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Footwear is not a revolutionary concept.  According to my “in-depth” 2 minutes of internet research, the oldest shoes on record are believed to have been made around 8000 to 7000 BC.   I’d wager a guess that even prehistoric manrealized the benefits of protected feet when running wildlyfrom the spreading out-of-control fire that he had just recently discovered how to create.Shoe technology continued to evolve: materials, laces, color, design, sole construction, weight, foot type, performance andas man we figured out the walkin’ thing we needed shoe stores to keep up with the changes.  Every once in a while though… something revolutionary occurs.  When it seemed that the innovation of the shoe could go no further, someone stood up in a room full of executives, and finally asked themselves, “Why don’t we blow people’s minds by creating a shoe that looks and performs like a real human foot?”   Soon after everyone in the room stopped high-fiving each other and celebrating, the concept for the Vibram Five Fingers™ was born.  (Disclaimer: The preceding scenario is only hypothetical and possibly exaggerated.)

                I was first introduced to VibramFive Fingers through a friend who had been training with them for several summer marathons just a little over a year ago.  Unbeknownst to myself, barefoot training (or “minimalist running”) had been a growing trend over the past several years.The minimalism mindset, as I understand it, is a desire to return to a more natural form of movement, technique, and body mechanics.  At the heart of this desire is the belief by many that your whole body actually demands a natural running form, not just your feet.  To do otherwise might be doing our bodies harm over time.   However, the idea of running like a cave-man in our now urban jungle is understandably disturbing to some. Pavement, concrete, rocks, glass shards, rusty metal, and the potential ridicule from friends and family are all easily recognized threats.   Thus the concept of the minimalist running shoe was formed. 

I run occasionally, and opt to spend more time cross-training or in the gym.  Recently, I ran into another friend wearing their Vibrams while weight-lifting.  He spoke so highly of how comfortable the shoes were and that they had helped him with his knees and back problems.  My curiosity grew. Like my friend, I too had been suffering from what we had both decided had to be “old-fragile-man-syndrome.” This was ludicrous to me, being only 25.  I did my usual 2 minutes of research on how I too might be able to benefit by joining the foot-revolution and promptly went to the nearest store.  I had no idea there were multiple models of the shoes, and I tried each and every one of them on.  The very first pair I tried were the Vibram Classics, and it was that pair I walked out of the store with.  The things were so comfortable I didn’t want to take them off.  Never before had my feet felt so right in a shoe.

It has been an interesting social experiment trying to wear themin casual/work settings.  I expected reactions, but not of the magnitude that I received.  Suffice to say, anyone and everyone (even strangers on the street) will have an opinion on them.  Some are intrigued, while others are skeptical [read “haters”]. Regardless of the social implications, I look forward to getting back to my intense training with these.  I’ve been slow easing in to the new sensation of training with my toes (almost) completely separated and will be interested to see if the health and performance claims hold true with myself.  Until then, I’ll be wearing these classics in comfort waiting and wishing for the day Vibram introduces their “Golf and Work-Professional” line of footwear.

Anyway, if you are interested in purchasing a pair you cannot get them from most of the larger shoe selling web sites.  I would reccomend ShoeStores.com.