After Fila launched its own version of “toe shoe” called the Skele-toes a while back I knew it was a matter of time until the big names came running…pun intended.
All of the major brand players have launched minimalist lines over the past couple years. Nike has the Free, New Balance has the Minimus, and Merrell came out with the Glove line. Those all have had one thing in common; they look like traditional shoes and don’t incorporate individual pockets for toes. Well it appears Adidas is making the leap this November with the launch of the Adidas adiPURE toe shoe.
I have to say the thing looks interesting enough for me to bite and pick them up at the anticipated $90 price tag they will carry. The lack of the strap and overall solid construction appearance will be interesting to test out. I’m unsure of how thick the sole will be but appears to be a bit beefier than the Vibram FiveFingers which is something I’ll hold off on passing judgement on until I test them and can see if it impedes the whole point of being near-barefoot.
A tough road ahead? Will this thing actually hit the shelves in November may be the biggest question left. Vibram has a much publicized lawsuit pending against Fila for the Skele-toes claiming patent infringement. I’m assuming the patent they are most rigorously defending is #20100299962 for the toe segmentation piece. I also think that Fila’s main argument will be their shoe clearly has a 4 toe design and does not directly copy the 5 toe separation that Vibram has created with the FiveFingers. If that is their argument I’ll be curious as to how Adidas plans to defend itself against the almost certain suit coming their way from Vibram…
In the end, I’m not sure how to feel about the whole patent issue. I mean, it’s a shoe. What if Nike laid claim to the modern day running shoe and they were the only one that could make a running shoe…? Who knows what could happen in a world where we’ve allowed companies to patent food crops…
It’s obvious that I don’t wear “shoes”. A year after I ran my first mile in the Vibram Five Fingers, I haven’t looked back, and wouldn’t. It’s totally not a bandwagon thing where I want to be different. If you read my story on here from last August, it’s that I can’t run in shoes because I’ll heel strike or ignore my running as a technique and my right knee will start on fire, almost literally. That doesn’t mean I don’t keep up on the latest industry trends.
We all know there’s now a race amongst the top shoe producers of the world to “get minimal” with their shoe lines. They spent that last 40 years chasing bulkier, spongier, more corrective shoes and now the market has finally gotten sick of being injured all the time and they are trusting their instincts to get back to the basics.
New Balance, with the release of the new Minimus Trail Shoe, is probably the best shoe advancement I’ve seen in this latest race to minimalism by major shoe brands. It’s bitter sweet for me to be honest. You see New Balance was the last shoe I owned that pretty much made me give up ever being able to be a runner. But then, they got Anton. Fellow Nebraskan, and ultra running god, Anton Krupicka is someone that I have followed for the past year now. He’s an all around great guy and his running philosophies are something I totally feel aligned with. I was waiting for what they would do with him at New Balance since they picked up earlier this year and this shoe now makes it clear that they listened to his every word.
So, if you must own a shoe to run in, and you run trails…this has to be the best one out there to date.
Full Disclosure: I retweeted a tweet from Justin over at BirthdayShoes.com and got entered into a contest to win some Zensah Calf Compression Sleeves. So these were free from Zensah, but they didn’t give them to me for the implicit purpose of testing and reviewing…I did that on my own
Why Compression? There are many things out there about compression clothing and the benefits these items can provide for your training and recovery. Simply summed, the theories and tested hypothesis are about making recovery from strenuous activity faster and improving endurance (muscle) by compacting muscles and enhancing blood flow.
Sizing For Zensah Calf Compression Sleeve
This is where it all started. Zensah’s website shows that sizing is based on calf size and height. From the Zensah website the sizing is as follows:
XS/S: Calf Size 9.5″ – 12″
S/M: Height 5 9″ and below. Calf Size 11.5″ – 14.5″
L/XL: Height 5 10″ and up. Calf Size 14.5″ and up
I am just over 6 feet tall and upon measuring my calves I was just under 14.5″ unless I flexed them extra hard and then I could pop a solid 14.5″…So I’m in one of those gray areas between their measurement system. So here’s what’s important, calf size. I ordered the S/M and upon arrival realized I made the right choice. The L/XL would have been loose fitting based on how perfectly snug the S/M is on my legs. I would always error on the side of going smaller since the objective is effective compression.
