Why I love FiveFingers by Sam Lunn
Hey guys, here is my post on the wonderful and innovative Vibram FiveFingers! I am going to tell you how I got into these ‘shoes,’ and what I do in them. The first time I heard of these shoes, was by reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall bought for me by my running physics buddies at Uni -cheers guys!!. This is a great book for anyone to read, but I won’t go into any details as this could be some more blogging material. In essence these shoes enable you to wander round our streets as though you were barefoot but without the full pain of going over glass, gravel etc.
Leonardo da Vinci once said “The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.” There are loads of arguments on the internet about going barefoot and the minimalist shoe movement… I think I must be part of this now! These are my ideas… why do we insist on packing our ‘work of art’ into a little toe crushing, arch flattening, heel striking shoe; a prison almost. When you get home from work I bet you take your shoes off and put them straight into slippers – tut tut!! Another prison. I know I take my shoes (I am working on wearing my FiveFingers into work) and socks off, then put my feet on the carpet and they start hugging it to redeem their senses. The toes stretch themselves out and grope the pile. Did you know your feet have as many sensory endings as your hands? Think, when we put our hands in mittens, your fingers and palms are inhibited and lose a lot of sensitivity… your hands hate it. Try doing anything with a tool and you will find a loss in dexterity. Yet to put a shoe on your foot is okay? Another thing to ask is how we used to run without the modern running shoe, which has been around for 40 years, yet the human race has been around for somewhat longer! I could ramble on for ages on this, but if you are genuinely interested drop me an e-mail or just take a look on the web, birthday shoes is a good place to start, and also YouTube.
Do you remember how it felt when you were young to run around outside barefoot? Well, these shoes allow you to get that feeling right back! They are like gloves for your feet, with a very thin rubber sole – no super-duper gel, sponge air cushioning systems. I like the fact that this shoe takes you back to your natural running roots by getting our feet in close contact with the ground. I first bought a pair of FiveFinger KSO’s (keep stuff out!) back in July and I took them straight out for a run – WOW! I only planned to do 2 miles as I had read that it takes a while for your legs to adapt to a different foot strike and also the impact. (I had previously been training for a half marathon, and if you have not done a great deal of running before I suggest just going for a walk in them – again I can help you with how to take your new free feet steps if you get a pair) However, I went for 7 miles! I just let my legs take me away, I was enjoying myself so much.
I had bought some toe socks to as I was initially sceptical about the smoothness of the inside of the shoe, but they are very smooth. They are great fun to run in, and once you start it can be hard to stop. The shoes are no weight at all and after initially trying to get your toes into the slots and strange sensation; they are pretty easy to get on and the feeling of them is like no other shoe. The shoes help you reignite that proprioception in your feet and the great feeling associated. I read that the biggest killer for over 65 year olds is falling over. Think if you got your feet sensitivity and dexterity right back up there, the chances of this would be greatly reduced.
The shoes are great for just walking around in as well, I have worn mine all over; London,
beaches, woods – they are pretty sturdy and you get a great feeling for the ground beneath you. The one warning I will give is you will get a lot of awkward looks, and probably some questions. I get a lot on the trains!
Here is just some of my experience in the FiveFingers. I have also ordered another pair and I am looking forward to the new ranges available for next year! I highly recommend these shoes; they are very fun, and extremely beneficial. You can use them for all your needs, running, walking, gym sessions and day to day wear. I have even managed to wear mine at work (yes whilst writing this I asked!)
If you are interested in these drop me an e-mail and I would be happy to answer any questions please email me at sam@virtusclinic.com or check our website at www.virtusclinic.com, facebook page or twitter.
Sam Lunn BSc (Hons)
Virtus Clinic Manager