What type of person is attracted to barefoot running/vibram five fingers?

I'm a 5'3 chick with an abdomen far from anything gut related who wears VFF only.

The only package you'd be allowed to carry is my groceries.

I saw a hot, fit looking girl running in them on a college campus. I saw an even hotter girl and even more fit looking not wearing them on the trails in Forest Park.

The next time I see someone wearing them, Im going to throw in a surge and pass them.

Ok - So I have been batteling PF for roughly two years. I ice, massage, roll golf ball on it every day. It is now in my daily routine. I walk around everyday with the inserts from heelthepain.com. It is to the point where I can run everyday, but there is still a slight pain every morning and evening. I can't seem to get 100% cured. I run in Mizuno Wave Rider for my long runs and racing flats for my track workouts. I run around 40 - 50 miles a week with my long run no more than 12 miles.

I am desperate and willing to try the minimal approach, I will even try the 5 fingers, heck even barefoot running if it will help. For those of you actually using this approach - How would you recomend I proceed? Slowly changing shoes and working toward five fingers and/or barefoot? or just jump right into a pair of five fingers right away?

Fact Finder wrote:

????I read the entire post..I look stupid by guessing how this fad will proceed????? Please explain

Virtually every one of your "guesses" was previously mentioned by other posters in the thread. Your post makes it sound like you did not read the thread.

UsedToBeKnowItAII wrote:

I've seen one guy in Vibram's

"Vibrams"

Fact Finder wrote:

I just wrote this on the other post about barefoot running:

After reading both the current posts on this subject, I would bet that this is a fad that will catch on - then go the extreme - we will start to hear how some folks got injured, some folks felt improvement - We will then feel that barefoot running (or running in five fingers) in moderation is a component to healthy running, but not the 'end all'.

Why do people like you deep referring to this as a "fad?" Barefoot running has been around forever! Do some research before you make ignorant posts, dumbass.

smell the coffee wrote:

Fact Finder wrote:

I just wrote this on the other post about barefoot running:

After reading both the current posts on this subject, I would bet that this is a fad that will catch on - then go the extreme - we will start to hear how some folks got injured, some folks felt improvement - We will then feel that barefoot running (or running in five fingers) in moderation is a component to healthy running, but not the 'end all'.

smell the coffee wrote:

[quote]Fact Finder wrote:

???? I read the entire post..I look stupid by guessing how this fad will proceed????? Please explain

Virtually every one of your "guesses" was previously mentioned by other posters in the thread. Your post makes it sound like you did not read the thread.

I just re-read the entire post - some folks mentioned how minimalist running has improved their running, and TMoney did imply that minimalist running in moderation is a component to healthy running - but beyond that no one has stated how they have been hurt by minimalist running, no one has stated people will take this to the extreme, and no one has come out and declared one way or the other if this will be the 'end all' to healthy running.

Hello McFly wrote:

Fact Finder wrote:

I just wrote this on the other post about barefoot running:

After reading both the current posts on this subject, I would bet that this is a fad that will catch on - then go the extreme - we will start to hear how some folks got injured, some folks felt improvement - We will then feel that barefoot running (or running in five fingers) in moderation is a component to healthy running, but not the 'end all'.

Why do people like you deep referring to this as a "fad?" Barefoot running has been around forever! Do some research before you make ignorant posts, dumbass.

Agreed - Barefoot running has been around forever. I do not know how long the five fingers shoes have been around, (not forever). It just seems like in the last year or so I have seen a dramatic increase in barefoot running and five fingers running. The definition of fad is "an interest followed with exaggerated zeal" The hula hoop was invented in the 1800's, and is still around today, but became a "fad" in the late 1950's. It seems like their is an increased interest in barefoot running and five fingers running at this time.

If you are so anal you do not want to call it a fad, and get mad at anyone who does - I don't mind, time will tell. Barefoot running has always been around and will always be around. If we see the number of runners who run barefoot continue to climb, and stay consistent, then it is not a fad. If after time, the numbers drop, we may look back at this time period and call it the barefoot fad.

Fact Finder wrote:

...barefoot running (or running in five fingers) in moderation is a component to healthy running, but not the 'end all'.

Fact Finder wrote:

...and no one has come out and declared one way or the other if this will be the 'end all' to healthy running.

So no one mentioned it was the 'end all' and then you say it's 'not the end all.' That sounds pretty much like you putting words to what everyone else already didn't say. I agree with the other chap that you are a dumbass who just did not read the thread before posting. Do your homework.

By your definition, shod running is a fad. First everyone ran barefoot, then a few people ran wearing shoes, then it grew to lots of people running shod, and now there are beginning to be fewer people running while wearing footwear. Barefoot running, on the other hand, would not be a fad.

Hello McFly wrote:

Why do people like you deep referring to this as a "fad?" Barefoot running has been around forever! Do some research before you make ignorant posts, dumbass.

