Vivo Barefoot!

Finally on Saturday the Vivo Barefoot Dharma’s arrived and they are awesome! They are the most comfortable shoe I have ever put my foot in. Actually it’s more like, they are the most comfortable shoe that has ever been built to go around my foot! They are instantly comfortable, there is no breaking in period, since I got the right size you just put them on your feet and go, they are ready for action out of the box. Even though they are a dressier shoe, I’m going to wear them everywhere, which is something I would never do with the typical shoes I buy for work. I already started changing out my shoe collection. Sold 3 pairs on ebay already, and as I figure out alternatives for each of the remaining shoes, they will all be getting swapped out to a barefoot equivalent.

The Obvious Next Step

After experiencing the freedom of the fivefingers it's just downright dispicable putting my feet back in regular heel strike shoes.  So I got some Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot Dharma's on order, these shoes are a regular looking shoe except the sole is flexable and only 3mm thick.  Also the toe area is really wide so you're toes can spred out.  The Dharmas are a nice dressy leather shoe I can wear to work with no problem.  Still going to have to keep my steel toes at my desk, but overall I won't have to wear them very often.  Just ordered them today, won't be here until mid next week.  I ordered them from Born To Run in Washingon.  Barefoot Ted's retail store.

First Fivefinger Barefoot Run

Since our feet have been boxed in miniature coffins their whole life it's no surprise to learn that all the muscles in your foot have atrophy and are no where near strong enough to walk or run barefoot for very long.  Pretty all the information I've read or watched on YouTube says to start slow and build up slowly.  This is one reason I've been just walking around in them for the past week (besides being sick)  tonight I went out for the first run and it was awesome!  At least for the 3 blocks that I was able to run, then I walked home.  If you think this sounds like I'm a wimp, then go get your own pair tough guy (or gal)!  I didn't overdo it buy my feet and calves are sore today, I definately pushed them hard enough.  this will pretty much be the plan for the next month before I will have any feet strength to run/walk much further -I hope I progress faster but it's unlikely you can only do some much so fast.

It was incredible though, I also noticed that when I have to put on my clunky big heel work shoes, that I can feel/hear the heal strike in my ears when I walk.  YES, I'M SERIOUS, the impact to your heel bone resonates all the way to your skull, where you can feel/hear it!  I don't have any proof, but I'm almost positive this is why so many people need knee replacements when they get older...!?

In the next photos I tried to capture what your toes almost immediatly start doing, and thats fanning out to create a stronger base.  I suggest going to YouTube and watch some videos, I found a few where seasoned runners "flex" their toes and they have a nice wide base.  Very cool when you think about the biomechanics of it and how a wider toe base increases your stability.  Very sad when you think about how today's shoes jam your toes together.  Here's the photos where I've tried to show how wide my toes want to be after running compared to the shoes I usually put them in.

Finally a Fair Amount of Walking in the Fivefingers

I've been wearing the fivefingers almost everynight this week, but a non-barefoot disaster struck on Saturday when I got sick with all the oh-so-fun flu type symptons.  Miserable weekend and been a bit slow recovering this week.  So finally on Wed I was feeling good enough to get out of the house and do something at least.

Over the past few days of wearing the shoes it has become obvious that learning to walk is going to take some thought to do it right, running on the other hand is a no brainer you just automatically do it.  It turns out that even though I don't wear shoes at all when I'm at home in my apartment, I still don't walk right and this is because the carpet is soft enough that I can still walk with a heel strike, and actually if your walking slowly the fivefinger sole is soft enough to allow you walk with a heel strike.

Today’s grocery shopping trip to Walmart is the most I have walked around in the fivefingers with a conscientious effort to walk correctly.  Certainly gave the feet a workout and it’s a lot easier to understand how much atrophy has occurred in my feet.  If you’re reading this keep in mind that when I say “my feet” unless you’ve already begun your own revolution this applies to you also.  The best thing I discovered today is that reverting back to walking naturally as we were meant to walk isn’t going to be all that hard, I found myself walking correctly once I got home also and had been off my feet for a bit and had a chance to forget about making an effort.  As expected though, it didn’t take much walking and the muscles in my feet were worn out.  Wow did it feel good though, I felt my whole body thanking me as I padded around.  Really looking forward to getting the Vivobarefoot shoes, it was ugly cramming my feet back in their steel toed coffins to go back to work this morning.  It’s even uglier to have to walk in the things…

The Barefoot Revolution Begins

Picking up a copy of Christopher McDougall’s book “Born to Run” is the same thing as winning the lottery (and a big payout at that)! Maybe not a payout in real money, but who can put a price on your general health and well-being? The answers that Christopher discovers in Born to Run are so basic and fundamental that they are revolutionary! One of my biggest pet-peeves in life is believing something that is not true, and after reading this book, thinking about the biomechanics of the human foot, and doing 5 minutes of experimenting, I have no doubt that walking and running barefoot is how we were designed! I now compare wearing shoes as we know them to drinking Mercury as medicine, both were considered true at one time and both are now known to be bad for you! I highly recommend picking up a paper copy, or an electronic copy, which is really how I “read” the book, (when I say read, I really mean I listened to the book…) The book tells a tale of a real life adventure to remote parts of the world on a journey to discover the truth, and along the way Christopher meets some really interesting people and most importantly discovers the truth and makes life better for anyone who decides to embrace the most fundamental truth of his discovery!
Summary of my new now known truth: Running Shoes = coffins for your feet = drinking Mercury as medicine
Side note Rant:

It angers me to think that companies like Nike and Addidas have known this for years and have conspired to not only bury the truth, but continued to develop products they know are not healthy for human beings. It angers me even more that now that the truth is going mainstream they continue their conspiracy by leveraging marketing power over publications like Runner’s World…

OK, moving on,
THE REVOLUTION BEGINS: DAY 1 – Going to buy some Vibram fivefingers
Amazingly Redman's Shoes in Kearney, NE had the fivefingers in stock,  I drove over afterwork and picked up a pair of KSO's and a couple pair of Injinji socks.  Obviously, wore them for the rest of the night. Looking forward to giving them a test spin.

 Injinji Socks - Of course they have toes, how else would they fit in the fivefingers?