After a good workout, I hung my head as I sat in the sauna sweating like a turkey on Thanksgiving Eve. My downcast eyes couldn’t help but notice and follow what was the weirdest shoe I’d ever seen in the gym. They calmly entered the sauna like an alien entering a spaceship.
At first, I thought sweat was blurring my vision. While cleaning the water that was dripping from my tired eyeballs, I realized that I was not seeing things. These toes were webbed in a bright royal blue ribbed rubber-like material.
I instantly remembered a pair of tight five-toed socks I’d seen in stores over the holidays in bright Christmas colors of red, green, and white. I never tried on those kinds of socks as I thought it would take too long to get my fat toes into them. Ideally, when my feet are cold, I like to put my socks on like a firefighter looking for equipment on a four-alarm fire. There is no time to waste time. I want my gloves and socks without complications.
But these weren’t socks. Before me were half socks, half water shoes.
When I looked up, sitting next to me was a woman listening to music on her iPod. She probably didn’t want to be disturbed. But my curiosity got the best of me. Then, I tapped him on the shoulder to ask about his strange shoes. What the hell were they? She laughed and said it was her new running shoes.
Running shoes? Did I hear you right? Did my ears fill up from swimming? Apparently not, as she went on to say that she absolutely loved them because they made her run faster and were healthier for her feet.
Healthier? As someone who specializes in health, my interest peaked now. I asked more questions. Her name was Vena Cook-Clark, she was 27 years old and had been running as a hobby for 6 years.
Originally, the unusual appearance and lightness of the shoes caught his attention. She read that barefoot running was best for her lineup, and it was enough to drive her down the asking price to $ 100.00 to test them out.
When she brought them home, her husband joked that they looked like they had “alien toes,” but now she exclaims that he wants a pair too. I asked if they were difficult to put on. He said it gets easier after the first few times and it’s worth it. She added: “At first it was uncomfortable to run with them, but after about 2 weeks I got used to it and now I want another pair to walk with.”
He bragged about how easy it is to throw them in the washing machine with the rest of his clothes for running or working out. He told me that they were made by a company called Vibram and he told me that he could find them on the Internet by Googling “Vibram Five Fingers.”
When I got home that night, I did just that. Instantly I found what was called a “Barefoot Movement”. Purists prefer the term “minimalist movement” since you are not really barefoot while wearing them. First, I wanted to find out if there really were any health benefits to using them.
It turns out that a 2010 study from India says that children who wore shoes before the age of 6 were more likely to develop flat feet than children who ran barefoot. They also had better developed longitudinal arches. Statistically, 8.2% of children who regularly wore shoes suffered from flat feet compared to 2.8% of barefoot children. The study was published in The Times of India.
I also learned that I am not the first person to discover this study. In 2009, Christopher McDougall wrote a New York Time bestseller titled “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen.” It offered an in-depth look at the Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyon of Mexico. They ran hundreds of miles over rough terrain in bare feet, and ran into their 70s without any signs of injury. The die-hard runners took notice and made the switch.
I was wondering what the doctors would think of them.
Last year, Harvard scientists showed that people who run barefoot or in minimal shoes, as they have for millions of years, often land on their feet in a way that avoids a jarring impact. Fewer bumps equate to less stress and foot injury.
PBS has a video that visually demonstrates what your feet look like when running in a normal shoe vs. how they look when you run barefoot or in minimalist sneakers. It is interesting to note how your feet land on the ground differently. Minimalist shoes make you land on the ball of your foot instead of the heel.
Most doctors claim that they are, in fact, better for the feet and “may” prevent injury. There is that word “can” instead of can, which doctors say when they want to cover themselves. Uncommitted, however, they claim that anyone with plantar fasciitis or any type of foot injury from running can benefit from them.
Doctors offer the following tips if you swap your regular running shoes for minimalist shoes. Start out slow. They recommend that you start using them on trails and grassy surfaces before hitting concrete or pavement.
If you’re interested in getting the benefits of barefoot running, experts say you should prepare your feet before making the switch. You can do it as follows:
1. fanning the toes, holding them for 10 seconds, 10 times a day per foot.
2. Bend your feet for 5 seconds and then release.
3. Trace the letters of the alphabet with your feet in the air every day.
4. Stand on tiptoe and
5. Sidewalk.
The above looks like fancy footwear, but wearers like Vena Cook-Clark are raving about them and won’t be wearing regular running shoes again anytime soon. Clark says, “I look at my old running shoes and I can’t believe I used to carry those heavy things in my gym bag. I love them and I run so much faster now and my feet feel so much better later.”
