Hiking, Walking, Running, and Playing in Vibram Five Fingers Classics and Flows

By Justin Owings on Mar 5, 2010 | In User Stories | Leave a comment »

Andrew plays with his dog in the kitchen in his Classic Vibram Five Fingers (in black)

Enjoying a bit of snow between the toes in his Classics, Andrew snaps a shot of a rose.

Hiking in Vibram Five Fingers Flows, Andrew snaps a shot over some rocky terrain.

Andrew Harwood sent in the above photos showing off his Vibram Five Fingers collection (black Classics and Flows). I asked Andrew to share a bit about what he's been doing in his VFFs and what he likes about them. Here is what he had to say:

I have three pair of Vibram. Two of them are black classics (one busted and I replaced it with a new pair but then fixed the broke pair) and a pair of flows.

I like the comfort of them. They feel so natural. If and when I wear normal shoes, my first instinct is to take them off when I get home. They aren't comfortable and it is always hard to find a pair of shoes that fit just right and feel good. With my VFF I keep them on no matter where I am (house, running, around work, school, etc). I also like them because when I run I can feel the ground that I am running on. I have a more keen sense of my running pattern. This is a good thing because it helps me to work on my running form. As a teen I did some running and my knees would always hurt after a long day of walking and running. I walk an average of about 5 miles a day and haven't felt my knees hurt at all. It is because I am more likely to walk mid foot or flat foot. Also, when I run, I run fore-foot (or am trying to). The shoes definitely help in my efforts. Even after running my knees don't hurt. I also like how easy they are to put on. Starting out it is a pain in the butt, but after about 8 months of using them I was able to put them on handless. Now after a year, it is somewhat like sliding my foot into slippers.

I also love how the shoes are a great conversation starter. So many funny faces and questions about them. It is great because I love talking to people but never know how to start the conversation.

You didn't ask if there was anything that I don't like. There is something I don't like and that is the smell that takes place after a week or so. I have found great ideas to take care of the smell from your forum.

I mostly walk in them. I wear them literally everywhere. I boxed up all of my old shoes and exclusively wear VFF. The only time I wear anything else is when I am in the pulpit and that is for a hour (dress shoes that I literally keep at the office under my desk). I am an assistant pastor. Outside of running I do all kinds of things. I will play ultimate frisbee in them. On the weekends I will go hike a mountain of about 3-5 miles. I run/walk the dog all the time. I put a lot of miles on my shoes. I put a lot of pressure on my feet and my feet take it so much better than my knees. I have really strengthened the arch in my foot.

Thanks for sharing, Andrew! Though some might find it curious, being able to put on Classic Vibram Five Fingers without hands is a great skill to acquire — really saves time in a pinch. And if you're looking for the aforementioned forum thread, you can read all about the various methods of Vibram Five Fingers stink removal here.

Do go and check out Andrew's blog over at The Remains of a Living and note he has a page dedicated to VFF photos.

About the Author — I founded BirthdayShoes.com in April 2009 on realizing just how much I enjoyed having "free feet" - I mostly wanted to use them for weights, sprints, and plyometrics (I'm not much of a runner!). I'm a Googler by day and minimalist footwear aficionado by night; you can find me 'round Atlanta. If you want to catch up with what I'm doing outside of the site here, follow me on twitter @bdayshoes or @justinno or check out my personal site JustinOwings.com.
Justin Owings+ has written 754 articles and 302 comments.