Vibram Five Fingers Reviews, anyone? (fast, burns, run, normal)

[wankel7]

Originally Posted by broadbill

Are you referring to my post? My suggestion to the OP(which I feel is very worthwhile thank you very much) is "be careful with barefoot running"...nothing more.

As for your comment, Vibram five fingers are NOT a replacement for the conventional running shoe, as you stated. It is for runners who are interested in barefoot running, as a means of protecting their feet.

I will not buy a conventional running shoe again .... ever.

For me they are a replacement for a conventional , heel cushioned, marshmallow show.

[wankel7]

Originally Posted by toughstocks

I am a cyclist who is motivated to train for a marathon. I bought my pair of KSO Five Fingers three weeks ago after reading the book Born To Run, about barefoot running.

My first week I did two 1 mile runs, with little pain. Last week I did a 2.25 mile run and felt no immediate pain. However, the next day I had a lot of pain on the top of my right foot. I rested a few days until the pain went away. Then I did a 3 mile run, which ended when the pain returned.

After a quick google search, it turns out that top of foot pain is common for those new to barefoot running. As someone may have mentioned already, and I believe this to be true for runners and non-runners, barefoot running uses a different set of muscles which have to be very slowly built up.

For those of you at home...this is an example of not taking it slow.

Fracturing the metatarsal bone in your foot from not taking it slow enough is a common injury. It isn't the VFFs fault...if you were to strike out barefoot the same thing would happen to you.

If you decide to go the barefoot / vff route...take it slow...slower than toughstocks.

I walked in mine for four months before I broke a stride.

[wutitiz]

I can vouch for the need for slow buildup. I started doing barefoot running on the treadmill. I started with about a half mile and took about six months to build to about 2 miles. I did it as a cooldown run first once/wk, and then after every treadmill session (about 3 times/wk).

The day before yesterday was feeling good and decided to extend it to about 3 miles (this was following a long interval session). Woke up the next day, lo and behold my calves were sore.

Take it very slow, especially if you're old like me.

[tommodonahue]

VFF aren't meant to be used on hard surfaces... our 'ancestors' did not have paved/asphalt surfaces... and Kenyans may run barefoot, but they do not do so on hard paved surfaces..

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by tommodonahue

VFF aren't meant to be used on hard surfaces... our 'ancestors' did not have paved/asphalt surfaces... and Kenyans may run barefoot, but they do not do so on hard paved surfaces..

This is true, every photo I've seen of running in Kenya was dirt roads and trails. None of the elite Kenyans who race marathons do it barefoot. They all wear running shoes, and not VFFs or anything similar.

[tommodonahue]

But that doesn't mean people don't do it...

[ParallelJJCat]

I saw a number of people wearing these at the PAX con in Boston. Think eighteen hours or longer days of walking around a jam-packed to the seams convention center...it just seemed dangerous.

[wankel7]

Originally Posted by tommodonahue

VFF aren't meant to be used on hard surfaces... our 'ancestors' did not have paved/asphalt surfaces... and Kenyans may run barefoot, but they do not do so on hard paved surfaces..

Packed and dried mud is very hard when one runs on it. I've run barefoot and in my VFFs on pavement. It feels fine...feels a lot better than gravel roads!

Originally Posted by ParallelJJCat

I saw a number of people wearing these at the PAX con in Boston. Think eighteen hours or longer days of walking around a jam-packed to the seams convention center...it just seemed dangerous.

Perception verses reality...18 hours in the five fingers is fine.

But these are my observations through actual experience....your mileage might vary.

[ParallelJJCat]

Originally Posted by wankel7

Packed and dried mud is very hard when one runs on it. I've run barefoot and in my VFFs on pavement. It feels fine...feels a lot better than gravel roads!



Perception verses reality...18 hours in the five fingers is fine.

But these are my observations through actual experience....your mileage might vary.

No, I believe they can be comfortable for eighteen hours. I was more thinking along the lines of getting stepped on. When I say the center was jammed, I mean in some rooms it was just a huge mass of humanity...I certainly got knocked into and stepped on in my regular sneakers.

[tommodonahue]

I'm not one for VFF... and I will make fun of people all the time about them. But, they are just like anything else... conditioning. If your feet/body are not conditioned for their use.. you will suffer. On the other hand, if your feet are conditioned and you wear them properly for the right uses.. they will be fine.

Not my preference, though.