five toed shoes

the vibram five finger shoes get pretty good reviews but sort of look weird - at least in my opinion. you might check out some of the minimalist shoes out there. essentially, the same thing but they look like a normal tennis shoe, although without the arch (or drop as they call it). there are a lot of minimalist running shoes on the market right now, some are more minimal than others. the more minimal, the closer to barefoot.

i have the merell barefoot run dash glove and i like them. they even have the vibram sole. i haven't done much running in them but lots of people think they are great. normally, you would really need to ease into running and maybe even walking in these. like take it really slowly. but if you have been running in flats, then maybe not. still though, see how it goes.

I love my VFF KSOs. At 230 pounds, I am not a light runner and always had trouble running in normal running store fitted shoes, knee pain, ankle pain, tendonitis, etc. Now that I switched to the KSOs, I've had none of those problems. I have had blisters and strained one muscle from running too far, too soon with them but other than that no problems. Some people love walking in them, I much prefer running in them and my heel blister is directly from walking in them with no socks or heel protection. Some people say they look funny, I'm not wearing them to make a fashion statement, but as exercise equipment.

They may not be for everyone and may not fix each persons specific problems, but it can't hurt to try them.

Here are some suggestions about them:
- Buy Injinji toe socks to wear with them and most blister problems will be taken care of.
- Sizing, you should have 3-5 millimeters space at the end of your longest toe.
- They are a bit difficult to put on but after half a dozen runs, your feet start sliding into them much easier.
- Start out slow in them, my first run with them was about 1/3 of my normal distance and should have been even less.
- Most of my heatspot/blister problems just needed a layer of sports tape for a couple runs to take care of. IF it's a heel blister, run the tape from under your heel up well past the end of the shoe vertically or it's gonna peel off and cause problems.
- Short, quick steps are you friend.
- You will quickly develop a mid-foot strike with VFFs. They have little padding so few heel strikes and the pain corrects you.

I have the Merrell Trail Glove shoe with the vibram sole. Same effect as the five fingers but not as weird looking. I am in love with my shoes.

Here's a picture of what they look like.....http://www.backcountry.com/merrell-pace-glove-shoe-womens

I noticed the new styles on the Olympians. Shoes have really changed, running shoes/walking. I don't run but I wear a running shoe for walking because I like the light, weight.

denise

I love my Vibram FiveFingers. Scored a pink "Sprint' style on black Friday for $20 free shipping on Moosejaw.com I wear them daily for power walking and running. I like the look people give me and ask "What are those?" lol

One other thing...My picture was taken in Colorado...I was hiking on a mountain at about 12,000 feet or so. My hiking shoe of choice? The Vibram hiking shoe. I told you, I love them...A LOT!

in all seriousness, i like my minimalist shoes (wearing them in this picture) but here's an article against them. http://beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=2449

I looooove mine! I would get a lot of pain in my feet when I would wear regular running shoes. My feet would go numb and when I would take them off it was a flood of pain. I bought my fila skele-toes on the hopes that the problem would disappear. To my surprise it did!!! I would be shoe free 24/7 also. These allow me to feel that way with a thicker sole so that I'm not so worried about running over rocky areas. Definatently recommend them!

My concern with you moving to a minimalist shoe is that your feet ALREADY hurt when you get home in a shoe that has more sole than a Vibram. What type of pain is it? Joint? Arch? Heel? The balls of your feet from the pounding?

Also, what distances do you run? And what's your weekly mileage like? If you do buy them, they will have to be slowly worked into your running shoe rotation (which already isn't working for you), over the course of months to avoid injury & condition your muscles & bones to accommodate the radical changes.

A lot of people swear by them, however I own a pair of Vibram Sprints, I run 6 days per week...and I DON'T run in them. I used them for about 6 months after I bought them (for my shorter runs), & couldn't deal with the lack of support or padding with the constant pounding of pavement as a forefoot runner. Also, feeling the heat of the pavement & every rock underfoot is ok while walking, but a nuisance while running to be honest. I still wear them sometimes for walking about (they're a cool shoe), but they're still not my first choice, and the novelty has worn off.

Get fitted & try running in them around the store. It won't be a true to life feel, but it will give you an idea.

I've heard similar complaints about the sprints on other forums. I think the Sprints have a 2mm sole while the KSOs I run in have a 3.5mm sole. Maybe that's why you have issues with rocks and the heat and I've never had a problem with either.

I don't know about the months of breaking in though. Mine took about 3 weeks to break in and get me back to running 5k three times a week. And I did have a slight strain on my second run from going too far too soon, but 2 extra days of rest and everything was back to normal.

As far as the OP and others looking to buy VFFs, go to a store and try them on until you find the style/size you want then look online. I bought my KSOs from REI outlet for 40% off.

Oh, they could definitely handle 5k a few times a week! It's the 10k, 15k, 20k, 25k I found they just weren't suitable for, even after a couple of months of getting used to them, (& especially when running 6 days per week). You're right though, it's probably for the very reason you mentioned, the super thin Sprint sole. I may try a different Vibram one day, but I'm very happy with Mizunos now. OMG Mizuuuuunos.

1981simm, do give it a shot. REI is a huge enough store that you could get a real good stride in. Don't worry about feeling silly, if you have to run a mile around the store, do it, because getting the right shoe is so essential.