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What prompted you to get Vibram Five Fingers?

First off, I love going barefoot but I hate getting dirt on my feet. My brother jumped on the VFF bandwagon and couldn't stop talking about them and what could I do but give them a try? As a sign of good things to come, on the day I bought my VFFs I found a 20 dollar bill on the sidewalk - probably because I was staring at my newly VFF'd feet!

What type and color Five Fingers do you have and how long have you had them?

I'm sporting the classics with the khaki/tan coloring. I've had them for probably 8 months or so.

What do you do most while wearing your Five Fingers?

Working out, walking to the store, walking in the neighborhood, chillin around the house.

Any unusual experiences while wearing them?

Besides the twenty bucks found on my VFF day, nothing too spectacular. Unless, of course, you would call going to all of your favorite public places nearly barefoot which, I have to tell you, is truly a different experience. There's something about wearing these that puts you into closer communion with the ground.

How do Five Fingers fit in with who you are as a person?

I like to think of myself as adventurous and somewhat counter-cultural. I'm no hippie, but do love to be outdoors provided that there are things to do and places to play. I guess you'd have to be pretty open-minded to slap these suckers on your feet as you will definitely get a lot of weird looks from passers-by. Although, it's the second look that you have to wait for cause that is the one where they really get hooked!

Anything else you'd like to share about your Five Fingers?

It took me a little while to get used to putting them on, but now it's a breeze. Also, I love that they are machine washable. Eventually, I'd like to try the KSOs but for now my classics suit me just fine. Viva la BirthdayShoes!

Thank you, Nathan!

Imagine trying to do this with regular tennis shoes!
See all the photos of Nathan and his birthday shoes here.

*By "brother," Nathan is referring to me. And yes, I coerced him into doing this interview!

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.