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1/27/2010 11:48:57 PM

Quote :

"BAREFOOT RUNNING SHOES"

1/28/2010 12:26:48 AM

hey, has anyone tried this on a treadmill? How did it work out

1/28/2010 12:32:57 AM

has anyone gone beyond running ten miles in these FF'ers?

1/28/2010 12:45:58 PM

they actually found that most flat footed people have a arch when walking or running just not when standing (collapses)

1/28/2010 12:57:30 PM

cool

1/28/2010 1:01:11 PM

more relating to the link on the last page

http://beta.thehindu.com/health/medicine-and-research/article96454.ece

Quote :

"Another study published recently, by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation found that a jog in high heels was better for joints than specialised tennis shoes."

[Edited on January 28, 2010 at 1:42 PM. Reason : .]

1/28/2010 1:40:52 PM

Gonna buy a pair of VFFs tomorrow.


I'm tired of shin splints.






Do you guys who use them notice a difference in how your foot impacts when wearing other shoes? Specifically, I play soccer, and the cleats I've been wearing cause me terrible shin splints. I'm wondering if training in the VFFs will change my running style in the other shoes, as well.

3/1/2010 6:22:59 PM

those shoes are fucking creeeeeepy!

3/1/2010 6:46:49 PM

I fucking LOVE my KSOs, I've had knee and back pain from running my whole life, 6 months in Vibram KSOs and I'm completely pain free when I run, it's amazing

3/1/2010 6:48:07 PM

ordered some nike free's tonight...was going to get the FF's but I can't get past the look

3/1/2010 9:21:45 PM

Yep my foot is officially broken again...and running barefoot is what caused it

3/1/2010 9:35:44 PM

anybody gonna answer my question, or are you gonna keep circle jerking over the shoes?

3/2/2010 11:24:24 AM

I don't think so. Soccer cleats have little to no padding either. They're going to be no different than barefoot.

3/2/2010 11:25:02 AM

yes they will...

soccer cleats are stiff[er] (the shoes themselves). the thinness of the sole has a lot of do with the barefoot feel, but what's more important is the flexibility.

i've run in my regular trail running shoes once and i did still run like i do with barefoot shoes, although my ankles kinda hurt afterwards. the trail shoes were motion control.

they are selling 5fingers are REI now, at least at north hills. hold out for the new styles coming out later this month though. they're making a lace-up version that doesn't quite scream OMGTOES as much as the others (at least in the black version), the "speed". also a women's kso trek (i will be buying these asap) and possibly the speed. another new one is the bikila

speed


bikila pic


[Edited on March 2, 2010 at 11:42 AM. Reason : better pic]

3/2/2010 11:39:37 AM

They're stiffer, yes, but you're running on dirt instead of concrete.

3/2/2010 11:40:32 AM

so? i'm talking about the sole of the shoe, not the running surface.

3/2/2010 11:42:09 AM

Sadly, I haven't played any soccer or basketball in the last six months, so I'm unable to give a qualified answer. I have noticed that if I run in regular shoes, my stride is still different and more forward on the balls of my feet.

But my guess is that if I did anything other than running for running's sake, I would probably revert back to the muscle memory I've had over my entire life, regardless of the support in the sole of the shoe. Anything with a lot of change of pace or lateral shuffling is probably different enough to make me run differently. And besides, I need my calves for jumping in basketball and kicking in soccer; I wouldn't want them as constantly activated as they are when barefoot running, or I'd get tired faster.

3/2/2010 11:53:05 AM

I bought the KSO's about 8 or 9 months ago and have been wearing them sparingly. I bought them because was having foot pain sometimes when wearing older, flatter shoes, so I wanted to try to strengthen my feet. I don't wear them/run in them enough for my feet to have strengthened up to rocks/etc. (tried wearing them once camping when there were a lot of rocks at the campsite and it was pretty rough), but I can definitely tell that my feet and calves have gotten stronger.

I already have some pretty huge calve muscles, but I wonder how much easier I would find running on the balls of my feet if I didn't weight 270.

It was also kind of funny that I barely fit into the largest size they make. The guy at OPC said that they generally run out of the smaller sizes, but noone ever buys the big ones so they had them in stock.

3/2/2010 12:12:27 PM

This thread hasn't been renamed yet?

O wait

3/2/2010 12:13:50 PM

Quote :

"anybody gonna answer my question, or are you gonna keep circle jerking over the shoes?"