Testing For Recovery
My calve sleeves were waiting in the mail from Zensah when I arrived home from our summer vacation. I pulled into our place after flying for 5 hours and then driving for 3 hours. I figured that much stagnant sitting was a good initial ‘feel’ test for the calve sleeves. Upon pulling them from the package I initially thought I sized them wrong because they looked like they would only fit my 17 month old son. So I popped them on and they snugly stretched and fit perfectly from the base of my knee to the mid section of my Achilles on my ankle.
I had them on for a few minutes and my wife was giving my goofy looks (I ordered the red one’s, they stand out a bit…). I looked at her and said, “it feels like angels are hugging my calves…” Obviously, I was exaggerating a bit, but there is a truth in that statement. Something felt refreshingly nice about the snug sleeves on my calves. The best I can equate it to is the feeling that a hammock offers a tired body. That feeling of gravity-less floating is somewhat replicated when you offer the muscle an additional layer of ‘skin’ that pulls them together.
After this initial introduction to the sleeves, I tested them for recovery on 3 runs. I had much of the same feeling. My calves honestly seemed to recover faster and feel better by putting them on immediately following a run. I left them on for 2-4 hours after the run and even wore them under my work dress pants after a lunch run.
Testing While Running I also have had a chance to test the sleeves 3 times while wearing them during a run. I’m less adamant on this topic with regards to the sleeve’s positive effects as I am about what they did for recovery.
I have weak calves. I’ve been running for 1 year and 500 miles as of writing this review. I must say that during my first run with the sleeve’s I was convinced they were sustaining my calves endurance longer than I normally feel they are ‘strong’. My 2 subsequent runs I purposefully became very objective and as an outcome I now know I sit 100% on the fence on this one! I’m still battling a weak IT Band on my right side so I’m not in the best position to test these during a run because my thighs are giving out long before I feel my calves quiver.
I’ll continue to run with the sleeve’s as I feel healthier in my thighs so I can perhaps come to a better conclusion than “inconclusive” on this one…
Overall So what is my general statement about the Zensah Calve Compression Sleeve’s?
RECOVERY: Absolutely seem to have a positive impact on lactate recovery post-run and will continue to be used by me after every strenuous run.
RUNNING: Inconclusive. I’m not sure if I am experiencing prolonged ability in my calves because of the sleeves. They do look cool and as if wearing FiveFingers weren’t getting you noticed enough, try throwing these things on with the VFF’s and every head within 10 miles will be watching you…
I’ve had such a good experience that I plan on getting Zensah’s thigh compression sleeves to see if they can assist me with this god-forsaken IT Band issue.
These thing’s take a beating. We wear them on the trails, we pound them through tough grasses, and we grind them on the obstacles the city streets have to offer. At some point in your ownership of Vibram FiveFingers you will be likely to have a seam open up. Most folks that I keep up with that run in FiveFingers experience this around the 300 miles mark, which I think is totally acceptable in terms of the quality of the product holding up 100% through that many miles. Having said that, a seam failure doesn’t mean you need to throw your FiveFingers away.
If you have 10 minutes and a needle and thread, you’ve got everything you need to keep your Vibram FiveFinger’s in tip top shape to last you hundreds of more miles!
I have heard feedback from several folks who’ve converted to Vibram’s for running that when they hit the trails they can’t take the impact from the smaller stones and objects on the trail. I’m yet to be able to say that I can run trails without getting those surprising shocks from a small stone every now and again, but I hold onto faith that you eventually learn how to adapt fully to the experience and towards the end of 2009 my feet were significantly more adapted. Having said that, they appear to have un-learned that ability over the winter!
The video covers a way I discovered to help you get over some of those stone bruising impacts. You’ll still feel the strikes, this just helps dull them a bit as you fully adjust your feet.
One question I get asked a lot when telling people about my running style is what I do in the winter. It’s a good question because it just recently got wintry enough to test out my only method of running, my Vibram FiveFinger KSO’s.
We have snow that is 36 inches deep in places right now, but I need to get miles in or I’ll go insane. The treadmill is really only good for speed work for me because I really don’t enjoy it. I guess the only option is to hit the roads!
So, how goes it?