They were founded by Dan Lieberman and Peter Von Conta. Since then, fitness experts have made the switch and word of mouth about them is spreading fast because footwear makes curious people like me ask about them.
Stephen Meade, founder of BigBamboo, LLC says he has seen a boy wear them to meetings under a suit. He said he can’t help but notice and ask about them. He did and says the guy wearing them is a marathoner and he swears by them. Meade can’t wait to get a pair himself.
Although, Brian Cuban, an avid runner who has run 8 marathons with his best time 3:27 in the Marine Corps. Marathon says he would never use them.
Cuban, who in addition to running marathons, is also a lawyer, writer, blogger and speaker, believes that they will always be a niche for long distance runners. He doesn’t see them catching on in the mainstream.
Cuban said: “I have too many foot and knee problems to be viable. I need to decrease my attack strength, not increase it.”
US Navy Lieutenant Commander Andrew Baldwin, MD, who is also an avid marathon runner, agrees.
Baldwin is not a huge fan of minimalist shoes. He says: “They are correct in theory, but with our overweight society with a bone structure used to lifting heavy weights, it can be dangerous and cause injury.”
Andy Baldwin, MD knows a bit about health and fitness, both professionally and personally. He has been running since he was a child and has completed 35 marathons and 8 iron mans.
Baldwin is a U.S. Navy triathlete, humanitarian, diver, and media personality currently serving as a family medicine resident at Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital in Southern California. He has also served in the Office of Naval Medicine and Surgery in Washington, DC as a spokesperson and advocate for Navy medicine.
While in DC, he helped the US Surgeon General with a program called Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future and currently serves as an advocate for the Let’s Move Campaign, spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama. Both programs focus on childhood overweight and obesity.
On a side note, he was also the star of the hit ABC show, “The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman.”
However, despite the low reviews, sales are on the rise.
Sales of Vibram Five Finger shoes have tripled each year since their launch in 2006. And sales continue to grow. So these air-light rubber sole running shoes may be more than just a fad within the fitness industry.
The biggest consumer complaint to date has been that the seams break after 90 days. Consequently, their warranty is, you guessed it, 90 days. But, the advantage of that is that the manufacturer, Vibram, will quickly replace them at no cost if that happens. So far the customer service has been excellent and has been around since 2006. The second complaint is the blisters. But traditional running shoes can also give you blisters.
Mesh running shoes may seem weird and weird, but they are super comfortable, just like being barefoot, only your feet are completely protected from sharp objects and stones. They also keep your feet warm. If you are renovating your home and have nails in the floor they could be a bonus or if you have young children who leave all kinds of things lying around they could also be a smart substitute for wearing socks around your house.
I also ran into Vena Cook-Clark at the gym again, and she ran up to me in her Vibrams to tell me that she was delighted to announce that she had bought a second pair for hiking, and that her husband was now sporting a pair, loving them.
Skeptics who might not want to wear them for running use them for comfort and grip during weight lifting, yoga, biking, or hiking.
I recently walked through a mall and couldn’t help but see them in every shoe store. They come in a variety of attractive and vibrant colors for both men and women. When you pick them up, it’s exciting to feel how light and flexible they are and there’s a buzz in stores with people talking about them.
Last month, runners wore them in a 5K run at the Oshkosh Half Marathon. And you can’t walk into a sports shoe store without seeing them on the shelves. The best brands are starting to get into the race. Nike and New Balance just introduced “minimalist sneakers” this week.
The top 5 current brands of “minimalist sneakers” that cost approx. $ 100. Are:
1. Vibram
2. Nike
3. New balance
4. Reebok
5. Brooks
As for me, I still want my gloves, socks, and slippers with no fuss. But I’m willing to give them a try, if only for the light weight to carry around. I also think they would be great for walking on the beach in the sand. I love to feel the sand on my toes, but there is always the possibility of stepping on something sharp. I like to walk / run by the ocean and these seem like a nice alternative to bulky traditional shoes. I also like the version without a webbed toe, which weighs even less than the Vibrams. They are easier to slip into a beach bag than traditional running shoes. I recently tried stand up paddle boarding and was able to use them for that too.
The weight of the vibrams is 5.7 ounces. The Mizuno Universe 3 (priced at $ 119.99) weighs 3.6 ounces and has a closed toe like you’d see on a traditional sneaker, so there are no strange toes.
As summer approaches, you might see more and more of these minimalist running shoes, and take it twice like me. If they’re durable and people like them, I think word of mouth will make these minimalist shoes go the distance like a Tarahumara Indian in Mexico’s Copper Canyon.