Barefoot Running

One of the big things in running, or one of the things that is up and coming, is barefoot running.  I do some of it with the Vibram 5 Fingers “shoes”.  Thing of gloves with rubber on the bottom for feet with 5 toe ‘fingers’ cut out.  I got a pair last year from CitySports here in Philadelphia and worked my way up in milage (about 5 or so) and ended up wearing them during the Broad Street Run.  I ended up with an ITBand injury, but I still love them.  I wear them now for shorter runs, but am going to try and do some longer runs in them.  Over the weekend, I was able to get a steal from phillydealyo.com $50

of running stuff for only $25 at a local running store [Fairmont Running Company] and went in to see what they had and I ended up finding another pair of Vibrams that were a new release (see my picture).  My goal is to start with 5-6 miles a week in them and up the milage from there.  What to consider if you’re looking into these things?

Pros:

1. Very light weight
2. Let your feet do what they’re suppose to do naturally
3. Comfortable to wear even when walking around in day to day activities

What to think about

1. A little on the pricey side- I would try to buy them when there’s a change in season or when they’re getting ready to come out with new styles.
2. If you wear inserts or orthotics, these wouldn’t be the best things in the world for you to wear
3. You really have to break these in in terms of miles.  If your running 8 miles a day, wear them for 1-2 and then go to tennis shoes for the rest of the run initially.  It’s recommended that you add 1-1.5 miles every 7-10 days in them in order to get used to them (don’t go from 5 miles to 10 miles in one setting like I did!).

I like my new pair I bought more than the first generation.  They’re easier to get on in my opinion.  I’ve seen more people start to wear these in races I’ve run and think that people are really starting to consider them so take a peak!