It has been around, but not with the Joe Blow population like it is right now. Just the other day my neighbor had a pair on and was asking if we'd tried them because he knew we "ran all the time." Nothing wrong with it being a fad in my opinion. At least that's a few less people asking me where my shoes are..how I can run in flats without breaking my knees..blah blah...

Vibram = big footwear corporation. Just saying. They get the same margin the running shoes do. So don't pretend your being anti establishment by PAYING to run barefoot.

When did "everyone run barefoot?" Then a few people ran wearing shoes? I think if people have been consistently running in shoes for the last 80-100 years, it might not be a fad. Running barefoot on concrete, however, probably is.

[quote]Hello McFly wrote:

you putting words to what everyone else already didn't say. quote]

wow...just..wow

I love this discussion board but sometimes when a good subject gets started it deterates into a bunch of squabling kids!

Smell the Coffee and Hello mcFly - You are both dumbasses.

Fact Finder - You are a dumbass for being pulled into their argument.

TxRunnergirl - you sound like you have had experience with this minimul running (I won't call it a fad so we can stay on topic) do you have any advise form my questions above?

Anyone else have any advise?

Weirdos who want lighter steps and fewer injuries.

Present!

The same type of person that just bought one of the new $3,000 MacBook Pros! Typically, the person is a bit nerdy...and def a bit sloppy. i see a couple of them running a day and they all share one similarity... they have decent size beer guts.

FF wrote:

[quote]FF wrote:

Ok - So I have been batteling PF for roughly two years. I ice, massage, roll golf ball on it every day. It is now in my daily routine. I walk around everyday with the inserts from heelthepain.com. It is to the point where I can run everyday, but there is still a slight pain every morning and evening. I can't seem to get 100% cured. I run in Mizuno Wave Rider for my long runs and racing flats for my track workouts. I run around 40 - 50 miles a week with my long run no more than 12 miles.

TxRunnergirl - you sound like you have had experience with this minimul running (I won't call it a fad so we can stay on topic) do you have any advise form my questions above?

Before I started, I also ran in the Mizuno Wave Rider and raced/track workouts in flats. The Rider is low-profile for neutral, so the transition won't be too difficult for you, hopefully. I also grew up liking to be barefoot or wearing flip-flops as a kid, so I think I've always had fairly strong feet.

It can take a while to switch. Like I said, I've done it for 3 years and I'm just now to the point that I'm wearing the aqua socks (pretty similar to Vibrams), and I'm STILL getting used to them.

Just try less shoe each time. I went from the Riders to the Mizuno Wave Idaten. Then just went from there with less heel and more flexibility each time. I wrote a blog post last year on some of the shoes I have worn:

Since then, I have also worn the Nike Mayfly (LOVED these), Asics Hyperspeed 3 (eventually caused some heel pain due to lack of flexibility), Adidas AdiZero Rocket (good for racing and fast workouts, but a little stiff) Nike Free 3.0 (LOVED the FIRST version of these..newer version too narrow). Then I made the mistake of running in the Nike LunaRacer 2. These were way too much shoe than I had been running in. Stiff and bulky, which is odd to say about a racing flat. They gave me PF and runner's knee, two problems I never had before. So I went back to my old pair of Free 3.0's and now the aqua socks and no longer have pain other than some muscle soreness from the aqua socks, but that is subsiding as I'm getting used to them.

You just have to experiment and be patient. If you're injured and desperate like I was, you have nothing to lose. Eventually you will get a feel for what works. Good luck.

I ran exclusively in trainers (mostly the Brooks Adrenaline) for about three years starting at the end of high school, and was always plagued by injuries. It wasn't entirely because of the shoes; I poured on the mileage too quickly from the very beginning after many years of being sedentary.

Before Five Fingers existed and before I knew anything of barefoot running as a fad (a friend in high school tried Nike Frees and didn't like them), I decided to walk the 1/2 mile home from the pool barefoot because I didn't feel like getting my shoes out of my bag, and my lower legs were very sore the next day. I decided that shoes act much like a corset in that they eliminate the need for certain muscle groups to do their jobs, and atrophy occurs, or strengthening does not happen naturally to begin with. This was about four years ago.

I started walking around barefoot sometimes, and then more, and then I tried running barefoot for 1/2 mile, then up to 2 miles. My calves were very sore every time for the first year or so, but injuries and pain were much less frequent Then I got some flat sandals made of rope and started running up to 4 miles in them, still with sore calves.

Now I run mostly in flats or cross country spikes and still sometimes with the rope sandals, and occasionally in the Adrenalines. I haven't been forced to take time off because of injury in over two years now. I feel much more athletic and confident on my legs when I play sports, and I am sure this is because of the increased strength in my lower legs. I run less, and run faster, and am much faster over shorter distances, and I have PRed in the 5k every time I have raced (not very often) in the past few years. Down to 16:30 now. I am ready to PR again, and I enjoy the runs in the trainers less every time.

I will be getting Five Fingers soon.