g to blog about the Vibram Fivefingers Classic Shoes. I became interested in these after I read the book "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougall. The book mentions barefoot running more than once and the author personally swears by it himself. Running barefoot is supposed to cure all of the ailments that normally occur when running in shoes (about 60% of people who run, both professionally and non-professionally, suffer from injuries every year) and feel completely different. The Vibram website explains: "The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised."But when you start, the bottoms of your feet get worn thin because they aren't used to the constant use, which is where the Vibram Fivefingers come in. This is a shoe (really a sole of a shoe) made from a "thin, abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric" which slips over your foot like a sock, but still allows your feet to move naturally. They have been likened to a second-skin for protection, but with the benefits of health.
"Born To Run" being a national bestseller, the word is out about these shoes and as the trend of barefoot running becomes more and more popular (you can go to weekly barefoot-running meets) the Fivefingers are selling very quickly. According to the Vibram website, most stores order a new shipment as soon as they get the last one and Vibram suggests buying straight from the website to assure that you'll get a pair. I personally would like to be able to try them on first before buying them, especially at the price of $75.00 a pair! That's a lot of money to pay for a couple of soles of shoes! Yikes!
But if you're as interested as me by this whole thing, maybe it's a good investment. I decided to go for a barefoot run tonight just to try it out for myself. It can only be described as joyful. And this coming from someone who HATES exercise with a capital H. I have never felt like I actually wanted to keep running before, although, the soles of my feet told me differently. I came home to find fresh blisters (I've got blisters on my ... fingers?) and I can't help but wonder what this would be like with a pair of Fiverfingers on my feet.
As a runner myself I would NOT recommend this product, only because the knees and ankles need padding and a good running shoe gives that. If you are not used to running you should start gradually and in a good running shoe to get your muscles and joints used to it, otherwise you are more likely to get injuries like shin splints due to the impact on the ground your body is not used to. The store Future Track in Agoura is the place to go for running shoes. They look at how you walk and let you know if your slightly pronated and what type shoe you need. Awesome staff, incredibly knowledgeable and won't rip you off or try to sell you what you do not need.
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