Good Sports
by Budd
Glassberg
Reprinted with permission from the Zionsville Times
Sentinel on June 14, 2006
Mommy, What’s
That Man Got on His Feet?
Three caveats. First, when wearing these things, people are going to notice, stare and comment. They look a little bit like gloves for the feet. Second, they are designed for walking, not running. Third, I am no novice to barefoot walking, running and minimalist shoes, thus my experience would likely be quite different than someone recently experimenting with running or walking in such limited foot protection.
According
to Tony Post, President & CEO of Vibram
“As an avid sailor, Marco was
immediately intrigued by the idea of footwear that felt more like a glove and
worked like a second skin. While sailing, Bramani
found his prototype FiveFingers gave him the balance,
agility and control he enjoyed while sailing barefoot. The rubber soles
provided better slip resistance and protected his toes from the rigging on
deck.”
“During product testing, the Vibram Product Tester Team found many other uses for the FiveFingers such as sea kayaking, fitness training, and even some light bouldering on rocks or in climbing gyms.”
Knowing
that they are not designed for running, I still wanted to test a pair at
Receiving a pair of yellow size 44 (Euro) FiveFingers in the mail, I walked around in them several days before taking them for my first run. Fit is very important for these shoes and I found that I needed to cinch the cord adjuster quite a bit to keep the shoes on my feet. It also took me a while to learn how to get each of my toes in the proper slot. I noticed that after a few hours, the draw cord would begin to leave an uncomfortable impression in the top part of my foot, just below the big toe. I also noticed that the tab that runs up the heel tended to rub against my Achilles tendon. The shoes I ordered were a little large for me.
I was pleasantly surprised with my first run in these shoes. While the feel lacked the freedom of barefoot running, it still allowed the feel of the ground under my feet. More importantly, it provided just enough of a buffer to protect my feet from the abrasion of the roots and rocks that I normally encounter on my trail runs. Even though my feet were hot (unlike barefoot running) due to the upper design’s inability to wick moisture, I found the ride to be the same as running without shoes which, in my opinion, is a major accomplishment. I was taken with a subtlety built in to the sole of the shoe. Vibram has etched into what looks to be smooth surface, tiny waves that are only visible if you flex the shoe. These are small enough not to pick up gravel, but etched enough to help make the flexibility like that of running barefoot. While some might consider this insignificant, it adds greatly to both the flexibility and the grip of the sole.
A
longer run on pavement was enough for me to decide to order a second pair online
at www.vibram.com, one size smaller due to
eliminate the rubbing of the heel and the uncomfortable pressure of the draw
cord. The size 43 pair came just three
days before my race. They are black and
fit much more snugly, allowing me to keep them on without cinching the draw
cord. I took one seven mile trail run in
them before taking them to
The race consists of three ten-mile loops on dirt trails with several hills and two stream crossings on each loop (McNaughten also has 50 and 100 mile races run concurrently, but I wimped out and selected the shortest one). My plan was to run the first loop in the black FiveFingers and either switch to the larger ones for the second loop, or switch to racing flats depending on how my feet held up. The smaller FiveFingers held up well on the first loop. I occasionally stepped on a root or sharp rock which I could feel for a short while, and then the discomfort quickly dissipated. The stream crossings (about knee deep) allowed water and mud muck inside the shoes, but the shoes quickly dried after a few minutes and the muck really was not an issue. Some hills were quite steep and due to rain earlier in the week, there was some mud on the hills. I found the FiveFingers slipped a little on the hills, but the separated toes allowed me to dig in my toes to get a little more grip. I stopped at the aid station at 10 miles to look at my feet. No blisters, no hot spots and not swelling up enough to go up to the larger size. The second loop was much like the first. Other than cleaning out the FiveFingers (a small pebble found its way inside) there was no maintenance needed. Off I went on the third loop to finish sixteenth overall, the thirty miles run entirely in the pair of FiveFingers in which I had not run more than seven miles prior to the race. My feet were no worse for the wear. I have since run a very fast 5K on asphalt in these “shoes”. With no weight on my feet, it felt like I was flying.
I have since removed the elastic draw cord and replaced it with a shoelace to reduce the impression the cord made on my feet. I now carry these “shoes” with me to enter buildings that do not allow barefoot entry and run in them a couple of times a week.
Long espousing the virtues of less is more when it comes to running shoes; I believe the FiveFingers can be a very effective means of transition for those wanting to get out of injury causing, thick soled, heavy and inflexible running shoes and transition to barefoot walking and running.
Budd Glassberg is a resident of Zionsville who is active in the local running community. Visit www.runz.com for reprints of all his columns. You can reach him by email at budd@runz.com.