Knew news, Vibram Five Fingers is coming out with a new shoe, the Bikila, specifically designed for runners. I knew I should have waited when I bought my Sprints. The release of the Bikila should be sometime in April this year and the shoe looks nice. Their arrival has been sited in various cities already.
Check out this awesome collage from http://www.birthdayshoes.com a great site for all your VFF questions, updates, and five fingers news. Collage is located at http://bit.ly/aKv9Uj
I sadly had to put my VFFs in the closet for now so that my toes can heal. Since I last wrote I had mentioned that I had a blister on the inside of my right heel which after healing somewhat has now again reappeared creating an even bigger blister. My left pinky toenail is bruised under my nail. I should polish the rest of my toenails purple so that they all match. My right pinky toe is also considerably swollen and hurts whenever I try to manually move it up and down left and right. I don’t think my foot problems are necessarily the shoes fault, but sadly they aren’t working really well with my toes.
On the other hand, when I run with the VFFs I experience no hip and back pain. My running style has improved with a more forward step on the ball of my foot rather than my heel. I believe in doing this I have drastically lessened the pressure to my lower back and decreased any and all hip pain.
I have had to go back to my regular Nike Bowerman Series running shoe to continue training for the 1/2 marathon in September. On Sunday Alex and I ran 7 miles. We finished in 1 hr 10 minutes. Half way through the run my hip joints couldn’t take it anymore. I had to slow down my pace and then I realized that I should try running on the balls of my feet like I did with the VFFs. I wanted to just break free of my shoes and bolt out barefoot, but that wasn’t going to happen. I decided to run on the balls of my feet in my shoes, it definitely didn’t feel right, too much cushion and instability when the shoes hit the pavement, but guess what? No hip pain.
There you have it! I’m stuck, how do I stay a runner and still enjoy my runs without any additional pain?Does anyone have any suggestions? Comments? or are you in same situation. I am making an appointment with my physical therapist to get my “back” back on track. Wish me luck!
Bluefin Software Blog 
Hey, just found the blog, but have been a C25K user for a while now. If the VFFs aren’t quite your thing, you might look at running shoes by Newton–they look pretty much like a traditional running shoe, but they’re made to encourage you to run with a mid- or fore-foot strike, similar to barefoot running.
I’m a newbie runner, and I’m using the Lady Isaac model. Planning to hit my first 5K next month in the Newtons. So far so good, I haven’t had any injury issues through week 8 of the program. (And no, I’m not an employee, just a fan!)
Their website is http://www.newtonrunning.com.
Jen,
Thank you so much for your input. I will definitely look into their shoes. Just finished a 1/2 marathon and realized that my current shoes weren’t the best. I already looked into the website and will do some more research. Let us know how the 5K goes!
I’ve been running in my VFF Classics for about 6 months now and have yet to go back to a regular running shoe. It did take a fair amount of time to get used to the VFFs but I did go out and do barefoot drills in the grass to work on my running form and get used to a pose-method running form.
Thanks for posting. I have had to hang up my VFFs for now. I am training for a half and perhaps when I am done with the race I will get back to them. 6 months is a long time but I bet worth it!
Sorry you’re having a rough go on the VFF training! Truth is: it takes *awhile* to adjust to minimally shod running. Actually, for your first pair, I think Sprints were a great choice — even over the Bikila. This is because the Bikila has extra cushioning compared to the Sprint and is really more appropriate for runners who have already dialed in the barefoot form. This is because more barefoot = more feedback and feedback from the ground is the best teacher on correcting your running form.
For that matter, and I’m no expert, it sounds to me that you may be TOO forward on your toes. Maybe try a bit of barefoot running just to see what it’s like — could be instructive!
Hey thanks for your quick reply and suggestions. I’ll try barefoot running now that the weather is getting better. I haven’t given up on the idea yet. I think I also need to purchase 5 Fingers socks as well as to not get any more blisters. It’s on my to do list!