Barefoot Bit: The Runs

Ok, this is the end of Week 2 revisited!

I ran 3 times this week in my Vibram FiveFingers: Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday. I had some other runs in between, but I wore my Brooks.

All three runs were between 1.5-1.7 miles, each 18 minutes long (2 min run, 1 min walk x6).

I’m noticing that I don’t need to be as focused on form as I did the first week. It is coming so much more naturally to me to keep my body light and erect. Woo!

I also noticed that my feet, ankles, and calves are not as sore anymore—hardly at all, in fact. The first two weeks were marked with discomfort, but my body seems to be adjusting well to the transition and I definitely don’t feel like I’m doing anything too fast (but that doesn’t mean I’ll be speeding the process up at all).

Another discovery? Nighttime runs in FiveFingers or barefoot are not the smartest things. The bruise on the bottom of my left foot is proof…I didn’t see a nasty rock and ran right over it. Owie.

I’ve also learned that my FiveFingers need to be washed. They are starting to stink. Peeee-yewwww. They are going in the next load, whether or not they like it.

Barefoot Bit: The Cheapskates

Don’t want to dish out the $$ for a pair of FiveFingers, but also don’t want to go entirely nekkid? Do what my husband did: buy water shoes.

I had heard that water shoes can be a good transition shoe, and while Dave and I were in Target, I mentioned it to him. 15 minutes later we were walking out with his first pair of “barefoot” shoes, purchased for a mere $10.

Water shoes are a good option because they lack the support of a normal running shoe. Their flexibility allows your foot to move freely and naturally and keeps you from heel striking. 

Here are pictures that compare the flexibility of a regular shoe, a “barefoot” shoe, and a water shoe:

As you can see, the sneaker is the least flexible of the three. The FiveFinger was the most flexible, but it’s hard to capture on camera because the separate toes make it hard to bend for a picture—it kept popping out of my hands. What you also can’t see in the pictures is force I’m using to bend each shoe. I’m hardly using any strength to bend the last two, but a lot to try to bend the shoe.

One of the cons of water shoes is that they inhibit the sensation of feeling the ground when you run. This means that you may be hitting the ground too hard, or not adjusting your stride properly based on the terrain. However, it is still better than running in conventional shoes.

Dave went on one run in his water shoes and seems to have had a similar experience to my first run: sore calves!!!

Poor guy got up and pushed through a triathlon the next day, too! Had he known he was going to try and tri, I’m sure he would have skipped the run. Just like running barefoot or in FiveFingers you cannot heel strike, which gives your feet, ankles and calves an extra hard workout!

So, if you’re toying with the idea, but don’t want to dish out the cash for FiveFingers and are grossed out by the thought of going entirely bare, try the water shoes and let me know what you think!!

What are your thoughts on water shoes? Would you try them as a transition shoe or would you jump right to barefoot? Or are you perfectly happy to stay in sneakers?

Missed my other Bare{foot} Essentials posts? Read them here:

The Bare{foot} Essentials I
The Bare{foot} Essentials II

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