Vibram Five Fingers - Day 1

Just back from first outdoor run in the Vibram Five Fingers. Two toes up for the first run...

The thermometer read 41 this noon, so I decided to take these things for their first test run. The high school track is still snowed under, but the bike path is free, so I did a short, 1.5 mile run. Everything I have read about running barefoot or in Vibrams is that you need to take it slow and easy, build up your foot strength, work on altering your stride and form. So I am going to treat this as if I was starting up running again, and add miles and time very slowly.

It felt good to run again, though I can tell it is going to take some time to develop a new, shorter stride that has me landing more naturally on the balls of my feet, instead of the heels. Toward the end of the run, it felt as if I was jamming my toes into the VFFs from forcing a landing on my balls. But I think that will ease up as I learn to glide instead of clomp...

My feet felt very well protected from the asphalt, yet I could still feel larger pebbles and stones and Vermont's ubiquitous frost cracks and heaves - but not in a painful way. In fact, it was actually kind of nice. It made my feet work, making me more aware that they too were participating in this enterprise, not just my lungs and legs.

I am using the Classic model, and am wishing I had gotten one of the other models that has covering for the top of the feet, plus the velcro straps. Because the thermometer was surely lying. It was not 40 out there. More like 30 with wind. Still, my feet did not get cold and, hell, I was only at it for 10-15 minutes (yes, I am that slow).

The best thing is that so far I am pain free. Yes, my feet feel a bit different. Like different muscles have been firing and been called upon to do things they were not called upon to do, coddled as they were in soft, padded running shoes. We'll give them a rest and see how they feel in a day.

Meanwhile, they say some snow may be on the way. I may have to resume this with running on a treadmill, hamster style...