Trainers and stories involving trainers - remember to do pics

[charlesr]

Just ordered a pair of Vivobarefoot One in their flashsale.



I found the Xero sandals moved around too much due to being too floppy in my large size, so I'm thinking that a normal shoe will keep it in place relative to my feet and not rub. 3mm sole without insole, 6mm with insole. Hardcore.

[dvdx2]

I picked up a pair of nearly new nike air max BWs for ?15...doesnt mean much to me though, i'm more of of a clarks man.....

[charlesr]

Seems like a major bargain.

[usman]

Any flat-footed persons have experience with Vibram Five Fingers barefoot shoes?

Am trying to figure out the best model of such shoe with very basic arch support as mine arches are utterly collapsed

[charlesr]

I'm not flat footed, but here are my thoughts. And this post is just a warning. You should absolutely buy some!

The whole point of 5fingers (and the vivobarefoots I just bought) is that they don't have any support. This forces your foot to start doing some work and will strengthen the arch. Imagine an arch bridge - if you "support" it with something underneath, it will collapse around the support - it works by being strong in compression. By constantly using arch supports, we have weakened our feet over the years.

However, this should be something you move to very slowly. After years of supports, suddenly doing miles without them will lead to injury. You can start right now by walking barefoot around the house - do not wear shoes at home.

I have a pair of 5finger treksport sandals which are trail shoes. Love them. Having transitioned properly, I can run in them all day.

The next thing is that if you want to run in 5fingers you need to learn to run on the forefoot (if you don't already) - again, changing to this too quickly can cause injury (calf and possibly plantar). I'd say it took my over a year. Anyone that says it took them a month to get up to their normal mileage is fooling themselves - they will no doubt injure themselves 6 months down the line.

Finally, if you normally wear trainers with a heel drop (i.e. MOST trainers) there is a danger to the achilles which will have shortened over the years. This is probably the most dangerous area - 5fingers have no heel drop and suddenly doing lots of running in them will put large stress on the achilles.

So, warnings out of the way, I can't recommend them enough - love zero drop and love super low profile shoes like vibrams and vivos. If you transition slowly, you'll be fine. If you injure yourself (like I did) and have the patience to recover properly (e.g. no running for a month), you'll be fine. The extra strength you'll build in your foot is invaluable and you may even find your arch stops being so flat. You will reduce the impact on your knees and get stronger calves. All goodness.

To get you on your way, learn this drill: http://100up.info/the-100-up-running-technique-2 - just to be clear when running like this, you land on the forefoot slightly before the heel, at which point the arch engages - I've seen people who have totally misunderstood the concept and run whole marathons without putting their heels down

[usman]

Charles thank you, that is a wealth of information in one place and much of it I'd not even known about from elsewhere (ie. especially the foor re-training period). Greatly appreciated

I've never worn shoes in the house and most of the places I spend significant time indoors (ie work, mosque) it's just stockinged feet.
Also, ever since I took to walking long distances (relatively speaking) since 2010, I have always worn flat sandals with no arch support at all and when in parks and such, gone barefoot about 50% of the time.

For someone like myself would you reckon I should still be cautious and give my feet about a year to be readjusted...or would my feet be better adjusted to barefoot shoes already than most?

Barefoot shoes have a great deal of appeal for me as I have never liked the suffocating feeling of 'full-on' trainers and have always loved to 'feel my toes' and have my feet do the work of walking, which trainers do not much allow (if that makes sense)

[charlesr]

Sounds like you have a massive head start - lucky guy!

What are you intending to use the 5fingers for by the way? If walking, then they'll be just like your sandals but "less".
If running, just do those drills I linked to and then try running a short distance 200-400m like it. If it feels ok then the next day try 1k. If you feel any tenderness in your calves, take a day off till it feels ok. Add bits daily.

[charlesr]

Oh and the best place to buy them from is www.feetus.co.uk
Lee is very knowledgeable and if you contact him and tell him what you will be using them for, he will point you towards the best one in the range for you (the range is a bit bewildering at first - you need to understand that it's mainly divided by the type of vibram sole). Mention me if you contact him. They also sell 5finger socks! Again, ask him which ones you need for the shoe you buy.

[BaronSqwelch]

http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/nov/02/adidas-hidden-hoard-in-argentina-ian-brown

Nice little piece about old "lost" adidas..

[charlesr]

wicked cool

[Finsbury Girl]

Any flat-footed persons have experience with Vibram Five Fingers barefoot shoes?

Am trying to figure out the best model of such shoe with very basic arch support as mine arches are utterly collapsed

I got a pair a few weeks ago, I love them, though have only done a maximum run of 5kms in one hit on the treadmill (but been running every other day). I use them in the gym for weights, on the stationary bike, walking etc. They are supremely comfy for me.

[charlesr]

For people using 5fingers, may I suggest getting some UV sterilisers? http://www.dx.com/p/uvcon-uvcon-f01-...1#.VIabNVUle28 especially if you are using them without socks.

[k0pp0]

Nowt to do with trainers, however I've recently shelled out on a pair of timberland ankle boots (men's boots in case you ask). I had to leg it from my house down to the pre-school because I was late and they felt LOVELY to run in..

You just think about that.

[charlesr]

Refuse to think about it due to being in wrong thread.

[k0pp0]

So.. recommendations please folks for a newbie jogger. Need something not too expensive, but relatively good for roads and occasional petting it through a field.. ideas please!