Don't judge a shoe by its covering
Running with no shoes on, the theory goes, makes for faster reflexes, a stronger body, and a healthier mind. Fans of the style claim that even the lightest-weight shoes are unnatural and actually weaken your feet over the long term, causing more injuries than they prevent because they alter our natural biomechanics. All that support in the heel? It just encourages a disproportionately heavy heel strike. A thick outsole? It mutes our proprioception—our subconscious sense of spatial orientation.
Proprioception aside, when you compare the range of your foot’s motion with shoes on and then without, it’s hard to argue the point. With its new Bikila design, Vibram aims to combine the comfort and freedom of barefoot running with a modicum of protection against environmental dangers.
Vibram’s new running shoes are named in honor of Abebe Bikila, an Ethiopian runner who won the 1960 Summer Olympics marathon in Rome while running barefoot.
The Bikila FiveFingers consist of a soft, cloth 3mm polyurethane insole for comfort, and a 4mm rubber outsole strategically placed to mimic and enhance the pads on your foot. The FiveFingers’ signature technology takes the form of five toe sockets, each protected by thick rubber toe caps. The shoe’s upper, which pretty much just holds everything together, is made of spandexy stretch polyamide and has reflective color.
It’s not a lot of shoe, and that’s pretty much the point. A pair of Bikilas weigh 12.0 ounces (three quarters of a pound), which is 40 to 60 percent less than even the lightest running shoes. All this is well and good, but could the bootees handle the pounding of the road and my 215 pounds? I spent about a month finding out. I went into my test a skeptic, and came away a believer.
It’s no understatement to say that running in the Bikilas is a very different experience. The first thing I noticed was how light and responsive the shoes felt. In contrast to a conventional pair of running shoes, the shoes felt like an extension of each foot versus an addition. It really does feel like you’re running barefoot.
Also surprising was how my biomechanics shifted almost immediately in response to the shoes’ design. All of a sudden, my running stride was shorter, and my heel strike was lighter. The only real downside of being able to feel the road is that when I ran over big chunks of gravel—ubiquitous on San Francisco streets—I felt it. Runners in grittier environs might be better served with one of Vibram’s beefier models such as the KSO Trek.
Vibram recommends that if you’re new to running barefoot, you should gradually acclimate to the shoes. I typically run three to five miles about three or four days a week. So, to acclimate, for the first week I cut my distance in half. After my first few runs, I noticed a few things. First, my lower calves were sore, a sign that I was exercising a slightly different muscle group. Second, my feet were a little bit tender. It wasn’t debilitating and didn’t last more than 12 hours, though. I expected much worse.
Two weeks in, I was back to my normal routine, and absolutely hooked. I’ve never spent any serious amounts of time running barefoot, so I was surprised at how enjoyable it is. After a month, I was convinced that the light weight and increased tactile feedback was actually boosting my stamina. But maybe that’s just because I enjoyed running in the shoes so much.