It all depends on your current mechanics of running. I've been running in XC shoes and for the past few weeks, it has forced me to run midfoot/closer to the balls of my feet instead of heel striking which puts more stress on your joints leading to injuries.

There have been a few notable studies.

http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/3/159

http://www.pmrjournal.org/article/S1934-1482%2809%2901367-7/abstract

You can also check out "born to run" I hear it's a pretty entertaining read.

Anyway, barefoot running supposedly helps to with chronic injuries including shin splints. Be warned if you try this, you WILL be sore after your runs. I went on an 11 miler last week and I can still feel it today.

My advice: If you already have proper running form, I would stick with your running shoes. If not give it a try. If you don't want t spend $90 on a pair of vibram five fingers, there are other, much cheaper alternatives.

3/2/2010 12:52:09 PM

I do not have proper running form, hence the shin splints.


I bought a pair of red sprints today. I'll give them a go tomorrow.

3/2/2010 7:01:28 PM

^ good luck. my shin splints all but went away when i started running barefoot or with vffs. my only advice is to take it easy at first, and work your way up to your normal runs. you're gonna be very sore after your first few runs as you adapt to the new running style and as your body exercises muscles it hasn't used in a while. it's also very possible to get blisters when wearing the vffs if you're not wearing a pair of socks with them (injinjis work well), so even though you're not running completely barefoot you still need to give your feet time to adjust to the lack of padding of the vffs.

im in phoenix this week, so i plan on running up to the top of camelback mountain tomorrow morning, vff style

3/2/2010 10:08:49 PM

Thanks, but I'm pretty sure that you can't get blisters on top of blisters

3/2/2010 10:25:14 PM

But I assure you, you can get blisters under blisters.

3/2/2010 10:28:19 PM

I run on the balls of my feet and have never had shin splints. Would there be any point in me getting some of these shoes?

3/2/2010 10:52:29 PM

Bought some KSOs.

Love them.

3/8/2010 2:45:10 PM

going shopping for the vibrams this weekend!

i'd wear them for more than running

i was reminded of them bc i went golfing last week and the guy in front of us was wearing them

3/18/2010 4:36:14 PM

my husband bought vibrams a little over a week ago, and has been wearing them everyday

3/18/2010 5:02:24 PM

i was taking a walk through the park sporting my vff's, and some super fatass nerdy kid wearing a black star trek tshirt, jean shorts, and black high tops asked me if these were my faggot shoes. i just rolled my eye at him and continued on my walk

looking forward to getting back to running in the next couple of weeks once my elbow and wrist heals a bit more. im missing the best time of the year to run outside

4/11/2010 2:10:04 PM

I'm finding that I still need to tape up a few of my toes and the balls of my feet any time I'm going to run more than 4 miles or so. I feel like my Vibrams are the right size, but my feet are a bit narrow for a dude, so maybe they're still rubbing more than is ideal. Has anyone tried using the Injinji toe sock things in conjunction with the five-finger shoes to combat blisters? I ran 12 miles today, and even with tape, my big toes are looking pretty gnarly.

5/10/2010 12:31:46 AM

you know what would make these shoes just perfect

a little bit of padding underneath the foot

5/10/2010 1:10:58 AM

^^I got blisters the first couple days I wore them. I just put some bandaids over the blisters and within just a few more days, they quit rubbing.

I have a small hole forming on the right side of my big toe in my right shoe at the seam. Does anyone know the best/easiest fix?

5/10/2010 10:14:00 AM

probably best to sew them up if you can

5/10/2010 10:25:33 AM

^^ I've been using mine for 4-5 months now, ran barefoot for several months before that, and I still get blisters even through tape. I guess my feet are just pooces.

5/10/2010 2:23:58 PM

i finally got my vibrams today!! picked them up at rei & scored 20% off



i tried them on a few months back but they didnt have my size so i had to pass. i immediately put them on and wore them almost all day. i felt like my feet had finally come home. my feet felt like they were being hugged and papered, i love it!

i went for a 3mi walk/jog tonight and my heels are killing me upon returning. i know i have a little bit of a high arch & definite pronation (favor the outside of both feet, right more than left)

will this go away? is the discomfort just my feet getting used to the shoes? did i do too much too soon?

on the website, the model i got is listed for running, my heel only started hurting after i jogged but to be fair i was out for 3mi for the first time

just looking for some thoughts. also, they're machine washable! how effing cool is that i love them, im so happy with the purchase and i want to wear them everywhere! my #1 goal in getting them was to build stronger/better foot & leg muscles. i really love wearing heels and would like to enjoy that pleasure as long as possible, i hope this helps me do that in some way. if not, i at least enjoy wearing them!

