Playing in My VFFs

This is a post about shoes - very silly-looking shoes - but it is also a post about rediscovering joy.

Last week I went into Big Central City to get measured for my wedding dress, and decided, while there, to visit the local outdoors store.  I'd been reading about Vibram's Five Fingers shoes for about a month, and had decided that I wanted to see some in person.  Long story short: I liked them, I bought them, I love them! 

What intrigued me about the VFFs (as they are affectionately known among fans) was partly their rather humorous (some would say ugly) appearance, and partly the concept behind them.  The idea of the VFFs is that they are meant to offer all the benefits of being barefoot - better gait, stronger muscles, better connection to one's surroundings - without the risks of stepping on sharp things.  As someone who spends a lot of time barefoot and who has a love-hate relationship with most shoes, they seemed like a nice compromise.  I also liked the way that everyone who wore them - even the people who were doing it reluctantly in order to write a review - came away appreciating the experience.  And if you read the forums of enthusiasts at birthdayshoes, you not only realize that these people love their shoes, but that they are universally a lively, creative, cheerful bunch that loves the outdoors.

Sign me up!

My first experience with wearing the VFFs was driving back from Big Central.  I drive a manual shift (something else that seems common among the VFFers, to judge by the discussion on the forums) and it took a bit of getting used to.  I don't normally drive barefoot, so feeling the pedal under my feet was  strange.  It also took some time for me to figure out where, exactly, my foot needed to be placed for maximum control and comfort.  Now, however, driving in the VFFs is no big deal.  I think for long trips, however, I'd prefer the one-solid-block effect of regular shoes.

My next experiment was to take the VFFs for a run.  Now, everyone cautions new wearers to start out slow.  The way that barefooting - or running in VFFs - works is that instead of the shoe doing the work of stabilizing and cushioning, it's the muscles in your feet, ankles, legs and torso that provide the support.  My feet and ankles are already pretty strong, so I didn't notice that effect so much, but boy howdy, they were not kidding about the calves!  I only ran a couple of blocks (I am very out of shape, aerobically, which is part of the reason why I'm excited about these shoes and the way that they make running fun) but I felt it for the rest of the day.

Now, a week and a half later, I can easily run-walk for several blocks, or hike for several hours, without feeling much beyond a comfortable fatigue.  Yes, it worked that fast!  (Which, admittedly, may just be me.  I've long had a knack for putting on muscle quickly - unfortunately, I lose tone about as fast.)

The thing is, though?  During those short runs, it was so. much. FUN! that it was hard to stop, even when my calves were crying and I was gasping for breath.  The VFFs are light, and grippy, and they are so silly and playful that they make you want to do things like run along curbs like balance beams, leap over logs, and run along benches.  In other words, running about in them doesn't feel like exercising; it feels like the sort of play children enjoy.

Okay, I thought, they're great for running, but how about walking?  So I wore them to pick up the paper that weekend, which is about one and a half miles of walking on city streets.  I felt rather self-conscious at first - they are pretty distinctive! - but one eventually gets over it.  (Today, in fact, I passed a couple of women and heard in my wake "...shoes."  "Cool.")  It wasn't too tiring, though I found that I had to take smaller steps than usual to avoid jarring my feet.  One unexpected and pleasant surprise - if you walk through grass, the material along the top and sides is thin enough that you can feel the blades brushing your feet!

The most recent experiment was to take to the trails, and test them out on a variety of non-human-made surfaces.  Since I had the park to myself (having gone in the middle of the day in the middle of the week) I was able to run, skip, leap and balance-walk to my heart's content without anyone to make me feel self-conscious.  It was more fun than I've had in a long time; each new bend in the trail brought a new invitation to play and make up games to enjoy the interaction of the shoes, my body, and the environment.

Some observations - grass is nice, as is pine duff (though you do have to watch out for pine cones).  Gravel isn't pleasant, though fine-crack packed gravel is a lot better than loosely packed large rocks.  Logs are fun.  Kicking an Osage orange toe first hurts, but shoving it along with the ball of your foot gives a nice inner-thigh work-out.  Jumping is fun, especially since it's amusing seeing your VFF-clad toes pointing in the air.  The worst surface?  Field stubble.  The damn stuff pokes you in the sides of the toes.  Ouch!  Mud is interesting, though I didn't explore it too much since I didn't want to get the shoes too dirty or to sink in a bog. 

The gentle pad-pad-pad sound your feet make when walking in the VFFs is also pleasant - and it's quiet enough that you can sneak up on squirrels, rabbits, turtles and cats without half-trying.  (When one does try, one can walk very quietly indeed.)

So, to make a long account short, these shoes are so much fun!  And they are helping me remember why I love being outdoors, and why bodies are meant for playing, not just sitting and working.  Viva la VFFs!

Let me introduce you to the Vibram Five Fingers shoe/foot glove. 

My feet compared with the VFFs.  It's easy to see why I hate the idea of pointy-toed shoes!

  

Close-up view of the VFFs, showing the individual toe pockets and their protective bumpers.

Playing with an Osage orange found along the trail.

Balancing on rocks

Closer view of the sole - note all the grippy grooves and ridges

Holding a leaf with my toes - try that with most shoes!

You can see more pictures here.

Comments

[Queen of WEst Procrastination]

So cool! They would be amazing for scrambling on the rocks by the ocean. I am curious about how well they would work for someone who normally needs orthotics (as I do).

[Rana]

From what I've read, you'd need to spend time wearing them or going barefoot and gradually building up the strength of your feet. Strengthening your feet so they don't need orthotics is part of the appeal, as I understand it. (D wears orthotics but I don't; I've always had strong feet.) It certainly would be impossible to wear orthotics with them; they fit very close to the foot.

[Lynn M.]

Queen of WEst Procrastination,

I've been wearing my VFFs full-time for a month now. I've worn orthotics for 24 years (I have a rigid, high arched foot and supinate and heel-strike badly) and my feet and knees used to ache terribly every day before that. So I was initially quite concerned that I wouldn't be able to tolerate wearing VFFs. But almost unbelievably, I haven't had any foot or knee pain with the VFFs. Probably because the VFFs encourage correct biomechanics.

I'm not a runner or athlete; I've used them only for walking.

[jo(e)]

I want to try these now.

[Rana]

*sends beams of temptation to jo(e)*

There are at least two stores in your town that carry them, according to the Vibram website...

[Davide]

needed here

[ej]

What about toe spread? and intertoe friction?