First off, it depends on the conditions of the road/surface. My foot gear (as always) is my Vibram FiveFingers KSO’s (pictured on the left) with a pair of Injinjicrew socks inside. Nice and simple, just the way I like it. The temp’s outside have been cold, 20 to 30 degrees and we have active snow everyday. The KSOs handle great on the powder and cleared surfaces. My feet are noticeably cold for about .65 miles into a run but then the constant movement seems to keep them warm enough for a solid run. Slush, well that’s another story. I’ve had to jump off the powdered surfaces and hit the streets where the sidewalks are not cleared. This sucks. One of the features of the KSOs that make it such a fun warm/cool weather shoe will bite you in the winter. These things are WELL ventilated. They have a totally free flowing upper and the bottom soles have jagged slits all across the shoe. Those slits make the KSO super breathable and a quick drying machine when its nice out. In enter the winter slush. It’s wet, cold and just plain nasty. Your foot gets soaked. It’s 20 degrees out, so it freezes. If you had to have prolonged slush runs, you’d be lucky to get 30 minutes out of your feet. So that’s the bad news, just try to avoid slush and you’re good to go. The last bit, Ice. If it’s really icy, don’t risk it and hit the treadmill. The KSO is somewhat like an ice skate on ice so don’t risk injury.
All in all, winter running is totally doable with the FiveFinger KSO. I can get 1.5 hour runs on powder, 45 minutes in slush/powder runs, and about 20-30 minutes in excessive slush. The most important thing to remember: Listen to your toes. Stop often and give a hard push to each toe, can you feel it? You’ll be surprised the first time that pinky toe doesn’t respond…that’s a clear sign to stop and get home. Don’t play around with frostbite, afterall, I don’t think there are plans for Vibram to make any FourFingers anytime soon! Keep your stride small, increase your cadence and watch out for ice – oh, and have fun!
Now ideally, I’d have a pair of KSO Trek’s, but I’m still pinching my pennies to save for those. I have to believe the added traction on the sole of the Trek’s combined with the nice kangaroo upper’s would make a world of difference for long winter runs. Overall, I don’t see any reason for a little (or a lot) of snow to hinder my training plans. As soon as the roads are clear enough you can bet I’ll be pounding pavement with my feet and putting more miles behind me!
Holy shit, I can’t walk. Seriously, people at the office are trailing me just to see me hobble around stiff legged and incapable of descending the stairs…
A little history to try and explain what I think is happening.
I’ve never run. I mean sure, I’ve tried to run. I even remember running the mile in middle school and hating it and probably taking 12 minutes or more. I also have never done leg exercises. I was pretty jacked leaving high school and through college. I lifted weights 4 days a week, but NEVER did my legs. What does all this mean? I have a lower leg that consists of a shin and behind it, maybe some tendons, but that’s it. There’s not one ounce of muscle back there.
That’s pretty much an accurate picture of my legs… So on top of the fact that I’ve never done anything substantial with my legs, I have come to realize that I am a habitual HEAL STRIKER.
You see, after just one run I now know why I always hurt when I run! The Vibram FiveFingers don’t allow me to heal strike. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and take your shoes off and try to run as fast as you can with a massive stride and pound that heal in the hard concrete below. Ok, don’t really try that, but you see what I’m talking about? My natural stride is TINY compared to what I attempt to do with a ginormous padded heal attached to my foot.
So what’s the outcome? I did 1 mile and it took 11 minutes. Most importantly…not one instance of pain anywhere in my entire body! I think I’m going to like this!
UPDATE [December 2009] I can’t stress enough to people just starting out either barefoot running or running in the Vibram FiveFingers – GO SLOW. I have converted a half dozen people to date to the shoes (and no one has gone back!). These people ranged from folks who were like me (not runners at all) to people who were seasoned runners (multi-marathoners) and all have raved about the results from the shoes. The people who were like me, progressed much as you see how I progressed on this site, slow and steady. The seasoned runners adapted much more quickly and were logging long mile runs within weeks. My mantra is simple:
Simple. Slow. Listen. Log.
Simple- get your shoes off. Run barefoot or pick up some FiveFingers. I don’t recommend getting simpler shoes over time, most things I’ve read show you’d be putting yourself at increased risk of injury. Just do it, get back to the natural way your body was built to run!
Slow- run slower than you think. A lot slower. My starting pace was around 12min miles and my lower calves and Achilles were fried on my first several runs. Just jog it out, take it slow, it will come!
