4 ms·

I've been wearing VFFs on and off for the last two years and a bit (on my third pair now), and I agree, they still feel much better than "normal" shoes.

muhfuhkuh 16y ago
My wife and I started running in them, starting with walking only, then running only a bit at a time (1/2 mile run, then walk another 1 or 2 miles). Now, about 3 weeks on, we run about 2 miles straight at a time (we've never run at all before, which is supposedly ALOT harder with VFFs than if you had started out with cushioned running shoes). At first, we had pains in places we'd not had before being on elliptical machines or my wife doing aerobics, especially in the shins and forefoot and midfoot. I got some slight blistering on the big toe the first week as well, but it's all gone away over the subsequent weeks. The verdict? It's about as fun as running as a kid barefoot on a summer's day. We actually look forward to doing 5k in them. Then, we go trail running, which I'm sure will be a blast. It seems to feel alot better underfoot on soft dirt than paved surfaces, anyway.
- staktrace 16y ago
  Trail running in Vibrams is awesome. As it is trail running provides an uneven surface, which means every step will use a different combination of leg muscles. This prevents any one muscle from getting too tired, and balances out your leg. With Vibrams the effect is amplified even more; add in the fact that you're constantly aware of every step you take, rather than just plonking down your foot on whatever is there, and you end up with a form of running that can feel simply amazing.
- terrym 16y ago
  Good for you guys, especially starting out not running at all and already looking to do a 5k. I just did a 5k in them last week and it felt great - I picked the shoes up in august and I've been able to run ~3 miles every other day with them since. I'd recommend trying, if you haven't already, a bit of actual barefoot running - only for a short distance to just get a feel for how it changes your stride. The reason I say this even though you're starting "barefoot" is I notice that the vibrams have enough padding to have a slightly different feel for me than actually going barefoot, so it might be worth testing it out and seeing if you notice a difference (if so, try to maintain the barefoot stride while wearing the shoes). Good luck on the 5k, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

muhfuhkuh 16y ago

My wife and I started running in them, starting with walking only, then running only a bit at a time (1/2 mile run, then walk another 1 or 2 miles). Now, about 3 weeks on, we run about 2 miles straight at a time (we've never run at all before, which is supposedly ALOT harder with VFFs than if you had started out with cushioned running shoes). At first, we had pains in places we'd not had before being on elliptical machines or my wife doing aerobics, especially in the shins and forefoot and midfoot. I got some slight blistering on the big toe the first week as well, but it's all gone away over the subsequent weeks. The verdict? It's about as fun as running as a kid barefoot on a summer's day. We actually look forward to doing 5k in them. Then, we go trail running, which I'm sure will be a blast. It seems to feel alot better underfoot on soft dirt than paved surfaces, anyway.

staktrace 16y ago
Trail running in Vibrams is awesome. As it is trail running provides an uneven surface, which means every step will use a different combination of leg muscles. This prevents any one muscle from getting too tired, and balances out your leg. With Vibrams the effect is amplified even more; add in the fact that you're constantly aware of every step you take, rather than just plonking down your foot on whatever is there, and you end up with a form of running that can feel simply amazing.
terrym 16y ago
Good for you guys, especially starting out not running at all and already looking to do a 5k. I just did a 5k in them last week and it felt great - I picked the shoes up in august and I've been able to run ~3 miles every other day with them since. I'd recommend trying, if you haven't already, a bit of actual barefoot running - only for a short distance to just get a feel for how it changes your stride. The reason I say this even though you're starting "barefoot" is I notice that the vibrams have enough padding to have a slightly different feel for me than actually going barefoot, so it might be worth testing it out and seeing if you notice a difference (if so, try to maintain the barefoot stride while wearing the shoes). Good luck on the 5k, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!