Vibram Fivefingers Anyone???

[nikalas]

Went to Naked Ape in Sheffield and got my Fivefingers (VSO's)... fitting took quite a while and I was really surprised that although I normally take a 10-10.5 fell shoe I ended up with an 8 in the Fivefingers!

First run was yesterday evening 6 miles full on fell on Cracken Edge (no point easing in gently!). Really enjoyed running in them and didn't suffer from sore feet at all despite some really rocky sections. Grip was fine climbing and excellent on rock but they were a complete liability on wet grassy downhills... two spectacular tumbles. Was even pleasantly surprised how they felt on the road at the start and end of the run. No rubbing or blisters. Also no calf tightness but I've always been quite a toe/forefoot runner.

Second run this morning (6 miles again) and all good... really amazed how you can feel your toes working for balance/grip and how little impact your knees take. Again no rubbing or soreness.

My plan is to use them for my morning pre-breakfast easy paced runs as it's usually when I'm running easy that I get lazy and my form goes to rat shit.

So far, very impressed.

[chesterblue]

Having read Born to Run (brilliant book btw) I took the plunge and ordered a pair of KSO's a couple of weeks ago (having bought into the 2 million years of evolution trumping 4 years of podiatry degree argument).

Initially I wore them around the house and on a couple of short runs, when I did get a couple of blisters between the toes, though nothing major.

They were tested properly tonight when I wore them on an 8 mile club run over roads, trails and a few gentle hills. Overall, I really liked them. The negatives were that I found them a bit hard on the calves when on road though that felt like the result of a sudden change in cushioning rather than a permanent issue but I suppose only time will tell. On the trails a couple of large stones caught me out, but it was only a temporary 'ouch', no serious damage. Also, grip on wet grass would probably be an issue so I can't see me using them for racing in.

That said, I absolutely love them - you do change your form - strike on the forefoot, my hips seemed to shift forward as if to be keen to get somewhere rather that slouching at the back. I also found that I wanted to kick my heels up so that the lower legs were more like pedaling in a circle as on a bike rather than thumping up and down - difficult to explain, but I know what I mean! Also, you notice that when running uphill, all the power drives you forward, nothing is lost - big difference - it's suddenly obvious that the cushioning in a normal shoe dampens the forward drive when climbing.

I also feel after just a couple of weeks that my feet feel generally stronger and tougher.

I won't wear them all the time, and I'm certainly going to be mindful of hurting my calves by using them too much on the roads in winter. But I will wear them regularly and I think this will help my foot strength and running form, and I'll certainly look forward to each run in them because running in them doesn't half feel great!

Just need to cope with the mickey-taking clubmates!

Dave.

[Twister]

Just need to cope with the mickey-taking clubmates!

I still haven't plucked up the courage to wear mine on a club run! Good for you.

Have told a few people about them though so am building up to it.

[Terry the Tortoise]

Nik, you’re a very lucky guy!

I think for those out there who are already efficient runners, landing midfoot/forefoot, you're already half-way there to running barefoot.
The transitional period should be less and your calves will already be used to taking most of the impact.
For us heel strikers, finding out that we've been running so wrong, taking most of the impact through the heel, bones and knees takes a little longer to adapt. I've managed to build up to 1 hour runs now (mix of road and trail) but I think when I get a chance to go completely off-road soon, I will be able to run a lot longer. Some things I've noticed are that when I'm on road, my cadence increases, I’m guessing to adapt to the conditions (this appears to happen naturally). Also, when I first stated to run through mud and wet grass I was slipping all over the place but I think my gait must have again adapted to the conditions because I can now run quite comfortably. The same goes again with running over stony paths. At first they were a pain in the arse (well foot really) but slowly I'm finding that I can endure it and quite enjoy the feeling you get. My claves no longer ache! I’ve also noticed that instead of pounding along, I almost feel like I’m floating when running (anyone else get this feeling?). Oh…and I can’t help but run with a stupid big grin on my face!

The only negative aspect I’ve discovered so far is that I now hate wearing traditional shoes of any kind!

[Inov-8 Insider]

The only negative aspect I’ve discovered so far is that I now hate wearing traditional shoes of any kind!

I have just got some VIVO BAREFOOT for my every day shoes

[Terry the Tortoise]

I've had a look at them and they look pretty good. The only problem I have is that in the line of work I do, I have to wear black plain round toe boots. So I'm trying to work out a way of chopping the heavy duty soles off and replacing it with a thin sole!

[AndyA]

I have just got some VIVO BAREFOOT for my every day shoes

had a look at this link and my eye was caught by the reflexology style banner on the lhs!

Reflexology is a bit of a bugbear with me; i can accept the fact that some people like to believe in this complete load of bollox; that's up to them, live and let live i say (i'm ok with religion for the same reasons).

However i really hate it when people either try and make money out of it or by association with it (as vivo seem to be doing).

I also have a huge problem with iridology (that's analysing your systemic health by looking at your iris). As an optometrist, i know that this is complete sh1te, but every so often a patient will produce their assessment from an iridologist with the words "so what do you think of this?". I then have to tell them what i think of it, which doesn't always go down well!!

I know i'm going off-thread a bit here but bear with me;

There's a bit of the whole alternative medicine slant to the way barefoot running and VFF is sold to us. This is a real shame because the principles behind barefoot are perfectly straightforward and can easily be tested by ourselves (either our feet feel stronger or they dont!). It doesn't help to link it to quack medicine, and may even turn a lot of people away.

I also wouldn't be keen on paying £75 for an ordinary looking pair of shoes with a worn out sole!!

[Inov-8 Insider]

had a look at this link and my eye was caught by the reflexology style banner on the lhs!

Reflexology is a bit of a bugbear with me; i can accept the fact that some people like to believe in this complete load of bollox; that's up to them, live and let live i say (i'm ok with religion for the same reasons).

However i really hate it when people either try and make money out of it or by association with it (as vivo seem to be doing).

I also have a huge problem with iridology (that's analysing your systemic health by looking at your iris). As an optometrist, i know that this is complete sh1te, but every so often a patient will produce their assessment from an iridologist with the words "so what do you think of this?". I then have to tell them what i think of it, which doesn't always go down well!!

I know i'm going off-thread a bit here but bear with me;

There's a bit of the whole alternative medicine slant to the way barefoot running and VFF is sold to us. This is a real shame because the principles behind barefoot are perfectly straightforward and can easily be tested by ourselves (either our feet feel stronger or they dont!). It doesn't help to link it to quack medicine, and may even turn a lot of people away.

I also wouldn't be keen on paying £75 for an ordinary looking pair of shoes with a worn out sole!!

Bloody hell good job I didnt read all that.
I just wanted a shoe to stand around at a trade show next week in Germany that was a more natural " bare foot" option.
£60 for the canvas

[AndyA]

£60 for the canvas

£5 for the sole
£5 for the canvas
£65 for the smug feeling!

[Inov-8 Insider]

Priceless