Never in a million years...

For months now Dave has been going on about these Vibram Five Fingers. He's shown me them and explained to me how they would be beneficial for our performance during our CrossFit workouts. I wasn't buying it... I thought, no way. How could your feet ever be comfortable. Back in the day I tried the toe socks... they were fun for a while, but I never really felt comfort in wearing them. All that material between you toes... I guess it isn't terrible, I'm a huge fan of flip flops, but these are shoes... and there is shoe between your toes! I just couldn't comprehend how that could possibly be comfortable much less provide for a good workout experience. So I was nay-sayer.

Dave asked for these shoes for his birthday which is coming up next week and his parents had been planning to get them for him for a while now, however, they weren't having much luck finding them. Every internet store had them on back order... Again, I was thinking... what the..., but people were talkin' them up all over the place. Dave's dad told him of the trouble they were having and told him to buy them if you see them because they really wanted him to have them for his birthday. So, we went to Midwest Mountaineering who carries them in various styles and I decided to try them on. At first I was skeptical because my "munted" toes weren't getting in position very easily. After I got them on though and started walking around the store I began to understand the praise for them. They actually give you a sweet feeling of freedom and all of the sudden... I really wanted a pair of my own. So we left the store, two new pairs of Five Fingers in hand, talking about how great our workout would be later on. I was super excited and couldn't wait to put them back on.

They are fun right? I think they will take a little to get used to, but they aren't uncomfortable and like I said before... the feeling of freedom they give you is remarkable. Barefoot without getting holes in the bottoms of your feet!

They might be a little bulky for dancing, but look at the flexibility they allow! Who knows? Maybe I give them a little more time to break in and I will be dancing around in them.

So, my shoes are the Sprint fit and here are Dave's the KSO (Keep Stuff Out). We thought that name was clever. The only difference is the mesh covering the upper foot. This picture was taken just before we headed to the recreation center to give them the real test. Today the workout we did was three rounds of 20 incline sit-ups, 20 Kettle-bell swings, 20 push-ups, and 400 meter sprints. It was an interesting experience and I must say that I ran better today than I have in ages. The shoes make you run more toward the front of your foot, never striking heal first. I'm guessing that I'll feel an effect from that differing muscle use tomorrow, but tonight I'm delighted, because after the walk there, the workout, and the walk back home, I'm still really glad that I bought these shoes... even if on a bit of a whim. haha

Vibram Five Fingers, another reminder of the lesson to "never judge a book by it cover"...