So it’s been a while since I posted last. I have been trying to adapt to running “barefoot” in my Vibram 5 fingers for many months now. It is going very very slowly for me. I can still only run for about a max of 30 minutes before my feet and calf muscles start to get sore, and my speed is still far slower than it was in regular shoes.
I read somewhere that if you want to transition from running in regular shoes to minimalist shoes, that you should first run for a while in something like the Minimus before switching to the Vibram five fingers. It sounds like it would have been a good idea in hindsight, but since I am already running a few times per week in the five fingers I might as well keep going.
The good news is that I haven’t been having any knee pain at all since switching over. In fact, my knees have never felt better! I attribute this to the fact that I run so much more gently now, and that I can’t log as many miles as I used to.
Since it is winter I have to do my running at home on the treadmill. I have been paying very close attention to my form. The thing I really like about barefoot or minimalist running is that it forces you to completely change the way you run. You can’t land on your heels or you will pay for it big time. It feels so much more natural to me now that I am used to it.
Hopefully I can keep building my mileage and speed up!