Listen- you’re going to me AMAZED at how talkative your body is going to be, trust me. You’ve removed that barrier that prevented your highly tuned feet into talking with your brain and getting valuable, instant feedback. Last month, into a long run, I noticed a twinge in my left hip. I quickly analyzed my body posture and realized I had slipped to a slight forward curve in my back. I readjusted and, bam, the pain was instantly gone. Having shoes on can block you from recognizing things and you need to listen to your feet and body now. When they say they are tired, you stop running. Check out the Pose Method of running as well. If you run in FiveFingers or barefoot, you’ll be surprised to find that you probably naturally already run this way! It never hurts to understand this method though so you can check your form mid-run when you get a signal that somethings off a bit.
Log – most of us are results driven. Running gives you INSTANT feedback. You can set goals for yourself, hit those goals and make amazing leaps in distance and time by just keeping at it. I tried a bunch of different logging techniques and fell in love with RunningAhead.com. It offers a great way to keep track of the progress you are making, which is sooooo important. It also takes data right from my Garmin Forerunner 305 and gives key data like average and max heart rate, pace, interval data, etc. Keep an eye on the price of the 305, it fluctuates highly. I got it a couple months ago for $150 and have seen it go as low as $130 and back up to near $300!
Most important thing of all HAVE FUN! Running is such a joy for me now and I love hearing about how people have changed their lives and realized their abilities through running. Please leave me any comments if you found this helpful or have anything else to add that people could benefit from.
I’ve had the “shoes” now for almost a week and have worn them religiously, every day. I wore them to dinner to the other night and my wife almost killed me. I’ll admit, they are a bit goofy looking, but looks aside these are THE MOST comfortable things I have ever had on my body.
I’ve just been walking in them for the moment. The first time I put them on it was like nothing I’ve experienced in my life. Sure I’m used to putting gloves on my hands and getting each finger into each respective slot, but doing this for my feet? A little weird. And I use the word weird in a most good way, these things feel awesome. When I walk I can see my toes splay like they are naturally meant to do. There’s no toe-box like on a shoe so there’s nothing preventing my feet from acting purely natural…purely fantastic!
After the first couple of days I had some soreness in the arches of my feet. I would assume this is completely natural as it is what I have read in research and is the reason I am attempting to take it S-L-O-W. I have to be honest though. I want to run. I feel like I’m five again, I feel like running will be a blast!
I am planning my first run tomorrow. 1 mile, keeping with the keep it slow mentality. I plan on running my next four or so runs at only 1 mile. This also happens to be the exact distance I have ever been able to run because pain sets in just prior to the mile mark and I am forced to stop…I’m totally stoked to see what happens with these!
I’ve spent the past week researching and digesting a WEALTH of information. I even went out and ran barefoot. It was a short jaunt, maybe a quarter mile tops, but everything in my mind has changed with that one run.
The barefoot run, combined with the hours of data and musings I’ve been pouring over has totally changed my mindset on what it means to run. Before I go further with my plan, here’s some of the stuff I found most important over the past week:
http://runningbarefoot.org/?page_id=525
*this is Barefoot KenBob’s site. I’ve linked you to his post on “Beginnings” because the information he provides is so critical to what you will experience when you take your shoes off. This guy is like the godfather of barefoot running.
http://barefootted.com/
*all these “barefoot [insert name]” guys are insane. I love it! Ted has a great site with tons of information into running ultra distances that I cannot even conceive at this point in my life.
http://www.posetech.com/
*the Pose Method of running is badass. Even if you decide to keep shoes on, this is a must follow to ensure you don’t eff your joints up forever. Watching the videos on the Pose method has made me realize that my super fly stride and heel strike is probably why I’ve never been able to run without pain…
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/
*the combined efforts of the three previous links I posted have led me to this company. This is my first purchase on this new path in running. I chose the KSO model of the “shoe” and here’s why.
The classic seems to be adequate but in appearance alone seems that it may feel like it’s slipping off my foot while I run. I also REALLY like the fact that the KSO is closed top and has the strap. I plan on running trails, I figure they are more entertaining than concrete passing beneath you…and so the KSO will offer just enough top closure so that crap doesn’t get into the “shoe”.
I picked up the shoe online from City Sports and signed up for their mailing list while I was at it, which saved me an extra 15% on them! They ended up being $73. A small price to pay if they give me the ability to run. I’m patiently awaiting their arrival and will post an update once I have them!
