From everyone I have talked to and taking into account the majority of what I have read, the Vitram five fingers toe shoes have two types of people: the lovers and the haters. I was recently thinking about Vibrams after my mom sent me an article on how they are making special socks for these types of shoes. That is great. Wonderful. I could care less.
If you believe in and love your Vibrams - good for you. However, they are not for me. Granted, I only wear Saucony shoes (and 99.9% always will), so the brand alone was not something that I wanted to try. When I walk into my local running shoe store I just tell the guys what I want and leave. I don't even try my shoes on because I get the same thing every single time. If it is not broken, don't fix it...right? But, today after watching da Bears lose to the Packers I was talking to someone about the shoes. He had a pair and I wanted to try them on. Just because I'm curious about all the hype/hate/love for them. He brought them out and I struggled to get my feet in the shoes.
My feet are unique. I have incredibly high arches, so high that you can see through my feet. My toes are special as well. Not only are they super tender and sensitive, they are also ugly. But..who really has pretty toes? As I struggled to get my right foot in the shoe, I knew it was a problem. I could not figure out how to separate my toes to fit into the toe spaces in the shoes. I finally got a few in but it felt so awkward. How running like that could actually be comfortable is beyond me. I need my cushioning, toe room, support, and Saucony logo on my shoes. In addition, I don't know how well they would work, given the fact that I run fairly high mileage. Vibrams, no thanks.
Does anyone actually use these shoes? Do you really find them comfortable? Or, are you like me, and think they are really ugly?
My life as a runner, perfectionist, athlete, 20-something, and type 1 diabetic.
I love my VFF's! I have 'weak knees' and can't bear the pain from running in normal sneakers. Running with my vibrams, I don't have any strain on them and I don't feel pain. I also use mine for daily walking around, doing errands, etc. I do get made fun of by passersby, but they make my body feel so much better, so I don't care.
ReplyDeleteSorry that you had a less than positive experience with them! When I tried them on the first time, it was very difficult. I had the determination that I wanted to make them work, so I kept trying.
Maybe someday you'll give them another chance :)