Monkey See, Monkey Do… Monkey Run In Funny Shoes
20 Apr
Have you ever seen that person at the gym with those ridiculous looking shoes that individually wrap each toe? Some call them “Glove Shoes” and some call them “Just Plain Weird” shoes. You know the ones I’m talking about. Well, I’m officially that person at the gym who has their feet stared at like they are from another planet.
Vibram FiveFingers is the actual name for these (though some other companies have started making similar styles – such as Fila). There’s a lot of back and forth between runners, doctors, monkeys, and mankind about whether or not these types of shoes (for what is called “barefoot running”) are good for you.
I’m a believer of people doing what they feel is right for them. Each of us are different, individual humans with unique levels of strength, endurance, agility, and injuries. Maybe these shoes aren’t right for everyone but I say don’t knock ‘em ‘til you try ‘em!
I had thought about buying these for awhile and was eventually completely sold when I tried them on at REI. The sales associate told me I could wear them for a day, a month, 50 years, through the mud, over the river and through the woods, and if I wasn’t satisfied with them down the road I could return them – no questions asked, full refund. Yes, you read that right… a FULL refund when I’m 80 if I change my mind about them. If only Yogurtland would give me a full refund after scraping my bowl clean, then the world would be in perfect unison.
Here’s the deal with these shoes: You need to break them in and a great way to do that is by running on grass, sand, or a treadmill (which has more give than pavement) gradually increasing from low to high mileage. I think a majority of people would actually really like them, but they take getting used to. And if you’re not careful you could really hurt yourself or just be sore as hell the next day and hate them from the get go. But, if someone gradually learns to love the weirdness of them, these shoes could potentially fix common running injuries (or so the barefoot experts say).
My review as of this moment: They make me feel like a kid again. They are lightweight and don’t weigh me down when I run, it’s rather freeing. Running in them reminds me of running barefoot through the front yard while growing up… carefree, excited, and probably soaking wet from sprinklers. My workout is a little harder I will say, only because I’m technically training some new muscles. But who said a little pain wasn’t worth the fun?
Click below for:
Finding a store that sells them
Finding an REI in your area so you can buy them without the stress of “What if I hate them?!”


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