Vibram 5 fingers and barefoot running

— UPDATE: Part 2

A few years back, while in Holland during the summer I ran into an old friend on the beach. He was with his kids and they had long boards and were walking down the beach. My friend was wearing the strangest shoes. I had never seen shoes with toes on them. That was the first time I had seen vibram five fingers. After talking to him he used them for everything, skateboarding, walking, and just being with the kids.

The next day I headed down to The Outpost and purchased a pair. I think they only had one color and one type. They were $89 bucks for the sprint. I wore them for the afternoon (took me a while to get them on) and then a few days outside. They were not the most well built shoe, and the seams on the toes started to break after a week. I took them back and got another pair this time a size larger and have had them since. That was back in the summer of 08 or 09. I have been happy with them since.

Later that fall, my wife and brother-in law read a book called “born to run” that talked about barefoot running. Being a runner I was interested in reading. What I did not know what that the five-fingers were part of that barefoot running craze. That winter I started running on the treadmill with the five-fingers. Up until that time I used them for just being outside, running around with the kids and driving.

I got up to about 10 miles indoors, and figured I’d start outside when it got warm. My second run out with the five-fingers I hit a large rock on my middle foot and got a huge bruise. That got me out of running barefoot for a while. It took me till laste summer to jump back into the five-fingers to run.

I’m now a happy runner in my five-fingers. It is just funny that I got started for other reasons than running. Overall what a great shoe. I intend to get another pair or getting the new more “more shoe like” merrells.