5/29/2010 12:44:54 AM

i thought the whole point of those shoes was to run without putting any weight on your heels

if your heels hurt you're probably running in them wrong

5/29/2010 12:48:56 AM

yeah, you want to avoid heel-striking when you run with them. the pain is a mechanism to encourage you to run further forward, more on the balls of your feet and quasi-flat footed. if you're doing it properly or overcompensating too much, your calves will be what's sore, not your heels. it will take some time for you to find the stride that works for you in them, as well as some time for your calves and the muscles in the front of your shins to strengthen.

5/29/2010 1:34:27 AM

ah i see. so when im running, i should aim for the front of my foot, then what? i feel like i'd run on my tip toes. do i let my heel come down but just slightly?

i guess i should look for some videos or pictures... my heels are def killing. i need to make some serious adjustments to my running style-- hence why i bought the shoes

my calves are killing killing KILLING right now bc i just started insanity and i am bad ab stretching so when i start running "right" in them, i guess i'll know im doing it right when the heel pain is alleviated

5/29/2010 1:51:51 AM

stop running, we are civilized beings, running is for primitives

5/29/2010 1:52:59 AM

LOLs

ok, i'll just go to mcdonalds and turn in my gym membership

5/29/2010 1:58:02 AM

or just be normal and do neither

5/29/2010 1:58:57 AM

you don't want to feel like you're running on your tiptoes, either; that's too far in the opposite direction. you basically want to land juuuuust forward of flat-footed, slightly on the ball of your foot, heel just above the ground. that way, resistance from the muscle next to your shin reduces the impact of landing, and your foot will act like a little springboard, transferring that energy to your calf and pushing off to the next step.

your heels will probably touch the ground when you find your sweet spot, but they'll do it in the middle of the step rather than first thing. one thing that might help is to think about leaning forward very slightly, and that will help your avoid heel-striking. you don't want to be pointing your foot forward in order to artificially land ball first. you basically want to take more or less the same stride as before, but you just hit the ground a bit further along in the stride.

5/29/2010 4:54:07 AM

NCSUWolfy, the pain is telling you not to run that way anymore Check out this video, it shows you just what Shadowrunner was describing. It's strange at first because running our whole lives in shoes we are used to heel striking. The video shows exactly why tennis shoes are so cushioned around the heel.

Also, take it easy with the running at first. I don't know how much you typically run, but once you start working on your technique like SR said you're going to be very sore, especially in your calves and possibly in your feet as you're starting to exercise some muscles that never get used when wearing shoes. I started running barefoot (before the VFF's came out) and would run at the park on a dirt path or grass field, maybe 1 mile the first week, then 2, 3, and so on until I could run 9-12 miles.

I started off in the Classic VFFs like you have, then when they wore out I tried the Sprints. Those wore out and I moved to the KSO. I'm considering the new VFF that is made especially for running, but I'm afraid those might have too much cushioning and padding on the sole.

5/29/2010 3:43:06 PM

If you get the Bikila's I'd like to know your impression. My Sprints are wearing out and I'm debating between the KSOs or the Bikilas as their replacement.

5/31/2010 10:38:31 PM

I have the KSO's and am very happy with them. Don't expect to be able to run on the beach without them getting sandy and gritty, but they're good for just about everything else I've tried.

6/1/2010 12:45:49 AM

Quote :

"If you get the Bikila's I'd like to know your impression. My Sprints are wearing out and I'm debating between the KSOs or the Bikilas as their replacement."

I love the KSOs, and even I think they're pricey. But the Bikilas are in my opinion way too expensive for something that is supposed to feel like nothing. I may buy them anyways

6/1/2010 10:18:48 PM

Adidas from igor martinovic on Vimeo.

6/1/2010 10:22:03 PM

I've wondered about this. But I have really high arches.

6/1/2010 10:36:04 PM

4 of my neighbors make Vibram soles; I want to ask one if I could get a discount on the Vibram 5-fingers... I love running/playing soccer barefoot, except for the fact that I got a nasty cut on the top of my foot on Friday from doing so.

6/1/2010 10:36:09 PM