This is a Guest post by Heidi, she has a great blog check it out here..Vibram Five Fingers:
Last October Kenny bought me Vibram Five Fingers for my birthday. We started out slow with them, a 5 minute run the first evening, a longer run (like 15 minutes) and then I finally worked my way up to 11km with them.
FF's mimic barefoot running, helping our feet to feel free and helping our toes to be spread apart, the way they are meant to be. The FF's are very lightweight and you almost forget you're wearing anything on your feet.
Five Fingers worked muscles in my calves that I have never (to my knowledge) activated before. It's always fun to hurt the next day after a good workout, but this pain is really something! The secret to FF's is to land on the balls of your feet to the middle of your feet, never your heel. By avoiding you heel, you are saving the heel and back of your leg from excess shock.
Any distance past 9-10 km I find these shoes start to kill, (just from the lack of support) but I am sure with consistentley longer runs I would become more accustomed to them.
Verdict: Love these for quick, short runs because of their lightweight. My speed picks up when I wear these so it is good for speed work.
Nike Frees:
I had a pair of these 2 years ago and since then invested in three different types of sneakers (a Nike shoe slightly bigger than the frees and then a Saucony chunky running shoe)
I absolutely love these shoes. They somewhat mimic the minimalistic running shoe, but with an adeqaute amount of support for longer runs. They are very comfortable and fit my feet like a glove. Also, they are pink:)
I only have one downside to these shoes, they have treads on the bottom that is a trap for rocks. The rocks start to stick out and they can be irritating because you can feel them between you and the pavement. However, it only takes a second to pick out the rocks.
Verdict: Love! I recommend these shoes to everyone, they are an excellent choice for short or long distance or even just the gym.
Have you tried either of these running shoes? What is your favourite type of running shoe?
I have the Nike Free Run 2.0 and the Nike Free 3.0 V3, absolute best shoes I have ever owned! The 3.0 V3 model is a bit more minimal than that 2.0 and fits more like a glove. I used the 3.0's in my last half iron race and was able to go sockless for the run; NO BLISTERS! They're light, comfortable, and you can actually personalize them at the Nike website. I agree with tread part. I also wish they made one with a little more traction for trail running.
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