Barefoot

Okay, bear with me on this one, I’m stepping away from the Lexi updates for just a post here so if you are only visiting to see what the bear is up to, ignore this post and come back for the next one.  Alright, disclaimer over, this entry is all about meeeee!

I’m super excited because yesterday I purchased my first pair of Vibram FiveFingers.  For those who don’t know, they are shoes that basically mimic running barefoot, but protect your feet from rocks and acorns and stuff.  My interest in “barefoot running” was first piqued with this blog entry from my friend Matt, but once his wife Nicole also jumped on the VFF train I couldn’t wait any longer, I had to try it out.  Luckily my growing enthusiasm coincided with a 20% off coupon to REI and our annual REI member dividend check so I got a bit of a discount on my purchase, and by Sunday afternoon I was the proud owner of a pair of the VFF Bikila LS shoes.

Now, I did exactly what you are NOT supposed to do, I was so excited to try out the shoes that I headed straight to the local track on my way home from REI and ran a mile in them, plus an 800 cooldown.  Because barefoot running completely changes that way that one runs, by transitioning from a heel-strike form to landing more on the forefoot, if you dive in head first you are most likely just going to cause injury.  Luckily, aside from some sore calves, I don’t think I did any damage, and will be moving forward with the super-slow barefoot running integration over the next month.  They suggest starting off just running 10% of your usual distance in the FiveFingers, and building up weekly, but since I’m still only doing 1.5 mile runs, that would be about 250 meters in the shoes…barely a quarter of a lap on the track.  I’m going to buck the system and do a whole lap while training, injuries be damned!  I’m definitely looking forward to a time when I can a) do an entire run in the shoes (safely) and b) run more than 1.5 miles.

For those of you curious about the feel of the shoes, it is a little weird having all your toes “pocketed” like that, and not having all the cushioning of standard running shoes takes some getting used to, but overall the shoes are incredibly comfortable.  It really does feel like you aren’t wearing shoes at all, or at the very least just a pair of socks, and yet your feet are protected from dirt, concrete and all the other random things the road has to offer.

Oh, and of course I couldn’t NOT include Lexi in my photo shoot, here are some shots of her with the VFFs…you know, for perspective.