I stumbled upon Vibram's Five Fingers shoes while researching this year's marathon splurge, and after about ten days experimenting with them have to come here to evangelize a bit.
Seems I've been waiting for these shoes all my life.
www.vibramfivefingers.com
They are the best thing since the Fig Leaf...barely the least one can wear without breaking the law!
If training goes well with them, I will finish the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth next month in 'em...and SO FAR, these damn things have supercharged my training schedule...nice because I was so far behind!
I can feel my ankles, knees, hips, and back re-aligning to their original motion, which has actually made my yoga practice greatly improve. There is ample medical evidence that barefooting helps cure a multitude of problems induced by footwear designed by devotees of the Marquis de Sade!
I have also NEVER had any single article of clothing or shoes garner more attention from nearly everyone I meet...and last night was classic.
Turned the corner from Washington Boulevard onto Clifford, where a fellow was walking toward me with the usual inner-city scowl on his face. I nodded and said hello...with my usual breaking of 'protocol'...but twenty feet past me he calls out, "HEY!"
Ready for anything, I stopped and turned around. We closed the distance between us with a few steps and he said, "Tell me about those shoes!"
I had to laugh, we had a fun chat...then I got down to Motor City Wine's tasting a bit late...only to have a very lovely twenty-something start chatting me up over 'em. [[after last Sunday's octogenarian b-day party for a buddy's father where his niece couldn't stop from squealing when she saw 'em on my feet!)
[[If THAT was in the sales literature, I might've bought a few more pair. LOL)
But, suffice to say, I believe Vibram is on the edge of a VERY huge trend with these shoes, and I've already requested they develop an inner-city version with a layer of Kevlar to guard against intrusive Detroit Diamonds.
I've been riding bike tires lined with a Kevlar band for years without a single flat.
Cheers...check these things out...you won't be disappointed.
Bookmarks