Here are my new running shoes: Vibram KSOs. Initially I wanted Bikilas, but they fit too snugly across the top of my foot and a larger size didn't help. So I switched to the KSOs and they fit like a glove. Literally. Slip one on your foot, wrangle the pinkie toe into its place, and then the rest follow relatively obediently.
I'm not a fan of pink, but I liked these better than the all black ones, so I'm going to wear pink shoes this year.
Walking in them is supposed to get your feet accustomed to the different way of walking, but, to be honest, I am such a bare footed gal anyway, that I don't think wearing them for two weeks will do diddly squat. This morning I decided to take them out for a spin.
Jackie has me scheduled for a 5 miler today, but I knew that wouldn't happen in these. (sorry Jackie - off plan already!) It was a bright, sunny, cold morning when I hit the trail. There wasn't enough wind to make me want a coat, but there was enough sun to make me thankful for my sunglasses. Long sleeves, gloves, and I was ready to try out my new running shoes.
Folks will tell you that running barefooted or in minimalist shoes works different muscles. I have no idea what they are talking about. Everything was the same, my foot strike, the muscles that are used, the way it feels running in Vibrams.
Okay, I lie. It was a TOTALLY different feeling. Sure, you could choose to run in the now-normal heel-striking method that we have all grown accustomed to using with our heavily padded shoes. But to do so would create havoc on your heels in short order. Those of us with plantar fasciitis and/or heel spurs would be in agony after five minutes of slamming our poor heels into the pavement with nothing but a thin layer of rubber merely designed to protect your skin from rocks, gravel, glass (and dog poop!) I thought it might feel awkward or unnatural to run with the ball or forefoot of my feet striking the ground first, and was sort of afraid I would look like some sort of goofball prancing along, but I quickly and comfortably settled into a rhythm and method that worked well for me, didn't feel unnatural, and didn't make me look too odd (I mean we are talking about a nearly 48 year old, overweight woman in spandex - who is going to notice how I run!?!)
I promised myself (and all of my running friends, both real and virtual) that I would only run a mile today. But as I started getting into the groove I wondered how far I could go. I felt good. I wasn't laboring. My breathing didn't sound like I was about to keel over and die. I didn't feel that I was struggling to maintain my pace (although it was still my normal "slow" speed). And, glory be!, my weren't making snotty, rude, or obscene comments as they slammed into the pavement. How 'bout the balls of my feet? Were they in throes of agony instead? Nope, they were fine. No complaints from them.
A little over 3/4 of a mile into my run I discovered that yes indeed ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, running in bare, or nearly bare, feet is substantially different than running in modern running shoes. You use different muscles. My calves, never fans of my running on a good day, were beginning to make noises. My hamstrings were waking up and not liking the fact that they were being used to propel me forward. The arches of my feet were mildly protesting the excess stretching that was required of them. And my ankle muscles (I assume you have muscles in your ankles) - they were whining and complaining about the demands that my new style of running was making on their little pampered selves.
I finished the mile and then did a tiny bit more just to prove that I could, cooled down and stretched. Drove home and passed my next test - I was able to get out of the car without limping or hobbling, something that I often do after a particularly difficult run coupled with insufficient stretching. Since then I have spent over an hour sitting still while I ate lunch and read, and once again, was able to stand and walk without the usual need to "warm up" to get things moving in the proper direction and coherently. It's now 5 hours since my run and I just got up and began walking to prove that I can do it without the ordinary post-run aches and stiffness.
Yes, yes, I only ran a mile. And tomorrow will tell how I really feel post-run. But I think I may have hit upon the proper shoe for me. Less, not more, is what I needed. As a child I spent most of the spring, all of the summer, and as many fall days as I could get away with it, in my bare feet. I climbed trees, waded in creeks, ran across gravel, played soccer in the street, all without the benefit of shoes. We get too much cold rainy weather and I am required to wear shoes at work, so I don't think running barefooted is going to ever be a practical option for me. But these, my minimalist Vibrams, may very well provide the happy medium I need to become a successful runner. Could I run a marathon in these shoes? I don't know. Those of us who have run the marathons know that one mile is nothing compared to the following 25.2.
I am sure that I will have more to say about these shoes as I strengthen my muscles and build up the mileage. Stay tuned!
Vibram Fivefingers Womens KSO Grey/Fuschia/Grey 41
for the soundtrack to the movie