Opening Line
The following is a review of the Vibram Five Fingers Classic.
Day One
The Fitting
There’s nothing like 6½ hours of travel to make one shed their shoes upon arrival to the homestead. As pleasing as that sounded, I knew I had a pair of Vibram Five Finger Classics awaiting me, so squishing my toes into the carpet would have to wait. My original plan was to go for a run, but because of the very late arrival of my flight (surprise), by the time I made it home, temperatures had climbed above 90 degrees. The least I could was wear them around for awhile.
I attempted to be manly and rip open the package, but the space-age material would have none of that. I am not sure what it was made out of but if nuclear holocaust is imminent, I plan on wrapping myself in it. Then it will be just me and the cockroaches!
The sole of the Five Fingers is made of a patented rubber compound and the upper is made of a thin stretchy fabric. At first glance, I wondered why the rubber material came up over the front of the toes, but then it became quite obvious.
The Five Fingers just don’t slip on. Each toe has its own compartment and my toes must be very chummy with each other. I finally got four of my five toes where they needed to be, but my littlest piggy just wasn’t going to market. After some additional coaxing and manipulating my right foot was in. Thankfully, the left went on much easier.
By the way, directions for fitting correctly are right inside the box. Brilliant!
The next step was to pull up on the heel cups and “gently” tighten the elastic cord. My first go round was not so successful and I found myself “gently” releasing the elastic cord after a few minutes.
The toes are all wrapped up in their own little cocoons, which is definitely weird. In fact, even with the toes separated, you cannot move them around that easily, although they feel much freer than in a regular shoe. But, with new foot wear comes new experiences and I am sure I will get used to it in time.
Walkabout
They were also easily more comfortable than a sandal or flip-flop. It didn't necessarily translate into a "barefoot" experience, but then again, if I would have walked out barefoot, it would have been a repeating series of "hot, hot, hot" and I think you know what I mean.
The one downfall was I ended up with a blister on my achilles even though the Five Fingers were as loose as possible. I have read several reviews and it appears this is relatively standard. More skin to toughen up.
Day Two
Go Time
To say I was anxious would be an understatement. Screw the 87% humidity (71 dewpoint), I have got some running to do. What I learned today was that since I have been forced out of running for so long I am not as acclimated as I once was to nature as we know it here in Houston. But the run must go on!
I biked over to the soccer field, site of this morning's test. By the way, the Five Fingers are perfectly good for a casual bike ride. Just sayin'. I ran 1.5 miles on grass in the Vibram Five Fingers and then ran another 1.5 miles in bare feet.
That's almost a spanking in a distance this short. However, I fully expect my Five Finger time to drop quickly as I break them in. One of the keys to running in the Five Fingers is to relax. It took a few laps around the field for my foot to realize this was not a shoe. Therefore as the laps counted up, I was less tentative and allowed the Five Fingers to mold to the changing terrain in the same way I do running barefoot. It's not exactly like running barefoot sans shoes, but you do feel so much more than in a shoe. For example, I can feel the small random rocks and pebbles beneath me. Also, there is no pain when I step on them - bonus! Another positive is the confidence the Five Fingers give. In the Five Fingers I don't care where I go, I just go. Barefoot, I am always scanning for the best place to go. Blisters on My Blisters Blisters during early use seem to be a common complaint about the Five Fingers. Above I mentioned the blister on my achilles. After today's run, you can add the outside of both big toes. I think part of that is because of the seams. I can see my feet and toes toughening up over time to where it is no longer an issue, but for someone wanting instant gratification, the Five Fingers shouldn't be an impulse purchase. Further, I cannot remember a pair of running shoes where I didn't have a blister or two during its lifetime. Random Observations Running barefoot, I tend to pick my foot up quicker than running in the Five Fingers (or in a shoe for that matter). I will continue to run barefoot in the grass. At this juncture, if the terrain is unknown, I am choosing the Five Fingers hands down over bare feet or a shoe. The Five Fingers did get wet on the inside since I was running on wet grass, but dried out relatively quickly. Speaking of wet grass, traction in the Five Fingers was excellent. If I were ever to do a sprint triathlon, I would seriously consider taking one pair of Five