Aren’t they purty?
We did it. Go Geek Go and I purchased our Vibram Five Fingers AKA Gorilla Feetz this morning. Mine are a lovely shade of lavender and grey. He has the TRUE Gorilla Feetz – all in black. Now we’re ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
Well, almost…
The instructions that come with this unique footwear suggests wearing them for 1-2 hours a day for at least the first week. Srsly? Actually yes.
I am a barefoot baby. The only time I wear shoes is if I’m going outside or going somewhere that requires footwear. I love shoes, but I don’t particularly care for having my feet encased in what often feels like medieval torture instruments. Even with all this time spent barefoot, it’s not quite the same as being barefoot all the time and building up the the strength of your feet and legs.
Did you realize that there are 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments in each foot? And every day we wear shoes to do things like run, we are robbing ourselves of the true strength and balance our unshod feet can provide us. This is controversial for some reason – probably because of how much companies like Nike and Reebok have invested in shoes. It’s silly because shoes are needed. It’s not like the world is going to go barefoot. But seriously – shoes just aren’t needed for running.
After wearing my new footwear for a while, I can tell you without a doubt that I feel the difference – not only in my feet but in my legs. There are different muscles being worked. My balance is different. I feel a bit achey because of it. Freaking fantastic! No, seriously. That’s fantastic. It’s exactly what needs to be happening right now. It means I’m being set back to a natural carriage and more natural movement. W00T!
Go Geek Go and I will continue breaking in our new footwear. The first run ought to be interesting. I’ll let you know.
The Road Taken 
I understand all you’re saying about feet. I’ve dealt with unhealthy feet my whole life. Walking my bike home when it broke is one of the things that’s keeping me quiet for a little bit. When feet are unhappy the whole body joins in.
It’s going to be fun to watch how you’re running goes. You’re probably going to fly down the road so fast that we’ll have to call you “Roadrunner.” Beep beep. 🙂
Best regards,
Darilyn
Oooo I am excited to hear about your journey! Are you following a specific barefoot “technique” (wow, is that an oxymoron?), such as Pose or Chi?
No specific technique at all. I try not to overthink running because I would analyze it to death. I’m an analyst by nature and by current career path, so the less *thinking* the better.
Yeah, I totally ignored that 1-2 hours per day walking thing. I figured since I wear flip-flops all summer, those muscles are developed enough to start running. Who knows.
But seriously injury is a concern, so I’m going to be very gradual with the mileage buildup.
Looking forward to hearing about your first run!
I am barefoot most of the time, but with my high arch I do have a concern about going slow.
I’m ready to run in these. I just need to get out and do it. *gasp
Hi,
Found your blog via your comment on NMA. Like you, I’m a vegetarian non-runner, only I’m a smart-ass, not sarcastic. 🙂 I also signed up for my first marathon totally on a whim (to have a goal large enough to make me stick with running). I just ran it (Portland) last weekend and am already trying to figure out which one to sign up for next. I can’t tell you what an incredible high it is to complete your first. You can do it!
http://sweetpotatopie.blogspot.com
Thank you for stopping by! I tend towards smart ass too, but sarcasm is my natural leaning.
I appreciate the encouragement. I need all I can get – especially the butt-kicking kind.
You know, I have shin splints and tendinitis that I developed running from an early age. Thinking about buying a pair just for my walking on the treadmill and park so that I can use my natural gate and posture.
Plus, they are so ugly they are cute.