Vibram Five Fingers

It was my 25th birthday, a Saturday, and I really didn't have much planned.  The one thing I wanted to do was drive to a sporting goods store to try on some Vibram five fingers.  I wasn't planning on buying them that day but I wanted to try them on, see what they felt like and figure out my size.  If I like them, I told myself, I'll buy them online.  So we got in the car, drove to Appalachian Outfitters (a really cool store, if you're in the Cleveland area), tried on a pair of VFFs, and ended up walking out with two of the weirdest looking shoes you can imagine.  Basically a foot-shaped piece of rubber (complete with toes) that straps onto each foot.  All for the low price of $85 plus tax.  What a bargain! 
So the question in your mind is, "Why on earth did that idiot spend nearly $90 bucks for such hideous shoes?"  My wife probably thought the same thing.  The short answer is because I read a book called Born to Run...and I was curious.

I had always enjoyed running but had been, at best, a very casual runner for quite a while.  When I moved to Cleveland in 2009, for whatever reason, I decided to get a little more serious with it.  Except I couldn’t run more than about 5 miles at a time because of some nagging injuries: shin splints and IT band syndrome.  Maybe I just need some new shoes, I thought.  300-500 miles is the lifespan of running shoes, right?  So I bought some new Asics.  Nothing changed.  Then I came across Born to Run...

My brother (and neighbor at the time), Brandon, got this book called Born to Run.  If you haven't read it, you should.  One chapter argues that humans are anatomically and evolutionarily(is that a word?) engineered to be runners, not walkers, and that wearing fancy running shoes can alter our natural running form and potentially lead to injury.  VFFs protect the feet while still allowing them to function as if they were bare.  The author is not a scientist, by any means, but his argument made sense to me and I wanted to test the theory.  So I forked out the big bucks for my very own pair of Vibram Five Fingers.

My Birthday Shoes

When I got the shoes I wore them around the house all day and couldn't wait to take them for a run.  I had read that you're supposed to ease into them so I figured I'd start with a mile.  Short run, right?  It was great but my calves were screaming in pain the next morning.  I've had sore calves before but this was something else.  Too much, apparently.  So I cut back, but stuck with it and eventually got better.  Then I got this tender spot on the top of my midfoot.  That only bothered me for only a few weeks; probably a minor stress injury.
After it went away I started to notice I could run longer and longer with no shin splints and no IT band issues.  Running didn't hurt, and it didn't feel like just exercise.  It felt natural and free and fun.  Insert fairy tale ending here: And me and my five-fingers lived happily ever after...almost.
I thought for a bit that I was cured.  Barefoot running had fixed all my injury problems, just like Born to Run said it would.  Not so fast.  Just then I started having this strange pain on the inside of my right knee-cap, probably patello-femoral pain syndrome.  The pain was manageable sometimes but other times not.  I was worried that it might get progressively worse and force me to stop running, or that I would cause permanent damage to the joint.  I tried every treatment the internet recommended... a knee brace, glucosamine/chondroitin pills, squats to strengthen the inner thigh muscles, less treadmill running, ice, ibuprofen, another knee brace...  This went on for several months.  Finally, it basically just resolved on its own.  I'm convinced that it had to do with Wolff's Law, but that's its own discussion.  Or maybe I just finally learned how to run the right way.  Either way, my knees are fine now.

So what's the verdict?  Do I recommend these shoes?  ABSOLUTELY!  Should everybody get a pair?  Not necessarily.  There are a few things a buyer must be aware of.

1. There is a substantial break-in period.  Not for the shoes, for you.  You can not start cold turkey running in these things or you will probably hurt yourself.  I don't know what other people recommend but I would start with about 5% of your average run then increase by 5-10% each week after that.  So if you normally run about 5 miles, start with a 1/4 mile run in the VFFs.  Then add another 1/4 mile the next week.  It takes a while but it really is the safest, best way to get used to them.
2. If you are a "heel-striker" - and most runners are - your running form will have to change.  If you've tried barefoot running you know what I mean.  Your forefoot hits first in VFFs; it kind of has to.  There's way too much pounding if you heel strike in these shoes.  This is another reason to break-in slowly; it takes quite a while for your body to get used to running a new way and if you try to rush it you may hurt yourself.  It will probably take longer than you expect...so be patient and don't push it.

3. These shoes are not for everybody.  Some people treat barefoot running like a religion.  These shoes will NOT get you to heaven.  If you run in conventional running shoes and don't have any problems, my advice is to keep using them.  No reason to spend $90 bucks to fix something that isn't broken.  I DO think that VFFs are helpful in reducing injuries from two of the most common runners' ailments: shin splints and plantar fasciitis.  But the way they accomplish this is by forcing you to change the way you run.  Having said that, you may be more likely to suffer from some other injuries like achilles tendon problems and stress fractures when wearing Five Fingers.  So don't rush the break-in period.

I've had my original pair of five-fingers for nearly two years and I still run in them almost every day.  We've done a lot of miles together.  Do I regret anything?  Sure.  I wish I had given myself more time to get used to them, and I'm not sure buying them on a whim was the best choice...  But after all that, you ask me my favorite running shoe and I'll answer VFFs every time.