Running Barefoot
“The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised.”
Thus sayeth Vibram Five Fingers. Well, thus their website sayeth.
A friend of mine swears by these shoes for her running needs and eschews all other running footwear. I remain skeptical. Vibram’s Five-Finger foot offerings go beyond running to meet all other footwear needs. The idea being that we need to keep our feet healthy and to do so we must forsake comfort and cushion and return to the barefooted roots of our ancestors. I think it’s all the latest gimmicky fad, but have never tried them either.
The jury is still out for me, but I want to know:
Have you ever tried Vibrams or know someone who has? If so what do you think of them?
runnersami.wordpress.com 
Hi there! I tried that exact pair on – the colors were so pretty, I couldn’t help it! 🙂 I ended up not buying them (they were so hard to get on and off!), but I have two close friends who love Vibrams. One bought this pair a few months ago and so far to my knowledge has only used them to walk around NYC, and my other friend has a different model which he bought a couple years ago and runs a few miles in around the park at least once every few weeks. He claims that it has really helped his form. They were really great for running on the beach, apparently. I remain skeptical, but very curious!
I never thought about using them to run on the beach – I can definitely see how Vibrams would be nice for that. That’s cool that your friend’s form seemed to improve. Thanks for the comment!
yeah, he was loving them on the beach, whereas i was trying my first ever barefoot run and kept stepping on little shells (ouch!) so i was quite envious! 🙂 have a fab weekend!
I remain skeptical too, but mostly because I’ve had plantars fasciitis before and my podiatrist always scolded me for wearing shoes that didn’t have enough padding. That being said, I know a lot of people who are sold on them and I’m seeing more and more runners at races wearing them. I have a couple of friends who own them just for walking – might be an interesting way to ease into them.
That is a good idea if you’re interested in them. I’m like you, I have too many leg/foot issues that it makes me nervous to try them. But who knows, maybe a pair will only help to correct those issues… 🙂
I’ve seen people wear these, but I don’t know if I’ll get a pair myself.
I have a blog award for you.
Thanks for the award, Medeia! I’m swinging by your blog right now! 🙂
I bet they work great on the beach but I run in the woods.. on rocky trails. I need alot more support! 🙂
Yes, rocks and tender feet don’t go to well together! 🙂