A Flat-footed Runner Tries Vibram FiveFingers

The first thing I noticed about running in the Vibrams (this is while I was still in the store) was that I seemed to be coming down more on the balls of my feet, instead of on my heels. I’d read that this was likely to happen, but was surprised to see the change take effect so quickly.

But what’s truly extraordinary about the change is that it really has nothing to do with the shoes. The Vibrams have none of the padding we’ve come to expect in running sneakers; and while the inner edge of the shoe (where most people have their arch) is slightly concave, the rest of the sole is basically flat. The FiveFingers weren’t encouraging my feet to do anything other than to follow their fancy.

That said, I’m not sure that everybody would notice such an abrupt change. Prior to wearing the Vibrams, I’d been walking around barefoot for a solid six weeks. (I work from home, and don’t have to wear shoes during the day if I don’t feel like it. During the summers, I tend to go around shoeless. Also sometimes shirtless, and occasionally pantless. But we don’t need to talk about that … yet).

My First Run in the Vibrams

For my first run with the new shoes, I decided to run just one mile over pavement. I am extremely flat-footed and am an overpronator, so I wanted to ease my way into this drastically different shoe.

About 60 seconds after setting out, I noticed that I was absolutely pounding the ground with my heels – hard. Just really beating the tar out of the pavement. I probably hadn’t noticed this in the store because the floor was soft and padded, and because I hadn’t run for more than 30 seconds at a time. Regardless, it was pretty uncomfortable going for the first leg of the run.

But after just a couple of minutes, as I grew a little more accustomed to the shoe and the terrain, I gradually started to put more weight on the balls of my feet. By the end of the run, my heels felt fine – and I haven’t had a problem with them since.

Remarkable how the body adapts so quickly, isn’t it?

Subsequent Runs

Since that first run, I’ve gone on four others:

• A two-mile run in the Vibrams
• A second two-mile run in the Vibrams
• A 5.2 mile run in my regular sneakers (New Balance 1221s)
• A 2.7-mile run in the Vibrams

I’ve noticed so many fascinating things about my feet, my legs, and the way that I walk during these four runs that it’s hard to know where to start. I guess we can start with the thing that was the most unexpected: my hamstrings became incredibly tight.

Now, let me preface this discussion with the following: I’ve got some pretty nice legs. They’re strong, shapely, and lean, with just the right amount of muscle to look pleasing when flexed. If it were possible to do so, I would take these beautiful legs of mine out behind the middle school and get them pregnant. That’s how much I like them.

So it came as quite a big shock when, during my second run in the FiveFingers, I noticed more than a little pain in the back of my legs. Hold on a second: did I mention that I’m also extremely flexible for a guy? You won’t see me doing any splits, but I know my way around a yoga mat, and back in high school, I always scored in the 98th or 99th percentile for the sit-and-reach (which basically means that I’m really, really good at touching my toes). Again, I’m not a gymnast or a ballerina (ballerino?), but compared to most other guys my age, I’m frickin’ Gumby.

For two days after my second run, my hammys burned with pain with every step I took. Walking was bad enough, and running was out of the question. But I did my calf and hamstring stretches (they provided almost immediate relief) and after three days, felt like I could continue running in the Vibrams. After my fourth run in the Vibrams, the pain has lessened to mere discomfort, and is really only present in one of my legs (the left).

Bee’s Knees

After three runs in the Vibrams, I went for a longer jog (5.2 miles) in my regular shoes. Before I had taken ten steps, my knee pain was back.

Some quick background: one of the reasons I’m trying the Vibrams is because I’m tired of being injured, and no shoe I’ve ever worn has prevented me from getting sidelined. The injuries change, but they never actually go away. It’s always something, whether it’s pulling my Achilles’ tendon (my first running-related injury, in 1994) or developing patella tendonitis in both knees (my penultimate). Traditional footgear wasn’t working. Why not try something different?

While the knee pain had largely subsided before I started using the Vibrams (with many thanks owed to my physical therapist friend Julia), it was striking was how quickly the pain returned once I switched back to my New Balances.

On my first run in Vibrams after the 5.2 in the NBs, I still had some knee pain – probably residual pain from whatever I did to my knee the day before. But the near total lack of knee pain is an encouraging sign that the FiveFingers are really helping me to run in a way that’s better for my body.

On Beagle’s Wings

Another thing I noticed about running in the Vibrams is that I just generally feel lighter on my feet. More surefooted, more agile, and swift.

Could this be because I’m coming down more on the balls of my feet, and that this is a better way for me to run? Could it be because the shoes are physically lighter than my running shoes? Is it all in my head? Is it just the novelty of running in a way that I’ve never run before? Or could it be the fact that I’m used to running five, six and seven miles, but I’m running only one, two and three in the FiveFingers?

Some clues came during that first run in the old New Balances following my first three Vibram runs. Although I felt like my running was clunkier than it has been in the FiveFingers, the feeling of being quicker on my feet persisted. Dismissing for the moment the theory that I’m suffering from some kind of placebo effect, the persistence of this feeling tells me two things:

1. The mechanics of my running style are changing.
2. The change is strong enough that the shoes don’t matter (much).

I’ve Got Blisters on Me (Five) Fingers!

It’s not all handjobs and buttercups. There’s some bad news, too. But it’s not that bad.

Blisters

I didn’t know this was possible, but I have incipient blisters on every toe on my left foot except for the big one, and at least three on my right foot (including Mr Big). But then, the fact that I didn’t know this was possible probably tells you a lot about how coddled and pampered my feet are. I expect the blisters to go away once my feet decide to sack up and grow a pair.

They Just Kinda Hurt

After a run in the Vibrams, my feet are just generally sore. For a couple of hours at least, padding around the house without socks or shoes is a touch uncomfortable, and I kinda just want to get off my feet. By the next day, though, they’re fine. I also expect this to go away as my feet toughen up.