New Shoes Update

I have become a bit of a running shoe junkie. Or, I have a bit of a running shoe fetish as one friend put it. Either way, I like my shoes. I ordered a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and started running in them last week. The first two runs were on a treadmill, but I was thoroughly impressed with them from the start. I couldn’t help myself, and I ordered a second pair (different style). These two, along with my Adidas Attunes are going to bear the bulk of my running for this year.

Here’s the plan (in theory at least): VFF Bikilas will bear the brunt of my short mileage runs (2 - 4 miles), the VFF TrekSports will carry me through intermediate runs (5 - 8 miles), and the Adidas will get me through the longer runs (8+). I should be able to get at least 400 miles in each of the VFF’s and at least 350 from the Adidas, which, in theory, should get me well beyond my 2011 goal of 900 miles. Let’s see how this experiment ends in December.

As far as the VFF’s are concerned, they have so far gotten me through 13 miles over 4 runs. Three of those runs were in the TrekSports and the other, obviously, was in the Bikilas. It’s weird getting your feet into them at first, but after a couple days that weirdness was gone. Having stuff between the toes was my biggest concern, but that concern has all but waned. I have toe socks for them, but I have only worn them with the Bikilas since they seem to have a bit less cushion.

What have these new shoes done for me? Well, since changing my running form and gait I have noticed a dramatic decrease in my times. Last year my best 10k pace was around an 8:54/mile, and that was at the peak of my training. I haven’t gotten too many runs in this year, but my times are almost the same as that 10k PR. Example: yesterday’s run was about 4 miles and my average pace was 8:17/mile, and the first mile (usually my worst) was a 7:55! The shoes have caused me to take shorter, faster strides using less energy. In short, I have become a more efficient runner. Can I attribute this entirely to the shoes? No. I have been working on my forefoot form since last fall, and the strides since this beginning of the year. However, with the Vibrams one pretty much has to run mid to forefoot, so the shoes have help encourage a better, more natural running style.

Happy? Why, yes I am! Using less energy to run faster is a great thing, and something I hope will push me to best that 10k PR this year as well as getting that sub 2 hour half marathon time.

New Shoes - New Style

So, after drooling over the Vibram Five Fingers for well over a year I finally broke down - curiosity got the best of me. But even after deciding to actually buy a pair I still had the decision to make as to which pair I would actually go for. Based on what I plan to use them for (i.e. runs 7 miles and under, trails, and daily walking) I opted for the TrekSport.

They came via UPS yesterday just before I had to leave for work, and I put them on.

I'm on my feet pretty much all day at work, so I thought it would be a good test ground to see how my feet felt, how the shoes reacted to different surfaces, and how it would affect my gait. I believe I had them on for at least 4.5 hours and covered outside terrain (to include snow and ice), concrete, tile floors, and carpet. After only a few minutes the shoes felt like a natural extension of my own feet. When I did put my regular shoes on it felt weird to have all the extra cushion, and I couldn't wait to put the VFF's back on.

Today I plan on getting some run time in them. It's currently 15 degrees with a wind chill of around 10, so that takes the outdoors run out of the question. Fortunately for me my parents don't live too far away and they have a treadmill in their basement - premium conditions for something new like this. While I have no preconceived notions about how this will go, I do understand that I need to take this slowly; that is to say, I won't be doing 5 - 7 miles in these from the start. I will probably only get in about 1.5 - 2 miles in today, and gradually build in the distance arena. Changing foot strike, gait, and lack of padding in the shoe will cause all kinds of things to happen, and I don't need any injuries along the way. That said, slow and steady is the course I have chosen.