I think it depends on the person - different strokes for different feet and all that. I grew up walking barefoot and running barefoot. My mom hated always taking me to the hospital to have things (broken glass, pieces of metal) removed from my feet. Too many stitches to count. VFF's are a godsend. I love running with them, and have for about 5 years now. Shoes never feel right to me, like little toe prisons. VFF's are next best thing to barefoot. In a race that's on pavement longer than 10 miles, I'll wear some low-rise shoes for a little extra padding between myself and pavement but other than that it's VFFs.
I got my kids each a pair and so far no ER visits for either one of them.
see Brenda's video from the Dashboard http://naturalrunningcenter.com/2012/04/11/video-ready-minimal/ This really helped put into perspective this whole topic. Some folks, like Robin, have feet that are well suited for less support and do great in these minimalist shoes. (Credit your barefoot upbringing!) Others, probably like me, lack the flexibility in the foot to use them successfully. I'm working to try to improve the flexibility and hope to get there. In the meantime, I'd use some of the tests and guidelines in the video both to assess where you are right now and therefore, if you are a good candidate, and to learn how to get there... For those like me, very slow transition from a mega shoe to a mini shoe is critical.
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Nothing beats a good 4-6 oz racing flat. Anything less - barefoot, Vibram 5 fingers - IMO is a fetish.
I think it depends on the person - different strokes for different feet and all that. I grew up walking barefoot and running barefoot. My mom hated always taking me to the hospital to have things (broken glass, pieces of metal) removed from my feet. Too many stitches to count. VFF's are a godsend. I love running with them, and have for about 5 years now. Shoes never feel right to me, like little toe prisons. VFF's are next best thing to barefoot. In a race that's on pavement longer than 10 miles, I'll wear some low-rise shoes for a little extra padding between myself and pavement but other than that it's VFFs.
I got my kids each a pair and so far no ER visits for either one of them.
http://naturalrunningcenter.com/2012/04/11/video-ready-minimal/
This really helped put into perspective this whole topic. Some folks, like Robin, have feet that are well suited for less support and do great in these minimalist shoes. (Credit your barefoot upbringing!)
Others, probably like me, lack the flexibility in the foot to use them successfully.
I'm working to try to improve the flexibility and hope to get there. In the meantime, I'd use some of the tests and guidelines in the video both to assess where you are right now and therefore, if you are a good candidate, and to learn how to get there...
For those like me, very slow transition from a mega shoe to a mini shoe is critical.