My Miracle Barefoot Cure, Vibrams Fivefingers + Plimsols

The first time I decided to take running seriously, I went a bit silly.

I had been pumping weights in the gym like so many other young men my age.  I felt fit, strong and healthy.  Full of life and busting with enthusiasm.

I have a sister that lives about 16 miles away and I thought, bugger it, I'm gonna run over to her!

Being the intrepid internet explorer that I am, I knew very well the recommendatory 10% rule.  To start off with  only a mile or so and build it up.

But of course, being young and dumb, I set off feeling fit as a fiddle.

Needless to say, by mile 10, I was a train wreck.  I forgot to mention, this run was in a brand new pair of snazzy cushioned running shoes.  I couldn't walk, nevermind run.  The pain was immense.  I honestly felt as though I'd broken something in my foot, and I had to limp the remaining 6 miles to my sisters house, looking like a zombie.

This would prove to be the start and the bane of my running life.

After I got home, the next morning I couldn't walk, so off I hobbled to the A&E room.  They gave me an X-ray and I had a metatarsal stress fracture in my right foot.  Went to see a podiatrist and I was diagnosed with plantar faciitis, metatarsalgia and achilles tendonitis, all in my right foot!  So much for being young and invincible. My first step into the running world was to be my last for a few months.

All I could think about after this was getting better and getting back out on the roads!  All I wanted to do was run!

Slowly but surely over the next few years I got back running again, but still plagued by these same injuries in my foot.  One week they would be fine, but the next I would be a limping wreck.

Then I read about the whole barefoot running craze, and how it can help fix things like this.

I am a real sucker for new research and ideas so I thought i'd give it a go!

I started off by buying a snazzy new pair of Vibram Fivefingers KSO  as they looked the least feminine!  I used them over summer just as regular shoes for the gym, doing the shopping, going on walks, all the regular day to day activities, just walking.

The first thing I noticed about walking around in them is that, damn, my feet are sore!  But not in the places i was injured.  This felt more like muscle pain.  Like you were doing bicep curls in the gym, except with your feet.  It seemed I was using muscles in my feet that I have pretty much never used before!

After a few weeks, I could walk in them with no muscle burning at all.  So it doesnt take a genius to work out that the reason for this was, my feet got stronger!

One big problem with the vibrams is, lets face it, they look pretty damn stupid.  I could just about get away with them in the gym, and maybe walking round town in summer doing shopping.  But try to go to a bar, or a restaurant in them, and you will get some funny looks!   This didnt particularly bother me, but my girlfriend hated it!  So I came up with a solution.  Remember those horrible flat thin pumps you used to wear at primary school for P.E?  Well they are the perfect compromise!   I found a pair online from a shop that actually sells school pumps, but you can find them on ebay for damn cheap.   They are flat bottomed, thin soled and extremely flexible, which is essentially what the vibrams are.

So for a good few months, I was walking in nothing but "barefoot" footwear.


Quite a few months has passed between now and then, and the reason for writing this article is that, I realise.....I have no more foot pain.

I am running about 50 miles per week and I am totally pain free!

I am hesitant to say that the barefoot walking cured it, but it certainly seems that way !

You can find a good selection of Vibram KSOs here.

And these are the types of pumps that are perfect!