I swung by my friend Josh’s office a few months ago and he was wearing these funky shoes. Totally weird. They were like gloves for feet. Every toe had its very own little neoprene slot and a layer of rubber/plastic with the same formation as the bottom of a foot for the sole. I thought they were crazy and that he was nuts. I mean seriously, who walks around with gloves on their feet? What’s wrong with a good old fashion shoe? Go classic with a pair of black and white Chuck Taylors or formal with a pair of black leather Chuck Taylors. Gloves on your feet? Ridiculous.

Later I got to reading this book, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s about this small group of people in Mexico that can run for insane distances on these leather sandals and other American ultra-marathon runners getting together to run this awesome race down in Mexico. The book is extremely entertaining and very informative about running. McDougall sites several studies done about runners, injuries, techniques and shoes.

One of the techniques that came up quite a bit was Barefoot Running. Many studies have shown that running barefoot is great exercise for your feet. Running in soft, comfortable, marshmallow shoes actually prevents your feet from getting stronger. This concept actually made some sense. McDougall sited more studies about how running barefoot also helped with common running injuries like shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and runner’s knee. This piqued my interest. I can’t run more than three feet without getting painful shin splints and then have to start crawling.

Anyway the story continued and one of the competitors, Barefoot Ted, in the finale race started raving about these Vibram Five Fingers shoes. The same ones my friend Josh had. He was the first ultra-marathon runner sponsored by them and he loved them. His name is Barefoot Ted and he pretty much preached through the entire book about how awesome these shoes were and how running barefoot became like his drug. He was addicted.

So, with Josh’s personal testimonial, Born to Run‘s studies, and Barefoot Ted’s constant praise of these shoes I caved and ordered myself a pair. I LOVE THEM. I don’t want to wear normal shoes ever again. I’ve always enjoyed being barefoot and I initially felt these shoes were just a gimmick but I couldn’t have been more wrong. They are incredibly comfortable. It’s pretty cold right now in San Francisco; I thought my feet would be cold with just a thin layer of neoprene and no socks but these shoes keep my feet nice and toasty t00.

I’ve been wearing my Five Fingers every day for the past week and it is a work out. Unlike a normal shoe with one flat surface, each one of your toes is working to push your body forward. Now this may seem obvious to you, but after you wear them and walk a few miles you’ll understand what I mean. You’ll definitely feel a work out. I also tried running with them. Due to the lack of cushioning my stride was a lot shorter, but this wasn’t bad, it actually helped me quite a bit. My shin splints pain wasn’t as intense as it normally is and my calves were pumped. You will have calves of steel after running in these shoes. The less intense shin splint pain was my favorite. I could actually run about half a mile without crying.

Like I said above, I love them. I plan on buying another pair for every day use and keep the ones I have for running/gym. Also the shoes are machine washable so don’t worry too much about getting them stinky. Just throw them in the wash, leave them out to dry and you’ll be all good. As for the book, it was pretty damn good. I thought the story was a lot of fun, and the fact that it was a true story made it all that more awesome. If you’re in the market for a good book and great shoes read Born to Run and pick up a pair of Vibram Five Fingers at www.awesometoeshoes.com, you won’t be let down, I promise.

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