Put on a pair of Vibram FiveFingers barefoot running shoes and be prepared for funny looks. Still, this is the least of your worries and the somewhat unusual iterations of the running shoe come with an emphatic warning: start slowly.
Conventional wedge-soled running shoes make us run on our heels, with the thick soles absorbing the impact of your body weight on the road, and toes are encapsulated in a closed shoe, effectively disconnecting the body and mind from the terrain beneath.
Barefoot shoes shift your weight forward, making you run on your toes in a natural, ancestral running style. This allows the toe, ankle and knee joints to absorb the shock of your weight on the road much better than the straight-legged heel striking of conventional jogging. However, our muscles aren’t initially prepared for the change in gait barefoot running shoes foster. So before attempting to run a full training routine in them, you have to develop ‘new’ muscles.
Though it may seem like a pain, you have a lot to gain. These retrospectively obvious reinventions of running shoes are a revelation: competitive athletes have improved race times and many injury-prone joggers report suffering less once they’ve made the transition. Personally, I can run and walk for much longer before my old rugby knee starts to throb, so sod the funny looks.
Cost R1 599 for these Spyridons from Sportsmans Warehouse or www.theoriginalminimalistshoes.co.za
