Vibram 5 Fingers

I've been struggling since last summer (Tahoe) with ankle and achilles issues. Nothing seems to work... rest, stretching, run through it, strength training, you name it... Then last week I was reading about minimalist footwear and I came across a great article that got me excited about barefoot or minimalist running. The truth is, despite my job in the high-tech world of computer design, I actually try to keep my life simple and minimalistic. So why not make my running, and footwear, consistent? Plus, it can help strengthen the muscles and stretch the ligaments around my foot, including my achilles.

So last week I bought a pair of Vibram 5 Fingers KSO's. I've worn them around the house and yard all week, and ran a 1 and 1.5 mile run around my neighborhood. What I've found is that my feet are incredibly weak, which is hard to believe since I thought I was some tough ultra-runner! But my lifetime of wearing shoes, especially the extra supportive ones I've worn the past few years while trail running, has protected the bottoms of my feet but resulted in countless overuse injuries and ankle twists.

Anyways, it's too new to say how this is going to work out, but so far I really love these things. It makes me feel like a kid running through the woods! I plan to continue to ramp up, although very slowly, with a goal of eventually doing most of my running in these 'shoes.'