improves things, so it's a hard sell to me that technological advances in footwear would be "evil" and counterproductive. But plenty of African marathoners grew up running and training without shoes, although I suspect the current generation of runners did not.

I can say this about my experience -- you would think that the pavement and concrete would hurt and the dirt and gravel paths would be the best, but it was the opposite. I struggled when I stepped on the smallest rocks and consequently ran a lot slower on the gravel path along Heights Boulevard. But the pavement didn't really bother me.

I hope for $80 they last, but even if they don't they're sure to turn some eyes.