Vibram Five-Fingers Tips

A few weeks ago I posted my story about getting into minimalist running and a little about my experience with Vibram's FiveFinger shoes.  I was out running the other day and I thought it might be nice to post a couple nuggets that I've gleaned from experience using these strange shoes.  These are tips that have worked for me, but may not work for everyone.  Just a little disclaimer there...

1. Wear socks.  I know, I know...People say you don't need to wear socks, the shoes are made to be worn barefoot, and you're thinking, "but socks will make them too tight."  My advice is to give it a try.  Because if you don't wear socks they will stink.  Bad.  And I don't get blisters when I wear socks.  I used my VFFs with naked feet for several months before trying socks in them.  It took a little getting used to but it really wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be.  They smell much, much better now.  Injinji is the most well known brand of toe socks for runners because that's their target audience.  They're nice but pretty expensive for socks ($8-12 for one pair).  I found some others on Amazon that cost me a lot less and have held up pretty well so far.  They're called Riverstone Goods toe socks and you can check them out here ($14 for a 4-pack).

2. You can patch the bottoms of the shoes if they start wearing thin.  I noticed that the 5th toe of both my shoes was almost worn through but the rest of the shoe was still holding up alright.  I didn't want to drop another $90 because one little spot was worn out.  So I did a little digging and found some blog that mentioned this stuff called PlastiDip -- basically a liquid rubber that dries hard.  I've linked a couple websites that describe it pretty well.  It's an awesome product and PERFECT for patching the bottoms of FiveFingers.
And the best part is the price.  I bought mine at Lowes but Home Depot has it too.  Click here to see the price for yourself.  Mine has lasted about a year...maybe longer.  I use a tongue depressor to scoop it out of the can and spread on the bottom of the shoes where I need it to be.  You can put several coats on as long as you let it dry in between.  I let mine dry overnight at least before running with them again, and that seems to work pretty well.  It really is great stuff.  So if you're into saving money I highly recommend PlastiDip.  My VFFs have been around for two years and are still going strong.  I probably won't retire them until the strap breaks or something because I'll just keep patching the sole.