When I first saw someone wearing VFFs, I laughed. They look just too different to not garner an extra long stare and curiosity. It wasn't too much later that I started reading articles on barefoot running, and reading excited emails about them.
One of their benefits is that they're supposed to minimize injury since it provides no cushioning, forcing your feet to run more naturally. Instead of landing on the heel as I'm prone to do, it encourages you to land on the balls of your feet, which is your feet's natural shock absorber. Having overcome a six month long groin injury that was due to running within the past year, this resonated with me. I decided to give it a try.
So, I went out and bought a pair of VFF Sprints at a local sports retailer. I remember walking out of the store wearing them, after landing on my heel when stepping off of the curb, the resulting shock reverberated through my body: I would never do that again! My feet remembered that lesson.
My friend advised to take it easy since this would be a major change in running style. He told me of a friend that bought a pair and went out for a 5 mile run the first time, and was incapacitated for more than a week. No problem, I thought. I'll just start with an easy 3 mile run. That can't be overdoing it. Boy, was I wrong. My calves were so sore I could barely walk for the next week. I'm sure this is because I tend to be a heel striker, and my calves need to do a little more work than their used to to keep my heel from hitting the ground.
I gradually got back on track with running, first in my normal running shoes, more and more in the VFFs. My calves would still get sore, but the strength gain was notable too. Eventually, as I picked up more miles, it would be the bottom of the feet getting acclimated to taking an unpadded pounding that would eclipse and supersede the calf pain.
Since December, almost all of my miles are run in VFFs. It's always fun going out for a run more and listening to the comments or questions from a pedestrian, runner, or biker. After sticking with the VFFs, it definitely feels like a superior alternative to the classic running shoes.
I regularly run 15 miles a day in them now. Am I ready to run 26.2 miles in them? Time will tell.
