Vibram Five Fingers

So triathletes are known for jumping on the bandwagon to purchase anything that will make them faster. Anyone that has read any triathlon or running related magazine the past few years knows that barefoot running is the latest craze. In order to address this market, shoe companies have brought out a range of products which include the Nike Free, Vibram Five Fingers, Saucony has the lightweight neutral shoe (not quite as extreme as the Five Fingers or Free), Newtons (a shoe that is designed to assist one in running more “barefoot like”, which by nature is forefoot), and New Balance will release a shoe later this year. There is growing evidence that running barefoot is helpful in developing improved running economy; however, that is the place for a full article which I will release a little later. For now, I will give my opinion on running barefoot and review my experience with the Vibram Five Fingers. When I state barefoot running in this blog, I do not mean actual barefoot. In today’s society of road debris, including broken glass, truly running any distance barefoot is just plain dangerous. What I am referring to with barefoot running is running with barefoot style shoes, such as Free or Five Finger shoes.

While barefoot style running can be helpful for many, it should be approached with caution. If there are any structural issues that are affecting one’s run gait, barefoot running may not be for you. If you are a heavy runner, I recommend losing the extra weight (if there is extra weight to lose) before attempting to run barefoot, as barefoot style shoes by nature have little or know padding. Furthermore, there is an adaptation process to running in these style of shoes and one should gradually build up the time spent running in these shoes. For example, for the first workout, run in the barefoot style of shoe for 5 minutes, come back home, and then swap out the shoes for your regular shoes. Each week gradually increase the time spent in the barefoot style shoes. How long can you build up to? One of the things I love about my profession is I can always answer, “it depends.”  Lighter, more neutral runners can have more run volume in these shoes than other runners that are heavier and/or have biomechanical deficiencies.  The take home message is increase run volume with caution. Moderation is key. It is worth the trouble? My opinion is the work that is being performed to strengthen the foot muscles and the muscles that control ankle movement are definitely worth incorporating at least some running in barefoot style shoes.

Vibram Five Fingers

A month ago I received a pair of Vibram Five Finger Shoes to try out. For years I have run in a similar product, ran barefoot on the track, treadmill, and soccer fields; so, I went a little longer than what I would recommend for an initial run in these shoes. The maiden run was for 20 minutes. The things I noticed right off the bat are 1) there is essentially no padding at all, so watch out for any pebbles on the road and 2) your feet have complete movement. Just like you are running barefoot. I really liked the latter aspect. After about 15 minutes into the run, I could feel serious blisters developing and thought to myself, if others are having this same issue. Given the popularity of Vibram, I should buy stock in Nu-skin.

After the initial run, I decided to hold off on running in the Vibrams for a few days to let the blister heal, but the blisters were not so severe to prevent me from running in my New Balance 905s (a neutral, lightweight trainer) or affect any other workouts. When I did resume running in the Vibrams, blisters were not an issue. I am now running up to 40 minutes once or twice a week to work my feet and ankles and have no issues. However, moderation is key here and I am a neutral runner.

Do I recommend these shoes? Yes, for the right athlete. If you are a lighter athlete with a neutral run gait, go for it, but only for  some of your shorter run workouts with the objective to work the ankles and feet. Do I recommend these shoes for someone that is a heavy pronator? To a degree yes, but the time spent running in these shoes should be limited and you need to also perform ankle and foot stability exercises and core work. Please see my Core Strength Training Article. After all, a significant objective in wearing these shoes is to work the ankles and the feet, which may very well correct the biomechanical deficiencies, such as significant pronation.