About this deal
Vibram FiveFingers are my ultimate adventure shoe and I can’t imagine running any future marathons in anything else. Plus, I can’t tell you how many conversations have started over my shoes.
Both Ryan and I have been injured before and it’s not fun. Some of these injuries are from stress, falls, former surgeries, or imbalances. We have learned to take it slow, work on perfect form, and become aware of our bodies. The whole theory behind barefoot running is that Mother Nature knew what she was doing. Your feet are incredible works of art. Each one of your stompers has 26 bones, 30 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments.I have been running for years it began barefoot like many country kids through the woods creeks alfalfa fields and gravel lanes. Redesigned with a softer upper and perforated to maximize breathability, the V-RUN is now even more comfortable. This is an ideal running shoe for those making the transition from traditional to minimalist shoe. The thinner sole lets you feel your run, connecting you to the true barefoot running experience. We prided ourselves on who could walk freely on the gravel drives each spring as we rebuilt our calluses. This was the first clue that we probably didn’t need our boots. The second and third clues were our injuries: my bruised toe and the return of Ryan’s hamstring tendonitis (a heel-striking injury) had us calling it quits halfway through our 100-mile section hike.
Instead of leaving my shoes behind though, I’ve opted to wear the minimalist shoes Vibram FiveFingers. Like all minimalist shoes, they have a “zero drop,” which means the heel is at the same height as the ball of the foot. Since I don’t plan to run in my VFFs, would you recommend that I consider other models considering what I wrote? My FiveFingers have lasted an average of two years, about 800 miles. After that kind of use, the fabric became worn out and torn around the toes. In our opinion, the answer is not the V-Run. That shoe didn’t fit either of us very well, and because of that Ryan’s shoes started delaminating after a few runs. If the V-Runs fit you perfectly, great! Hey Rich, this is loaded with great questions. As you saw, I already replied to your second comment about the 42s versus the 43s. After reading this comment, that recommendation holds.Running in FiveFingers, I soon grew to enjoy the unique and different feelings of running on stone, grass, pavement, or dirt. With the toe slots, they felt natural and fit literally like a glove. Since publishing this review in 2019, we’ve helped hundreds of people get started with FiveFingers and helped answer thousands of questions. We used this information to create a 3-step selection process based on fit probability, ground feel, and foot shape. Work out in your FiveFingers for 10% of your overall routine every other day. If you normally run 5 miles, do 1/2 mile in your toe shoes. Weeks 5-12
Each week, increase the length of your workouts in Vibram FiveFingers, but no more than 10% from the previous week. Continue to use them every other day. Week 13 & Onward
V-Aqua
Wear them for short sessions during daily walking activities such as grocery shopping or moving around the house or office. Weeks 3-4 I’ve used Vibrams off and on over the years. My 1st pair was a water show which I still have and use. I used it minimally as a normal shoe. However maybe its the adult in me but I don’t like the idea of wearing a shoe with velcro straps as an adult. Water shoes is fine. Hey Kathy, it definitely sounds like your V-Run Retros were defective. I would talk to customer service (show them the picture and mention the box condition as well). We have 3 pairs of them in our house and none have the design flaw you described. Also, the KSOs are the ONLY pair of VFFs that allow you to freely bend your toes down at the foot junction. After reading through all your information and questions, I ended up digging out all of our FiveFingers shoes (now pictured in the article) to analyze the toes. Here is what I found and these are my best answers to your questions.
There are a lot of shoes that we don’t highly recommend, either for performance, fit, or durability reasons. Additionally, the shoes that we do highly recommend, are not ideal for certain activities.The upper is meant to be an exercise in stoicism and utilitarianism. In many ways Vibram is a reaction to complex shoes with all sorts of complicated feats of engineering rendering structural support and yielding performance advances. Vibrams are stripped down, basic, protective shoes, and their uppers are very utilitarian indeed. Again returning to the most comparable models, the Nike Flex Fury 2, and Brooks PureFlow 6: If you are after upper comfort, you simply cannot pass by the PureFlow 6, whose upper is made of pillows and sheet cake. If you need a more comfortable shoe, but don't want to spoil yourself completely, the Nike Flex Fury 2 is still a very comfortable ride and ranks just below the PureFlow 6, but well above the V-Run. Breathability What about the infamous study that spurred the Vibram lawsuit a few years ago? Ninety-nine participants. How does this provide trustworthy, replicable data to analyze? According to the book, 65-80% of runners every year get injured. The book cites studies pointing fingers at cushioned sneakers as the culprits, and the minimalist shoe revolution got its bible. The Vibram FiveFingers V-Run is the absolutely lightest shoe in our lineup, but its status as a barefoot shoe makes it barely fair to compare to the other shoes. Needless to say, the V-Run earned a top score here at 9.9 ounces for a pair of men's size 11. The next nearest competitors in weight were the Saucony Kinvara 8 at 16.9 ounces a pair and the Nike Flex Fury 2 at 17.2 ounces a pair, followed by the Hoka Clifton. It doesn't get much lighter than the V-Run without going full nude. Durability