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.