Five Fingers Running

My wife bought me some Vibram Five Fingers shoes a little over a month ago, and today was the first day I tried running in them. It was interesting.

It has been my plan to try it out, but I was worried about hurting myself. So I waited until I'd finished a year of running, gave my feet a few more days to get stronger, and decided today I'd try. I went on the treadmill, at it's softest setting, and did my 1.3 mile run.

It felt like my first few days wearing these shoes. My feet seemed to be "slapping" the ground hard, and it didn't hurt, but it wasn't super comfortable. I found myself missing the cushion of my running shoes, and while I ran at my normal pace, it wasn't something that felt good.

I could feel my feet sliding a touch and the beginning of a blister on the right pad (ball) near the end of my run. Even when I walked to cool down, I had trouble not slapping the surface of the treadmill.

I have the classic model, which is low cut, and doesn't tightly grab my feet. When I flex, the sides bend out a touch, and it seems that my feet slide a little in them. If I were to get another pair, I think I'd go for the flow model to more tightly fit on my feet. Especially if I were to keep running in them.

I might do some more outside running in the, maybe on the road or on some softer trails. I don't think I'd run on pavement, concrete or asphalt, with these. At least not without much stronger arches.