First Run In Vibram FiveFinger KSO

May 14, 2010 - PRLog -- Earlier today, during half   time of the Sunday night football game I went running in my Vibram Five Finger KSO's at http://www.five-fingers-vibram.org/. I   went a bit further than I initially intended because I felt a lot more   comfortable once I go a little into the run.
 I went maybe about 3 miles.   I made a cut off my normal path down a different street that shortened the run a   bit but still gave me a decent work out. My stride was noticeably different but   comfortable. Thanks for http://www.five-fingers-vibram.org/vibram-fivefingers-kso-c-11.html.
 I have been working on   strengthening my ankles & shins since I primarily run on pavement. I have   always worked with weights on my legs or done leg raises while lying on my back   to take pressure off my knees. When in the gym or when I had a gym setup in my   home I always did leg raises to keep my quads strong.
 The last year plus I have   been doing specific exercises to strengthen my shins and ankles from the shin   splints and ankle strain I feel once I start ramping up my runs. This is why I   think I was feeling comfortable enough to run as long as I did in my initial Vibram shoes run.
  Funny thing is I didn't feel   the strain on the back of my ankles I normally do during my runs. I feel a few   different muscles have been used but it feels really good, like a good gym   workout on unused muscles but a much more minor muscle strain that I   thought.
 I always wondered why I   never got tired when I was younger but had shins & ankles issues when   running track. After finding out about barefoot running & Vibram Five Fingers shoes and   the research it sounded like it addressed the issues I have when increasing my   runs.
  I'll have to keep it going to see how it all works out.
 I have   just taken my first ever run in a pair of Vibram Five Finger   Shoes which I bought at http://www.five-fingers-vibram.org. They look crazy, generate funny stares and comments from   passers-by and are amazing.
 The theory   behind Vibram Five   Finger is to simulate barefoot running and return   us to the way humans were meant to run.
 The   introduction of bulky, heavily padded running shoes about 30 years ago has led   us to develop an unnatural, heel-first running style. With Vibram   Five Fingers there’s no way you can run that way, its simply too   hard on your heels.
 They say   it takes a while to adjust to running in Vibram Five   Fingers which sale at http://www.five-fingers-vibram.org/vibram-fivefingers-cla... and that you   should start out slowly. So I did.
  The first   thing you expect running with Vibrams is that they’re too thin and you’ll feel   the rocks and stones too much. Don’t worry, its not as bad as you’d think. in   fact, its just like back when you were a kid and ran around barefoot all day   with super-tough feet.
  My first   few hundred meters of running immediately forced me to start changing my   ingrained gait. If you strike with your heel in Vibrams its going to hurt, so   you automatically begin changing to a mid-to-front foot strike instead. Once you   adjust it feels great.
  As I   progressed to a rougher, rockier surface the shoes felt fine and i didn’t feel   any pain at all from the rocks. In fact, part of the theory is that running over   uneven surface like this is good for you as it forces all the bones and muscles   in your feet to perform as they were intended. Certainly I discovered a few foot   muscles I hadn’t used for a long time.
  By the   way, you might expect stones and pebbles getting into the shoe and causing   problems. I didn’t get one grain of dirt in the shoe because they fit like a   glove.
  The   surface was most hesitant about was the bitumen. I’ve been training on a local   bike path in my expensive Nikes for the last few months and pull up extremely   sore from the repeated impacts on this hard surface. I expected the glove-like   Vibrams would not offer enough protection on bitumen.
  Running   with the new gait, landing front-to-mid foot is much more forgiving and doesn’t   hurt any more than running in my Nikes.
 The most   painful thing is the funny looks as you go past other runners, riders and   pedestrians. I ran into local advertising   agent John Church who looked a little bemused. Rugby league legend Paul   Harragon drove into the carpark as I was leaving (Paul and I   were in the same class at school) but he didn’t see the shoes. He probably would   understand them though because one of his old team-mates, Adam   MacDougall now trains in Vibrams and swears by   them.
 Anyway, my   initial verdict on  Five   Finger Vibram is very positive. I don’t think I’ll wear them in the   10k race I’m doing tomorrow, but that’s only because I need a few weeks of   adjusting to them. After that race I doubt I’ll run in traditional running shoes   again.
 In case   you’re interested, I got my Vibram’s at http://www.five-fingers-vibram.org/vibram-fivefingers-kso.... She picked them up from who has recently   taken to running in them. Funnily, I discovered later that a business just 500m   from my office, , sell them, but I couldn’t find them when I Googled “Vibram   Five Finger Shoes Newcastle”.

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One of the most innovative inventions to come in years, the Vibram FiveFingers at http://www.five-fingers-vibram.org was developed with comfort, balance and athletics. It gives you the capability to be in motion in a more natural, flexible and fun way.