Over the past few weeks I’ve made a couple of posts regarding my foray into the world of barefoot running, and so far I have nothing but success to report. I find that it is becoming far more natural the more I go out with my Vibram FiveFingers Bikila on. My mileage has slowly begun to increase, the last run I did was two miles in length (following a 15 mile bike ride), and I’m already itching to go further.
The couple of times that I’ve posted on barefoot running has spawned some comments and e-mails with readers asking questions about the non-shoes that I wear. Vibram has done a great job of designing very lightweight shoes that are comfortable to wear, and yes, even kind of fun. They look a little strange, but it definitely gets the attention of others when you’re out for a jog. They also must be doing something right, as the local REI store told me they can’t keep them in stock, and my Backwoods store said that they were the best selling item that they had right now.
If you’re considering a pair for yourself, you may want to take a look at the Gear Junkie’s sneak peek into what Vibram has planned for their 2011 version of the shoes. He has some images posted of the redesigned Bikila LS, which now uses a speed lacing system to tighten up as opposed to the velcro straps on my pair. There is also a new pair designed for “fitness” what ever that means, called the Komodo, and another pair for “fashion” for those that just want to kick around town in you FiveFingers. (Which begs the question. Are these the next Crocs? Let’s hope not!) The Gear Junkie even says that there are kids versions in the works too, but offers little other information at this time.
It’s hard to tell yet if the barefoot running craze is here to stay or if it just a fad. I can say that I’m very much enjoying it so far, and can’t wait until I can do further distances in my shoes. I got my pair from TravelCountry.com, who features them on their front page and has good prices on the entire line of FiveFingers.
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Please take no offence Adventure Junkie but as a long time barefooter and VFF wearer, I feel the need to comment.
I love my VFFs but they are not 'going barefoot'.
Relative to wearing standard footwear, yes, they feel like you are wearing nothing but the longer you actually 'barefoot', the more you realize they are very different animals.
It is not something that is necessarily apparent when one first starts wearing the VFFs and most who do never really end up taking them off and actually going naked, hence the conclusion that it is the same experience.
Anyway, happy VFFing-they are really great.
L