Tuesday 11 January 2011

Titbit Tuesday

Vibram Five Fingers vs Huaraches

I was recently chatting to a family member who is thinking of taking up running again. He hasn't run in many years but is thinking about it now because there is a stage race in the second half of the year that he would like to do. He was also in touch with a physiotherapist who insists that running barefoot is the best way to run. Needless to say, he went to try a pair of Vibram Five Fingers.


This picture was taken from birthdayshoes.com

I said that if he is only starting to run, he should run barefoot from the beginning and build up his feet and stamina at the same time. At the very most, he should wear huaraches, like mine from Invisible Shoes, for the times that being barefoot could be hazardous.


Then, I came across a trail runner, Chaotic Mark, who did a video review of his Luna Sandals vs The Vibram Five Fingers.



It is a longish video but well worth watching - to see his running style, on trails no less, his take on the tread, the fact that the Vibram is still a shoe, his focus on correct natural running form

I obviously wear Invisible Shoe huraches and think they are great. I would recommend that you read up on the difference between Luna Sandals from Barefoot Ted (as featured in this video) and Invisible Shoes, and find a pair that suits your needs.

At the end of the day, whatever gets you running in a more natural style and form will lead to a more pleasant (and injury free) running experience.

To JM, go for a short run "in" your barefeet and notice the feeling of the ground beneath your feet - I'm sure you'll not want to ruin the experience with a pair of shoes ;-)

4 comments:

Ewa said...

I have been wondering about the difference between huaraches from Invisible Shoe and Luna Sandals. Unfortunately the link is not working for me.
Anyway, from what I've been reading anybody new to running the way Nature intended ought to start slowly and totally barefoot. Makes sense to me even though it requires a lot of patience.

Natalia said...

Hi Staci, thanks for stopping by my blog. It's especially great to 'meet' fellow South Africans! This was a very informative post, as I am curious about barefoot running and the vibram five fingers. I will be catching up on more of your previous posts over the weekend. Mooi loop!

Johann said...

Very interesting! I've got some friends in the US that love their Vibrams. Glad to see you are linking up with Natalia. I just received some great goodies from her.

Anonymous said...

If you checkout the invisible shoe website http://www.invisibleshoe.com/ you can not only get great newsletters about barefoot running, follow our blog about others' experiences, but see various comparisons between the Invisible shoe huaraches and VFF's, luna huaraches, etc.

Check it out-- I know I love my huaraches from invisible shoes and I love their website for the great information, videos, and advice it provides as well!