Five Fingers!

[runner]

I've do all my running in KSOs, including several over fifteen miles. They're great, but you do need to build up.

don't think that's optimal, but we are all free to choose.

what times do you have on your races?

[Flaming Monkey]

I haven't done much racing recently; there's not too much competitive running here in central Oregon.

And I need to correct my above comment: I do all my running in KSOs or completely barefoot. The only problems I've had are from tearing up my skin barefoot.

[happyfeet]

Yay! good to see more of these. I've had mine for about 3 months and love them. 20+ years of running injuries gone after taking up barefoot running last year. I was a heel striker before then, my feet incased in ever more padded shoes, leaving my feet to atrophy. The Vibrams keep me from getting dirty and blistery. I also have the Feelmax, very good "barefoot shoe" as well.

As stated you need to really take your time to get adjusted to these. I do the brunt of my running in Nike Frees because its been slow going for me to get to the stage of using the vibrams/feelmaxs for longer than 6 miles at a time. I've had days where my calves were screaming bloody murder.

The Vibrams helped me to improve my form, naturally increase my cadence, strengthened my ankle areas giving me better balance.

Sorry to sound like an ad endorsement, but I'm just so happy to be able to run freely again!

ken

[Hiking Fox]

Oooh these fuscia coloured ones look so good!


I can't get my head around paying £100 though. Hopefully they'll come down in price soon...

[emm7]

am interested in the idea that they improve your balance?
Physio has told me to get some moderate motion control shoes as since my injury I overpronate a lot on the injured leg.
Are the five fingers shoes suitable for overpronators with flat feet or would they be harmful??? are they only for people with a fairly neutral running style and feet with normal arches???
I am very curious about these shoes.
My balance desperately needs improving in order to rehabilitate the injury, am using a wobble board currently to help with this.

[crapiecorn]

Are the five fingers shoes suitable for overpronators with flat feet or would they be harmful???

Pronation is not really an issue when you land on your forefeet.

[happyfeet]

My balance improved because the muscles in the ankle area that had been dead my whole life actually got a work out and started supporting my foot area more, as apposed to relying on the shoe support.

I noticed the difference especially in trail running. I would go through some nasty ankle twisting every few months because:

The shoes I was using had too high of a profile/too much sole, so the center of gravity of the foot was too high. Barefoot(barefoot shoes) means your in direct contact with the ground, less likely to twist.

My ankles were weak as stated earlier, so when I stepped a certain way, there was no muscle support to counteract a twist.

Gripping became better, especially with the Vibrams and with toe-socks. Your toes actually have an evolutionary function of providing balance, and most shoes just lock your toes into one big lump.

It forced me to change my running style from a heel striker to a forefoot style. Bio-mechanically this is more correct, more efficient and less injury inducing.

And here comes the disclaimer: This works for me and it seems to be working for a growing amount of people, will it work for everyone, including people with "problem" feet? I have no idea. I'm sure some folks out there are gathering data on this as we speak. All I can say is take baby steps and don't over do things. If the first few steps go great then take some more, if they hurt then scale back.


ken

[xrodolfox]

I can't get my head around paying £100 though. Hopefully they'll come down in price soon...

I just got myself a pair of KSO for US$60. I talked the store owners down from $75. Apparently these shoes are selling like hotcakes here. I got my wife a pair too for cheap.

I'm sure they'll go down in price in the EU.

[crapiecorn]

The shoes I was using had too high of a profile/too much sole, so the center of gravity of the foot was too high. Barefoot(barefoot shoes) means your in direct contact with the ground, less likely to twist.

Yea, 99% of my injuries came from running with big soles on uneven terrain/ sharp corners.

[Julberg]

Yes, Vibrams are great but barefoot is even better! Just try it and you will be a convert. I run 10-20 miles on trail BF now with no problem but as the snow flies I pull out the V's.

[Julberg]

Oh, and please read Born To Run! Ultra runners running barefoot and just a great read . I posted a review on my blog.

[MikayP]

really interested in getting these. read this from the site however

"The Moc, Performa, and KSO Trek models’ upper is made with a soft, tear resistant kangaroo leather. "

so if ill get a pair, ill make sure i dont get one of those types.

i wouldnt mind racing barefoot, or close to barefoot with the vibram. would it be possible to race as fast with vibrams than with conventional shoes with a reasonable amount of training? mostly concerned with the stress to the bottom of the foot from fast turnover and pounding of a fast 10k.

[happyfeet]

really interested in getting these. read this from the site however

"The Moc, Performa, and KSO Trek models’ upper is made with a soft, tear resistant kangaroo leather. "

so if ill get a pair, ill make sure i dont get one of those types.

i wouldnt mind racing barefoot, or close to barefoot with the vibram. would it be possible to race as fast with vibrams than with conventional shoes with a reasonable amount of training? mostly concerned with the stress to the bottom of the foot from fast turnover and pounding of a fast 10k.

Yeah I thought it was a bummer that they went with kangaroo leather. You can still get the older model though.

Here's the 2010 catalog
http://www.fizan.ru/RF/Sum2010/FiveFingers%20SS10.pdf

I'll be getting the Bikila come summer, made for runners.

The Sprint looks cool too