Fingers and using it for all three events. Yes, even for cycling, because I don't "click in." Oh by the way, you can change your pants in Five Fingers without looking like a dork; hopping around on one leg trying to get the cuff over the shoe. Cleaning/rinsing the Five Fingers is a breeze. I will wear the Five Fingers out in casual situations. I am considering getting another pair (probably the KSO) that I can use for Kayaking and Running. Day Four My second running test of the Five Fingers featured the Memorial Park running trail which is essentially just dirt and a bazillion little rocks/pebbles. Further, to help combat the blisters, I wore a pair of Injinji socks and some medical tape in the more tender areas. I mentioned I expected my pace in the Five Fingers to drop and an 8:29 pace over three miles seems to bear witness. Although admittedly I was not expecting a drop that quickly. The surface of Memorial Park is what the Five Fingers were made for. They just ate it up and my feet have never been happier (well, except for wet grass of course). Tender is the Foot I am still battling the blister issue. Even with medical tape applied and the Injinji socks, I could feel the blisters opening up. I realize this is early in the process and I am fully convinced that once I get some nice calluses, all will be well. But that was my only real issue on this run. My feet, as a whole, loved every step of this run. You can feel everything on the trail under your feet and, dare I say, it feels invigorating. Larger rocks can be an issue, but they are easily avoidable. The feet also have a better feel for the softer and deeper surfaces and the body quickly reacts. I don't get that same action in a shoe. Out of the Gait Initially there was a small battle going on. Mentally, my body assumed I was wearing shoes and wanted to strike on the heel, whereas physically my feet wanted a more nuetral or mid-sole plant. Again, it was a matter of relaxing and allowing the body to do what it wants to do. I also experienced the screaming calves again, but this is to be expected and I know in time that too will subside. Overall this was an excellent test of the Five Fingers. They performed very well and enabled me to perform much better than expected on the course. Next up will be a street course. Random Thoughts If someone wanted to try out the Five Fingers, I might suggest going with a pair of Injinji socks. Especially if you are going from a shoe to the Five Fingers. Make sure you size the Five Fingers accordingly. With the socks, my pair is snug, but not necessarily uncomfortable. I fully expected to end up with some pebbles or perhaps some dirt in my Five Fingers due to the course, but this was not the case. I believe the Injinji socks helped and I am thankful for that. Day Six Today marked the third different terrain I have tried the Five Fingers on and let me say that concrete is very enlightening. This run was marked with much trepidation because if there was ever a surface one would perceive they would want as much cushion as possible, it would be concrete. This may explain my pace being nearly a minute slower than on dirt, but all things are not created equal so let's toss that out for now. I am happy to report that the Five Fingers did well on a concrete surface. Once again, I wore them with the Injinji socks and that may have given me a little extra comfort. I also slapped some medical tape over the blisters and this time out they were almost negligible. Information After running on concrete one really begins to appreciate what the Five Fingers can do. Precisely because they don't have to do anything on concrete. It's amazing how connected one feels to the surface they are running on in the Five Fingers. The awareness comes because concrete gives nothing back. It's just a flat, machine-made surface. Grass, dirt and other natural surfaces are continuously providing information and the Five Fingers allow your feet to conform to the surface and turn that information into movement. I found my feet, specifically my toes, searching for something to grab onto. Strike That Starting out I realized I had the same issue with my strike as I did a few days ago. But as soon as I slowed down and let my body relax, all was well. You can also get a good feel for the impact between different surfaces. Concrete is by far the worst and after a mile or so, I noticed that I was running lighter, which is always a good thing. I think that is what I like about the Five Fingers (and running barefoot), the body naturally adjusts more readily than in shoes. Thoughts I am going to call this a success and likely order another pair or two (depending upon whether or not my wonderful wife allows me to do so). Since I am limited in mileage due to rehabilitating my knee I will be curious to see what the Five Fingers can do over the long haul. Updates I will be providing updates to this post as I continue to experience the Five Fingers Classic.
