Scott models his Vibram FiveFingers

I’m injured, again.  Yup, turns out I have a bone spur, and oh yeah, favoring the foot that plays host to that tiny little bump of unwelcome bone that tears at the surrounding muscles has made my herniated disc very unhappy.  Apparently, I’m not alone.  Experts estimate that roughly eight out of every ten runners will end up on the shelf each year for some period of time with one of the many assorted injuries we inflict upon ourselves with repetitive pavement pounding.

Why are all runners seemingly perpetually hobbled?  That question, coupled with desperation and about five hundred Google search variations, led me to Vibram FiveFingers® footwear.  What they are supposed to do is connect me to our ancient roots when people ran not for sport but for life.  They ran for food, and from becoming food, and they did it (gasp) without expensive sneakers with padding, reflective patches and air shocks.  They did it in bare feet.  Even today, the fastest people on earth — the Tarahumara tribe in Copper Canyon, Mexico — routinely run hundreds of miles without stopping and without padded running shoes, just homemade leather sandals.

Vibram FiveFingers promises no padding and no injuries.  I cannot yet attest to whether they deliver on those promises, but I can tell you that they scare small children and give my wife the creeps.  The bottom looks like those casts of Sasquatch foot prints you see on Discovery Channel specials.  Each toe has its own slot, like gloves, and you can wiggle your toes independently, a weird feeling and sight, trust me.  All that separates me from the road is a thin rubber sole.

This whole thing flies in the face of logic.  Common sense, and modern science, dictate that the more injured you are, the more you should baby your feet.  Extra support, enhanced padding, custom orthotics…well, I’ve tried them to no avail.  Back to the basics for me in a last ditch effort to see if I can run long-distance races again.

I’m inviting all of you to share the experience.  I’m excited.  Maybe this is the answer to my injury woes and what will help me make it to, and through, another marathon.  I’ve been warned to start slow since I will be utilizing muscles that have been long dormant and spoiled by state-of-the-art running shoes.  Tomorrow… a measly one mile outside to get the hang of these odd looking slip-on foot covers.