Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Vibram Five Fingers versus High Arches: Round 2!

I've been out for a while due to tension headaches, which I blame on a combination of job hunting stress and pushing myself too hard doing squats. After taking some time to relax, I'm back and ready to touch on my experience with Vibram Five Fingers again.

When I first got my Vibrams, they seemed like they were going to be the solution to all of my foot problems. They were comfortable, they didn't make my arches ache, and they were less expensive than standard running shoes.

After running and walking on them for a couple of months, I still really like them. I agree with all of the hype that they're a more natural, healthier way of running. However, the honeymoon is over, and I have had a few disappointments to share.

First of all, they weren't the magical cure-all for my foot problems. This probably is more my fault for getting overexcited than the fault of the manufacturer, but it was still something of a let down. They worked great for the first month and a half, but now I feel like I've pounded through all of the support.

Running leaves my feet feeling bruised on the bottoms. It's better than the deep, long term ache I would get from running shoes, but it still leaves me with my old problem: My feet obliterate shoes in 2-3 months, and I just can't afford to buy new pairs of $85+ shoes 4-5 times a year.

This is a problem that is pretty unique to my foot problems, though. If you don't have trouble breaking in shoes normally, Vibrams will probably have a healthy lifespan for you.

My other major beef - and this one is more universal - is the smell. I'd heard whispers of the Vibram Five Fingers smell and how the shoes take on an odor if you run in the rain or otherwise get them wet. Given that Texas is in a record-long drought, I didn't think this would be an issue for me.

A few weeks ago, we miraculously got some rain, so I managed to get them wet during a run. The infamous smell moved right in. I found that washing them with baking soda and letting them air dry curbed the smell, but my feet still stink after wearing them. I feel like I have to rush to the bathroom to scrub off every time I take them off to make sure my wife isn't choking on my stinky feet.

That said, I know there are a lot of resources online for tackling this particular problem. I haven't delved into them fully yet, but I'll report back once I have.

To sum up, here's my current take on Vibram Five Fingers:

They're great shoes. I would recommend them to anyone - whether they're runners or not - especially if they have a history of foot problems. They still break in much faster than I would like, but I blame that more on my anatomy than on them. Also,


Don't get them wet.