Vibram Five Fingers

Thanks to the efforts of Quentin Foster, I recently got my hands on a pair of Vibram Five Finger classics in an attempt to strengthen the small muscles of my feet and improve stability. Despite the warnings that you should start slowly and go through a breaking in period, I found them pretty comfortable right from the first run. It must however be noted that I do all my running in flats and haven’t ever used a pronation shoe despite the fact that I would ordinarily be described as a under-pronator or supinator.

The beauty of these shoes is that they essentially allow you to run barefoot without the hassle of dodging thorns, shards of glass and other vagaries that render true barefoot running impractical. There is also no doubt about the effects of a bad foot strike as the pain is immediate but after a few minutes you find the sweet spot and from there you could basically run all day.

Running barefoot is the way the body was designed to work. We are at our most efficient in this state and all the big and small muscles and ligaments in the foot and legs are utilised to propel you forward. I was able to run at a fairly quick pace without much effort which shows the value of using the body as a complete system.

All round a worthwhile investment, although I would caution those coming from ‘traditional’ running shoes to heed the advice and start slowly. While I felt great during the run, I can certainly feel the after effects in my gastrocnemius and soleus muscles as I sit and type this.

One last word of warning is that if you buy these shoes off the internet, make sure you order them at least one size smaller than your current trainers. They are designed to fit snug and any play will frustrate you and probably compromise the intended benefits.