Before you think I’ve completely lost the plot, let me explain:
On the recommendation of a trusted (i.e. much fitter) friend, I decided to take her advice and invest in a pair of fancy new training footware called
“FiveFingers” or as my American friend affectionately refers to hers:
“Planet of the Ape Footware”Admittedly, they are fairly hilarious to look at and so far, fairly laborious to put on; separating out your toes to go into the individual pockets is harder than it looks. But once they’re on the FiveFingers fit like a glove and are SO snuggly. I literally never want to take them off EVER! Additionally they are backed up by one heck of a serious scientific philosophy; namely Barefoot Running.
Extract from The Times March 2, 2010: Barefoot running: the best trainers money can’t buy: There is a growing trend for barefoot running. Now it has been suggested that runners get fewer injuries without shoes. The rationale for running barefoot is this: modern running shoes damage your body. They warp your stride. You land on your heel with a straight leg, sending shockwaves through your joints. Ditch the shoes and it’s too painful to land on your heels. Instead you land on the ball or mid-part of your foot with your leg slightly bent, absorbing the strain. Your foot rolls naturally and only slightly from the outside in, you take shorter steps, your stride is lighter, your posture more aligned. Think of how you’d walk over shingle to retrieve your shoes, says John Woodward (barefoot runner of 25 years!!!). “You start to be careful"........“It all starts with the feet,” explains Gerard Hartmann, a physical therapist in Ireland who works with Paula Radcliffe. He claimed years ago that deconditioned foot muscles, caused by restrictive shoes, were the biggest factor in injuries. He compares running shoes with a plaster-cast that causes feet to atrophy. “The bulkier and more supportive the shoe the greater the sensory deprivation.” Hartmann has worked with more than 100 world-class African athletes. “Most never wore shoes until their late teens,” he says. “They have few foot defects.” Research by evolutionary biologists at Harvard University appears to bear this out. Dr Daniel Lieberman, who published his findings this year in Nature, says that striking the ground heel first is “like someone hitting your heel with a hammer with up to three times your body weight”. He adds one note of caution: if you switch to barefoot, do it slowly and carefully (if you are diabetic, you should also seek medical advice before attempting it). Skilful barefoot runners lift the toes and drop the ball of the foot in a natural arch to strike the ground with their leg underneath them rather than striding out in front. “Think of it as stroking the ground before you lift your foot off again,” Woodward says. Your stride falls shorter and faster and you look as if you’re prancing on tiptoes. (Here endth the sermon - Well I'm convinced!)
Barefoot running and
“the design of the anatomical pod outsole design of Vibram FiveFingers is designed to distribute forefoot impact without compromising important ground feedback, encouraging a more natural, healthier and efficient forefoot strike.” My cynical interpretation of this is I’m gonna feel every lump and bump and it’s going to hurt as the streets of London are not paved with soft, golden sand!
So far I’ve only been wearing my new shoes on flat smooth indoor surfaces and so far they’re great. As I sit here typing, I'm flexing my toes in these beauties. NICE feeling! But I’m just about to venture outside to see what they’re like to walk in on the sandless streets of London so I’ll soon know how (un)comfortable they are! However I have to admit that I'm already in love with them – well they are
PINK!!My FiveFinger Babies: *Heartsies* (as my fit American friend would say)
Crazy socks - protection against the l'eau du plastic
My FiveFingers in the flesh
The main reason I bought them was actually for the upcoming Commando Challenge and the practise assault course run next weekend (as I didn't want to wreck my recently still newish, fitted trainers). Actually I was intending to buy a pair of FiveFinger Flows as they are specifically designed for watersports and since they're made from neoprene, they would be just the thing for running/crawling through mud and water without getting weighed down by sodden trainers.
The Commando themed footware I was MEANT to buy!
However as they aren’t the prettiest, and as the Saleslady had already checked with HQ that the much more desired Bikilas would stand up to the Commando Test (
WOW – talk about amazing customer service!). Since HQ assured her they would withstand "armyification" AND come out of the wash just as pretty as they are now, well really, how could I NOT buy a pair!?
The pair I’m really
REALLY after now to add to my FiveFingers collection are these:
I’m literally seeing stars, I’m that much in love.
Did I mention, I REALLY WANT A PAIR OF THESE!!
AMAZING SALESLADY has already enquired direct with FiveFingers HQ about whether these are available to buy as she doesn’t stock them. Unfortunately these babies were made up solely for the Italian HQ as a fashion pair, but AMAZING SALESLADY is going to see if she can hook me up PRONTO. (Though hopefully not too pronto, as I need the next payday to swing around before I can afford them – FiveFingers are about £120 a pop – ouchy!)
Nonetheless I’m keeping all FIVE FINGERS crossed that a pair of these glittery beauties will be cosseting my feet and toes very, very soon. x
