At every marathon start line, I get this question or something like it: "Hey, are those shoes comfortable?" I want to roll my eyes, but instead I simply answer in the affirmative. Honestly, how stupid would I be if I was toeing up to a start line to run 26.2 miles in uncomfortable shoes?!
It's okay, though … the shoes I wear are bound to get some strange responses because, frankly, not many people wear them. While I'm standing around waiting for a race to start, I'll take a peek at the shoes other runners are sporting. In a bigger marathon race, I might see a handle of people out of thousands wearing Vibram FiveFingers. We often greet each other with the comment, "Hey, nice shoes!" In smaller races, I might very well be the only one.
Recently, the Vibram FiveFinger company settled a class-action lawsuit, paying out nearly $4 million to disgruntled customers for making claims about the benefits of wearing these shoes that were not backed up by scientific studies. Boy, did I hear about that, too!
The lawsuit doesn't negate the fact that these shoes are, by far, the most comfortable I've ever worn. I started my running journey in Asics, but after experiencing knee pain while training for my first full (the 2011 Buffalo Marathon), I switched to Brooks. The knee pain continued, and while training for my second full (the 2011 Chicago Marathon), I began to make the transition to Vibram FiveFingers. Unfortunately, I did not have enough mileage built up in the VFF to be able to run in them for Chicago, and boy, did I suffer! By mile 13, I was unsure of my ability to finish. At around mile 20, I hooked up with a man who made his living by training people to run marathons. His 2:1 intervals (run two minutes, walk a minute, for those unfamiliar with how intervals work) and frequent stretch breaks helped me and my bum knee get across the finish line.
After that race, I ramped up my efforts to transition to VFF for good, and I haven't looked back. Since Chicago, I've completed every road training run and race in my comfy toe shoes. Goodbye, knee pain!
It's true that minimalist shoes are not for everyone. In fact, all one has to do to fully realize that there are many different kinds of feet out there is to look at the multitude of running shoe choices: Asics, Brooks, Nike, Adidas, Saucony, Skechers, Hoka, Mizuno, Altra, New Balance, Airia, and Topo Athletic, just to list a few of the big names. Each of these brands has different models that cater to runners' motion mechanics (overpronator, underpronator, normal) and how their feet strike the ground (forefoot, midfoot, or heel striker). There are so many choices out there that for beginner runners it can be a bit overwhelming. In fact, finding the right shoe sometimes requires trial and error, which is exactly what happened in my case. Even those wanting to go minimalist have plenty of brand choices.
Unfortunately, quality running shoes aren't cheap. I spent hundreds of dollars buying the wrong ones. The VFFs run around $100 a pair; they're not cheap, either. The upside to wearing minimalist shoes is that they do not need to be replaced every 300-500 miles like regular running shoes. In fact, the very first pair of VFF I purchased are, despite some significant wear on the soles, completely functional. It won't be long before I wear a hole right through them, and I will probably cry when it happens. Those shoes have seen me through thousands of pain-free miles.
Another positive of wearing VFF is that after every wear, I can toss them in the washer and let them air dry: as good as new!
I think the biggest mistake people make when transitioning from regular shoes to minimalist ones is that they are impatient. They buy a pair and then go out and run a 3-miler in them. Bad idea! Most minimalist shoe companies recommend a slow transition, building up hours of casual wear before taking them out for a short, half-mile spin. I did my research and followed the advice published on the VFF website and made the transition injury-free. It took patience, but it was worth it.
Most will rarely see me wear anything but VFF. I do wear a pair of yellow New Balance shoes every now and then as they were freebies from the 2014 Kalamazoo Marathon (for being the first person from NY to sign up for the race). They're okay, but they're not nearly as comfortable as my toe shoes. In the winter, I often wear a pair of Merrells that have a Vibram sole because, unfortunately, VFF are not the greatest shoes for winter wear. I do have a pair of VFF Lontras. They are waterproof and insulated, but they are much stiffer compared to my other VFF and therefore not as comfortable.
When I am wearing my toe shoes, I get few curious glances, a few questions and sometimes a smattering of negative comments about their appearance (they are ugly, okay? But they're so gosh-darn comfortable!). I've also heard some predictions such as, "When you're older, you're going to wish you wore proper shoes. You're ruining your body!" I just shrug and continue to do what I know is right for me. My current favorite pair are the Bikila EVOs (pictured above).
While I can't back it up with scientific studies, I know that if I had continued to run in Asics or Brooks, my running journey would have been short-lived.
Thanks for reading, friends. :)
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