Discussion Board

I bought Vibram 5 fingers and merrell's and I love both. I walk and run in them.

Does gentle jog qualify as running? I do all my indoor walking and jogging barefoot. Well, I wear socks, but shoes tend to make me trip.
I checked out the Vibram online, and they look cool, but I know I couldn't wear them because I have feet from Hell--wide, high arch, high instep, and very short toes, plus my right foot is a size bigger than the left. Fred Flintstone feet. No wonder I hate buying shoes.
The barefoot running interests me because I like the faster cadence. I think my rhythm tends to be better at the faster beat. I don't know how I'd do outside. I don't even know how I'd do on a treadmill.

It's my understanding that 'running' is a gait where there is a point at which both feet are off the ground. If there is always one foot on the ground, that's walking; both feet on the ground, well that's stopped!!
Therefore I get to call my slow, soft jog "running". Doing so always makes me feel like a bit of a fraud!

I have Fred Flintstone feet too. My doctors have made that comment may a time. I have bunyons as well and the vibram 5 fingers are extremely comfortable on my foot. Go in to an REI and try them on and see what you think. They will let you walk around in the shoe department in them to see if you like them or not.

Thanks Rosey. There are a couple REI (had to google what that meant ) around here. A bit of a ride. I'm really curious and interested in trying the barefoot/minimalist shoes. Maybe Vibram won't work for me, but perhaps something else will. Any info barefoot folks can share on the different shoes and the entire subject will be helpful. It's a foreign language to me.

I'm thinking maybe I wouldn't like fabric around my toes. (Can toes be claustrophobic? ) Can you feel that material around your toes in Vibram?

Can you pinch with your toes? I saw on a barefoot training video where they tell you to practice picking things up with your toes. I've always been able to pinch with my right foot, but not my left. I wonder if that's what made my right foot bigger?

I also have a pair of Merrell's that have soles made by Vibram that aren't made with the toes. I love them as well. They are a bit thicker of a sole then the actual Vibram 5 fingers though. I want to get another pair of Merrells but the running shoe sort. These say they are running shoes but they look more like dress shoes then running shoes to me.

as for the Vibram 5 fingers I love mine. I thought I wouldn't like the stuff between the toes but I actually don't mind it and it seems to be making my bunyons smaller and it's not just me thinking they are smaller so does hubby and doctor.

I've always been able to pinch with my toes. So can my mom.

Well there you go! I didn't realise not everyone can 'pinch' their toes!
I don't think you could pick things up with your toes wearing 5 fingers but you can certainly move your toes independently. I find them much less claustrophobic than shoes ( I know EXACTLY what you mean).
All the joints in your feet are able to move freely. This takes some time to adjust to, to build up strength where you probably haven't needed it before - not only muscles, but ligaments too (like 'legging up' for you horse-people).

Do Merrells come in wide width? All I see is medium.

My left foot is uncoordinated. Those toes just don't want to pinch. I don't even have to concentrate much to do it with the right toes, but those left toes--geesh! Uncooperative.

I do a lot of heel raises. Maybe I should do more toe lifts.

I went into the Merrell store here and looked at them and when I asked the guy if they had wide width he looked down at my feet and told me that they don't have a shoe that is called wide width but that they are wide because they are made to give you room to move. My foot is a triple E in width and they fit me just fine. Mine are the Merrell Pure Glove.

Thanks, Rosey. Buying shoes makes me crazy.

yeah me too. Part of why I'm loving the barefoot shoes. I go barefoot all the time inside and even outside when it's summer but this cold wet weather right now not so much.

shoes, and especially athletic shoes are suppose to be one of the worst things we do to ourselves. I've been wanting to try on a pair of those five fingers shoes. I grew up barefoot and my toes are wild, they grab when I walk, they spread out, heck I'm always picking up trash and rags with them, when I was young I use to practice writing my name with them, so they hate shoes. I like my birkenstocks. Last summer I broke my baby toe, really badly, like most of the way through it looked like. Now that pinky toe is crowding around the other since it's basically acts like dead meat. I think those toe shoes would feel good for it.

I use to love (and still own) toe socks too.

I'm doing about half and half now. barefoot or minimalist shoes. My Vibrams I bought back in July have almost had it. My Merrell's I bought for looking for work and working. Got some Huaraches coming in mail. They are a minimalist running sandal.

I see a web site explaining how to make huaraches. When I did a search for them, the top two hits was footsmart.com with a brand of shoes by this name and also Nike has a show with this name. Neither are very minimalist.