Running in Five Fingers

For the brave few who have followed or read this blog you may recall that I bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers a long while back. Unlike many people who gravitate to minimalist shoes for running I've used the Five Fingers for strength training & conditioning - pretty much exclusively indoors. But I've always been curious how it would feel to run outdoors in the Five Fingers and today I tried it out on a quick, one-mile run around campus.

I started with a 10-15 minute warmup walk - mostly because my Garmin would not connect (probably because of the crappy, rainy weather we are enjoying in New Jersey). I wanted to use the Garmin to stay at a mile or under after hearing friends (and reading online) reccomendations to build slowly when going minimal.

From the moment I started running I could tell immediately my stride and gait were much different. I am a big time heel striker - and a big, heavy runner. My running form has never been a thing of beauty. I've crushed many a shoe looking for the elusive "perfect pair" that could correct and protect.

Wearing the Five Fingers I was much more on my toes. Not quite sure if I was striking mid-foot but I can say for sure I was not striking on my heel. My stride length was more compact - in regular shoes I tend to stretch my long legs. I also took off like a jackrabbit and was maintaining a quick pace. Then reality came - I haven't been running much (at all) lately and I settled into my usual speed/pace.

I cut things off at one mile and then walked for 15 more minutes. It was a great workout. My calves felt tight and I was thankful I didn't try to go farther. My ankles were a little sore, as was my right knee right after the run but I feel fine a few hours later.

I highly recommend easing into any minimalist or barefoot running program but for recreational runners it is a fun experiment.